The American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) is the accrediting body for osteopathic medical schools in the United States. When an osteopathic medical school initially receives accreditation, it operates under "provisional status" for a period of four years. During this time, the school participates in more accreditation activities, after which full accreditation is granted. The school does not obtain complete accreditation status until the first class has graduated, however.
Applicants admitted to osteopathic medical schools generally have: a bachelors degree or higher in a science or health major; prior clinical experience, such as a medical assistant, nurse, paramedic, nursing assistant or hospital volunteer; shadowed a D.O.; and above average GPA and MCAT scores. According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), students entering D.O schools in 2009 had an average GPA of 3.42 and a science GPA of 3.31 overall. Also D.O programs regularly admit students in the nontraditional category. These students generally come to osteopathic medicine as a second career, many from a science or healthcare background.
The typical course of study is the same as traditional allopathic medical schools. Osteopathic medical school curricula begin with 2 years of study in the basic sciences, such as anatomy, physiology, histology, pharmacology, biochemistry and pathology. The last two years, students gain clinical experience working in specialty areas of medicine: family, pediatrics, obstetrics, anesthesiology, surgery, radiology, and psychiatry. What sets the osteopathic medical school curriculum apart is the 200 hours of additional training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) and its holistic health focus on the "whole person." Osteopathic physicians also complete a residency.
Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) refers to diagnosis and treatment through use of the hands. The osteopathic physician will use this treatment as a compliment or alternative to drugs and surgery. Benefits of OMM include pain relief and increased range-of-motion; it is used across all specialties.
Certain programs in osteopathic medicine provide medical students the opportunity to complete dual degrees. These dual-degree programs let students obtain the D.O. degree in combination with a master's or Ph.D. in a variety of disciplines, many of them in the sciences such as public health, biomedical sciences, chemistry, anatomy, genetics, molecular biology and medical education. Other programs combine the bachelor's degree with the D.O., such as those offered at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. A list of all special programs offered at osteopathic medical schools is in Resources.