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.
The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is a private medical school on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia (VCOM-Virginia), with branch campuses in Spartanburg, South Carolina (VCOM-Carolinas), Auburn, Alabama (VCOM-Auburn) and Monroe, Louisiana (VCOM-Monroe). VCOM also recently added Bluefield University to its list of campuses. Founded in 2002, VCOM graduated its first class of 139 students in June 2007.
The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 145,000 osteopathic medical doctors (D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and is involved in post-graduate training for osteopathic physicians. Beginning in 2015, it began accrediting post-graduate education as a committee within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, creating a unified accreditation system for all DOs and MDs in the United States. The organization promotes public health, encourages academic scientific research, serves as the primary certifying body for D.O.s overseeing 18 certifying boards, and is the accrediting agency for osteopathic medical schools through its Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. As of October 2015, the AOA no longer owns the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), which accredited hospitals and other health care facilities.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs for physicians in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs.
Chino Valley Medical Center (CVMC) is a 126-bed acute care facility in Chino, California. CVMC is owned and operated by Prime Healthcare Services, Inc. (PHS), a hospital management company in Ontario, California. PHS was founded in 2001 by Prem Reddy, who acts as its present chairman of the board. The emergency department at Chino Valley receives about 37,000 visits each year. The hospital is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP).
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.
Rocky Vista University (RVU) is a private, for-profit medical school with campus locations in Parker, Colorado and Ivins, Utah. The school opened in 2006 as the only modern for-profit medical school in the United States although other for-profit schools have since opened. RVU's College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree and admitted its inaugural class of medical students at the Parker, Colorado campus in August 2008.
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.
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center is a 188-bed teaching hospital located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1922, it is the only hospital in the city. The hospital operates a level II trauma center, and serves the Linn, Benton, and Lincoln County area. The hospital operates a number of residency training and fellowship programs for newly graduated physicians, psychologists, and pharmacists.
Skagit Valley Hospital is a 137-bed public hospital located in Mt. Vernon, in the US State Washington. The hospital operates a level 3 trauma center. Founded in 1958, the hospital was organized as a Public District operating in Skagit Valley Public Hospital District #1. The hospital operates two osteopathic residency programs, in internal medicine and family medicine. The hospital is operated by Skagit Regional Health, which is partnered with the Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington.
The Riverside University Health System - Medical Center, or RUHS-MC, formerly Riverside County Regional Medical Center, or RCRMC, and also formerly Riverside General Hospital University Medical Center, or RGH UMC, is a public teaching hospital located at 26520 Cactus Avenue, Moreno Valley, California, United States, operated by the County of Riverside. It is classified as a Level I Trauma Center.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest, also known as COMP Northwest, is a non-profit, private medical school for osteopathic medicine located in Lebanon, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 2011, the school is a branch campus of Western University of Health Sciences' College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, and is operated in partnership with Samaritan Health Services. Graduates of the college receive the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The university eventually plans to open additional colleges at the Lebanon campus.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) is a private, non-profit medical school for osteopathic medicine located in downtown Pomona, in the U.S. state of California. The college opened in 1977 as the only osteopathic medical school west of the Rocky Mountains. COMP was the founding program of Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), which now has 8 colleges in addition to COMP, each offering professional degrees in various fields of healthcare. COMP has a single 4-year program, conferring the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. Graduates are eligible to practice medicine in all 50 states and more than 85 countries.
College Medical Center, is a community-based teaching hospital located in Long Beach, California. It is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It was purchased by Santa Fe Springs-based healthcare management company College Health Enterprises Inc., in October 2013 and renamed College Medical Center. This purchase joined the hospital with College Hospital Cerritos and College Hospital Costa Mesa as affiliates of College Health Enterprises.
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center is a 537-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in West Islip, New York. The hospital contains 100 nursing home beds, and operates a Level II trauma center. Good Samaritan Hospital opened in May 1959, and has expanded several times since opening. It has been Magnet-designed for its quality nursing since 2006, and is a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island. The hospital is also a major regional clinical campus for clinical clerkships and postgraduate medical training affiliated with the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, one of the largest medical schools in the United States.
The Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM) is a private medical school in Lillington, North Carolina. It is one of seven schools at Campbell University.
The Reading Hospital is a 738-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in the borough of West Reading, in the US state of Pennsylvania. The hospital was established in 1867 and is a part of Tower Health System. The hospital is a certified stroke center, and the emergency department includes a level I trauma center. The hospital operates several residency training programs for newly graduated physicians, podiatrists (DPM), and pharmacists (PharmD) which are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The internal medicine residency is also accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.
PIH Health Hospital - Whittier is a hospital in Whittier, California. It has 548 licensed beds. Founded in 1959 as Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, it has been managed by the nonprofit InterHealth Corporation since the mid-1980s. The organization changed its name to PIH Health in 2012. The PIH Health organization started as one hospital in Whittier but now operates three including PIH Health Hospital - Downey which was formerly known as Downey Regional Medical Center added in 2013 and PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital located in Downtown Los Angeles, added in 2019 making it the third hospital in the medical network. Between all locations PIH Health has 7,100 full-time employees, three hospitals totaling 1,130 licensed beds, and 26 outpatient clinics The organization operates medical offices in primary care, specialist care and urgent care centers in the region that were formerly branded as Bright Medical and Pioneer Medical Group which was added in 2019 to expand the geographic footprint. PIH Health is the largest employer in Whittier, and one of the largest in that region of Los Angeles County.
Peter Alan Bell, DO, MBA, FACOEP-dist, FACEP is an American osteopathic physician. He has been president of the Ohio Osteopathic Association (OOA) the National President of The American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP), and has represented the osteopathic medical profession in national health policy concerns.
