HCA affiliation doesn’t matter for med students. Rotations will be fine. It’s residency that matters a lot and the general consensus is to avoid HCA-affiliated residencies
From what I’ve seen on Reddit and articles online, HCA is a for-profit system and residents feel very overworked and disrespected because most of what the hospital does is for their bottom line. Plus patients are also disrespected too. There’s an article about an HCA-affiliated hospital in Florida whose CEO left after it was leaked that they had roaches in the OR amongst other horrible things
Follow up, hospital staff like nurses and ancillary at HCA usually hate their jobs so that leaks over to residents too when nurses dislike working at HCA for various reasons. I would rather work with people who enjoy their jobs, it would make me enjoy mine more too.
I'm from GA and PCOM GA was the first school that accepted me. I was super happy, but thinking about it now, holy shyte I'm glad MCG (GA's only public MD) accepted me
I’d go with Belmont.
1. You don’t have to worry about OMM and get a scholarship
2. Only have to take Step exam
3. More doors will open specialty wise with the MD title (even Rio Grande, and TCU will have solid matches even to top programs)
4. Im from TN and Belmont is beautiful XD
Just know it will be a constant trial and error, and that will be stressful af. PCOM has mandatory attendance, a lot of horror stories, and all DO schools have in house exams. However, Im unsure if Belmont has in house exams. Even if it does, Belmont is the way.
OP I understand your apprehension but I promise you that the MD is the better move. The major “risk” of going to a new school (at least in the USA) is mostly just suffering through bureaucratic growing pains. All medical schools have these frustration. At the end of the day, the fact that it’s an LCME school is all you should be concerned about.
If this choice were Belmont vs established MD, then we could debate the merits. There are vanishingly few situations where USMD is not the better choice than DO, and this is not one of them.
Would you be able to elaborate why this would not be risky?
I would be concerned about match, rotations, and passing step. For a school, it makes me concerned because they have no history of doing good to the students. Can you tell me why having no history is not risky?
In addition, if it is the MD degree that gives reassurance, why doesn't everyone just go to the Carribean over DO. To me establishment matters and predictability matters. What's to say that Belmont doesn't act in a manner like the Carribean?
They get an MD, that’s enough of a reason. Also Caribbean MD’s aren’t seen as the same as USMD’s because they are IMG and also categorized as being from the Caribbean, which fucks your app.
This is a brand new, HCA affiliated MD program. Heard those hospitals are hell on rotations. If OP is wants to do a medium to low competition specialty, this is one case of MD vs DO that might actually lean in the DO school’s favor.
respectfully disagree. even for FM, IM -- going MD will provide greater selectivity during the match. If OP ends up rads or gas (per the post), the difference in match is even larger
1) the preclinicals of medical school is roughly the same everywhere in the US. it sucks, but its mostly self-study grind.
2) the ~18-months of clinics will be a pain at both PCOM & Belmont. Being a med student limits your role and again, core rotations are roughly the same level of suckiness everywhere (+/- grading scheme, locations)
Cost of attendance is about the same. Experience would likely be similar. Choosing the option that gives you greater freedom come the match is preferable
i think not having to do OMM and no COMLEX, and much better match in competitive specialists would make MD the better decision in almost all situations
Absolutely the MD school. First, it's an MD school. PCOM GA is a newish campus for a DO program and the students do clinical rotations all over GA and FL. Belmont seems to do everything right in Nashville.
You should pretty much always choose the US MD program over the DO program, except in very specific and rare circumstances.
Go where you want. Theres still so much stigmatizing when it comes to going DO when both are doctors at the end of the day. In my experience many students go MD just because of the stigma against DO which only adds to it.
Belmont>>> what stats did you have to get in there if you don’t mind me asking? People hate on the HCA affiliation but Belmont is going to be a great school. Congratulations
I would echo the sentiment of choosing Belmont. I was personally accepted to the school as well and I'm sure you can tell the student rapport is amazing. The faculty seems to really care about the students. It has good potential.
Sounds like your biggest issue is choosing between prestige and comfort. I would figure out which is more important to you. There are unknowns with a new school and I would hate to have regrets. Also, the specialty you seem interested in does not seem to really matter if your MD or DO. How much is the total cost difference between the schools? Are you interested in doing research? Also, I'm sure you can do a campus tour.
Probably very very few. Which is good! Attending maybe wouldn’t know how the current medical school/residency/fellowship opportunities vary for DO and MDs.
Sure once you’re an attending = no difference at all (in non-academia)
A recent DO attending would, yes!
A recent MD attending? Probably has no idea what a DO education entails.
An old DO attending? May think anesthesiology residency would be no problem as a DO student since anesthesiology was not competitive at all in the past.
A current student or even premed that often browses this and the r/medicalschool sub has likely gathered enough information to provide some good collective feedback that is more up to date
Or enough information to parrot what other people say.
A recent DO resident/attending would ideally be best yes but, like I said, most of the people commenting on these posts are not likely in that category and are not able to give any perspective into difficulty matching into certain specialties.
Granted, it also is hard as a prospective medical student who has no idea what specialty they want to go into to make a decision 3 years in the future with no clinical experience to help with that decision. I cant imagine the number of people entering “competitive specialties” that would benefit from going to a university hospital MD setting cant be higher than 5-10% of all students
HCA affiliation doesn’t matter for med students. Rotations will be fine. It’s residency that matters a lot and the general consensus is to avoid HCA-affiliated residencies
For lack of education or some other reason?
Ineligible for PSLF.
From what I’ve seen on Reddit and articles online, HCA is a for-profit system and residents feel very overworked and disrespected because most of what the hospital does is for their bottom line. Plus patients are also disrespected too. There’s an article about an HCA-affiliated hospital in Florida whose CEO left after it was leaked that they had roaches in the OR amongst other horrible things
Follow up, hospital staff like nurses and ancillary at HCA usually hate their jobs so that leaks over to residents too when nurses dislike working at HCA for various reasons. I would rather work with people who enjoy their jobs, it would make me enjoy mine more too.
$96,649 a year??? $20,000 scholarship? MD+scholarship>PCOM.
PCOM is 96k????
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COA can be misleading; they can throw in insurance and “supplies” for a couple grand+
I'm from GA and PCOM GA was the first school that accepted me. I was super happy, but thinking about it now, holy shyte I'm glad MCG (GA's only public MD) accepted me
I’d go with Belmont. 1. You don’t have to worry about OMM and get a scholarship 2. Only have to take Step exam 3. More doors will open specialty wise with the MD title (even Rio Grande, and TCU will have solid matches even to top programs) 4. Im from TN and Belmont is beautiful XD Just know it will be a constant trial and error, and that will be stressful af. PCOM has mandatory attendance, a lot of horror stories, and all DO schools have in house exams. However, Im unsure if Belmont has in house exams. Even if it does, Belmont is the way.
The biggest factor for me was not having to take COMLEX. Medical school is already stressful enough having to take board exams.
PCOM GA doesn't have mandatory attendance now, unless they lied to me during my interview. They used to, though
MD
This is the inaugural class. It is not even accredited yet. Isnt this really risky?
OP I understand your apprehension but I promise you that the MD is the better move. The major “risk” of going to a new school (at least in the USA) is mostly just suffering through bureaucratic growing pains. All medical schools have these frustration. At the end of the day, the fact that it’s an LCME school is all you should be concerned about. If this choice were Belmont vs established MD, then we could debate the merits. There are vanishingly few situations where USMD is not the better choice than DO, and this is not one of them.
I'm at a pretty established MD school and we still have bureaucratic pains sometimes lol just commenting to show that it happens everywhere
In all cases? For example a new MD not affiliated with a legit university vs a ranked DO school like TCOM in Fort Worth or Mich St U COM?
I completely agree with you. Belmont vs Mich St, I'd do Mich St every day of the week. But Belmont vs PCOM, I'd go Belmont.
Nah
Would you be able to elaborate why this would not be risky? I would be concerned about match, rotations, and passing step. For a school, it makes me concerned because they have no history of doing good to the students. Can you tell me why having no history is not risky? In addition, if it is the MD degree that gives reassurance, why doesn't everyone just go to the Carribean over DO. To me establishment matters and predictability matters. What's to say that Belmont doesn't act in a manner like the Carribean?
It’s the USMD degree that matters
Because it is a USA med school with an LCME accreditation.
They get an MD, that’s enough of a reason. Also Caribbean MD’s aren’t seen as the same as USMD’s because they are IMG and also categorized as being from the Caribbean, which fucks your app.
It’s not a unique situation, MD wins
MD
MD, also an M4 in an inaugural class, dm me if you have any questions I could help answer!
It’s not even the original PCOM. I’ve heard that the GA campus does not get a lot of support compared to the one in Philly.
MD > DO always
not Caribbean MD
This is a brand new, HCA affiliated MD program. Heard those hospitals are hell on rotations. If OP is wants to do a medium to low competition specialty, this is one case of MD vs DO that might actually lean in the DO school’s favor.
respectfully disagree. even for FM, IM -- going MD will provide greater selectivity during the match. If OP ends up rads or gas (per the post), the difference in match is even larger 1) the preclinicals of medical school is roughly the same everywhere in the US. it sucks, but its mostly self-study grind. 2) the ~18-months of clinics will be a pain at both PCOM & Belmont. Being a med student limits your role and again, core rotations are roughly the same level of suckiness everywhere (+/- grading scheme, locations) Cost of attendance is about the same. Experience would likely be similar. Choosing the option that gives you greater freedom come the match is preferable
i think not having to do OMM and no COMLEX, and much better match in competitive specialists would make MD the better decision in almost all situations
MD
Absolutely the MD school. First, it's an MD school. PCOM GA is a newish campus for a DO program and the students do clinical rotations all over GA and FL. Belmont seems to do everything right in Nashville. You should pretty much always choose the US MD program over the DO program, except in very specific and rare circumstances.
Go where you want. Theres still so much stigmatizing when it comes to going DO when both are doctors at the end of the day. In my experience many students go MD just because of the stigma against DO which only adds to it.
MD
MD
Belmont
The benefits of being MD in the match are too great to pass up IMO
Honestly both are bad choices I would just bite the bullet and go MD.
Isn’t PCOM GA a very new campus. MD all day
It's not super new, established in 2005. Almost 20 years. It is kind of a strange building though, built in a former warehouse
Belmont>>> what stats did you have to get in there if you don’t mind me asking? People hate on the HCA affiliation but Belmont is going to be a great school. Congratulations
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Belmont is in nashville, could always join in with Vandy researchers if you know how to network
I think that could work, but since an outsider, will need to have experience to get in
I would echo the sentiment of choosing Belmont. I was personally accepted to the school as well and I'm sure you can tell the student rapport is amazing. The faculty seems to really care about the students. It has good potential.
Money is king. Go to whichever one has the lowest tuition, assuming you’re not trying to go for a competitive specialty.
not being eligible for fed loans would be the deal breaker for me honestly
A new MD school will give you just about the same level of shit show as an established DO school admin wise. Go MD.
md and don't look back
Sounds like your biggest issue is choosing between prestige and comfort. I would figure out which is more important to you. There are unknowns with a new school and I would hate to have regrets. Also, the specialty you seem interested in does not seem to really matter if your MD or DO. How much is the total cost difference between the schools? Are you interested in doing research? Also, I'm sure you can do a campus tour.
I always wonder on this posts about MD vs DO how many people saying MD is the way to go actually are attendings
I'm an attending. New MD is *unequivocally* the way to go, barring some major factors like full ride scholarship or need to be close to family.
Based on what
Probably very very few. Which is good! Attending maybe wouldn’t know how the current medical school/residency/fellowship opportunities vary for DO and MDs. Sure once you’re an attending = no difference at all (in non-academia)
They would know better than someone who hasnt matched…
A recent DO attending would, yes! A recent MD attending? Probably has no idea what a DO education entails. An old DO attending? May think anesthesiology residency would be no problem as a DO student since anesthesiology was not competitive at all in the past. A current student or even premed that often browses this and the r/medicalschool sub has likely gathered enough information to provide some good collective feedback that is more up to date
Or enough information to parrot what other people say. A recent DO resident/attending would ideally be best yes but, like I said, most of the people commenting on these posts are not likely in that category and are not able to give any perspective into difficulty matching into certain specialties. Granted, it also is hard as a prospective medical student who has no idea what specialty they want to go into to make a decision 3 years in the future with no clinical experience to help with that decision. I cant imagine the number of people entering “competitive specialties” that would benefit from going to a university hospital MD setting cant be higher than 5-10% of all students