The University of Missouri – St. Louis recently made the process of entering osteopathic medical school easier and faster for prospective students. At a luncheon ceremony on October 26, several UMSL faculty members including Chancellor Thomas George and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Ron Yasbin signed an agreement announcing that the university had partnered with the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
Also in attendance at the luncheon ceremony was H. Danny Weaver, president and chief executive officer at KCUMB. Several UMSL faculty members who will closely work with the osteopathic medical program in the future were also present, including mentor for the College of Arts and Sciences Joe Southerland, Dean of Students Curt Coonrod and Director of Admissions Alan Byrd.
The partnership was enacted to develop a program that allows UMSL students to earn a bachelor’s degree as well as a doctorate in osteopathic medicine in just seven years instead of the traditional eight years it normally takes to earn such degrees.
“The program is designed so that an incoming freshman at UMSL would earn a bachelor’s degree, most likely in liberal studies in just three years…then, the student would transfer to KCUMB to earn a doctorate of osteopathic medicine degree,” George said.
To make the process even simpler, future students enrolled in the program will not have to take the MCAT, the medical school entrance exam that is notoriously strenuous even for the most gifted students.
Another appealing aspect of UMSL’s new osteopathic medicine program is that it offers an accelerated track to earning the O.D., shaving off an entire year of undergraduate studies so that students can enter Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine after receiving their bachelor’s degree in only three years. This accelerated course track is guaranteed to save not only time but also money for students enrolled in the program.
The field of osteopathic medicine has been on the rise over the past decade. The number of osteopathic medical school graduates in 2011 is nearly twice that of the number of graduates in 2005.
“Osteopathy takes a more holistic approach to medicine and the body is seen as a whole self-regulating unit,” Yasbin said. “Out of all of the times you have been treated by a doctor in your lifetime, chances are several of them were osteopathic doctors instead of medical doctors and you may have not even known it.”
Prospective students will apply for the program during their freshman year at UMSL. George and Yasbin will begin the process of recruiting students in the near future.
“We are looking for the best and the brightest for this program,” Yasbin said. “Of course there are certain requirements for a student to enter the program, like a minimum GPA, but we also want students who show a real interest in the field.”
Overall, UMSL’s partnership with KCUMB to form an accelerated osteopathic medical school program is fairly unique and is one of only a few other types of similar programs.
“We’re very excited and hopeful about this opportunity for students,” George said.
By: Maddie Harned, Staff Writer