Motto in English The Mind and the Hand Endowment $162.3 million Undergraduate tuition and fees 24,044 USD (2011) Total enrollment 2,287 (2010) Colors Grey, Burgundy | Type Private coeducational Budget $78.40 million Phone +1 215-871-6100 Founded 1899 | |
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Former names Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy Established 1899; 118 years ago (1899) Address 4170 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA Motto "Mens et Manus" (The Mind and the Hand) Notable alumni Joe Heck, Ronald R Blanck, Bo Bartlett, Ethel D Allen, Charles Sophy Similar Nova Southeastern University, Lake Erie College of Osteopat, New York Institute of Technolo, Rowan University School of, University of New England Profiles | ||
The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is a private, non-profit graduate college, with a main campus located on 17 acres in Philadelphia, in the US state Pennsylvania, and an additional campus located on 20 acres in Suwanee, Georgia. PCOM offers degree programs in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, psychology, physician assistant studies, and forensic medicine. With 2,418 students (2014–15), PCOM is one of the oldest and largest osteopathic medical schools in the world.
Contents
- History
- Academics
- Philadelphia Campus
- Georgia Campus
- Campuses
- PCOM Library
- Accreditation
- Healthcare centers
- Residency program
- Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging
- Notable alumni
- References
Founded in 1899 as the third osteopathic medical school in the world, PCOM was the first osteopathic medical school in the northeastern United States. In 1993, PCOM began offering a master's degree in biomedical sciences, and in 1995 started a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD). In 2005, PCOM opened a second campus in Suwanee, Georgia. PCOM also operates five primary care health centers in cooperation with several teaching hospitals. PCOM sponsors residency training programs, which train newly graduated physicians. The Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging, which aims to improve quality of life for elderly individuals, is located on the Philadelphia campus.
All of the programs at PCOM have professional accreditation. PCOM is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.
History
PCOM was established on January 24, 1899 as the Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO). It was the third osteopathic medical school to open in the United States. In September 1899, the first PCIO degree was awarded, and in February 1900, the first PCIO "class," comprising one woman and one MD, graduated. In May 1921, PCIO was renamed to Philadelphia College of Osteopathy (PCO). In 1967, the school adopted its present day name, becoming the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).
In 1973, PCOM opened a new building, Evans Hall, and relocated to its current campus along City Avenue in Philadelphia. In 1979, PCOM acquired the adjacent office building, which was later named Rowland Hall in honor of PCOM's 4th President. From 1995-1999, Evans Hall expanded to include a modern osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) lab, more classrooms, a new cafeteria, and the office of admissions.
During the 1990s a series of new graduate level programs were added, expanding the scope of the medical school to a wide range of health-care related programs. In 1993, PCOM started the graduate program in biomedical science, offering graduate certificates and Master of Science degrees. In 1995, a Doctor of Psychology program was established. In 2005, the school opened a branch campus in Georgia, which graduated its first DO class in 2009.
For more than a century, PCOM has trained physicians, health practitioners, and behavioral scientists. In the United States, there are two types of physicians: DO physicians and MD physicians. Both are fully qualified physicians, licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery. DOs and MDs are alike in many ways.
Academics
As a free-standing medical school, PCOM offers only graduate-level training. Degrees offered by the college include:
Philadelphia Campus
Doctor of Osteopathic MedicineGeorgia Campus
Doctor of Osteopathic MedicineCampuses
PCOM operates two campuses; one campus is located in Philadelphia and one is near Atlanta, Georgia. The Philadelphia campus is 17 acres, and the Georgia campus is 20 acres.
In 2005, PCOM-Georgia enrolled its first class of osteopathic medical students. The Georgia Campus currently offers the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO), Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and graduate programs in biomedical sciences and physician assistant studies.
PCOM Library
The PCOM Library provides information resources to support the educational, research and clinical activities of the College. The mission of the library is twofold: to provide users with access to a wide range of quality information resources and to assist users in acquiring the skills necessary to use resources effectively.
Electronic collections includes bibliographic databases and indexes, textbooks and monographs, full-text research and clinical journals, streaming videos, mobile applications, and catalogs of local, regional and national biomedical collections.
Library staff assists students, faculty, and staff in acquiring and using information by providing educational and reference services. Every academic program is served by dedicated liaison librarians who create subject guides targeted to courses and research topics, help students and faculty find books, retrieve articles, and effectively search and manage information resources.
The library is also responsible for the creation of the College’s institutional repository, the Digital Commons at PCOM. The Digital Commons preserves and disseminates the history of the College, records of College life, and the intellectual output of students, faculty, and staff in the form of dissertations, papers, and posters.
Accreditation
Healthcare centers
In addition to its affiliation with several teaching hospitals, PCOM runs five primary care healthcare centers including: Sullivan County Medical Center, Roxborough Healthcare Center, Cambria Street Healthcare Center, Lancaster Avenue Healthcare Center, and Family Practice at PCOM. The clinics serve the dual purpose of providing community-based health care as well as providing educational experiences for medical students. Services include family medicine, gynecology, dermatology, geriatrics, psychology, and OMM.
Residency program
PCOM programs include a multi-hospital integrated approach. The total position numbers can vary with program directors' plans and implementation time frame.
Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging
The mission of the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (CCDA) at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is to improve the quality of life for all individuals suffering from age-related chronic diseases and disorders. The CCDA promotes a better understanding of the nature of chronic disease processes by supporting basic and applied investigations, and providing educational opportunities for the community, scientists and health care professionals. The CCDA furthers its mission through an interdisciplinary approach combining scientific research, education, and clinical application into chronic diseases and disorders associated with the aging process.
Notable alumni
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has trained 12,941 physicians, with 2,467 non-physician alumni. PCOM alumni practice in all areas of medicine, hold leadership positions in the medical community, teach in many of the country's top medical schools, and serve in every branch of the military.