I'm not a student at IUHS but I am taking my basic sciences online. It is true that some states are against any portion of your medical education online. There are medical students and people who feel that you can't learn medicine online. That's just what they think. No one can tell you how you learn and the way you should learn. Alot of this has to do with history's Diploma Mill which are known to give advanced credit for life experience's unrelated to medicine and medical schools which don't have a campus or physical location. As a result, many states have either banned or shun any medical school that has an online program.

However, as time goes by, many schools are incorporating techonology into their curriculum. Today, many medical schools are doing away with cadavers and putting anatomy online for their students. Students are now able to download powerpoints on lectures without having to go to class. There are medical school's that are strictly PBL. Some medical schools from the first day of class put their students in patient contact while other's will not let you near a patient until your 3rd and 4th year of school. I know plenty of medical student who spend the majority of their time studying from notes and other resources rather than attending class only going for the first few days of class or attending those classes which are mandatory for them to attend.

As it stands right now, distance learning is becoming more active in many medical schools and schools across the nation, though few have gone so far to allow students to do their entire basic sciences online. The few schools that have done so, are the laughing stock for the medical community and those who feel you can't learn from reading. This explains why most students who choose this route stay away from forums like this. Since there are 3 medical schools that offer this distance learning approach to medicine, there are hundreds of student taking this different, unusal route to learning medicine. Yet you don't hear from most of them. Then again why should you when they are the laughing stock of the medical community. What point would it be for them to post on this site or other medical student site only to be shunned. You soon learn not to go where your not welcomed.

As far as state licensing is concerned, as I said before, there are some states which have banned any medical graduate from licensure if they have taken this route. Then there are some states which don't really care as long as you pass the boards. The decision to attend one of these schools has to be made on the account of how important it is for the individual to have freedom of movement because you will be limited in terms of where you can become licensed. You also have to be willing to be shunned and made to feel incompetent by some people. This will become less and less over time, but right now, it's still the beginning.

I personally know students who are in residency right now after completing their basic science online, not just in the US but aboard as well. They have no problem and have yet to be turn away by a patient saying that they would not want a doctor who did their basic sciences online. Reality of the situation, most don't care as long as your a competent physician. That's what matters in the end. Not how you learned. Then again, you have patients who won't let a medical student come near them nor will they allow a MD to work on them. I know lots of people who use Allopathic medicine as a last resort. I've worked with people who will not go to an Allopathic physician and would only see a D.O. or ND (Naturopathic Physician).

I will not sit here and tell you what a PD is looking for because I don't know what a PD looks for in an applicant. I'm sure it's more than what school you went to or how you learned your basic sciences. I doubt that anyone one this board is a PD in a residency program who can say that you won't get a residency. Even if they were, they can only speak for their own program not for all programs. Same with licensure laws. One state can only speak for their own state laws and rules, not every state. If one state will not accept you, then there are others whom may.

If all this sounds like too much work, then you should go to a medical school where there is less hostility. There are plenty which you wont have to go through this hassle. In the end, you must weigh your own situation to the issue. You have to be willing to face what comes with making that decision. Took me a while to learn this. But at some point you have to forget what others are saying and make it happen. Make them the liar.

Lastly, I like to point out that some try to make distant learning out to be something it's not. You can't complete 4yrs of medical school in 2yrs. You can't do your entire medical education online. You still have to do your 3rd and 4th year just as any other medical student. You still have to pass the USMLE and perhaps other test as well before becoming licensed to practice medicine. You still have to put in the hours of study just as any other medical student or it will show on the board exams the quality of education you recieved. And, it takes lot more dedication and sometimes time to do your medical education through distant learning. By no means is this an easy route to becoming a physician. You have be disciplined enough to study and complete your lessons on time. If you have taken a distant learning course in college, then you should know what I'm talking about. I took a couple of classes in college which were distant learning and I found it much harder than knowing you have a class at 8am which you must attend. You must be disiciplined enough to set time aside for study, review and exams. If you think this is a pie in the sky, then I would advise you to take a distant learning CME course and use that as a judgement of what the first 2yrs of medicine through distant learning is like.

Good luck