Dave, I have heard that osteopathic students in less urban locations often volunteer in rural/free clinics to gain experience, which stands them in good stead when they get into the internship/residency years. Do Kirksville students do this? I heard this from a PCOM graduate so not sure how universal it is but it seems like an appealing adjunct to classroom training (how they fit it in I don’t know).
Terry,
How long ago did this person graduate from PCOM? Once upon a time, that’s how most all medical students did their clinical training, esp in DO schools as they tend to be both rurally located & focused upon rural/GP medicine. However, in modern medical education & especially in your 3rd & 4th years, I can’t imagine having too much time for volunteering. I averaged 100~130 hrs/wk for virtually the entire 3rd year & 1st half of the 4th…2nd half of year 4 is like a vacation…probably only work 50~70hrs/wk. But, this time is invested in clinical rotations - hands on work with patients under the supervision of residents & attending physicians.
During years 1 & 2, a few of the more motivated students who were hell bent on something competitive (ENT, GenSurg…) spent some downtime working with those sorts of programs to gain exposure, connections & letter of reference. Through some of the student organizations, there was some community clinic volunteering, but very limited in scope because of legal & liability ramifications. Once you are “medical student”, volunteering & working with people suddenly takes on a whole new flavor with your medical school from a liability standpoint - you must be supervised at all times.
Clear as mud?