VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

work of the applicant. VCOM welcomes additional letters of support or recommendation from those who are acquainted with the student’s academic or professional ability. If an applicant has worked with a physician in their volunteer or previous work experience, then a letter of recommendation from that physician is strongly recommended. Letters of recommendation from other volunteer or shadowing experiences are a plus. VCOM will accept a personal letter of reference from a physician who is a family member; however, such letters will be counted as a personal reference and not as a formal physician letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to VCOM from the author, must be written on professional letterhead and signed. Letters of recommendation that are included as part of the pre-medical/pre-health committee packet or from an official evaluation collection service recognized by VCOM (Interfolio, VirtualEvals, AACOMAS letter service, an official college/university service) will be accepted without signature or letterhead as long as the letters are sent directly from the author to the pre-med advisor or evaluation service as long as they accept them as authentic. VCOM provides evaluation forms as a courtesy for the osteopathic/allopathic physician, pre-medical/pre-health committee or science faculty member. Applicants are welcome to submit letters of recommendation in lieu of the evaluation forms. The forms are provided as a resource and are not required. The forms can be found on the VCOM website at: www.vcom.edu/admissions/how-apply-secondary. Once VCOM receives the Secondary Application, $50 processing fee, and letter of recommendation from a physician, and pre-medical/pre-health committee or science faculty member, the application is considered complete. VCOM will send an electronic notification indicating the application is complete. Requirement to Report Charges or Arrests On the Secondary Application, and at any time during the application process up to the time of acceptance, applicants must report and explain any charges or arrests that have occurred prior to or during the application process, including, but not limited to, misdemeanors and felonies. Students should be aware that charges are generally found on the background check that is required prior to admission. Applicants who do not disclose prior arrests or criminal charges (except as excluded by law) will be considered as not acting in a professional or ethical manner and omission of such information may be cause to rescind the admissions offer for failure to disclose essential information. If such information is discovered after matriculation, it will result in a Professional and Ethical Standards Board hearing. Applicants who have serious prior convictions that will impact their ability to obtain residency or become licensed are not considered. The applicant should realize that medical licensing boards and residency programs also require background checks and base their acceptance or non-acceptance of an applicant on the nature of the prior criminal record. Interview Selection and Admissions Process To be considered for an interview, an applicant must meet all the preceding admissions requirements and technical standards for admissions and have a complete file. After the Office of Admissions receives these materials, the applicant’s file is reviewed to determine eligibility for an interview, based on the established criteria for admission. If the applicant accepts the interview, he/she is invited to the campus or to an online interview where he/she meets with several members of the faculty and administration. The applicant also joins other applicants in this process. Information sought during the interview includes not only the applicant’s academic history and knowledge, but those attributes that demonstrate the potential to become an osteopathic physician and fit with VCOM’s mission. These include such areas as personal record of accomplishment, health care experience, rural or underserved orientation, community service, volunteering for compassionate and altruistic care service, personal goals, and

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