Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) is a private, for-profit osteopathic 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 but has since been joined by California Northstate University College of Medicine. RVUCOM grants the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, and admitted its inaugural class of medical students at the Parker, Colorado campus in August 2008.
History
Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine opened in 2006, and the first class was admitted in 2008. The school is fully accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, and regionally by the Higher Learning Commission. The school graduated its inaugural class on May 19, 2012.
Academics
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
RVUCOM offers the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree, which follows a systems-based, 4-year (8-semester) curriculum. Years 1 and 2 of the program consist primarily of classroom-based learning, focusing on the basic health sciences, while years 3 and 4 consist of clinical clerkships (Rotations) in major medical specialties. Rotation sites include hospitals and clinics in the Denver area, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Pueblo, Boulder, and others. As an enhancement to the general medical education, students of the college are offered the opportunity to enroll in one of four "Honors Tracks." Each track has a distinct emphasis on either Rural, Global, or Military Medical Practice, or on Medical Research/Academia.
Physician Assistant
A Physician Assistant (P.A.) program is currently in development and the proposed program will follow a 2-semester, didactic phase, followed by a 5-semester, clinical phase. The didactic phase will provide students with core foundational concepts, while the clinical phase will prepare students for competency in the "entrustable professional activities" (EPA) (competencies a student must achieve to successfully enter the physician assistant profession). Rocky Vista University has applied for Accreditation-Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). If accreditation is granted, matriculation of the initial cohort will be expected in September 2018. Admission to the program will require successful completion of prerequisite academic coursework outlined by the institution, in addition, or in conjunction to, the completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 (on a 4.0 scale). Applicants will also be expected to obtain a minimum of 1000 hours of paid, healthcare-relevant experience prior to matriculation.
Graduate Studies
Rocky Vista University offers a 9-month (30 semester hour) graduate program leading to the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (MSBS) degree. The program is designed for students looking to strengthen their competitiveness and academic background for admission to professional health programs. Admission to the program requires the successful completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale). All prerequisite coursework must have been successfully completed with a grade of “C†or better. Students completing the program, who then pursue admission to RVUCOM, are evaluated by their MSBS program director and faculty. These evaluators provide recommendations to the RVUCOM admissions committee regarding the student’s academic preparedness and aptitude of success in medical school.
For-profit status
RVUCOM is notable for being the first modern day, for-profit medical school operating in the United States. As such, its opening generated controversy. Critics raise concerns that a for-profit school will be beholden to investors, and lack credibility. Supporters say that the school is held to the same academic and accreditation standards as other medical schools.
Rocky Vista LLC is owned by Yife Tien and his wife Lucy Chua Tien, MD, and governed by a Board of Trustees. Castle Pines Holdings LLC was established as a holding company to control the Tiens' interest in Rocky Vista LLC and provide stability in the event of Tien's death or incapacity.
Graduate medical education
Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado, has been awarded a 5-year $770,000 federal grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to train primary care internal medicine residents. Parkview has developed a new osteopathic internal medicine residency program which matriculated its first trainees in July 2012. The grant was a joint effort of Parkview Medical Center and Rocky Vista University along with Rocky Mountain OPTI. RVUCOM and Rocky Mountain OPTI are currently working to establish additional residency programs in Colorado and Wyoming.
Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado is also a participant in the Rocky Mountain OPTI, and is the site of an internal medicine residency program which collaborates with RVU.
Rocky Vista Health Center
RVUCOM owns and operates the health clinic, Rocky Vista Health Center (RVHC), located on the college campus. The clinic is a primary care medical facility which provides continued health care and health maintenance for its patients. In addition to primary care, the clinic provides services in internal medicine, sports medicine, and osteopathic manipulation. The clinic employs board certified M.D. and D.O. physicians as well as resident physicians.
Advanced medical students of the college are periodically selected to work in the health clinic as “Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Fellows.†Under the supervision of board certified physicians, these students provide osteopathic manipulation to patients at discounted rates. The clinic accepts Medicaid and Medicare patients to help the underserved in the Denver and Parker area.
See also
- List of medical schools in the United States
- Osteopathic medicine in the United States
References
External links
- Rocky Vista University Website
- Rocky Vista Health Center Website