| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Totam Personam Curamus |
| Established | 1992 |
| Type | Private |
| President | John M. Ferretti, D.O. |
| Location | Erie, PA; Bradenton, FL; Greensburg, PA, USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Website | www.lecom.edu |
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (or LECOM) is a private, graduate school of medicine and pharmacy and is currently the largest medical college in the country. [1] [2] Founded in 1992 in Erie, Pennsylvania., LECOM is a member of the Millcreek Health System in partnership with Millcreek Geriatric Education and Care Center, and physician offices of Medical Associates of Erie. In 2004 LECOM opened a branch campus in Bradenton, Florida, and in 2009 opened a new satellite campus in Greensburg at the site of Seton Hill University[3]. LECOM grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and the Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and also maintains a Post Baccalaureate Program, providing educational opportunities for students who need to enhance their basic science credentials for admission to medical or pharmacy school.
The Medical School has three learning pathways: a traditional Lecture Discussion Program, a Problem Based Learning Program, and an independent study program. The Erie campus offers all three pathways, while the Bradenton and Greensburg campuses are solely Problem Based Learning. The Erie branch also offers a unique accelerated pathway to primary care, LECOM's Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP), which condenses four years of medical education into three years in order to graduate Primary Care physicians sooner.
Contents
|
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine located in Erie, Pennsylvania with branch campuses in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and Bradenton, Florida, is the nation's largest medical college and is one of the few accelerated three-year pharmacy schools in the country.[4] LECOM is currently ranked 63rd in Primary Care in the U.S World and News medical school ranking. [5] LECOM recognizes student-centered learning styles by offering three curriculum pathways for its medical students. The traditional, lecture-discussion curriculum begins with core basic science and pre-clinical courses and progresses with a systems-based curriculum in year two. Problem-based learning offers small-group training following patient cases and Independent Study allows qualified students to use educational modules based on the core and systems curricula.[6]
As of 2010, LECOM-Bradenton has been ranked #1 in both COMLEX Level 1 and COMLEX Level 2 for 3 years in a row, with a 100% passing rate and beating the national mean. LECOM-Erie also beat the national mean with a passing rate of 96 percent.
Lecture presentations and laboratories are the basis for the Lecture Discussion Pathway (LDP). Students spend the morning in lecture sessions and the afternoon in a combination of lectures, laboratories, tutorials, small group discussions and independent study. There are two phases of LDP.
Phase I Core Curriculum is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of Gross Anatomy, Biochemistry, Immunology, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology and Physiology. Phase II Curriculum uses a systems based approach to medical education. Lecturers will present instructional materials that go beyond the basic principles mastered during Phase I. Primary care physicians and specialist offer clinical perspectives based on their own experience with patient care as it relates to that particular system.
The Problem-Based Learning Pathway (PBL) is an internationally recognized approach to medical education. PBL emphasizes student-centered self-directed learning through small group interaction and limited faculty involvement.
The Independent Study Pathway (ISP) is a unique program for medical education. It is initiated with significant daily classroom time in the first semester and then allows adult learners, who are capable of learning with minimal classroom time, to gradually decrease their lecture attendance and utilize specific "directed study" modules to finish their first two years of medical school.
LECOM introduced the Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP) as a response to the declining interest in primary care, and particularly family medicine. LECOM Primary Care Scholars will graduate in three years from the Erie, Pennsylvania with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree that is equivalent to a four-year academic program.
The Master of Science in Medical Education courses impart the knowledge, skills and attitudes incumbent in effective teaching, administration, and leadership to students who desire advanced training in medical education. The MS in Medical Education program is open to D.O.s, Pharm.D.s and M.D.s.
The Health Sciences Program is a two-semester post baccalaureate certificate program designed to enhance the basic science credentials of students interested in medical college or pharmacy school. All coursework is conducted on the LECOM campus by the medical and pharmacy school facilities.
The Millcreek Community Hospital and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic completed a project that will integrate health care services and fitness programs. The John M. and Silvia Ferretti LECOM Health and Wellness Center houses a premier fitness center as well as clinical offices for Medical Associates of Erie. The center serves as a center for the Erie community allowing them to work towards disease prevention and treatment.
The spa-quality fitness center occupies the first two floors of a three-story building. Components include three swimming pools, aerobic and yoga fitness rooms, basketball and racquetball courts, a three-lane indoor running track and a physical therapy facility. The third floor houses offices for the Medical Associates of Erie, providing Internal Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Geriatrics, Orthopedic Surgery and OB-GYN care.
After a preliminary "soft" opening on February 23, 2009 to only students and LECOM affiliates, the Health and Wellness Center opened to the general public on March 2, 2009.
LECOM plans on building two new Dental Schools. The plan is for the inaugural class to matriculate in 2012 at the Bradenton campus followed by 2015 at the main campus in Erie, PA
|
||||||||||||||||