Official AOA Statement on PNWU and RVU

[matadvo]

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This was posted on the AOA President's Blog today:


Just heard that at the COCA meeting on August 25-26, 2007:

Initial Provisional Accreditation was awarded to Rocky Vista University - College of Osteopathic Medicine located in Parker, CO. Instruction will begin in the late summer/fall of 2008.

Initial Provisional Accreditation was awarded to Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences - College of Osteopathic Medicine located in Yakima, WA. Instruction will begin in the late summer/fall of 2008.

Continuing Accreditation was awarded to Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine - A.T. Still University located in Kirksville, MO.

Pete

Posted by Pres Pete at Wednesday, August 29, 2007 09:25:21

 

[sop21]

Now that its been approved I hope people can just move on to some other topic. I think RVU will end up being one of the better DO schools it has recruited some very good faculty and I'm sure it will have great students. In 5 years it will probably have some of the highest board scores around

 

[Typical]

Now that its been approved I hope people can just move on to some other topic. I think RVU will end up being one of the better DO schools it has recruited some very good faculty and I'm sure it will have great students. In 5 years it will probably have some of the highest board scores around

if you don't mind me asking, how much are you getting paid for advocating for-profit medical schools evaluating them based on board scores?

 

[DO Anes]

The central problem is that the standards of COCA are so different from the LCME (and, in the view of the allopaths, inferior). Osteopathic medical education has outgrown COCA and we are rapidly moving toward becoming a mercenary endeavor of 2 year medical "trade schools". Even many of our non-profits are pseudo non-profits with preposterous presidents' salaries. Ask a basic science PhD how much they get paid at these schools. It is not only the students that are being exploited. I believe that Dr. Martin, the RVU dean, has good intentions, but he has made the proverbial "deal with the devil". COCA and the AOA should have had mechanisms in place to prevent that from occurring, however noble the intentions. They did not and have now probably opened the floodgates to the Caribbean gold rush, have cetainly brought scorn on the profession and possibly have signed its death warrant. There is a crunch coming in the future for funding and reimbursement and osteopathic medicine will have a terrible reckoning. Dr. Martin is one cog in the machine that COCA and the AOA have allowed to be created by a "chancellor/investor" who pulls the strings (while remaining silent and out of public scrutiny.) To paraphrase an old saying, "for evil to triumph, it only requires that good men do nothing." The AOA takes the time and money to hold elaborate meetings and make grandiose pronouncements like "smoking is bad" and "we oppose obesity", but does not have the courage to simply state (or even put up for a vote/discussion) "medical education should be non-profit", as the LCME does. Is there any better example of the AOA's irrelevance?
Oh, and President Ajluni's statement, "...if a newly developing COM has adequate funding and has met all the COCA accreditation requirements appropriate for its stage of development, neither the AOA nor the COCA can hinder it from opening despite concerns voiced by segments of the osteopathic family", is not an example of leadership.

George Mychaskiw II, DO, FAAP

 

[sop21]

Approving one school isn't going to cause the whole osteopathic profession to come crahing down thats stupid. The AOA and COCA will watch RVU and how it operates and monitor its success. If its not successful, puts out bad doctors and is exploiting the profession then another for profit school will never get approved. If RVU is successful and ends up working better thn the current model then I hope more schools like this open. Oh wait I forgot the osteopathic medical schools are already perfect who wouldn't want to pay 40000/yr to be taught by 4 faculty members and rotate at some crappy hospital in the middle of Kentucky. I hope RVU changes the way most schools operate now.

 

[lastchanceDO]

Let's just think about what this school is founded upon and evaluate if RVU represents any of the DO philosophy? Personally, I don't think so. We are asked to give back to the 'community' as healers and physicians. However, as a 'for-profit' business model, how is that going to be achieved? what is placed as the foremost criteria of a business? It's profit and return of profit to the investors. The students and future patients are not held as the most important, but the profit of the school.

Yes, the 'investors' have raised enough money to open a school and has faculty to teach the techniques, philosophy, and overall medical education.
But how can you possibly teach service and sacrifice to students when the school is known to be a business out for profit? I think there are enough DO schools in recent years to accommodate the needs of the community. I believe AOA is making a huge mistake by allowing the provisional.


In a way, I want the school to fail, but I feel horrible for those students who will attend the school in the mean time. I understand why someone would go if they have enough desire to do well and serve their community, but in light of the administration and business investors who are fleecing the students and their patients, I wish they fail.

 

[matadvo]

Oh wait I forgot the osteopathic medical schools are already perfect who wouldn't want to pay 40000/yr to be taught by 4 faculty members and rotate at some crappy hospital in the middle of Kentucky. I hope RVU changes the way most schools operate now.

And what schools would you be disparaging with this remarK?
😕