Is Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) a good school?

The city of Boston has the highest physicianpopulation ratio in the country. Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) is one of three medical schools in Boston. Students receive a strong preclinical and even stronger clinical background.

Generalist training and primary care are key missions of BU School of Medicine and the affiliated Boston Medical Center. The Center for Primary Care develops programs that establish it as a national center of excellence in primary care, general medicine, and health services research. To this end, medical students are given the exposure and experience to become leaders in the field of primary care. As early as a student's first year in medical school he or she will work one on one with a physician in internal medicine, pediatrics, or family practice, in such settings as a private practice, a community health center, or a hospitalbased practice. Boston University Medical Center has more than fifteen departments in medical and surgical subspecialties and is expanding each year to provide more space for continued biomedical research.

Admissions/Financial Aid 

Lecture halls are tilled with approximately 150 students per class. Approximately 25 percent of these students were offered early admission via premedical programs at the undergraduate level. The age range at matriculation is approximately 20-45, with an average age of 26. Men and women are about equal in number and the Office of Minority Affairs ensures that the classes are diverse.
Like most private schools, BUSM is expensive. In fact, it is the most expensive medical school in the eastern U.S. Unfortunately, BUSM offers little in the way of financial aid. To help defray the cost of medical education and promote primary care, there are several low interest, primar) care loans available. BUSM does offer institutional loans at lower interest rates.


Preclinical Years 

Preclinical education emphasizes the community as much as the basic sciences. A biopsychosocial model is used to emphasize the human being in society while students are dissecting the human body in gross anatomy.

The first semester is by far the toughest. Students plunge into the gross anatomy lab and get to see cells through the microscope during histology. Once students make it through the first semester, it's smooth sailing through biochemistry, physiology, and endocrinology. Immunology and genetics were added to the curriculum to keep up with the new advances in biomedical science.

Students get closer to clinical applicability during the first semester of second year. This is when they're introduced to bugs ( microbiology) and drugs (pharmacology). Biology of Disease is a semester long course taken during the second semester of second year in which students learn pathophysiology of the various organ systems in a clinical context. This is an excellent review for the students' last hurdle before they enter into third year. Step 1 of the USMLE.

Boston University School of Medicine Department of Surgery

Although most of the classes during the first two years are in large lecture halls, some are taught in a small group setting. During the first year. Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) gets students into the cHnical setting to begin interviewing patients. During the second year, students are beginning to sharpen their interview and physical examination skills in preparation for their third year, when they begin to care for patients. All of this is done with actual patients in various health care settings.

Throughout both preclinical years students also participate in Integrated Problems (IP). This is a problem based learning experience that offers an opportunity to begin integrating the basic sciences to clinical medicine while developing skills in cooperative group learning and problem solving. (These are important skills when working on a patient care team during the third and fourth years.)

Although other schools have moved toward a two or three tiered system, grading at BUSM is done on a five tier system throughout the preclinical and clinical years. Similar to an A through F system the new system grades with honor, high pass, pass, deficiency low, and deficiency unsatisfactory (fail) levels.

Clinical Years 

After passing the boards (98 percent do), students trade their books and lecture halls for stethescopes and white coats and their late nights in the library for late nights on the ward.

If they are out in the community during their first and second years (as most of them are), they will continue their outpatient rotations at the various health centers and private practices, while their inpatient experience will be at several of the affiliated hospitals in and around Boston.

BUSM has had a longtime affiliation with the former Boston City Hospital, a beacon for the poor in Boston. Although it was renamed Boston Medical Center in 1996, it remains dedicated to serving the underserved of Boston. In recent years, the population has expanded to include an eclectic mix of immigrants from as far away as Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, and Latin America. Students also have the unique opportunity to see patients in their own homes as part of the oldest Home Medical Service in the country.
The third year is filled with core clerkships in family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, ob/gyn, pediatrics, and psychiatry. During the fourth year, students are required to complete a subinternship (in medicine, surgery, or pediatrics) as well as rotations in radiology and neurology. The rest of the year is spent in electives, which may be done at BUSM or other institutions as students prepare for their residency.

For the last seven years, 85 percent of BUSM students have matched into the top three residencies of their choice. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of students have entered primary care (so there's still hope for the subspecialists out there).

Social Life 

Students have plenty of time to experience all that Boston and New England are famous for and still have time to pass their classes. They can take a walk along the Freedom Trail to see what it was like in Boston while it was still one of the thirteen colonies. Boston is home to great restaurants. There are also a number of art museums, theaters, and the New England Aquarium. Don't forget about the Red Sox (bleacher seats for as little as $12), Bruins, and Celtics (who have recently relocated to the Fleet Center). BU (undergrad) also has one of the "winningest" hockey teams in Boston.
Not only is Boston arguably the largest college town, but it is also the center of New England. This means that students can ski and hike the premier mountains on the East Coast on weekends. This is all possible within a 2 hour drive of the city.

Boston's real estate boom in the last several years has made it a more expensive place to live. Gentrification has turned the South End into one of the most sought after places to live. It is still livable on a student budget, probably more so with a roommate. Students may have an easier (and less expensive) time living outside of the city and commuting. There are several communities just outside of Boston that offer quieter and cheaper living.

Boston University Campus Tour

BUSM offers an unparalleled opportunity to get into the community from day one while stiU offering time to enjoy Boston and New Enghnd.
Web https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/

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