Helpful Links

Navigate OHIO

Connect With Us

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Heritage Hall, Athens, OH 45701
Directions

Standard 6.9.1

“Osteopathic medical education must include student experiences with the clinical practice of osteopathic physicians.”

The Heritage College meets this standard. The goal of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) in the curriculum across the four years is to develop in students the necessary knowledge, skills and values essential in addressing musculoskeletal problems and systemic dysfunction through Osteopathic Manipulative Treatments (OMT). Our training emphasis ensures that students become strong members of the medical profession who can best serve their patients, their clinical settings and their communities. Lead by a knowledgeable and experienced group of faculty members who are licensed D.O.s, students in the program participate in weekly OMM labs and receive bi-weekly lectures. The first year focuses on models of treatment, and the second year emphasizes clinical applications and integration through case studies. Students will be evaluated on academic, cognitive and practical learning.

First and second year students practice hands on training with their peers, and twice a semester each lab brings in real patients from instructors' practices and also faculty and staff. These real patients are evaluated and treated by students under supervision of the instructor. Our state-of-the-art OMM lab is equipped with a five camera video monitor. Presentations are recorded, and students can access the videos on the web. There are also six large screens that display faculty PowerPoint presentations and real-time osteopathic manipulations in the lab. Approximately, 35 percent of Athens student’s early clinical experiences during years one and two are with osteopathic physicians preceptors. Approximately, 3 percent of Athens student’s early clinical experiences during years one and two include experiences with physicians who utilize OMM/OMT when appropriate. Beginning in AY 16-17 Athens, Dublin and Cleveland-based students enrolled in the OMM Honor Elective, will be have a new opportunity for participating in early clinical experiences in the Heritage College Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Free Clinic. The OMM Free Clinic provides treatment to uninsured and underinsured patients of southeastern Ohio ages 18 to 64 at the Heritage Community Clinic in Athens. Clinic services are provided by volunteer OMM Honors Students and Physicians from the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Students, in collaboration with a precepting physician, provide treatment giving them the opportunity to advance their skills and understanding of OMM, while patients receive needed care.

Approximately, 33 percent of Dublin student’s early clinical experiences during years one and two are with osteopathic physicians preceptors. Of these osteopathic preceptors, approximately, 40 percent include experiences with physicians who utilize OMM/OMT when appropriate.

With experience and training in integrating osteopathic knowledge gained throughout the first two years, students in years three and four will progress to patient management. Students in both year 3 and 4 are required to spend at least 3 hours per month in OMM didactic presentations and table training with an osteopathic champion. The OMM curriculum here provides consistency in content, clinical training, and skills assessment. This curriculum addresses the various clinical venues such as hospitals, clinics and private physician practices where students will see patients. This curriculum is applied over a two year period, beginning at the start of the third academic year and ends at the close of the fourth year. The uniformity of its design allows for all medical students to experience the same instruction and review the same clinical applications of OMM at every clinical campus site. For example, the topics for November will be uniform at each clinical campus site. Subsequent topics will be covered sequentially throughout the state. In AY 2015-16 the curriculum was “flipped” and students are now required to complete the quiz accompanying each presentation prior to the didactic session, allowing students to come prepared, ask questions relevant to their learning and gain more individualized experiences. Approximately, 58% percent of student rotation experiences during years three and four are with osteopathic physicians preceptors. Of these preceptors, approximately, 33% percent include experiences with physicians who utilize OMM/OMT when appropriate.

Additionally, each year, three Athens, two Dublin and two Cleveland second-year medical students, are selected for an extra year of training as Primary Care Associates (PCA) in OMM or FM/OMM. This position further develops OMM skills and has prepared past participants for careers as OMM specialists for academic medicine. OMM PCAs receive fee waivers, tuition waivers, and a stipend for their efforts. OMM PCAs present in the OMM lab and lecture hall, teaching students side-by-side with OMM faculty members. Administratively, OMM PCAs provide an invaluable assistance to the OMM faculty by assisting in the development of the curriculum for medical students. OMM PCAs facilitate exams, as well as coordinate test writing and develop practical exams. They also tutor first and second year students in OMM. OMM clinical skills are further honed in the Associate’s Clinic as they act as independent practitioners to Heritage College faculty and staff. OMM PCAs receive special training through skills development and faculty development sessions. PCAs will spend an average of eight hours per week in clinical settings. PCAs will rotate with OMM faculty in the clinic half of that time; the other half of the time will be with clinical faculty of the student’s choice. The OMM clinic experiences provide examples of effective OMM practice in a clinical setting and allow for incorporation of the clinical decision making process. PCAs are given the opportunity to practice history taking, physical and osteopathic exams, clinical reasoning, and osteopathic manipulative treatments on patients from the hospital setting. The opportunity exists to tailor clinical experiences to suit the associate’s clinical interests, but it is requested that at least 75% of the clinical experiences be in primary care and OMM. The PCA is responsible for negotiating any academic conflicts with their faculty and keeping them informed of their schedule.

An Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Academic Elective is also offered to third and fourth year students, the purpose of this rotation is to provide the student with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills to a level appropriate for a beginning student instructor in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. To accomplish this, the rotation provides a broad overview of Academic Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. The student is expected to encounter and participate in a variety of experiences in the year 1 and 2 OMM academic curricula and in the supervised OMM clinic (supervised hospital participation, when feasible). To achieve rotation objectives, the student is encouraged to apply the philosophy and principles of OMM to the teaching/learning environment and to enhance his/her integration of this material into the concepts of Osteopathic diagnosis and management of the patient. Developing a working knowledge of OMM integration/application in both inpatient and outpatient environments facilitates the teaching/learning of quality Osteopathic patient care. Throughout the rotation, students should have multiple opportunities to advance academic presentation skills, perform supervised OMT and to practice problem-solving skills.

Supporting Documentation