The Next 4 Years

Our activity of the month was plain and simple: our All SOS Meeting! We enjoyed an excellent turnout, a killer panel, and a frenzy of questions by our eager SOs. This meeting topic has been a tradition over the past several years, and has taken many forms – from more formal presentation, to town hall like this one. We found last year that there were so many differences between the DO and DPM programs, that we should split these panels into 2 separate groups. So after a few short announcements, that’s exactly what we did.

I heard the DPM meeting went well, but I didn’t get the details. I just know that Dr. Smith is an excellent, knowledgeable presenter. The DO meeting had a swarm of questions about boards, the lottery for rotations, what rotations sites are available., how to find good spots, what are good strategies for getting the rotation you want, etc. We talked a little about student loans and making sure you have enough money budgeted for the 4 years, especially 3rd to 4th year.

The discussion turned to finishing med school and interviewing for residency, should the student pursue only osteopathic opportunities, or allopathic ones as well. How does the match work? What are the dates for the match? What happens if you don’t match? What if you apply for a competitive residency?

You can find answers to many of these questions on our website, in the News and Info section. Of course don’t hesitate to email us, or stop one of us in the hall to find out more about what was said, or just for any general question that might come up.

We did mention that DMU will definitely send info about all these topics to your student, so don’t worry if you can’t remember what was said. We provide this meeting in case your student forgets to tell you. But please keep asking them, because they will probably know! Also, the Clinical Affairs department will become your student’s best friend during end of 2nd year to help plan those rotations, especially if you will be based out of Des Moines.

Good luck everyone! Just remember, don’t freak out. Stay calm! We’ll all make it through this together! Take it from a 4th year spouse, the end comes quickly, and things just get better year after year! When the boards are done, the interviews are complete, and rank list submitted, and you start thinking about that first residency paycheck and the end of med school, think of this discussion and I guarantee you’ll get a smile on your face!