General LECOM questions

[Doctortobee]

Hi! I have a few questions for the LECOM students...

(1) Are you truly happy at LECOM?

(2) What piece of advice would you give the Class of 2007 that you wish you knew before you headed to Erie?

(3) Do you think your exams are "fair" (specifically the LDP exams)

(4) What background did you have before you entered LECOM? (What classes did you take beyond the pre-reqs)?

THANKS!!!!!
Rebecca

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[hermione]

I love LECOM. I can say with certainty that although I have never been more tired or more stressed, I have also never been more happy. Medical school is hard, no two ways about it. But I took a long road to get here, and this is where I belong, and where I really want to be. The faculty is supportive, the town is small and comfortable to me, and I have made some of the best friends in the world. Am I truly happy? For sure.

I wish I knew what a pain it would be to find a place for my dog. Other than that, I look at all the new things as an adventure.

I think LDP exams are comparable to PBL exams, as all questions come from the same test bank. And they are hard, to say the least. I have learned so much, yet never felt "dumber"..so much to learn, and so many REALLY smart people around! I think the tests are fair, because people pass them, pass boards, graduate, and become excellent physicians. Thats the bottom line regarding exams. Are all of the questions great? No. But its important to keep the big picture in focus. I think that in med school its so easy to get caught up in why question 32 was unfair, etc. But in the end, if you learn the material and become a good doc, that's what matters.

Good luck in your med school quest.. its the worst and best experience I've ever had..nothing you can really explain until you've been there...wouldn't trade it for the world!

 

[Doctortobee]

I guess I have a few more questions...

* What labs do you have in addition to OMM and Anatomy?

* Do you have any classes where you have to write "papers"?

 

[sddoc]

I would have to agree with everything Hermione said. (Why not, we agree on about everything else! )

If there was one thing that I wish I had known before I started at Lecom, it would be that failure is a part of the process. Unless you are an unqualified genius, you will not be getting a 4.0. Chances are, you won't even pass every test. If you are anything like me, that can be devastating to your ego. You will work harder than you can possibly imagine. However, the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes with passing Anatomy or understanding a difficult concept is definitely worth the work! Make sure you have some outlet to relieve your stress... stress is a part of med school life.

I also recommend finding a group of people that you are compatible with right away. You'll need the support and the study help. Without the support of my spouse and my study group, the first semester would have been very difficult! (Thanks guys )

We have a microbiology lab, in addition to anatomy and OMM labs. As far as I know, there are no papers required. You simply wouldn't have time to write them.

Good luck with everything! Enjoy the next 7 months!

 

[Doctortobee]

Thanks for all your help!!! I am an offical bum until med school starts. Granted I teach figure skating and I'm teaching a college class, I'm still being a bum.

I know the more I talk with current students, the more questions I'll have!!!!

How many exams do you have per class/subject?

THANKS!!!!!

 

[sddoc]

I'm in PBL, but we take Anatomy, Histology, Embryology, and OMM with the LDP and ISP students. Anatomy has 6 tests and 6 practicals over 12 weeks. Histology and Embryology each have 3 tests. I believe that we had 4 OMM tests and practicals during the first semester. Only OMM has cumulative tests. The biggest issue is that some of the Embryo and Histo tests have fewer than 25 questions. Anatomy tests generally have about 45-60 questions per test. Hope this helps!

 

[stacyg]

Hey sddoc! Do PBL students not take biochem with the lecture students?

 

[sddoc]

No. Like most of our coursework, we use the same books as LDP, but do not attend lecture. We determine which chapters will be on a given test without much input from professors. The goal of the PBL program is to get through each textbook twice in our 2 years of classroom learning. This is not a hard and fast rule, though, as there are some topics which have little relevance to the boards.

 

[Doctortobee]

Another question...I know we have to have a physical and drug screen before we attend LECOM...Is it a full blown physical with cholesterol screening and all that stuff or is just basically a turn your head and cough physical?

 

[sddoc]

The physical is pretty basic. Give yourself about an hour for the appointment. You will receive a packet sometime in the spring, and you can make the appointment in your hometown at your own doctor, if you like.

 

[Doctortobee]

More questions!!! I can't thank everyone enough for answering them!!!!

*What books do you are a must have for LDP?

*Ok..I know there are internet connections at each lecture seat...So do people surf the net and send emails during class? Is there a way the administration monitors it?

 

[njdo]

Woh, slow down there... you don't need to be going out and buying books yet. Wait and see what they're going to require (a book list is available during the late summer) and also, buy what you think is appropriate for your learning. I like to buy all the books because I like to have references for the future, but it's a personal thing.

The books we used are as follows:

Gross Anatomy: Moore and Dailey's Clinically Oriented Anatomy
(I and most other people find Chung's BRS review extremely helpful) Atlases are your choice--Rohen and Netter were my picks, though Clemente is also good

Embryology: Larsen's Human Embryology

Histology: Ross's Histology Text and Atlas

Biochemistry: Marks, Marks, and Smith's Basic Medical Biochemistry

Pharmacology: Katzung's Basic and Clinical Pharmacology ( I recommend the Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews book to simplify)

Physiology: Berne and Levy (the professor never really followed this book...it was pretty much a waste, though PhD's claim it's excellent)

Pathology: Robbins' Pathological Basis of Disease (Ed. Cotran, Kumar, Collins)

Microbiology: Murray's Medical Microbiology (good for reference, but it wasn't really needed-I've heard there are better Micro books-for review see Clinical Micro Made Ridiculously Simple)

OMM: DiGiovanna's An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment

Again, don't start buying the books, and don't start studying before you get to school. You're not going to need all the information in the books anyway, and they're pretty much there for a reference to the powerpoint presentation (there are exceptions). Enjoy the time before school...don't waste it studying. I didn't have any time off at all between finishing my masters and starting school, and I regret it...take it easy before the "fun" begins.

As for the computer use during lecture, it depends on the lecturer. If they're a good lecturer, the students will put the powerpoints up on the computers and follow along. If not, the students will play games, check e-mails, surf, etc... I try for the most part to follow along out of respect for the professor, but sometimes it's just bad and boring, and you need something else to keep you occupied. Also, I've used the computer to type notes during class, especially during anatomy (no powerpoints). It's a personal thing.

Good luck

njdo

 

[Doctortobee]

Thanks...There's no way I'm buying books or even thinking about studying now. I was just curious.!