VCOM-Auburn vs NOVA DO

[Nyerdiperp]

VCOM-Auburn
Pros:
- Affiliated with Auburn University: R1 Carnegie Level with high research designation. Pretty integrated in the university as Auburn has built their pharm and nursing school next to VCOM. VCOM and AU are collaborating on making a neuroscience center.
- East Alabama Medical Center on AU's Campus: Clinical Director of VCOM runs the Internal Med residency here and it has a big freestanding ER as well. Could do rotations here if I wanted.
- Systems Based Curriculum with many students saying easy integration of board material
- Research rotation: Built in time for research in 3rd year, similar to Virginia Tech
- Multiple sites for rotation in FL: Each one has a residency program, but definitely pretty community based. Function as hub sites, don't have to move around much.
-Consistent board scores around 93 percent, slightly lower than Virginia's campus but can watch their lectures on VCOMTV
-Match well in the southeast, if I leave FL I'd be seen as flexible for residency location.
-Cheaper by about 30,000
Cons:
- Farther from home, about a 1 hour drive to Atlanta and 3 hr plane ride
- Newer, established in 2014
- Heightened monitoring: most students I spoke with said it's because of the increase in class size and slack in OMT

NSU KPCOM
Pros:
- Closer to home, 1.5 hour drive
- Well known in FL, established in 1979 and seems to match well in FL.
- Most rotation sites are in FL
- Board scores have improved, 94 percent last year
- Name Brand - NSU rolls off the tongue better
Cons:
- Less research, most students say it's hard because 410 classmates are competing for limited supply and the undergrad is only an R2 Carnegie Level with less NIH funding compared to Auburn
- Can't pick rotation site location and lots of rotation issues apparently. Random number generator picks your site since every site has just enough for the 410 students. Lots of traveling between sites too.
- Administration: every student I spoke with has said they are absolutely awful. They write a bad MSPE if you don't toe the line and aren't open to criticism. Multiple students said they tried to get as far away from the school for rotations because of admin. Admin is still antagonistic to this day.
- MD school is also on Davie campus. Left a bad taste in my mouth when multiple news sites reported NSU as having it's first medical school graduation once the first MD kids graduated.
- Curriculum has way more extra details and mandatory wellness lectures. Apparently one of the only schools to teach histology with lab integrated. Not in line with boards as much as students would like. Students said they spent an extra couple of hours a day on stuff compared to other schools and were told it's because they make better physicians because of it. (???)

Summary:
I feel less nervous attending VCOM-Auburn, but am lamenting the fact that I won't have the brand name recognition. I know VCOM is pretty well known, but NSU is longer established. The curriculum, opportunities, and culture seem better at VCOM, but it is under heightened monitoring. NSU has multiple problems, but have improved board scores. I'm from FL so they do have a good rep here still, but I don't know. It feels like I'd be having way more hurdles to overcome just for the name brand in FL. Does the name really matter that much?

@Goro
@chilly_md
@DrStephenStrange
@Ho0v-man
@Angus Avagadro

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ho0v-man]

I would go to the cheaper school you feel better about attending. The things you say about admin at NSU are pretty universal to all schools. You probably just know more about NSU. I picked far away rotations to get away from my admin too. But with all the p/f boards stuff going on, a real research rotation is pretty huge.

Name means nothing in the osteopathic world.

 

[chilly_md]

VCOM Auburn since it's cheaper.

 

[Goro]

I would go to the cheaper school you feel better about attending. The things you say about admin at NSU are pretty universal to all schools. You probably just know more about NSU. I picked far away rotations to get away from my admin too. But with all the p/f boards stuff going on, a real research rotation is pretty huge.

Name means nothing in the osteopathic world.

There are only a handful of schools that use professionalism or other things as a bludgeon to not merely keep their students in line, but to fend off any possible suggestions about changing the curriculum or other details about the school.

Nova consistently falls into this category from people who go there, at least according to the people who p.m. me or post on SDN.

EDIT: Go for VCOM.AL!!!

 

[Nyerdiperp]

There are only a handful of schools that use professionalism or other things as a bludgeon to not merely keep their students in line, but to fend off any possible suggestions about changing the curriculum or other details about the school.

Nova consistently falls into this category from people who go there, at least according to the people who p.m. me or post on SDN.

I'm leery about VCOM.LA because they're so new.

Would you say VCOM-Auburn is more established than VCOM-Louisiana? They have been going on for 8 years and have similar results to Virginia/Carolinas from what I see

 

[Goro]

Would you say VCOM-Auburn is more established than VCOM-Louisiana? They have been going on for 8 years and have similar results to Virginia/Carolinas from what I see

Yes. Has LA even graduated a class??

 

[Nyerdiperp]

Yes. Has LA even graduated a class??

Nope, I would definitely be more wary of attending there. They do have an affiliation with University of Louisiana Monroe, but too many unknowns right now to recommend. Thank you for your insight Goro, I really appreciate it!

 

[DrStephenStrange]

I agree with going with the cheaper school.