Does UMKC require mid year report to be sent? Have you all sent them?
I heard from a someone that interviewed early this week that they have about 1000 applicants and 900 of those are complete and they will invite 360 or so for interview and offer around 120 acceptances with the idea that at least 109 of those will accept. Of the 120 that will be sent the acceptance, 65-70 are ISS, 30-35 Regional student and about 15 will be OOS but the numbers are flexible and not set in stone.
Ok I asked the dean how they evaluate and she said 50% non cognitive (essay interview health experience recs, etc) and 50% cognitive ( GPA scores etc)
@sanguinee. You had asked me to address a certain topic (Post #2935). Sorry that I did not respond to your question right away.
“@Dual On a side note, are you happy with your career? I’ve shadowed a couple of doctors and while volunteering at hospitals, almost all the doctors kept telling me that the career is no longer as rewarding b/c of medicare, etc and that you have to work a lot more for less pay. They suggest pretty much all students that shadow/talk to them to go into another field b/c of how bad their circumstances have become. I’m not sure how true this is, but I’ve heard it from a LOT of physicians.”
My response is:
Why did God create butterflies? …… “to make the world a prettier place.”
Why did God create plastic surgeons? …… to help create beautiful butterflies.
Why did God make me a plastic surgeon? …… I have no idea. Ask Him or Her.
Am I happy with my career? Yes, I am. But, I’ve been fortunate.
When I first opened my office (year 1995), I pretty much did everything. I covered 5 hospitals, took ER calls, saw inpatients, and performed reconstructive surgeries that were covered by insurance/Medicare/Medicaid. I survived on my wife’s income and family loans for the first year or so. The insurance payments took “forever” to be paid. The revenue that I brought in, at the time, was barely enough to pay for the office overhead.
It was not until the 2nd year of practice (year 1996) that the cosmetic surgery cases finally started to come in. The patient paid out-of-pocket and before the surgery…. not a lot of billing paperwork and no delay in payment. The revenues that I was bringing in from the elective cosmetic surgery were so good that I didn’t mind the delayed payments or no payments from the insured reconstructive surgeries. Some times, I would even write off or waive the fee for the Medicare or Medicaid cases because I thought that it was my contribution to society…. Yes, I performed plastic surgery for free.
It was in my 5th year of practice (year 2000) that I learned about the Pareto Principle.
“The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.”
What it meant was that 80% of my office revenue was coming from 20% of the surgeries that I was performing at the time. I just needed to figure out what particular surgeries or procedures they were.
I found out that the 20% …… were all cosmetic surgery procedures. Therefore, since 2000, I’ve been performing cosmetic surgeries, “creating beautiful butterflies,” and have had no issue with insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.
Other doctors have been less fortunate. They have had to deal with insurance/Medicare/Medicaid, tons of paperwork, delay payments, no payments, etc. I can certainly understand why they would feel that the field of medicine is less rewarding.
The majority of doctors, like me, would be willing to do their job for free. That’s why we have and will continue to volunteer on medical mission trips. Unfortunately, we all have to take care of our families, support our employees, pay the bills, and deal with the threat of being sued for malpractice.
The “business” of medicine is something that I wish more medical school would teach to their students.
@Dual thanks. I know plastics has really boosted and is one of the most sought-after residency now. I’ve noticed that General surgeons tend to be very unhappy with their jobs nowadays most likely because surgery hasn’t been doing too well recently. Thanks for replying again.
In response to to the talk of not being happy due to lower wages, if you are looking to make money, then medicine isn’t the career you should go into. Many other jobs make more money and work a lot less. Medicine isn’t about the money, it’s about helping people, and if you go into for the money then you will be very unhappy. .00000001% of docs are cosmetic plastics and to be honest I would be very unhappy doing that. I know people who came ere because their parents made them, and they hate it.
@bjk7dd: not a lot of people want to be a doctor because of money nowadays like you said. But the bottom line is financial still an important when you are practicing medicine eventually . I understand we still young and too idealistic about life . But look at this way, tuition at UMKC med for OOS first year is 65k including room and board. Assume you are lucky to have your parents rich enuff to pay for you, Do you know how much they have to make in order to do that for you to pursuit your interest in medicine ? Atleast they have to make 4,5 times of that!!! And most of med students nowadays graduate with 3,4 hundred thousands in student loans… And every dollars you borrowed, you have to pay back 3 dollars with interests and principal . So it may take you 20 yrs to pay back which can go up to 1.2 to 1.5 million.
Now, with that kind of debts, would you still be able to practice Medince just for your interest without worry about money ? I guess you can sign up with arm forces and practice Medince in Afganistan, Iraq or wherever the country need you so you can write off your student loan.
Yes it is true that only 0.0000001 doctor practice plastic surgery… Do you know why ??? Because only that many doctor after complete med school can qualify to enter that such a prestigious residency.
Please have respect to older doctor who been though life and come back to share his or her experiences to kiddo like us who though we are on top of the world when the world we have known so far just from the courtesy of our parents money .
@SoCalGirl trust me I know how hard it is to pay off medical school. I’m putting myself through medical school with no help from my parents. I’m not being disrespectful either, I’m simply stating that being a cosmetic plastic isn’t what I want to do and therefore the money doesn’t outway my unhappiness. But since you brought up the topic, please don’t be disrespectful to me since Im taking my study time from orgo to try and give helpful tips about umkc 6 year med and medicine as a life style because I’m in the program. “Here is a thing which the more it is needed the more it is rejected: and this is advice, which is unwillingly heeded by those who most need it, that is to say, by the ignorant.” - Leonardo da Vinci. But if you don’t want my advice thats fine too.
@SoCalGirlNguyen. Welcome back! Nice to hear from you again. Thanks for trying to defend me. It’s not necessary. Now, do you understand why doctors usually don’t give an opinion unless specifically asked? Things can be taken the wrong way.
Some people look down at plastic surgeons, thinking that we’re all just in it for the money and that we really serve no “life and death” medicine purpose. That’s why I began my response to sanguinee with “butterflies.” Some people think that there is no purpose to butterflies. But, the good Lord has a purpose for everything and everyone…even butterflies and plastic surgeon. 
Who else will correct the cleft lips and palates on a baby, fix a facial fracture, reattach a severed finger, save a burn victim, reconstruct a breast for a cancer patient, and restore confidence to a patient by making them look young again? I’ve been blessed to have been able to do all that.
@bjk7dd. It was my fault. I should have pm my message to sanguinee instead or posting it on the thread. BTW, they must have move the organic chemistry up. When I was there at UMKC in 1984, it was during the summer session between year 1 and year 2.
@bjk I totally agree with both Dual & Socalgirl… regardless of how much you want to help people, how much you earn will always play a major part in your life.
Please understand that the objective of my post is not to contest nor to respond to what anyone else has said on this thread. It is simply my own opinion.
As far as income and other financial details regarding medicine go, yes it is true that many fields do not make the type of income that they used to. A few fields, such as General Surgery and Primary Care are currently not given the appreciation that they deserve (both from a financial and a social perspective). Like my fellow student bjk7dd said, medicine is not something to go into solely for the money. However, I think money is an important topic and it is perfectly appropriate to address this topic when considering a career in any field. Medicine included.
You will hear many people now a days say “you can make a lot more money in other fields.” While I agree with the message that these people are trying to get across (“Do not go into medicine just for the money”), I personally disagree with using statements such as “you can make a lot more money in other fields working a lot less,” simply because for the vast majority of us, that is not true.
Almost everyone that earns a high income has to work very hard for it. Yes many doctors work between 50-70 hours per week (maybe more depending on the specialty), but in order to earn the type of income that many highly specialized physicians earn, you would have to work similar hours. Take an extreme example of high income earners that far out earn physicians: Investment Bankers on Wall Street. These people earn millions per year, but work 100 hours per week many times. Similarly, the CEOs of big companies do not have 9-5 jobs. And for most of us, these types of positions are unattainable due to the extreme competition, subjectivity, and substantial luck that is required to attain them.
The objective of my post is to say the following things:
It’s not a good idea to go into medicine for the money not because it doesn’t pay as well as other fields, but because that much training and education and raw material will eat you alive if you have no interest.
Do not let other people dissuade you from looking into financial data for your career. Money is important.
Good luck to you SoCal and thank you for your kind words and advice, DualDegreeDoc. It’s great to have an alumnus helping out prospective applicants!
@DualDegreeDoc I hope you understand that I didn’t mean any disrespect. I’m just pointing out the fact that this program will eat you alive if you aren’t doing it for the right reasons. As far as organic chemistry goes, those of us who had gen chem 1 and/or gen chem 2 credit take orgo I the spring, whereas those who don’t have to take it isn’t he summer. The summer semester is inevitably harder, because trying to fit orgo 1 and 2 in an 8 week semester is near impossible.
This brings me to my next piece of advice, if you come to this program without chem credit, I recommend taking gen chem 1 this summer at a community college. First, it’s easier since you’ll only have 1 class to worry about. Secondly, you’ll get to take orgo in the spring and not the summer. Peoplewho take it in the summer don’t get to do anything because they are also in cell bio
So those of you who are interviewing on the 26th and 27th, where are you from?
I am local to KC.
We should plan a spot to meet up on Tuesday.
@bjk7dd. No disrespect taken and no disrespect intended to you either. As far as I am concerned, … you, razorlaser93, sanguinee, and SoCalGirlNguyen … are all colleagues of mine. We’re all just trying to do our best and trying to help each other along the way by sharing experiences.
Reading all your posts certainly made me feel better. I was denied around the 30th and I just felt so shocked, given all that I have done to pursue my ambitions. All I want to do is become an oncologist. Had a 2000 SAT (32 ACT) with a Cancer Research Internship at a cancer institute in NY. I volunteer at a cancer hospital… Vice-Captain of Science Olympiad, Captain of Science Bowl, Biology Olympiad founder… I guess the best phrase to follow this is etc.
Thanks DualDeg for all the insight, and certainly your positive outlook. Razorlazor, thanks also for your posts.
Can anyone comment on why the last board scores at UMKC were below average. This is quite serious in fact. Is it because students are lazy, teaching is bad, or what? I would like to please hear from people who are there or have been there.
Thanks
This comes from the student affairs panel on interview day.
@aokayok It’s difficult to find a proper source for board scores as they are not publicly advertised on the school of medicine’s website. Assuming what this person told you was correct, it is rather odd that the board scores this year would be below average. For the past few years board scores and step I pass rate at UMKC SOM has been above the national average.
To address a similar topic, I noticed a post on here a few pages ago (and this isn’t directed at you aokayok but for everyone reading) about how UMKC SOM students “do not match into competitive specialties.” This is no longer true. Please check the Match list for 2012. There were 4 people last year that matched into dermatology (often considered one of the most competitive specialties to match into). I also saw Opthalmology, Radiology, Orthopedic Surgery, Integrated Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Anesthesiology, and Radiation Oncology, all of which are very competitive.
[Match</a> 2012 : Office of Student Affairs : UMKC School of Medicine](<a href=“http://www.med.umkc.edu/sa/match.shtml]Match”>http://www.med.umkc.edu/sa/match.shtml)
@razorlaser93
Well I hope that it’s just one bad year and not a trend then. A graduated student had said on this forum that a lot of kids don’t study so I’m hoping that’s what it was. Are a lot of kids in your class lazy @razorlaser93?
Unfortunately there was this generalization at my school that a lot of kids there are lazy. If one were to entertain this notion, then I am sure there are still some hard working people. I don’t believe one can BS a national board exam if he doesn’t study.
No there are very few kids in my class that are lazy. Almost all of them are very hardworking, passionate, sociable individuals. To be honest, it should not matter to you how hard others work. I can tell you this: If YOU work hard and truly want to be a physician, you will do fine on boards. You get out of Med school what you put into it.
Also, when listening to the advice of older students remember that they are many times far removed from your situation. I recall an older student telling me during first semester that anatomy is not much work. I took that with a grain of salt and found that anatomy required diligent studying almost every day. So just be careful about taking too literally what older students tell you. Remember: it’s easier to say “Oh I never studied for that class” once you are done with it.
Cool thanks for responding and I hope you have a good rest of the year.
To add to what @razerlazer said, even the people who don’t do competitive residencies matched at very competitive places like mayo clinic, Yale, emory, brown, Barnes Jewish etc. UMKC is a VERY clinically oriented school. Some people just don’t want to go into a competitive specialty because they like the clinical aspect of medicine a lot more. Also, as far as 2013 stats go, I already know of two people who early matched into ophthalmology, one of which was at Emory.