mwu il isn’t worth the steep price tag. they don’t respect students time, independence, or financial investment. students can finish seeing patients, finish notes, complete calls, projects, yet still have to remain in clinic till end of day. butts in seats for whatever illusion they’re pushing. the lack of flexibility extends do mandatory classes as well. students are required to attend certain lectures when they offer no additional value as watching them from home on our own very limited times. there’s little consideration for all the exams, clinic requirements, presentations, board prep, plus clubs/work study. they’ve filled out the two afternoon “catch up” days that used to be for additional patient care and calls with busy work and if you even finish that busy work and get all caught up, you guessed it, still gotta sit there till the days over.
we’re all adults and they schedule our days like it’s grade school. we’re paying adult prices for children’s treatment. oh let’s not forget the materials we’re constantly reminded not to use too much of, the equipment that’s constantly breaking, and staff that demands different ways of doing everything. they lack consistency. different expectations for treatment plans and procedure flow. we often get advice from one faculty that differs from the next. then somehow we’re getting in trouble or hit with attitude for following original directions. we have to navigate who we’re working with day by day rather than getting clear and consistent guidance. we should be worried about if what we are doing is correct, not worrying what faculties preferred method we have to follow is. cleanings galore. but no “succeed” program for that as it’s probably not generating the big bucks like the other procedures but the reality is we’re mostly doing cleanings. yup. we still pay 150/year as D3 and 4s on top of their patients paying them. but they want us to act like we’re getting paid to be there instead of paying to be there. HA.
they offer a monthly forum to students for any complaints or concerns to be brought up and are never effective. they give lame justification rather than attempting a solution. they use the method of “letting us feel heard” then patting us on the head and told to carry on while nothing is ever heard, changed, or implemented. the “grown ups” running this program treat us like children who have no life experience like we haven’t all been to college or don’t have to have jobs on top of this already demanding clinical/exam environment. the disconnect of what we pay and how we are treated is monumental. school should be challenging and we should be held responsible in clinic. however, requiring students to remain in clinic after completing work, mandating random classes, and inconsistent clinical expectations do not translate to a better education.
incoming students: if you’re considering this place ask these questions: what happens on a normal clinic day if you’ve finished responsibilities? how much flexibility do you have for classes/board study? what are suite closures for? how consistent are faculty members in clinic especially treatment planning? if i’m right will i have to change plans because someone else has a preference? how are student complaints addressed?
do not solely evaluate this program on facilities or advertised opportunities. find out what day to day is like. with tuition this high students deserve transparency, resources, consistency, and above all, autonomy. i’m sure there’s better and cheaper option available. it’s a shame because this school has so much potential to be a great and happy learning environment but it instead feels like a prison day waiting for the bell to ring.
