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If you want to know what training is like for the typical osteopathic student, the first thing you need to learn is that there is no such thing as the typical osteopathic student. There are more than 500 men and women currently pursuing their D.O. at MSUCOM, and each has a different story to tell. Their experiences in class, in the hospital and with each other are as varied as the students themselves. Taken together, they present a group of learners committed to the three pillars of the college’s motto: the science of medicine, the art of caring, the power of touch.
Year One: Getting started
The first year of medical school is an extended lesson in hard work. “Everyone told me that the first semester is the hardest,” says Chris Butler, Class of 2007. After his experience so far, he finds that he has to agree with that assessment. Mr. Butler came to East Lansing with a degree in biology, but while the subject matter was familiar the tempo was not. “It’s very intense,” he says. “The pace of the material is a big adjustment.”
Classes in the first year – also known as Unit I – fall into two basic categories. The first category is instruction in the basic sciences. Lectures and labs in anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, and other subjects give students underlying knowledge about the human body. For most of them – who come to MSUCOM with a background in life sciences – these courses build on what they already know to create a foundation for deeper study.
The second group of classes is about clinical skills and develops the tools doctors need to work well with patients. Clinical skills give students the fundamentals of health care, like how to take blood pressure, listen to heartbeats, and use basic medical equipment. In addition, students attend sessions on doctor-patient relationships where they work on the interpersonal skills necessary for a successful physician. These classes also strive to impart the osteopathic philosophy and how it translates into patient care.
(L. to r.) First-year students Danielle Rayome and Katie Sloan, with faculty member Debra Duxbury, M.D., listen to fellow students discuss their experiences during a doctor-patient relationship class. |
First-year students learn quickly how to manage their time and resources and how to find an approach to learning that works best for them. With so much material to absorb, free time is at a premium. They also learn to rely on each other, and all students seem to agree that the camaraderie among classmates is the greatest feature of MSUCOM.
“I didn’t apply to some other medical schools because I thought that the students were too competitive,” says Katie Sloan, Class of 2007. “There is a lot of cooperation here. People share notes and help each other out. I love our class.”
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The first year is also a time to find ways to get involved. There are dozens of student organizations associated with MSUCOM, and most students are involved in at least one, if not several. Groups like the Emergency Medicine Club, the Islamic Medical Student Association and the Pediatric Interest Group, just to name a few, not only provide social activities for students, they also enhance the curriculum by bringing in guest speakers, arranging shadowing opportunities, or participating in health fairs or other community events.
Still, the focus is on education and class work dominates the students’ lives. A good example of the way classes are organized and the interactions between students and teachers is in the instruction of OMM. Osteopathic manipulative medicine is the one constant of the curriculum as students meet in the OMM lab every week throughout the first and second year. Mark Gugel, D.O., is the course coordinator for OMM, but he explains that it is really a collaboration among all faculty members.
Michelle Suppnick, Class of 2006, takes notes as students listen to the day’s lecture in the OMM lab. |
“What we teach is really a departmental decision,” he says. “For first-year students, we give them the basic techniques. Over time, they learn to diagnose dysfunction and, hopefully, feel comfortable providing treatment.” All members of the department participate in the class, giving lectures and leading students through small group instruction. A similar dynamic is found in other subject areas and creates a collegiality among the students and with the faculty.
In OMM, as with other skills, students learn by practicing on each other. Since class time is limited, students find other outlets to work on
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their development. Working or volunteering in clinic settings can help garner experience. Michelle Suppnick, Class of 2006, participates in the Student OMM Clinic, an elective class that helps the community by providing free care and helps her by providing patients from whom she can learn. “I plan to use OMM in my practice, but it’s tough to get experience,” she says. “I also practice treating my family and they really like it.”
Year Two: Building blocks
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As the first year progresses into the second, subjects turn from the basic knowledge of medicine to its application. Courses are devoted to individual body systems, like the cardiovascular system, endocrine system and others. Instruction begins to focus on specific examples of diseases, how to identify them and how to treat them. The lessons build one on top of another to provide a complete picture of the human body.
Students also get more exposure to patients themselves. A significant feature of Unit II is the
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preceptorship. During the fall semester, each student spends one day a week for five weeks shadowing an osteopathic physician and getting their first experience with real patients in a clinical setting.
The preceptorship is part of a course in family medicine and is an important part of the college’s emphasis on primary care. Steven Dupuis, D.O., joined the Department of Family and Community Medicine two years ago, but he served as a preceptor for many years before that, welcoming students into his private practice. As an MSUCOM alumnus, he has been on both sides of the relationship and appreciates the value of the experience.
“My goal is to help them feel confident in the skills they have,” says Dr. Dupuis. “I assess the students strengths and weaknesses, to see what they can handle and help them in the areas they need it.”
 Vladimir Cortez, Class of 2006, is one of the students who worked with Dr. Dupuis at MSU’s Family Medicine Clinic. “He really gave me a lot of independence,” says Mr. Cortez. “I really got to know the patients and learn how to draw information from them.” The clinical experience allowed him to see many different kinds of cases and provided invaluable training in evaluation and treatment of patients.
Family and Community Medicine faculty member
Steven Dupuis, D.O., watches over Vladimir Cortez
as he examines a patient. Dr. Dupuis serves as a
preceptor for students in training.
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