Comments on: Faculty Interview: ATSU-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

By: admin

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:57:01 +0000

Discussion on this post has been closed. Please discuss this further in the SDN Forums.

By: absdoctor

absdoctor — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:05:23 +0000

Wow! I cannot believe the negativity of some of you!! For those of you who believe that being a primary care doc is unrewarding and unfulfilling, and who are going into medicine for the paycheck, I hope you aren’t seriously considering being a doctor. Ever heard of bedside manners and compassion??? Doesn’t sound like it. Maybe you should consider a different profession. You can be trained in the facts and figures and the how and why of medicine, but you can’t be trained to CARE FOR OTHERS. I’m pretty sure that helping others get well is a reward in itself, and it is certainly fulfilling to know that you’ve helped someone who could not otherwise have gotten medical care.

One of the doctors I work with, recently asked me if I knew the two most important things to being a GOOD doctor. He said, “First, you have to CARE about your patients. Second, you have to show that you care about your patients.” For those of you who are so self-confident and ARROGANT, maybe you should take this to heart. You may end up with an MD after your name, but if you don’t care about really helping those who come to you, that MD is not going to mean much. In the end, it will just be a piece of paper and two letters after your name. You patient base isn’t going to be very large, and without patients, your paycheck isn’t going to be so large either.

Instead of criticizing those who want to help the very people who you apparently think aren’t worthy of care, why don’t you focus on becoming a good doctor. None of us are above anyone else. This is, or should be, especially true of doctors, who are SUPPOSED TO HELP OTHERS!

By: Fluidsmash

Fluidsmash — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:56:59 +0000

It is a new program. We have not yet taken the boards. There are a lot of unknowns looking to the future, but it is something different.

I chose the school because I worked in these “clinics” that many of you talk so negatively about. Our current medical system has a fair share of flaws and I felt like this was one of the few medical schools that recognized the problems and is actually trying to solve them. A lot of schools know that people are not getting the medical care they deserve, and they publish articles about it in peer reviewed journals . This school actually tries to help those people. That is why I am happy I am here.

Those of you that think the program is a bad idea, you are granted that opinion. We don’t really have any information on board scores or residency matches. On the other hand the feedback I have heard from physicians that work with our second year students is positive and I am confident that I made the right decision in coming here. I would encourage anyone that is interested in this school to read more than this article and these comments. It is a different program and it is worth checking out.

By: DrCGrant

DrCGrant — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:32:38 +0000

I question why there are critical comments about Native student doctors who want to do the work you don’t. Would you prefer underserved continue being underserved? By 2050, the US population is predicted to be 50% of what are now considered minorities. The shortage of physicians is also rising. If, in the future, I was faced with hiring someone who demanded a lot of money while still using the term “injuns” and referring to them as “immigrants”, or someone who is multilingual with compassion and is not demanding a Beverly Hills salary – the jury wouldn’t even have to leave the room. The reason it is so important to have a school like ATSU and the impressive quality students that fit this philosophy is because of all the health care gaps and financial drains created by people going into medicine for many of the immature and I-centered reasons mentioned above. The quality of medical care is not based on the salary of the practitioner. Good luck to your patients.

By: DrMattOglesby

DrMattOglesby — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:23:58 +0000

I highly suggest those interested in learning more about this unique curriculum to research vertical and horizontal integration of basic sciences and clinical medicine. You can also look into the effectiveness of Clinical Presentation Models.

I am heavily considering this school and these are the things I am taking the time to learn more about. If you are interested in this school, I would suggest doing some research of your own and ignoring the anonymously posted, unfounded, derisive comments you might come across from uninformed nay-sayers.

By: allaboutthe$$

allaboutthe$$ — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:02:41 +0000

Wow what an idea? I dont know about all of you, but I dont want to help people unless they can pay me the $$$. Seriously what kind of doctors would you be without compassion and care for your patients? Admissions people across the country have serious issues with correct staffing if they already let you into a school with that kind of attitude…..If someone on the street collapsed and you were a doctor would you ask for payment before checking them out?

By: $tudentdoctorMD

$tudentdoctorMD — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:19:40 +0000

This school sounds way too practical. Learning medical skills, and getting patient exposure while at the SAME time learning the basic sciences?

Why would anybody in medicine want to learn compassion?

You guys have fun in unrewarding and unfufilling primary care. Me and my God Complex are gonna make lots of money working in my lab$$

By: alsocurrentSOMA

alsocurrentSOMA — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:14:22 +0000

I appreciate what chuck and currentstudent said. I find it very sad that many people feel like attacking our program since it is different from theirs. Our curriculum, and the clinical presentation model, makes a lot of sense for adult learners. It is a great way to learn, and I personally feel like i’m getting a quality education. Please don’t attack something out of ignorance. It does no one a favor. I have found the faculty to be extremely qualified and they work hard to incorporate all the basic science comprehensively into the schemes. Only time will tell, but just because a program is new doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a chance.

By: currentstudentatSOMA

currentstudentatSOMA — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:57:44 +0000

haha, this is really funny. why do people who don’t go here care so much???

By: studentdo

studentdo — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:32:43 +0000

Wow. There are some very negative people repsonding to this article.
I believe it is presumptuous of many of you to base your opinion of the curriculum and early clinical experience at ATSU based soley on this article.
If you took initiative to do any research on the program you would see that the curriculum includes ALL the necessary sciences, simply re-organized into system-based presentations.
Also, learing at community health centers (or simply “clinics” as some of you call them) is invaluable to experiencing numerous diseases and patients of various backgrounds. Did you know that those minority populations account for the vast majority of all ill people?
In addition to learning in the clinics during 2nd year, the 3rd and 4th year rotations are pretty much the same set up as all medical schools. Students WILL get experience with inpatient settings. All of the clinics chosen are located near large hospitals and students do their other rotations there. As a matter of fact, the Brooklyn, NY clinic is located INSIDE the hospital with access to virtually EVERY specialty. ATSU students simply have the advantage of heading into those 3rd and 4th year rotations with a year of experience with OB/GYN, peds, primary care, behavioral med (and in brooklyn many other areas) already under their belt.
I think ATSU students will do well in patient care. There is always the question of the boards, but EVERY new medical school or school that changes its curriculum has lower scores at first and then tend to improve. Thus, the scores of the first year of graduates are not necessarily the only judgement to make of the quality of the program.