For me, I really didn't have too many complaints. The only negatives I can think of is at EVMS, don't look forward to getting a financial aid award letter before school starts. And that really makes some people's decision harder because you don't know if you're getting any scholarships, grants, or just loans. There has been a lot of talk about correcting this problem for the upcoming year though. The only other negative, which is also being corrected is some of the lab times that tend to drag on and cause a 9-4 day a couple times a week. I remember when I was interviewing a couple years ago, several schools were proud of the fact of having much shorter days and labs for certain classes like Histology and Pathology based online to be more efficient with time. In those classes, EVMS has stayed true to the microscope, but that is starting to change. We started for the first time this year doing a Micro lab that was computer-based. Many of the histo and path labs are also available under a virtual slide box and we've been told that in the future, the school will be moving in that direction except for the things they really feel you understand better seeing first-hand.
As for the positives, the biggest thing for me was the atmosphere I noticed during the interview and was true as a student. Students help each other out here and the atmosphere is really supportive. I've obviously never attended another med school, but nowhere else struck me as having the bond that EVMS students had. A few other points that I really like about EVMS are some of the professors emphasis on humanism is medicine. It really helps to remind you why you're going through all this work in the end... for the patient. Another thing is the location of the school. It's right by CHKD which makes it a very attractive school for anybody considering Peds. I also like the safety aspect of the location. Whether you live in the Hague Club or park in the parking garage, I felt like it was a campus designed to keep students as safe as possible in a larger city. And the standardized patient program, is a bad thing for some while others love it. I really like the program because it helps you adjust to actually interviewing a patient and communication skills, which is arguable the most important part of medicine. It's at least true that if you're poor at communication skills, there's nothing more likely to cause a bad situation with a patient furious enough to bring up a lawsuit. In the LGM component of the class, I've also worked with a lot of patients myself and presented them to my LGM doctor to the point to where heading into third year I already feel comfortable doing it rather than it being introduced to the concept at the beginning of third year. It's also a low-intensity class that nobody worries about failing. You really get out of it what you put into it.
In the end, it was a tough decision for me because I really liked all the other schools I considered, but I'm really glad that I came to EVMS. I feel like I've learned a lot more medical information than I ever thought I would, while having a lot of great, supportive friends, and I understand now that every decision I make practicing medicing should be made asking myself what's best for the patient. Sorry to go on forever, but at least to me that's how I would describe the downsides, the upsides, and how I feel about choosing EVMS.
