19
COM Outlook . Winter 2015
you don’t have to uproot yourself
and/or your family to do them, plus
all the core sites are teaching institu-
tions that know our curriculum and
the objectives of what we need to
learn during rotations. Our COM
also is known to be the one with most
robust international rotations.”
In terms of curricula requirements,
Champion-Lippmann is a big fan of
the college’s Principles of Clinical
Medicine course that is offered in the
second year. “It’s a great class that
is presented in a small-group, case-
based style where each group goes
through patient cases together with
a physician facilitator and discusses
topics such as the differential diagno-
sis and physiology,” she explained.
“This class is the best at bringing
together everything for students and
helps us understand how to use what
we have learned more than any other
class. Interestingly, this is a comment
I have consistently heard from many
students through the years.”
According to third-year student
Trevine Albert, who serves as the cur-
rent SGA president, the college has
much to recommend it as well. “I feel
that NSU-COM has been excellent at
providing quality educational and
research opportunities for its students
that are unmatched by other COMs in
the country,” he said. “For instance,
the college has gathered some of the
leading experts in various fields to
cultivate a rich medical community
and quietly fostered first-of-its-kind
programs such as the combined
osteopathic medicine/law degree.
In addition, NSU broke ground on a
cutting-edge research facility that will
bring the latest advances from the
bench to the bedside. These enhance-
ments will profoundly affect this
generation of medical students—the
ones who will inherit health care at a
time of great change.”
On a similar note, third-year stu-
dent Jason Faucheux, who is partici-
pating in the college’s Predoctoral
Osteopathic Principles and Practice
Fellowship (OPP) program, stated
that “NSU-COM is a medical college
dedicated to education, improv-
ing health care, and developing the
osteopathic community. In the spirit
of osteopathic medicine, I believe
NSU-COM has gotten it right when
it comes to the education we re-
ceive in regard to what makes D.O.s
unique as osteopathic physicians in
the health care community,” he said.
“Students of each year consistently
agree that the education we receive
throughout the first and second
years in OPP prepares us well for the
COMLEX and for our rotations.”
Engendering an atmosphere that
places the students’ interests at the
forefront of the educational experi-
ence helps explain why fourth-year
student Elyse Julian, a past SGA
president, is a true fan of both the col-
lege and the university. “One of my
favorite things about NSU is its inter-
est in student concerns,” she stated.
“Not only does the administration
actively seek student feedback, but
there are also numerous leadership
opportunities for students interested
in affecting the curriculum.”
Based on the positive feedback
provided by the students interviewed
for this article, the college has clearly
fostered a laudable learning environ-
ment that challenges and inspires its
students to be the best they can be. “I
truly enjoy being with my classmates
on a regular basis,” said Lauren Bou-
dreau, a second-year student who is
president elect of the college’s SGA.
“It is such a powerful feeling to sit in
class and realize you are surrounded
by hundreds of other people who will
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR:
The abundance of
global learning opportunities offered is an as-
pect students frequently cite as a core strength
of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Our dean is very student centered and extremely active with our student body. The fact that
our dean and many other administrators listen to us and makes changes based on student
concerns is one of the best things about our school.” - Carisa Champion-Lippmann
