Thread: Integrated system

It will likely be difficult for current 1st and 2nd term students to comment on this as they have never experienced it as a non-integrated system. Likewise, I cannot comment on how the two exactly compare. However, I was at Ross when they started to integrate 3rd and 4th semesters after completing 1st and 2nd NON-integrated. I can say that studying the Pathology of a certain system, the pharmacology of that same system, and the physical exam of that system all at the same time was very helpful. Extrapolating that positive experience I could assume that studying the anatomy/histo, physiology, embryology, etc all together would be quite helpful and beneficial to the learning process.

US medical school must have researched this issue and that is why nearly every US school teaches this way.

-M

Originally Posted by almostfamous

how do current students feel about the way material is being presented as a whole with the new integrated system...

do you guys find that the information is easier to understand and retain?

Also how much time is spent on a daily basis preparing for or studying material that was presented....

The problem with the integration thing when I was on the island was that things would start out fine and dandy, everyone's teaching you stuff about cardiovascular for example. Then, some prof takes a vacation and screws the whole thing up. By the end of the semester, things were all randomized once again, bringing everyone back to square one. It was cool and helpful in the beginning, but was easily destroyed due to the lack of administrative focus. Things may have changed, but when a prof wants to take a vacation, (s)he HAS to have it...with not much regard to what YOU want (organization!).

I don't remember any faculty taking vacations during the semester -- especially none that interfered with the schedule. However, I can imagine how that could cause issues. Now that the integrated schedule is set in stone I would imagine the professors of certain areas would know when they could and could not take vacation. One good thing about Ross is that they have a lot of faculty for each class - if we only had one faculty per class like many other offshore schools we would be in real trouble if the professor took vacation.

-M

Originally Posted by Cuando2

The problem with the integration thing when I was on the island was that things would start out fine and dandy, everyone's teaching you stuff about cardiovascular for example. Then, some prof takes a vacation and screws the whole thing up. By the end of the semester, things were all randomized once again, bringing everyone back to square one. It was cool and helpful in the beginning, but was easily destroyed due to the lack of administrative focus. Things may have changed, but when a prof wants to take a vacation, (s)he HAS to have it...with not much regard to what YOU want (organization!).

Yes professors do take vacations during the semester and classes are shifted to compensate

I've looked at the 1st semester syllabus (the pdf file is at http://www.valuemd.com/ross-universi...light=syllabus)

personally, it doesn't look all that 'integrated' to me. IMO, the talk about an 'integrated' cirriculum is overblown and not as big a deal as some people believe it is. I've seen med school cirriculums that are much more 'integrated' than Ross's (ie they introduce general path in the 1st month and systems pathology by the 3rd-4th month unlike Ross where Path isn't seen until the 3rd semester).

thanks for all the great posts guys...some people on here make it seem as though the system they have in place is the key to success on the step 1....i was surprised to see that it can become disorganized so easily since teachers have taken vacations during the semesters...i just wanted to know if i would have a realistic shot of doing well on the step 1 if i did not get into ross and was forced to attend another school...i dont want to have to waste time with merp...

Originally Posted by almostfamous

thanks for all the great posts guys...some people on here make it seem as though the system they have in place is the key to success on the step 1....i was surprised to see that it can become disorganized so easily since teachers have taken vacations during the semesters...i just wanted to know if i would have a realistic shot of doing well on the step 1 if i did not get into ross and was forced to attend another school...i dont want to have to waste time with merp...

of course you can do well on step 1 if you attend another school, a lot of other Caribbean schools have good academics (if not better than Ross). IMO, how well a person does on step 1 is mostly about the individual, not really the school. but that's just my view.

but a big reason why people choose to attend Ross is because 1. Ross is one of the 3 Carib. schools (SGU, AUC) that's eligible for federal loans and 2. Ross is one of the 4 Carib. schools where graduates can practice in all 50 states (SGU, AUC and saba).

good luck with your applications to other schools.

thanks mmod...i wont hear from ross for 2-3 weeks but i have to have my tuition paid in full for mua by the 15th of this month...i personally would prefer mua...and the only thing that is swaying me towards ross now are the various clinical options...thanks for your great post and the others...

Originally Posted by mmod

Ross is one of the 4 Carib. schools where graduates can practice in all 50 states (SGU, AUC and saba).

I dont think SGU has texas if I am not mistaken. I dont think AUC has california or some other state. I heard Ross is the only with all 50 states, but even then, you'd have to make sure you didn't make a booboo somewhere along the line with the way you performed your clinicals (all affiliated hospitals, all MD programs or some DO programs?, too many rotations outside of affiliated hospitals..etc). There are so many state laws that try to prevent rossies and other caribs from getting into their programs without having to come out and just say, "NO IMG's!" good luck