Dothan, AL
Osteopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit
Overall, students rated the program a 5.5 out of 10 for satisfaction. The student body is described as moderately cooperative. The environment is considered supportive for underrepresented minorities, LGBTQ+ students, married students, students with disabilities, non-traditional students. Graduates feel underprepared for board exams. Faculty members are seen as reasonably approachable.
🎓 The Basics ▼
What was the zip code of your residence in high school?
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 43,550.33 | 3 |
What do you like most?
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Nothing.
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Their rotations and Primary Clinical Skills is top notch and tough to beat for other DO schools
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How noncompetitive the learning environment is. We often share personally created study guides or resources. Willing to meet up before practicals to study together. I wasn’t expecting to see how helpful and willing people are to help their fellow classmates.
What do you like least?
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I am a current student at ACOM and the school is horrible. Resources are limited. There are not even enough study spaces for the students. The professors contradict each other in lectures. Their grading policies change every year and they are changing to cumulative finals. It is located in the middle of nowhere. The faculty and staff do not have the student's best interest in mind. Would not come here... I have been warning everyone on both here and Reddit about this school. 10% of the class fails the first semester. It is overall horrible. If you want to be over-stressed, more in debt, and not taken care of, then come here.
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Mandatory attendance for 60% of classes, but I hear they are changing this soon (hopefully!)
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Currently very few physician practicing OMT in AL and only a select few of the clinical sites have residency programs you can rotate at.
🧾 The Details ▼
What are the facilities and clinics like (old/new, well maintained, etc.)?
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New but not many resources at all. Barely enough study space for students.
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New and well maintained!
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Brand new school with very extensive simulation lab and OSCE training. Very well-maintained with multiple areas to study including group study rooms, library, or auditorium.
How do students from this program do after graduation - are they adequately prepared for practice?
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I am just sending a warning to prospective students about the ever-changing ways that ACOM has implemented. They rarely place students in competitive residences unless they have connections into those fields. They also don't include their grading policies, such as having over a 70 average on exams-only in molecular medicine, in their handbook but rather only disclose this to students when they receive the syllabus when they are already enrolled. To be successful in any medical school you have to be an outstanding student and dedicated but the policies and lack of in ACOM's case do not promote a student's success. Any prospective student should evaluate their options before deciding to come here.
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I feel like they are prepared well
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Overall, we tend to have more primary care physicians, but students match into all specialities (ortho, derm, optho, etc). ACOM Alumni residents have a good reputation at all of the residencies I interviewed at and said they felt prepared and well-adjusted for residency.
What are rotations like?
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Rotations are great - We have over 30 sites and lots of opportunities to learn
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There are ~20 different clinical sites in all of AL and northern Florida. Most are community hospitals where you typically work one-on-one with preceptors in almost any speciality you desire. My preceptors have been wonderful and after comparing notes with other students, I’ve had multiple opportunities typically unheard of for a medical student or even resident to do. You also have lots of flexibility if you want to do a specific rotation at another core site.
How do students from this program do in the Match?
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The MATCH rates for any school are skewed because of PGY-1 or PGY-2 students or students who had to repeat during their time there; so incoming students should really look into the data themselves and not go by the percentages advertised.
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I would say average for a DO school. Lots of opportunity for Primary Care, especially
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Very high match rate. The school tries to identify someone who might be a “high risk” based on speciality, board scores, etc and ensures you are applying strategically while also supporting a “back-up” plan just incase to decrease your risk of having to SOAP.
Any other information you want to share?
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There are only study spaces available because of the hybrid model in place because of COVID. The numbers faculty provides for the failure rate are incorrect and misleading to prospective students. There were around 30 students and around 20 students fail the past two years in their first semester. The things to do outside of college are kind of subjective so I won't touch on that. The faculty and staff do not review each others' slides before lecturing and many contradict each other. The advising department is not proactive in trying to help students and their curriculum is being experimented with every new class. I would recommend going to a more established institution that have proven their curriculum works and has a more dedicated staff.
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Nope
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Overall, I really enjoyed my time at ACOM. Dothan is a smaller town, but having a limited number of distractions in town greatly impacted my success during pre-clinical years. You will only live there 2 years before you move to another city- bigger or smaller depending on what you prefer. Most students live in the apartment complex adjacent to the school and walk to class together, but many students bought/rented affordable houses close by. Majority of the class would go out to celebrate after exams and often take weekend trips together to the beach, ATL, Bham, etc. Also ACOM is supportive of minorities and LGBTQ community, but for clinical years, you’ll find some cities in AL/FL are more supportive than others. I think ACOM does a great job of having a good community with caring faculty and staff.
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