Florida Post-Bacc

[sasevan]

Hi everyone,
Wondering if anyone here did a post-bacc premed program either at University of Miami or at the University of North Florida?
Any info on either of these two programs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Peace.

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[futrfysician]

no, but Barry University in North Dade has a Biomedical Science program and it has post-bacc built in to it. It does all teh first year med courses, mainly by Nova and Miami profs. A few are on staff at Barry as well from their PA and POD program and are great teachers.

 

[dim sum]

went to barry Master of Biomedical Science program and it did get me into a D.O. program (westernU). Good program, very very expensive ($550-600/credit). This is one of the feeder school for Nova D.O. school (about 20-25 students got accepted there the year i graduated). Good luck

 

[r_salis]

Originally posted by dim sum
went to barry Master of Biomedical Science program and it did get me into a D.O. program (westernU). Good program, very very expensive ($550-600/credit). This is one of the feeder school for Nova D.O. school (about 20-25 students got accepted there the year i graduated). Good luck

Just curious, how much was the total cost?

 

[dim sum]

i think you need at least 36 credits to graduate so you'll spend about 20 G's. If you do the program, make sure you're able to take the gross anatomy course w/ lab, it'll help your MS-1 a lot cause the gross anatomy is identical to med school gross anatomy course. Besides Barry, i think Nova has its own post bac but i have no info on that.

 

[sasevan]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the great info.
The Barry U program I understand takes about 2 yrs as opposed to the U of Miami which I believe takes only 1-1.5 yrs. I think UNF is also less than 2 yrs.
I figured that the UM and UNF were shorter and probably were feeders for UM/Med School and FSU/UF Med Schools respectively.
Didn't realize about BU being a feeder school for Nova S U. I'm going to check Barry out.
Thanks again.

 

[Yosh]

I did the post bac at Miami....and I am now a MSIII at COMP...if you are interested...please PM or e-mail me and I will fill you in and answer any questions you may have...

 

[Yah-E]

Nova Post-Bac. (aka Master Biomedical Sciences)

http://medsciences.nova.edu/

Here's how it works:

ths program accepts 25 student each year, 20 are for the DO-wannabes and 5 are for the Dental-wannabes. It's very competitive and expensive. You'll need MCAT or DAT scores, letters of rec, Personal Statement and as well as an interview. Just like applying to medical and dental schools, if you do not receive an interview for the MBS program, you won't be accepted.

The program is set up for two years, but if you earn 80% or higher the first year, then you will be automatically included in the next incoming class to the professional school of your choice and you will not have to do the 2nd year of the MBS program. In another word, a seat to your professional school of choice (med or dent) is saved for you for the next incoming class once you've been accepted to this MBS program, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS EARN AN 80% OR HIGHER. If you earn 90% or higher in the first year MBS curriculum, then those classes will be waived during your first year of professional school.

MBS students takes all the same basic science courses with the med and dent students (biochem, physio, micro, gross anatomy, histo, and neuroanatomy). If you earn 90% or higher in those basic science courses during your MBS 1st year, then during your first year of med or dental school, you will not have to take those same basic science courses again.

It's a great post-bac program if you wish to come to Nova DO or Dent, but very competitive to get in. Good luck!

 

[classic13]

For nova's MBS program, you have to score above 80 in every course. If you score 90's in all your classes except one (say a 79) they will not let you in even though your overall avg maybe higher than someone who barely got 80s in every class. Kind of ironic for a profession that prides itself for looking beyond the numbers.

It's a great program in that you just have to concentrate on doing well rather than worrying about applications. The uncertainty of other post-bac program can be nerve wracking.

 

[sasevan]

Hi Yah-E and classic13,

Thanks for the great info on Nova's MBS program.
I checked it out the website and I understood it was not so much a post-bacc premed program as a a bridge between premed and med school. Kind of like another chance in case you didn't get into med school on your first try. I say this because the reqs to get into the MBS program are the same reqs that med school demand, i.e., 8 hrs each of bio, chem, org, and physics.
FSU has a bridge program just like that one and it's much cheaper.
From what I understand only Barry, UM, and UNF have premed programs in FL while NSU and FSU have a bridge one.
Again, thanks for the info. It helped me realize there are many more options than I was first aware of.

Peace.

 

[DrQuinn]

From what I understand from my friends who did the MBS Program (and are now NSUCOM graduates, like myself), getting an 80% does not GUARANTEE you a spot in the DO or DDS programs, but GUARANTEES you an INTERVIEW.

Unless they have changed their policies, which I doubt, I would recognize the difference.

NSU is a huge money making factory. MBS programs are just extra money in their pockets. Beware.

Q, DO

 

[classic13]

Although the "official" policy for Nova's program is that there's no guaranteed admission to DO their program, the truth is that unless you are a psychopath or a prick you will get a spot if you score 80's in all your classes. Since the program's inception, there is only 1 person who got the scores but was not admitted because of less than desirable personality.

It is also true that Nova is a money making factory. The school doesn't care too much about its students. Going there is a mean to an end. Good luck!

 

[sasevan]

Hi QuinnNSU and classic13,

Thanks for all the info on NSU's program. Since they require the same premed courses to get into the MBS program that other med schools require for admission I'm hoping to avoid having to pay 20k by doing my post-bacc premed at a comm college and then going directly to med school. If that fails I guess I'll try the bridge programs at FSU, NSU or wherever I find one that takes me...LOL

Thanks again.

Peace.

 

[DrQuinn]

Originally posted by classic13
Although the "official" policy for Nova's program is that there's no guaranteed admission to DO their program, the truth is that unless you are a psychopath or a prick you will get a spot if you score 80's in all your classes. Since the program's inception, there is only 1 person who got the scores but was not admitted because of less than desirable personality.

It is also true that Nova is a money making factory. The school doesn't care too much about its students. Going there is a mean to an end. Good luck!

I have heard different numbers than you for people not getting their guaranteed spot, but it is anecdotal evidence, and I cannot confirm. Not that I really care anymore.

The DO profession is a huge money making scene. Why do you think there are so many new DO private schools starting up? Because it is a MULTI MILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY. There's a new DO school starting up in Sarasota. Virginia (now). Montana (future). Georgia (apparently). There is so much damn money out there that people will pay (and the gov't will pay) for medical education. Its not always in the best interest of the profession or of the "patients."

The DO profession has left a very sour taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, most people won't realize it until they graduate and are out, or atleast a 4th year DO student.

Q, DO

 

[sasevan]

Hi QuinnNSU,
What's the bad taste???
I'm not just curious but also concerned.
NSU-COM and the COM in NY and in the one NJ are 3 schools that I'm really considering applying to.
Peace.

 

[DrQuinn]

Well, I will tone down my thoughts and just give you things to think about...

DO schools charge 20k-30k a year in tuition. They do not pay the third year or fourth year clinicians a cent for teaching DO students. It is against the DO philosophy to have paid teachers in the clinical setting. Yet they still charge what MD private institutions do. The MD schools pay their 3/4th year clinicians to teach the students. The DO schools POCKET this money.

That's why they are such money making schemes.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......................

Q, DO

 

[Buster Douglas]

But, hey, if we're willing to pay for it, there is definitely more money for schools and the AOA as whole to reinvest into the future of the osteopathic profession. Maybe I'm being too optimisitic by refusing to accept the possibility of the investors pocketing the extra cash, but I have yet to hear the 'tuition and fees' of a MD school cover the expenses of a laptop computer, all required texts, workbooks, anatomy dissection equipment, a stethoscope, an ophthalmoscope, an otoscope, a new portable OP&P table lab, coats and scrub suits, all AMA dues, and USMLE fees.

 

[classic13]

I don't know how much a dean at MD schools typically makes but the dean at Nova makes over $500,000 per year. I am sure there are better ways to re-invest the money back to the profession, especially when the clinical instructors are not getting paid. They are either volunteering or forced to volunteer. Maybe other DO schools are different . . .