Another random fact about LECOM is the turnover of professors is extremely high for a medical school. LECOM is notorious for making professors wear "multiple hats" inside the school and thus performing a lot of different roles. The rumor is also, not surprisingly, that LECOM salaries are extremely poor except for the top people in the school which make bank. Plus, add the pressure of the administration bearing down on many of the professors - you have a recipe for high turnover.
The physiology department is one that is notorious for poor performance in LECOM students and the many physiology professors that have been there over the years have just been plain bad. I will not mention names but we had a physiology professor that would honestly get nervous talking to all the students and have to be corrected by multiple students in her lecture which in turn she would get defensive of course and proceed to write ridiculous test questions compared to the type of lecture she gave (usually very basic and easy).
The high turnover has caused LECOM to employ people that aren't even specialists in the subject to teach that subject just using old powerpoints from previous years. Obviously, this doesn't create a problem from a basic presentation point of view but when it comes to if a student has a question - well, you may be out of luck or just referred to your book. So much for being required to come to lecture everyday in LDP and learning if you are literally just going to be read off a slide and not have a lot of your questions answered.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Dropped Rotations Galore
So, you suffer through the first 2 years of medical school at LECOM and you get to rotations. Congratulations. I will not even begin to explain the rotation selection process as it is one big "clusterf*ck" and becomes extremely stressful for many people. But, after the selection process then you deal with many people having their rotation site dropped and scrambling to find another area to rotate in which could be forever away. Oh yeh, and administration will hound you about it like it is your fault the rotation got dropped. When the real reason the rotation got dropped is because LECOM is too cheap and do not pay their rotation sites like 99% of other medical schools. So, the rotation sites aren't guaranteed and they can drop that rotation at any time if they want - leaving you without a rotation for the period of time unless you find another site.
Like I said not everyone gets a rotation dropped - it is just one of the additional stress factors LECOM students have to deal with because of the incompetence of LECOM administration and "their ways".
Like I said not everyone gets a rotation dropped - it is just one of the additional stress factors LECOM students have to deal with because of the incompetence of LECOM administration and "their ways".
Saturday, February 25, 2012
LECOM Administration Issues and Surveys
LECOM sends out a survey ever so often to their students called a "Satisfaction Survey" and quite frankly these surveys are practically garbage because they only want to hear what they want to hear. By and large the biggest complaints are the obvious ones like attendance policy for only LDP people and awful lecturers and repeating material that just wastes our time. Do these problems ever get fixed? No. Have they been complained about in years past? You bet.
The fact is they wonder why not everyone fills them out and that is because nobody has any faith in administration at LECOM or the Ferretti's in their "outdated" ways to change or budge on these important issues to the modern student. Sure, many of us fill it out with the same complaint and do so in a respectful manner like the good "professional" we are but do we have any confidence that something will be actually done about it? No.
The fact is administration has really no control over the big concerns that many of the students have because the school is run as a dictatorship by the fist of Silvia Ferretti and others. The ominous character that you rarely see even though she is the Dean of the school. She basically hides out on the 5th floor where practically nobody is allowed to go. Don't believe me? Sound farfetched? Come here...you will find out real quickly how it really is at LECOM and the administration incompetencies that you won't here about in their very "perfected" interview process where the glamorize everything but none of it really matters. It is always funny how you see the LECOM interviewee's getting shown all the "unique" things about LECOM that you will never use, appreciate, or see ever again after that. It is unfortunate.
The fact is they wonder why not everyone fills them out and that is because nobody has any faith in administration at LECOM or the Ferretti's in their "outdated" ways to change or budge on these important issues to the modern student. Sure, many of us fill it out with the same complaint and do so in a respectful manner like the good "professional" we are but do we have any confidence that something will be actually done about it? No.
The fact is administration has really no control over the big concerns that many of the students have because the school is run as a dictatorship by the fist of Silvia Ferretti and others. The ominous character that you rarely see even though she is the Dean of the school. She basically hides out on the 5th floor where practically nobody is allowed to go. Don't believe me? Sound farfetched? Come here...you will find out real quickly how it really is at LECOM and the administration incompetencies that you won't here about in their very "perfected" interview process where the glamorize everything but none of it really matters. It is always funny how you see the LECOM interviewee's getting shown all the "unique" things about LECOM that you will never use, appreciate, or see ever again after that. It is unfortunate.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Infamous LECOM Dress Code
The dress code at LECOM is quite unique when it comes to medical schools. There are other medical schools in the United States that require a dress code but it is not many. In the grand scheme of things it is not that big of a deal but it is one of those things that can deter a lot of people. The nuisance of dressing up everyday to go sit in lecture and then actually change out of those clothes into normal clothes for OPP (OMM) days during the week and then sometimes changing back into dress code is a pain. First year when you have anatomy and OPP sometimes you change clothes 2-3 times a day. It can become a pain and you wonder is it really worth the trouble.
I feel LECOM thinks they are somehow above every other medical school and that making its students dress up somehow makes them more professional in the long run or something. Or, they think it helps their studying and learning capabilities. So, I guess the past decade of students in other medical schools that wore jeans, shorts, t-shirts, etc to their medical schools and that are physicians today - they aren't professional or were somehow hindered in their medical education because they did not wear dress clothes to lecture?
Oh yes, anatomy lab - don't think you are going to get to wear normal clothes in anatomy lab. You will be in full blow dress clothes with a tie on at LECOM. Absolutely absurd. Maybe they did this in the 1800's which I feel the administrators sometimes are living in the past with their outdated modes of thinking.
To simplify - shirt and tie for men every day during the week until 5:30pm and dress clothes for women same thing (even though women practically get away with whatever they want sometimes). After 5:30 during the week you can wear casual. But don't think about putting your hood up in the cafeteria when it is freezing - that is a no no - yes I am serious. Security will come in and ask you to take it down. It is humiliating just revealing some of these inconsequential nuances this school employs sometimes.
I feel LECOM thinks they are somehow above every other medical school and that making its students dress up somehow makes them more professional in the long run or something. Or, they think it helps their studying and learning capabilities. So, I guess the past decade of students in other medical schools that wore jeans, shorts, t-shirts, etc to their medical schools and that are physicians today - they aren't professional or were somehow hindered in their medical education because they did not wear dress clothes to lecture?
Oh yes, anatomy lab - don't think you are going to get to wear normal clothes in anatomy lab. You will be in full blow dress clothes with a tie on at LECOM. Absolutely absurd. Maybe they did this in the 1800's which I feel the administrators sometimes are living in the past with their outdated modes of thinking.
To simplify - shirt and tie for men every day during the week until 5:30pm and dress clothes for women same thing (even though women practically get away with whatever they want sometimes). After 5:30 during the week you can wear casual. But don't think about putting your hood up in the cafeteria when it is freezing - that is a no no - yes I am serious. Security will come in and ask you to take it down. It is humiliating just revealing some of these inconsequential nuances this school employs sometimes.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
LECOM Erie Attendance Policy
The attendance policy for LECOM Erie for the LDP (Lecture Discussion Pathway) is mandatory attendance. The reality of this policy is that while attendance is mandatory it is not heavily enforced unless of course you have like in previous years where your OWN students will tell administration certain students are not there or start complaining. The typical progression is at first everyone shows up to class in the beginning and then realizes just how ridiculous it is to be in class basically 8-4 everyday and then cram everything in for a test or quiz in a few days while adding in multiple other things. Plus, most lecturers literally read off the slide and some of them are really not great lecturers and you have a combination of things causing people to question missing classes to study by themselves.
Most people come from college where going to class is actually helpful because you take notes on things you really can't get from anywhere else. The truth is at LECOM Erie - 99% of what you need to know is in the powerpoints provided. Seems easy enough? Trust me, its the amount of material that makes it difficult when you have tests every time you turn around and add that into multiple other possible quizzes and tests and what not for other courses your taking at the same time.
Back on the attendance policy - if you are doing fine in your classes and not failing and not showing up for class sometimes - its really not a big deal unless other students decide to be childish and start telling administration. Then, administration starts acting like their typical "big brother" selves and make threats and basically treat you like a child. You could be making an "A" in a course but because your not coming to class sometimes we are going to crack down on you because well...we have no idea why. The mindset at LECOM Erie when it comes to attendance is honestly baffling. There will be many more posts on the attendance policy at LECOM.
Most people come from college where going to class is actually helpful because you take notes on things you really can't get from anywhere else. The truth is at LECOM Erie - 99% of what you need to know is in the powerpoints provided. Seems easy enough? Trust me, its the amount of material that makes it difficult when you have tests every time you turn around and add that into multiple other possible quizzes and tests and what not for other courses your taking at the same time.
Back on the attendance policy - if you are doing fine in your classes and not failing and not showing up for class sometimes - its really not a big deal unless other students decide to be childish and start telling administration. Then, administration starts acting like their typical "big brother" selves and make threats and basically treat you like a child. You could be making an "A" in a course but because your not coming to class sometimes we are going to crack down on you because well...we have no idea why. The mindset at LECOM Erie when it comes to attendance is honestly baffling. There will be many more posts on the attendance policy at LECOM.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Why LECOM-Erie?
This first post will somewhat explain why I have chosen to start this information/blog/continual update about the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie medical school. First off, this will not be some well written blog or website as it will just be used to provide honest and straightforward information, happenings, etc that go on at LECOM-Erie.
One of the big problems I had when choosing LECOM as my medical school was the lack of any "real" knowledge of what it is like here or what really goes on. The school puts on such a front and pony show that the truth is sort of masked unless you can manage to talk to some students outside of the school that will give you the real low down and not the "student government" and "PBL pathway" students in the 2nd lunchroom "low down" that in my opinion is a bit sugar-coated.
Many of you will see this as a supposive disgruntled student letting off steam. Disgruntled, no...frustrated with the unbelievable things that go on at the school and the way matters are handled in a supposive "professional" manner. I am now a 2nd year so I feel I have been at LECOM Erie long enough to provide a decent overview of what it is like here for those that are searching for information on making a choice on where you want to go to medical school. And, that is what this blog is mainly for. Since LECOM wants to hide what they truly are and choose to be very vague and manipulative in their ways - I feel this blog/website can provide an open and honest perspective of what goes on here that sets this school apart so much I feel from every other medical school, both allopathic and osteopathic. And, when I say sets this school apart - I will say more so in a negative light rather than positive. But, I will try to present things honestly and with my own ramblings thrown in and let you choose for yourself whether that is something you like or do not like or whatever.
Again, this isn't a hate blog or anything like that - I just wanted an easy outlet to present honest and "open-door" information about LECOM-Erie which does a good job of keeping the inner-workings, unless you attend the school, fairly secretive to the outside and more importantly potential students. More to come...
One of the big problems I had when choosing LECOM as my medical school was the lack of any "real" knowledge of what it is like here or what really goes on. The school puts on such a front and pony show that the truth is sort of masked unless you can manage to talk to some students outside of the school that will give you the real low down and not the "student government" and "PBL pathway" students in the 2nd lunchroom "low down" that in my opinion is a bit sugar-coated.
Many of you will see this as a supposive disgruntled student letting off steam. Disgruntled, no...frustrated with the unbelievable things that go on at the school and the way matters are handled in a supposive "professional" manner. I am now a 2nd year so I feel I have been at LECOM Erie long enough to provide a decent overview of what it is like here for those that are searching for information on making a choice on where you want to go to medical school. And, that is what this blog is mainly for. Since LECOM wants to hide what they truly are and choose to be very vague and manipulative in their ways - I feel this blog/website can provide an open and honest perspective of what goes on here that sets this school apart so much I feel from every other medical school, both allopathic and osteopathic. And, when I say sets this school apart - I will say more so in a negative light rather than positive. But, I will try to present things honestly and with my own ramblings thrown in and let you choose for yourself whether that is something you like or do not like or whatever.
Again, this isn't a hate blog or anything like that - I just wanted an easy outlet to present honest and "open-door" information about LECOM-Erie which does a good job of keeping the inner-workings, unless you attend the school, fairly secretive to the outside and more importantly potential students. More to come...
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