VCOM 2025 Annual Report

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EDUCATION

Clinical Years Year 3 In the third year, students complete a core clinical education through a campus led curriculum and clinical rotations at community-based hospitals and clinical sites throughout the region, with a strong emphasis on rural and medically underserved communities in the Appalachian and Delta regions. Students gain extensive hands-on experience in areas such as family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and osteopathic manipulative medicine. Students spend the majority of the year training in in-patient care at community hospitals—many with 100 to 400 beds—and in outpatient practices that provide robust primary care exposure. Under the supervision of faculty physicians, students actively assess and care for patients while developing the clinical confidence and adaptability needed to serve diverse populations. Year 4 During the fourth year, students build on this foundation through greater flexibility and elective rotations aligned with their career goals. Clinical training may include continued community-based experiences as well as exposure to academic health centers with established residency programs, preparing students for a wide range of practice settings and for a successful transition to residency. VCOM’s clinical education is delivered through a network of core hospitals and clinical partners across its four campuses. The following sites serve as the foundation of students’ third- and fourth-year clinical training.

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The rural health initiative pioneered by institutions like VCOM, which prioritizes training osteopathic physicians for [medically] underserved regions, has greatly inspired me to pursue this path. My upbringing in a region with physician shortages has given me a profound commitment to providing this care for my community. I understand the importance of localized care and the impact it can have on community health.”

Thomas Coffey ’27 VCOM Virginia, New River Valley Health Foundation Endowed Scholarship