A Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree is required in order to become a physician or surgeon in the United States. Both degrees are obtained from accredited medical schools, including two located in Iowa. There is only one MD-granting medical school in Iowa that is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is an organization sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting authority for medical education institutions. Iowa is also home to one DO-granting medical school, which is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
A Doctor of Medicine degree is the most common professional degree for physicians granted by medical schools in the United States and Canada. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) and Doctors of Medicine (MDs) complete four-year degrees and are fully licensed physicians. DOs differ from MDs in their approach to medicine and are specially trained in the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system. Osteopathic medicine emerged in the 1880s with a focus on the whole body to reach a diagnosis without focusing just on symptoms. Osteopathic medicine is an approach that sees all parts of the body working together and influencing one another.
The Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa is one component of the state's premier medical center, which includes the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and UI Physicians (the state's largest multi-specialty group practice). The College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes problem-solving skills, early exposure to patients, and community-based experience. In 2010, the college was ranked 27th in research out of 146 medical schools in the country, by U.S. News & World Report, and its primary care curriculum was ranked 10th. A recently redesigned health sciences campus is Carver's home in Iowa City, and includes a pedestrian-friendly commons, the Medical Education and Research Facility, and the Carver Biomedical Research Building.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine at Des Moines University was founded in 1898 and is the second oldest osteopathic medical school in the country. In addition to conferring doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degrees, the university also offers doctorate degrees in podiatric medicine and master of science programs in anatomy and biomedical sciences, among other medical and health science programs. The college emphasizes primary care, but DO graduates also go on to specialize in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, psychiatry, emergency medicine and other areas. The college also incorporates technology throughout the DO program, allowing students to gain real-life experience at the university's Iowa Simulation Center.