VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

solutions. b. Recognize health in the context of the global community, with an understanding of the impact of each country’s political, cultural, and historical healthcare delivery models on the health of a nation. c. Be knowledgeable of public health systems, environmental factors that affect patient health, and the importance of promoting community health. Curriculum Description The curriculum at VCOM is innovative and modern. VCOM faculty recognizes that students learn in a variety of ways and prefer variety in the curriculum delivery. Students assimilate knowledge through instruction which is lecture based or through online modules, reading, small group learning and discussion, laboratory and computer based student learning clinical tutorials, anatomy and microbiology laboratory experiences, simulated clinical laboratory experiences, physical diagnosis laboratory experiences, and osteopathic manipulative medicine clinical laboratory experiences. Students begin inter-professional early clinical experiences one day per week in the later blocks of the second year and transition to predominately clinical experiences in the third and fourth year. The VCOM curriculum is directed toward the development of a primary care physician. The VCOM faculty believes whether a student chooses primary care or a medical specialty, he or she will benefit from broad based primary care knowledge and a whole patient approach to medical care. The VCOM curriculum includes the most modern medical diagnostic evaluations and evidence based medical care. In addition, Osteopathic Principles and Manipulation are taught throughout the four years of the curriculum. In the first two years this curriculum is taught by faculty physicians who practice primary care (family medicine, pediatrics, and internal medicine) osteopathic manipulation, and sports medicine. The Principles of Primary Care course includes communication skills, professionalism and ethics, patient-centered care approach, preventive medicine, physical diagnosis, and osteopathic manipulation. The Clinical Medicine Course provides education on the most common medical and surgical conditions that occur and the most current evidence-based treatments. As the VCOM curriculum is annually revised and each of the current classes may have minor variations. Students should use the most current syllabi and block schedule used for their course as posted on Canvas as the most current information and curricular documents. The student/faculty ratio on-campus at VCOM is 22 students to 1 faculty member. In the clinical years, the student/faculty ratio off-campus is predominately 1 to 1; however, on team based rotations it may be 4 students to 1 faculty member.

Graduation Requirements

The degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is granted to and conferred upon candidates who:

1. Are of good moral, professional, and ethical character; 2. Satisfied all academic requirements including all courses, clinical rotations, and all required exams; 3. Demonstrated all osteopathic medical student competencies; 4. Have passed the COMLEX Level 1 and COMLEX Level 2 CE (and any other required board exams) in the appropriate timeframes; 5. Completed all required exit paperwork and settled all financial obligations with VCOM and VCOM’s affiliate and collaborative partners that has been incurred during or as a result of the academic program;

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