JAOA • Vol 104 • No 11 • November 2004 • 460-467
Undergraduate Osteopathic Medical Education
Susan Sweet
Correspondence to Ms Susan Sweet, Director, Division of Predoctoral Education,
AOA Department of Accreditation, 142 E Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60611-2864.
E-mail:
ssweet{at}osteopathic.org.
This article presents basic data about the 20 colleges of osteopathic
medicine for the 2003–2004 academic year. Information in this article
has been adapted from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic
Medicine (AACOM)/American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Annual Osteopathic
Medical School Questionnaire for the 2003–2004 academic year,
fiscal year (FY) 2002, and the 2004–2005 AACOM Tuition Survey. In
addition, the draft of the AACOM's 2003 Annual Statistical Report and
its historical database compiled from previous surveys have been used to
prepare this article.
 |
Osteopathic Medical Student Applicants
|
|---|
For the second consecutive year, the number of applications has increased,
represented by a 5.8% growth between 2003 and 2004
(Figure 1). Even with
this slight increase in the number of applicants for 2004, however, the
overall numbers continue to be considerably lower than the high point in 1997
(10,764). Since 1999 (8396), the total number of applicants has decreased by
14% (Table 1).
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Table 1 Applicants to Osteopathic Medical Schools Participating in the American
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service
(AACOMAS)-Ethnic Groups and Women by Entering
Year*
|
|
After its peak in 1997, the number of underrepresented minority applicants
has steadily decreased. In 1998, 936 individuals of underrepresented
minorities applied to the 19 colleges of osteopathic medicine, and that number
dropped further in 1999 to 790 before rebounding to 829 in 2000. The decline
in underrepresented minority applicants continued through 2001 and 2002 to 693
and 684, respectively; however, this number rebounded again to 732 in 2003 and
817 in 2004. Between 1999 and 2004, the number of underrepresented minority
applicants declined by just 3%, but the number of underrepresented minority
applicants increased by 11.6% between 2003 and 2004.
In the 2003–2004 academic year, the five colleges with the most
applications received were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
(PCOM); New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of
Technology (NYCOM); Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic
Medicine (MWU/CCOM); A. T. Still University of Health Sciences/Kirksville
College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU/KCOM); and Des Moines
University–College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM). These five
schools—as well as most of the other 15 colleges of osteopathic
medicine—had an increase in the number of applications for the
2003–2004 academic year. Only three colleges of osteopathic medicine had
a decrease in the number of applications for the 2003 entering classes
(Table 2).
|
Enrollment
|
|---|
First-year enrollment continues to increase. The first-year enrollment in
the 2003–2004 academic year was 3308, an increase of 229 students
(Figure 2).
The percentage of ethnic minority students rose again in 2002–2003.
Ethnic minorities (Black, Hispanic, and Native American students) represent
7.8% and Asian/Pacific Islander students represent 15.4% of the total
enrollment in the 2003–2004 academic year
(Table 3).
The number of female osteopathic medical students enrolled at the colleges
of osteopathic medicine continues to increase. For the 2003–2004
academic year, 46.9% of all students were female. The total number of women
enrolled in 2003–2004 was 5557
(Table 4).
|
Geographic Source of First-Year Students
|
|---|
For the first time, more than half of all first-year osteopathic medical
students seek medical education outside their home state. Of the 3308
first-year students enrolled at the 20 colleges of osteopathic medicine during
the 2003–2004 academic year, 47.8% were residents of the state in which
the college of osteopathic medicine is located and 51.5% were nonresidents.
During the 2002–2003 academic year, 1590 (51.6%) of the first-year
students were from the state in which the college of osteopathic medicine is
located.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–School of
Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM) and the University of North Texas Health
Science Center of Fort Worth—Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
(UNTHSC/TCOM) had the highest percentages (97.9% and 96.1%, respectively) of
in-state students for the 2003–2004 academic year. Kansas City
University of Medicine and Biosciences–College of Osteopathic Medicine
(KCUMB-COM) and the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
(UNECOM) had the highest percentage of out-of-state students for the
2003–2004 academic year, 86.6% and 83.1%, respectively
(Table 5). Because of
special funding relationships with the states, public colleges generally admit
a much higher proportion of state residents than do private schools.
|
College Record of Freshmen
|
|---|
Freshmen entering the 2003–2004 academic year had a mean grade point
average (GPA) of 3.45, which is slightly higher than the mean GPA of the
2002–2003 academic year (3.43). Mean MCAT scores for these freshman were
as follows: biological sciences, 8.51; physical sciences, 7.77; and verbal
reasoning, 8.07.
|
Faculty
|
|---|
The 20 colleges of osteopathic medicine had 12,726 faculty members in
2003–2004, including full-time, part-time, and volunteer faculty. Most
full-time and part-time faculty serving the colleges of osteopathic medicine
(86%) teach clinical sciences, and the remainder teaches preclinical sciences
(5.1%).
In the 2003–2004 academic year, approximately 80.6% of the faculty at
the 20 colleges of osteopathic medicine were volunteer faculty. The largest
percentage of full-time and part-time academicians teach general
practice/family practice (Table
6).
|
Tuition
|
|---|
For the academic year beginning in 2004–2005, tuition is expected to
average $16,481 for in-state residents in public schools and $30,192 in
private schools. For out-of-state residents, tuition averages $32,610 in
public schools and $31,101 in private schools
(Table 7).
|
Income and Expenditures of Osteopathic Medical Colleges
|
|---|
The 20 colleges of osteopathic medicine reported total revenue of
$809,862,891 in FY 2003, which constitutes a 3.9% increase from 2002
($778,900,000). As in the past, tuition contributes substantially more to
total revenues in the private schools than it does in the public schools,
which draw more heavily from state subsidies.
Students benefit from state government funding, which continues to play an
important role in the fiscal health of osteopathic medical education. The
Armed Forces also continues to be a significant source of funds to students
and their schools through the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship
Program.
Total expenditures in FY 2003 were approximately $743,903,417, an increase
of 3.2% from FY 2002 ($720,400,000). Instruction continues to account for the
largest portion of expenditures.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
A.-V. O. Griffin and S. Sweet
Undergraduate Osteopathic Medical Education: Addressing the Impact of College Growth on the Applicant Pool and Student Enrollment
J Am Osteopath Assoc,
February 1, 2006;
106(2):
51 - 57.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. McDougle, L. L Gabel, and L. Stone
Future of family medicine workforce in the United States
Fam. Pract.,
February 1, 2006;
23(1):
8 - 9.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
Top
Osteopathic Medical Student...
Enrollment
