I was wondering what effect the reputation of a medical school has on your professional career. A lot of students get there heart set on a medical school in the top ten list and take years off if they dont get in. Does this really matter in the long run? I would assume that if it was an accredited school that is good enough. Have you ever encountered criticism for the medical school you went to? or would you criticize someone else? What should I look out for when considering schools to attend?
I have been looking into some schools in the caribbean islands (Sint Eustatius and Ross). One is just recently accredited does this matter?
The only medical school I have seen anyone criticized for going to is Oral Roberts Medical School, which no longer exists.
No links to personal sites please - Admin
[ Edited by Admin on 2005/1/20 17:57 ]
From what I have seen among many of my friends (who are further along the medical education pipeline than I am), the most important factor is usually where you do your internship and residency. If you want to study overseas or on the islands, fine, but definitely bear in mind what the school's success rates are on boards and residency matches. That is what will make the most difference in where/how you are able to practice medicine for your career.
As far as the US allopathic and osteopathic schools go, I don't think that it matters that much, unless you are going for a hard-core, Ivy-League/Hopkins residency of some sort... and even then, if you are a great applicant/intern from a "lesser" school, you could very well still get there. Recent grads from my osteopathic school are currently training at Harvard/Spaulding and Yale, among other fine institutions.
Good luck! 😀
Curtis Nordstrom
___________________________________
"Unum nihil, duos plurimum posse..."
Thanks for the posts. There is so much to learn about applying to medical schools, not to mention the ridiculous competition. I just know that I want to be a good psychiatrist and I feel like that depends a lot on me.
On that note~ I have discussed my desire to be a psychiatrist to my psychology professors and they have expressed the down side of this training. They believe that I will not get the training in psychology that I want. What do you do to prevent this? Do you attend confrences and training seminars? I really want a broad spectrum of training in different therapies, how do I achieve this?
I'll assume that your psych profs are probably not psychiatrists, so they are probably demonstrating a certain amount of bias in their assessment of the profession.
As a med student, not a psychiatrist, this is what I think is cool about psychiatry.
1) You get a more complete view of mental health, from both an organic and a psychological vantage point.
2) You are authorized to use a more complete combination of treatment modalities, in accordance with the needs of patients. (Including therapy, psychopharm, and other methods...)
3) You seem to have much more of a say in what kind of professional practice (and lifestyle) you want to create for yourself. If you are big into psychotherapy, you can find a residency that includes excellent training in that, and make that your focus. If you are solely interested in med management, that is an option. If you want to do inpatient work and also do medicine, that is also in the cards. (Bottom line, everything that a psychologist can do, a psychiatrist can also do... PLUS -- but not the other way 'round). You just have to make an informed choice as to what residency you complete, so that you are learning what you want to learn.
4) Seminars and conferences are part of the professional life of most physicians, and are considered continuing gradiate medical education. You get plenty of it... even in med school, if you are lucky and have the money for travel (and time to go between exams).
All that being said, as I think Doc Admin mentioned in another thread -- if he knew he ONLY wanted to be a counselor/therapist, he would not have become a psychiatrist. The road is a mighty long one. However, if the other ancillary aspect of care are important to you, psychiatry deserves a good hard look, no matter what your profs have to say. 😮
Good luck! 🙂
Curtis Nordstrom
___________________________________
"Unum nihil, duos plurimum posse..."
I don't know how to site a post in another thread but I discussed options for supplementary psychotherapy training somewhere (but not exactly) around here:
In general, where you go to medical school has little consequence on your professional career. If you are interested in a very highly competitive field such as orthopaedic surgery or radiation oncology, coming from a top medical school will unfortunately make a difference on where or if you are able to train for residency.
Other related things to consider...U.S. schools in the 50 states are favored over carribean or overseas schools. Allopathic and osteopathic schools are virtually equal, although in some fields or at some training programs allopathic is still favored. Your grades, reviews, board scores, research, and extracurricular activies are also important factors from your medical school experience.
Hope this helps!