Rankings of Osteopathic Schools?

[Matthew]

Dear All,

I am looking for a publication which ranks the osteopathic schools (similar to U.S. News and World Reports rankings of med schools, law schools, etc). If you can help please feel free to email me. Thanks.

Matt

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[Gregory Gulick]

Matthew,

I hear this question all the time and I thought I would offer my take on the whole "ranking" issue.

The answer to this question is generally no. Because there are only 19 schools, none of them really want a ranking system. They really aren't in competition. The osteopathic profession is more of a family than a collection of ultra-competitive colleagues.

Also, I've seen so many instances where people use rankings as an excuse NOT to research the differences between two schools. For example, when a premed chooses school X over school Y and I ask them "Why school X?" they generally reply, "It is higher ranked." Then I ask them "What criteria was used to rank them and how are these two schools so different?" And, of course, they don't have a clue. For them, rankings was just an easy way for them choose a school that SOMEONE ELSE thought was better.

So the point is that ranking all depends on who is looking at the schools and what criteria they use. I would recommend coming up with your own criteria for what is important to you ... that's what I've done. My criteria includes: emphasis on primary care, de-emphasis of research, high average age, new facilities, etc. Then I've researched the individual medical schools and determined that NSUCOM is really the first choice for me among any medical school, M.D. or D.O. I'd recommend you do the same. Go to the school that is right for you based on your own criteria... not someone else's.

And as far as building your own criteria, check out REA's book entitled "Medical and Dental Schools." It is available in most bookstores and it has a lot of important statistics and information about each school (M.D. and D.O.). Also, if you are a member of AMSA you should be getting The New Physician magazine. A few months ago they ranked schools (again, M.D. and D.O.) based on primary care, minority composition, etc. So you can get some good statistics there as well.

Good luck to you. And take this seriously... you'll spend four years at this school and it is important that YOU like it, not U.S. News and World Reports.

Gregory Gulick

[This message has been edited by Gregory Gulick (edited 11-12-98).]

[This message has been edited by Gregory Gulick (edited 11-12-98).]

 

[Matthew]

Dear Greg,

I understand your concerns expressed in your reply and beleive them to be ligitimate. However, it was never my intention to let someone else decide where I attend medical school. I have always put a great deal of thought into important decisions, whether the decision was an undergraduate institution or a graduate program. I agree that my next choice (medical school) will be an important decision and I have been "doing my homework". With interviews throughout the months of October and November and now some acceptences (all of which are requiring deposits)I welcome any advice regarding school choice. A school's reputation is a reflection of its facilities and programs. I beleive a ranking system would AID students in making decisions and would not be the DECIDING factor in most students' decisions. The publishers of such rankings have more time and resources than I. I think that the criteria researchers would use to rank schools would be similar to the criteria that I would use. I agree that Osteopathic schools are different. From my experiences I think osteopathic medicine is the best there is and I am excited about starting school! I just need a little more information to decide which school to choose and I suppose I am a bit discouraged that the information is not readily available. I am sure you disagree, but I would love to hear your thoughts. Take care!

Thanks,
Matt

 

[ussdfiant]

bump

 

[DrMom]

since you guys insisted on bumping this I'm going to move it to the Osteopathic forum

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Dang that was an old post. But since people are inevitably looking at it, I have to add a little story about how my little college was ranked the top party school by US News one year.

You see, the US News people don't use any exhaustive methods of research when ranking schools. They simply use statistics that are available to anyone, and then they send surveys out the the school (usually the registrars office). In the case of my alma mater (Sonoma State University), they sent the surveys the week before spring break. The people at the office responsible for distributing the surveys (I think it was Admissions and Records, but I'm not 100% sure) gave them to two of their student assistants to distribute. These students happened to be members a frat and a sorority. The smart students passed them out at a party. Accordingly, all the questions about binge drinking, drug use, and general debauchery were answered by drunken frat boys and sorority girls. And SSU was given the distinction of being the top party school in the western states or some such.

My point is that US News is lazy and unscientific when it comes to their rankings. If they were this lazy with the undergraduate rankings, one can only assume it extends into the med school and grad school rankings. If you people insist on using the rankings, take them with a grain of salt and realize that they are extremely flawed.

 

[Plinko]

The funny thing about the US News rankings is that the people who seem to benefit from it want to nominate the publishers at the magazine for the Pulitzer Prize and those that don't think the magazine should be used for toilet paper. At TCOM, they put up these big signs around campus saying: "Congratulations TCOM: ranked 20th in Primary Care by US News and World Report this year." I always get a good laugh when I see them. What impact such rankings have on residency placement or public opinion about your education I don't know. I would hazard to guess that it is probably not much. The good thing about med school, in my opinion, is that where you end up is not heavily reliant upon where you attend school. It's more about putting your time in and dedicating yourself to learning as much as you can. You do that and you'll go as far as your imagination will allow you to. I think there are far too many examples--e.g. Dr. Debakey, who went to Tulane, which is not a gunner med school, and is arguably the greatest surgeon of the 20th century--to think otherwise.

 

[Jeffy]

dude plinko, you're my favorite price is right game.

 

[Plinko]

I've been hooked on the show every since I saw "Happy Gilmore."