VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policy and Procedure

Policy #S001

Applicants for admission must meet the following requirements to be considered for an interview: a. Must be able to earn a baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation. • Courses must have been taken at a regionally accredited institution that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. • In some circumstances, a degree from a college or university that is nationally, rather than regionally accredited, is accepted as long as the accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (i.e., a religiously based institution). • Applicants who have taken coursework and/or earned a degree from a foreign institution must submit an evaluation of their transcripts to AACOMAS. The transcript evaluation company chosen must be approved by AACOMAS. b. Must have completed 90 hours or three-fourths of the required credits for a baccalaureate degree and have completed the required courses listed below from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting body. The courses for consideration must have been completed within the last five years prior to application to VCOM. The following are required: • Biological Sciences: 4 semester credit hours • Physics: 6 semester credit hours • General and Inorganic Chemistry: 6 semester credit hours • Organic Chemistry (biochemistry may also be counted): 6 semester credit hours • English and Composition: 6 semester credit hours • A minimum of 9 additional biomedical science semester credit hours at the 200 level or above, which prepare the applicant for medical school. These include: o Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, virology, genetics, or other equivalent biomedical science courses as deemed appropriate by VCOM. Students should be aware that they must be able to use a keyboard at a reasonable speed for timed testing situations and data entry into the electronic medical record. If applicants are not proficient in typing, they should take a typing or keyboarding course prior to entry. Courses with equivalent content will be considered. When reviewing courses for course equivalency in the application, special consideration regarding required courses for interview may be considered for the following: practicing Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Pharmacists, and Doctors of Physical Therapy. For special considerations, course review is conducted by the Director of Admissions and the Campus Dean. VCOM follows the AACOMAS definition of science courses to determine science GPA and science hours. See the AACOMAS website for more information. When required courses have been taken prior to the last five years, and the applicant has completed a recent biomedical or pre-medical graduate degree, the Dean and Director of Admissions will review the course equivalency for special consideration. c. Must achieve a minimum of a 3.4 science GPA and cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale in the last 90 hours of their baccalaureate/master’s degree. VCOM places emphasis on the last 90 credit hours, and the science GPA when reviewing applicants.

VCOM Admissions Policy for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program

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