Osteopathic medicine is a branch of the medical profession in the United States that promotes the practice of allopathic medicine with a set of philosophy and principles set by its earlier form, osteopathy. Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are licensed to practice medicine and surgery in all 50 US states. Only graduates of American osteopathic medical colleges may practice the full scope of medicine and surgery generally considered to be medicine by the general public; US DO graduates have historically applied for medical licensure in 87 countries outside of the United States, 85 of which provided them with the full scope of medical and surgical practice. The field is distinct from osteopathic practices offered in nations outside of the U.S., whose practitioners are generally not considered part of core medical staff nor of medicine itself. The other major branch of medicine in the United States is referred to by practitioners of osteopathic medicine as allopathic medicine.
Midwestern University (MWU) is a private medical and professional school with campuses in Downers Grove, Illinois and Glendale, Arizona. As of the 2020-21 academic year, a total of 2,987 students were enrolled at the Downers Grove campus and 3,902 were enrolled at the Glendale campus.
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is a public medical school located in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Founded in 1974, WVSOM is one of three medical schools in West Virginia and the sole institution that grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. WVSOM currently has 778 students, and focuses on primary care and rural medicine.
Des Moines University (DMU) is a private medical school in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded in 1898, Des Moines University is the second oldest osteopathic medical school and the fifteenth largest medical school in the United States. DMU's three colleges – the College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, and College of Health Sciences – offer nine academic degrees, including master’s and doctorate degrees.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center is a public academic health science center in Fort Worth, Texas. It is part of the University of North Texas System and was founded in 1970 as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. UNT Health Science Center consists of five graduate schools with a total enrollment of 2,329 students (2020–21).
Pre-medical is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med coursework, volunteer activities, clinical experience, research, and the application process. Some pre-med programs providing broad preparation are referred to as “pre-professional” and may simultaneously prepare students for entry into a variety of first professional degree or graduate school programs that require similar prerequisites.
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is a private medical school with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and additional locations in Suwanee, Georgia and Moultrie, Georgia.
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) is a non-profit organization that supports the 38 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) in the United States. These colleges are accredited to deliver instruction at 61 teaching locations in 35 states. In the current academic year, these colleges are educating more than 36,500 future physicians—25 percent of all U.S. medical students. Seven of the colleges are public and 31 are private institutions.
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a service run by the Association of American Medical Colleges through which prospective medical students can apply to various medical schools in the United States. It thus acts as something of a Common Application among the schools.
Medical school in the United States is a graduate program with the purpose of educating physicians in the undifferentiated field of medicine. Such schools provide a major part of the medical education in the United States. Most medical schools in the US confer upon graduates a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, while some confer a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Most schools follow a similar pattern of education, with two years of classroom and laboratory based education, followed by two years of clinical rotations in a teaching hospital where students see patients in a variety of specialties. After completion, graduates must complete a residency before becoming licensed to practice medicine.
Most physicians in the United States hold either the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). Institutions awarding the MD are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Institutions awarding the DO are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The World Directory of Medical Schools lists both LCME accredited MD programs and COCA accredited DO programs as US medical schools. Foreign-trained osteopaths do not hold DO degrees and are not recognized as physicians in the United States or in other jurisdictions.
The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) is a private medical school located primarily in Old Westbury, New York. It also has a degree-granting campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Founded in 1977, NYIT-COM is an academic division of the New York Institute of Technology. Formerly the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, it is one of the largest medical schools in the United States.
The Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) is a private medical school with a main campus in the neighborhood of Central Harlem in New York City and an additional campus in Middletown, New York. It is a division of Touro College and University System.
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) is a private medical school in Yakima, Washington. Founded in 2005, the university's inaugural program was the first new medical school to open in the Pacific Northwest in sixty years. PNWU grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and graduated its first class of physicians in May 2012. It is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licensed as a physician and thus have full medical and surgical practicing rights in all 50 US states. As of 2021, there were 168,701 osteopathic physicians and medical students in DO programs across the United States. Osteopathic medicine emerged historically from osteopathy, but has become a distinct profession.
The Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) is a service run by the University of Texas System through which prospective professional students can use a common application to apply to all public medical, dental and veterinary schools in the state of Texas.
The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University is a private, for-profit medical school on the New Mexico State University campus in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation and graduated its first class in May 2020.
The University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) is the medical school of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. It was opened in 2015 and holds provisional accreditation with the American Osteopathic Association.
California Health Sciences University (CHSU) is a private, for-profit university located in Clovis, in the U.S. state of California. Founded in 2012, the school operates two academic programs, which offer doctoral degrees in pharmacy and osteopathic medicine. Graduates of the College of Osteopathic Medicine will receive the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is fully pre-accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU-COM) is the medical school of Sam Houston State University in Conroe, Texas. Founded in 2019, the college confers the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. The campus consists of a five-story, 107,000 square-foot building on 7.3 acres. SHSU-COM has received pre-accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The college employs 20 full-time clinical faculty, 17 full-time biomedical science faculty, and 37 staff members.
