West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

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The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, located in Lewisburg, West Virginia, is a public institution that trains medical students for careers in osteopathic medicine with a focus on primary care and rural medicine. It is one of three medical schools in West Virginia and the sole institution that grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. WVSOM has roughly 600 students at present.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Purchasing a facility once used as Greenbrier Military School (1812-1972), the Greenbrier College of Osteopathic Medicine began as a private school with a class of 36 students in 1974. Two years later, in 1976, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission brought the school under its umbrella, establishing it as a state-funded public institution now named the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. In 1978, WVSOM graduated its first class of 33 students.[2] Extensive renovations started in 1992 and continue into the present time, with construction started on a new 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m²) building that will include exam rooms and laboratory space. The new construction has a May 2009 target date for completion. WVSOM has spent more than $38 million on construction and renovation projects while increasing from one building in 1974 to 12 campus facilities across its more than 50 acre campus.[3]

[edit] Curriculum

WVSOM was founded on the principles of osteopathic medicine, a branch of medicine founded by frontiersman Andrew Taylor Still in the mid to late 1800s. The basic premise of osteopathic medicine is that a physician’s primary role is to facilitate the body’s inherent ability to heal itself. While originally designed as an improvement on the traditional medicine of 19th century America, osteopathic medicine became a reformation within the U.S. healthcare system while remaining distinct from other forms of medicine.[4] In addition to a medical education, students at WVSOM also learn holistic techniques and are trained in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), manual-based therapies used to relieve pain, restore range of motion and foster the body’s own ability to heal itself.[5] Medical school at WVSOM is a four-year program, with two years of training located at the Lewisburg-based campus and the final two years taking place off-campus during clinical rotations.[6] WVSOM offers two curricular choices based on a person’s individual learning style: Systems Based Learning (SBL)—a conventional curricular track, incorporating lectures, labs and clinical experiences[7]—and Problem Based Learning (PBL)—a program that relies on small group and student-directed learning that identifies clinical problems, using a hands-on approach to learning osteopathic skills.[8]

[edit] Principles of Osteopathy

The WVSOM curriculum places heavy emphasis on A.T. Still’s four principles of Osteopathic Medicine. They are:[9]

  • 1. The body is a unit; the person is a unit of mind, body and spirit
  • 2. The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing and health maintenance
  • 3. Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated
  • 4. Rational treatment is based on the above three principles

[edit] Demographics

WVSOM’s current enrollment stands at 598 students. The median age is 27. There are 99 minority students, and there are students from 46 states currently attending WVSOM.[10]

[edit] Achievements/awards

Focusing on rural medicine and primary care, WVSOM has been ranked in U.S.News & World Report’s top medical schools report 10 consecutive years. In that same report, WVSOM was ranked in the top 10 for rural medicine in four of the last six years.

[edit] Location

Lewisburg has garnered many awards since 1998 to the present: 100 Best Small Art Towns in America; America’s Most Charming Towns and Villages; National Geographic’s Best Small Town Escapes; National Trust for Historic Preservation Dozen Distinctive Destination; 1,000 Places to See in The USA and Canada Before You Die;[11] Voted as one of 12 best small towns in America 2004, by National Trust Historic Sites;[12] Certified Arts Community-West Virginia Commission on the Arts; and Mountain Homes, Southern Styles Elite 2008 Best of the Mountains List for Best Genuine Mountain Shopping. In 1978, a 236-acre (0.96 km²) tract of downtown was designated a National Register Historic District. Lewisburg, West Virginia is the county seat of Greenbrier County, located in the south-east corner of West Virginia. The town sits in the Greenbrier River Valley, which runs beneath the [Allegheny Mountains]. Lewisburg had a population of 3,624 living in 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), according to the 2000 U.S. Census.[13] The median age was 47. [14]

Lewisburg is a rural community in an area popular for outdoor recreation. The town is also home to the annual West Virginia State Fair, held each August and selected by the Southeastern Tourism Society as one of the top 20 events for the month of August, 2008.

[edit] Miscellaneous

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • WVSOM uses human subject robots as part of its training. The lifelike robots breath, cry, bleed and are anatomically correct, allowing students to practice nearly every aspect of patient care, including checking vital signs, inserting a chest tube and performing CPR.
  • WVSOM is a free-standing and independent medical school not affiliated with a larger institution.
  • The $32 million renovations to WVSOM were completed debt free.[15]
  • Carnegie Hall, a local arts and entertainment venue started by Andrew Carnegie, is one of four Carnegie halls still in use around the world.

[edit] References

  1. ^ WVSOM at a Glance [1]
  2. ^ WVSOM at a Glance [2]
  3. ^ The Associated Press (2008-01-04). Osteopathic school to build $9.3 million facility. Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  4. ^ About Osteopathic Medicine [3]
  5. ^ About Osteopathic Medicine [4]
  6. ^ WVSOM at a Glance [5]
  7. ^ Systems Based Learning (SBL) Track [6]
  8. ^ Problem Based Learning (PBL) Track [7]
  9. ^ Morton J. Morris, DO, JD (2006). A. T. Still Re-visited: A New Look at Osteopathic Education. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  10. ^ WVSOM at a Glance [8]
  11. ^ Lewisburg featured in book, 1,000 Places to See in The USA and Canada Before You Die (2007-06-30). Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  12. ^ About Lewisburg [9]
  13. ^ West Virginia -- Place GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 [10]
  14. ^ West Virginia -- Place GCT-P5. Age and Sex: 2000 [11]
  15. ^ Christian Giggenbach (2008-01-03). New WVSOM building on tap for ’09. The Register-Herald. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.

[edit] External links


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