DO ortho help

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lsudoc82

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I have been accepted to NSUCOM and PCSOM. I am having trouble deciding which to go to. I am interested in ortho and was wondering if anyone had information on which of the two schools would provide better training or opportunities in clinicals for such, or if it even matters. Please help.

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lsudoc82 said:
I have been accepted to NSUCOM and PCSOM. I am having trouble deciding which to go to. I am interested in ortho and was wondering if anyone had information on which of the two schools would provide better training or opportunities in clinicals for such, or if it even matters. Please help.

I don't have personal experience with either school, however I suggest that you check out the match lists of the two schools for the last few years. Although its not a direct correlation, it may help you see what programs people are shooting for and getting into.
 
I honestly don't think it matters what school you go to. I don't know anything about either school you are speaking of, but I am sure that people match ortho from each every year. The key is making the most out of school, working hard, and doing what you need to do to make your resume irresistable when it comes interview time. That means research if you can (not real important on the DO side), get great grades, do great on boards, and do the extra things like volunteer, work with the sports med/ortho people around your school, and then work hard on your rotations 3rd/4th year. Oh yeah, being personable goes a long way on the DO side and rotating where you want to go. Then everything else will more than likely take care of itself. Good luck!
 
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Because most programs take students who rotate I would recommend that you choose a school that gives you freedom to do as many rotations in ortho as you can during your 4th year. At my school we were only allowed 2 months of general ortho but I ended up doing 4 but I had to use all my vacation time to do it. When I was on the trail as a 4th year I met a few PCOM students who told me that they could do 12 months of ortho their 4th year if they wanted. Now I'm not saying that you need that much freedom but you should probably do anywhere from 3-5 months to increase your chances of matching.
 
I am a recent NSUCOM grad. In my 4th year we were only allowed to schedule 2 non-primary care rotations and 3 if we used our vaction time. Unfortunately, no more than 2 could be in the same specialty. NSUCOM is affliated w/ Parkway Regional which has the only DO ortho spot in Florida. In recent history (ie since the program opened), the ONE accepted applicant per year has come from the traditional rotating internship class at Palmetto general hospital. I never rotated at Palmetto, so I don't know if the competition there for that one spot is brutal or not, but I can imagine it could be rough. Don't know much about PCOM. Hope that helps.
 
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