Finding Health
Dean Linda Boyd, D.O.
Throughout my career I have placed an emphasis on understanding and creating solutions to physician burnout. I have witnessed doctors devote years of helping patients better their lives while pushing aside self‑care. And as an educator, I have observed students who push themselves to the limit while keeping up with the rigorous demands of medical school just to feel burned out when they graduate, before they even begin residency training.
WVSOM is moving toward a more mentally nourishing environment every day. I’m happy that the school’s new “Finding Health” curriculum has been implemented for the Class of 2028. The curriculum better incorporates wellness, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and preventive medicine. The schedule will allow additional breaks between courses to give students the opportunity to rest and reinvigorate themselves, helping to promote mental health. It’s unrealistic to think we can make medical school easier, but we can make it kinder and gentler.
At WVSOM, we want to produce doctors who are as altruistic and caring as when they walked in the door and not burn them out while they’re in medical school. We want to keep those ideals intact and nurture rather than extinguish them. We want students to be at their best and take care of themselves because that will help them deliver the best care to their patients.
I am excited that WVSOM has taken actionable steps to expand its ability to promote health and wellness on campus. This has been my career passion, and I’m pleased to see it through at our school. I am confident that we have built upon this medical school’s compassionate, hometown environment. Nothing warms my heart more than knowing that our current and future students will have a place to excel while maintaining wellness. We can’t wait to have you here to be part of it.
My best,
Linda Boyd, D.O.
We’re Here For You
There is no such thing as a typical WVSOM student — our aspiring physicians are as diverse as the world itself. But no matter what your background is, our faculty and staff are experts at providing the guidance you’ll need to succeed. Our goal is to foster independent learning and prepare you to become an outstanding osteopathic physician, and we do it with the same personal, compassionate touch we teach you to offer patients. Time and time again, our alumni tell us their years at WVSOM made them feel like they were part of a family.
That same sense of community permeates beautiful Lewisburg, W.Va., a small city in the heart of the Greenbrier Valley, nestled among the Appalachian Mountains. Lewisburg offers a unique mix of culture and outdoor recreation: Theaters, art galleries and music venues — including one of only four Carnegie Halls in the world still in continuous use — are not far from hiking and biking trails, whitewater rafting, caving and other attractions for those who like to stay active. Greenbrier County is also home to annual events tourists travel from afar to attend, such as Healing Appalachia, the Ronceverte Food Truck Fest, the West Virginia Renaissance Festival, the State Fair of West Virginia, the Summer Concert Series at Ivy Terrace, the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival and the culinary themed Taste of Our Towns.
Community Service
WVSOM believes in giving back to the community. Through the Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health (T.O.U.C.H.) program, our student body volunteers thousands of hours annually, allowing WVSOM to share the professional values of osteopathic medicine with those who might not be aware of them and instilling in students a lifelong commitment to service.
Following orientation week, incoming students have the chance to take part in the Day of Service. During this event, students volunteer with various local businesses and nonprofits, offering their time and skills to make a positive impact. This presents an excellent opportunity for students to not only bond with one another but to form meaningful connections within the community.
First ‑ and second ‑ year students can participate in a spring break medical service trip through DOCARE International or the Christian Medical and Dental Associations.
WVSOM Student Center
The WVSOM Student Center offers an exceptional environment to enrich the student experience. The Office of Multicultural and Student Affairs lies at the heart of the building, providing opportunities for student engagement and leadership as well as individual and collaborative study. This area also features a multifunctional room for breastfeeding, prayer and relaxation. Additionally, the WVSOM Student Center includes a student government office, conference room, O’Cafe, Campus Store and a recreation room equipped with video games, pool tables, a pingpong table, a foosball table and a television. The Campus Store sells textbooks and medical supplies and instruments used in WVSOM’s curriculum as well as official WVSOM branded merchandise. The O’Cafe offers fresh dining options and meals prepared with health and wellness in mind. At the center of campus is an open field, perfect for partaking in outdoor sports and activities like the annual President’s Softball Game. Additionally, Adirondack chairs are strategically placed, providing an ideal setting to unwind and engage in friendly conversations.
Clinical Evaluation Center
At the Clinical Evaluation Center (CEC), students confront and treat real world patient situations in a training environment. The human patient simulators appear lifelike in many ways. Technicians program a set of symptoms for the simulator to demonstrate as the student evaluates, diagnoses and suggests treatment while a faculty member looks on. Whether it’s learning to intubate a trauma patient, deliver a baby or distinguish heart murmurs, the simulators are valuable teaching tools during the first two years of medical education. The CEC also houses 24 standardized patient exam rooms where local community members are trained to present symptoms as students learn to take personal histories and recognize key issues.
WVSOM’s Clinical Evaluation Center was the first in the state accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare in the area of teaching/education.
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine practice a holistic approach to patient care with four core principles of osteopathic medicine:
• The body is a unit of mind, body and spirit.
• The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing and health maintenance.
• Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
• Rational treatment is based on these principles.
Osteopathic Medicine
More than 150 years of healing
The founder of osteopathic medicine, Andrew Taylor Still, D.O., pioneered the concept of “wellness” in 1874. He recognized the inherent ability of the body to heal itself and stressed values of preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit as important regimens for a long and healthy life.
Osteopathic medicine is a distinct form of medical care founded on the philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and dependent upon one another and that the body has self healing abilities.
Osteopathic physicians, like all medical doctors, can choose any specialty, prescribe medication, perform surgeries and practice medicine anywhere in the U.S. An osteopathic medical education provides training in osteopathic manipulative medicine, in which physicians use their hands as another tool to diagnose and treat injury and illness.
While WVSOM’s program focuses on primary care and rural medicine, the curriculum is designed to prepare students to enter any residency program in any specialty, in any environment.
The nation’s fully licensed osteopathic physicians practice the entire scope of modern medicine, bringing a patient ‑ centered, holistic, hands on approach to diagnosing and treating illness and injury. At WVSOM, osteopathic principles and practice are incorporated into a variety of learning environments to complement comprehensive coverage of basic and clinical sciences.
Finding Health
Mission in Action
The mission of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is to educate students from diverse backgrounds as lifelong learners in osteopathic medicine and complementary health-related programs; to support and develop graduate medical education training; to advance scientific knowledge through academic, clinical and basic science research; and to promote patient-centered, evidence-based medicine. WVSOM is dedicated to serve, first and foremost, the state of West Virginia and the health care needs of its residents, emphasizing primary care in rural areas.
WVSOM has fully redesigned its preclinical curriculum to emphasize health and wellness in addition to teaching about the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The new curriculum structure fosters a positive learning environment for diverse learners, with a focus on student wellness. Establishing healthy habits in medical school can help to prevent burnout later in physicians’ careers.
During the first two years, students complete eight organ ‑ system ‑ based course blocks designed to provide the strong basic science foundation needed for the practice of osteopathic medicine.
An embedded Health and Wellness thread helps students learn pertinent nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and prevention content to treat existing illnesses and to help their patients “find health.”
To achieve the highest level of integration, longitudinal Clinical Skills and Osteopathic Principles and Practice courses are synchronized with this sequence of system course blocks.
The new curriculum will afford students a one ‑ week break after each course block. During these eight “flex weeks,” students can choose to take vacation or a short elective course. All course exams will take place on Fridays, so that students can have a “golden weekend,” free from studying.
To ensure that all students can reach their potential, WVSOM’s courses utilize a dynamic balance of guided independent learning activities coupled with in ‑ class activities as well as hands ‑ on labs, group learning opportunities and practical application experiences where students apply what they have learned.
Year 1
Essentials of Osteopathic Medicine I
Essentials of Osteopathic Medicine II
Nervous System and Mental Health
Hematologic and Circulatory System
A Schedule That Fosters Wellness
• Designed to emphasize health and wellness in addition to teaching about diagnosis and treatment of disease.
• Positive learning environment for diverse learners, with a focus on student wellness.
• Organ system based course blocks to provide a strong basic science foundation.
• Didactic sessions take place Monday ‑ Thursday mornings.
• Fridays are reserved for medical simulation learning activities and final course exams.
• A one ‑ week break is incorporated after each course.
Flex Weeks
Respiratory System
Endocrine and Gastrointestinal System Renal System
Human Development and Reproductive System Capstone and Board Exams
Clinical Skills II
Osteopathic Principles and Practice II
Clinical Rotations
Clinical experience becomes the primary educational curriculum during the third and fourth year. WVSOM’s Statewide Campus (SWC) system allows students to gain specialized training in various disciplines through a regional consortium of clinical sites, predominantly located in West Virginia. The SWC system is designed to immerse students in primary care specialties and help them better understand what it means to care for patients living in rural or underserved areas.
Locations are selected by students who attend one of the seven SWC regions to serve as their home base as they work beside clinical faculty and preceptors. Students are also required to complete eight weeks of family medicine and internal medicine, as well as four weeks of pediatrics, surgery, OB ‑ GYN/women’s health, psychiatry, emergency medicine and four weeks of electives.
Students will also prepare for the COMLEX and the OSCEs. COMLEX is the pathway to licensure for osteopathic physicians in the U.S. and is taken at the completion of second and third year.
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are designed to test competence in clinical skills performance.
Year 3
During the third year, students are required to complete 40 weeks of clinical rotations and prepare for the COMLEX and the OSCEs.
Year 4
In the final year of clinical rotations, students can expand beyond West Virginia to locations across the nation and abroad. Students are required to complete 36 weeks of clinical rotations, including 12 weeks of electives in areas that fulfill their individual interests.
In addition to clinical rotation requirements, students may be involved in clinical case conferences, tumor boards, skill labs and professional development seminars. During this period, students will learn to present clinical cases to a variety of audiences.
Anatomy and Research
Research Funding
Funding sources include federal, state and private foundations such as the National Institutes of Health, the West Virginia IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence, the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Health Resources and Services Administration and others.
Fredric W. Smith Science Building
The WVSOM anatomy facility, located in the Fredric W. Smith Science Building, contains a state‑of‑the‑art ventilation system and natural lighting so that students can spend quality time in the lab without distraction. The facility accommodates 50 anatomical donors and houses more than 172 anatomical plastinations and 120 anatomical models, supplemented by virtual reality anatomical simulations to help further students’ education.
The facility is large enough for an entire cohort to be in the lab at one time, performing dissections and studying the human body firsthand with the assistance of faculty in order to prepare students to translate basic knowledge of the organ systems into clinical application. As one of the most impressive facilities of its kind among osteopathic medical schools, the anatomy lab is a valuable tool in WVSOM’s ability to provide a comprehensive education in human anatomy.
Research Opportunities
WVSOM is committed to research and scholarly activity as both a mode of teaching and a means of supporting medical progress. The research department maintains the highest standards of compliance and integrity, and consistently secures funding for on campus research endeavors.
Biomedical Sciences
• Natural products as therapeutics
• Cardiovascular diseases: mechanisms and treatments
• Stroke and aging research
• New therapeutic targets for asthma
• Vaccine development
• Microbial biotherapeutic innovations
Clinical and Translational Sciences
Community Engagement and Outreach
• State Opioid Response
• Community projects
Summer Research Program
• Opportunities for basic, clinical and translational sciences research projects
Future Plans
$35 million toward research expansion
Building STEM opportunities for West Virginia students
Developing new partnerships with biotech and other industries
Academic Support
At WVSOM, the success of students is the school’s primary mission. The Academic Support and Intervention Resources (ASPIRE) department offers academic support and intervention as well as private counseling services. The ASPIRE learning specialists provide individualized consultations to help students improve their academic performance in areas such as active learning, strengthening memory and recall, time management, test taking and preparing for standardized exams. In addition to learning consultations, ASPIRE staff members are licensed professional counselors and are able to provide confidential counseling services for issues related to anxiety, depression, stress management, adjustment issues, relationship issues and more.
The ASPIRE department also offers a pre‑matriculation program to incoming students to help them prepare for medical school. The two ‑ day SAIL (Self ‑ Aware Integrated Learning) program offers an opportunity for students in the new class to learn information and skills helpful for success in medical school. The program introduces students to active learning and time management skills as well as wellness practices to help them succeed and thrive in medical school. It also gives students a chance to meet their classmates and get to know each other before the school year starts. Each year that the program has been offered, the participation has increased. 75% of students in the Class of 2028 participated in SAIL.
Rural Health Initiative
WVSOM’s Rural Health Initiative (RHI) program enhances the rural primary care curriculum in order to produce graduates qualified to practice medicine in underserved communities in West Virginia. Students selected for the RHI receive multiple benefits by participating in this unique program.
Enrichment and Industry Activities
RHI students participate in activities throughout West Virginia to better understand the state workforce through exploration of various industries. These enrichment activities strive to address health disparities and industry specific safety concerns and give insight into the daily lives of future patients.
All WVSOM students engage in several rural rotations during their clinical years, providing them with hands ‑ on experience in rural health care settings. Participation in the Rural Health Initiative further enhances this experience, offering a deeper level of involvement and engagement in rural clinical practice.
Mastermind Groups
Students in the Rural Health Initiative program have the opportunity to work with rural physicians and clinicians who are role models and mentors. Through mastermind meetings, RHI students have opportunities to discuss and collaborate on challenges unique to rural health care.
Financial Support
Students in the RHI program receive a stipend for completing rural or underserved rotations and participating in community health education and service programming.
Additional Opportunities
RHI students can participate in additional programming and outreach programs. Students have the chance to learn wilderness medicine through a two week elective rotation. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate with allopathic medical students in reaching a common goal of more positive health outcomes for residents of southern West Virginia, conducting community related research and supporting medically underserved areas.
Between 12 and 18 medical students are selected to be in the RHI program each year. Students provide training and service to community members in an effort to improve West Virginians’ health literacy, awareness of chronic disease and healthy lifestyle habits.
Finding Your Match
While students may train in a residency program of their choice, WVSOM continues to support and expand highly regarded postdoctoral residency programs in the Appalachian region to provide quality training options for graduates.
The Mountain State Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institutions partner with three hospitals and two teaching health centers that offer internships, residency and fellowship programs. These sites offer medical training options for recent graduates, including programs in family medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, neurology, osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, urology and vascular surgery.
Are you ready...
...to find health?
As you explore medical schools, focus on the quality of education and the personal experience you hope to have as a student. This is your career. This is your life. What do you want out of it?
A medical school should do more than deliver an education — it should create lifelong learners and give students the resources to help them achieve the career they’ve dreamed of. Thanks to our “Finding Health” curriculum, no other medical school is quite like WVSOM. Our focus on wellness — in our students as well as in those they treat — allows us to offer a kinder, gentler educational experience without sacrificing the academic rigor necessary to train top‑quality physicians. We give you the knowledge and skills you’ll need to make a difference in patients’ lives.
So we ask you:
Are you ready to find health?
D.O.s can:
Prescribe medication
Practice in any specialty, including surgical specialties
Practice anywhere in the U.S. and in more than 50 countries
offers the lowest medical school tuition in West Virginia, and the cost of living in West Virginia is below the national average.
Include osteopathic manipulative medicine in diagnosis and treatment
WVSOM
Pre-Application Checklist
Below is a sample checklist for individuals who wish to start medical school immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees. Please see a career advisor for more detailed information.
Complete premedical course work requirements, including lab hours:
• Behavioral Sciences — 6 hours
• Biochemistry — 3 hours
• Biology*/Zoology — 6 hours
• Chemistry* — 9 hours
• English — 6 hours
• Physics* — 6 hours
* Labs — 6 hours
2 hours of biology lab, plus 4 hours of any combination of biology, chemistry and/or physics labs
Recommended course work:
• Anatomy
• Cell Biology
• Embryology
• Histology
• Immunology
• Medical Microbiology
• Modern Genetics
• Physiology
• Psychology
• Sociology
Ask about our dual degree programs!
ChooseDo.org has information on how to prepare for the medical school application process and what to expect.
Get hands on experience in the medical field via volunteering, internships, work study programs, research or shadowing a physician. Shadowing a D.O. is strongly recommended.
Application Process
1. AACOMAS application
Apply online at: www.aacom.org
Have all official transcripts* from all colleges attended and your MCAT** results sent directly to AACOMAS.
Allow 4 6 weeks for AACOMAS to process a complete application to WVSOM.
2. Two letters of recommendation
One from a physician (an osteopathic physician is strongly recommended).
One from a pre ‑ med advisor or a science faculty member who instructed you.
3. Interview/fee
If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to verify your residency status, provide a statement of disclosure (any past or pending professional disciplinary actions), pay a nonrefundable application fee of $80 (waived for in state applicants) and schedule your interview.
Interviews can be conducted virtually, but we highly recommend touring WVSOM’s campus in person. Students are required to have U.S. citizenship or have proof of permanent resident status (green card). It’s decision time!
After you interview, your complete file (all forms and letters) will move to the admissions committee for further review.
* Course work taken at a foreign institution must be evaluated for U.S. equivalence by an AACOMAS approved evaluation service.
** MCAT scores must be dated within three calendar years of desired date of matriculation.
LETTERS MAY BE SUBMITTED THROUGH:
Virtual Eval, Interfolio or AACOMAS
ALL OTHER SUBMISSIONS:
WVSOM Admissions Office 400 Lee Street North Lewisburg, WV 24901
Prior to Nov. 15
14 Nov. 15 - Jan. 14 within 30 days from acceptance Jan. 15 - May 14 within 14 days from acceptance May 15 or after on acceptance
First nonrefundable deposit of $500 in state and $2,000 out ‑ of ‑ state is due according to the chart.
A second nonrefundable deposit of $500 in state and $1,000 out ‑ of ‑ state is due March 15 or within two weeks of acceptance if after March 1.
President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D.
Thank you for considering the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine for your medical education. Once you visit our beautiful campus and meet our faculty and staff, there is a good chance you’ll want to make WVSOM your medical school home.
We can document the quality of education at WVSOM. We are nationally recognized for producing graduates who practice in rural communities. Our Class of 2024 achieved a 100% residency placement rate, including positions in primary care and specialty programs such as psychiatry, dermatology, orthopedic surgery and general surgery, to name a few.
WVSOM works to offer a positive educational environment. In the practice of osteopathic medicine, physicians consider the patient, not just the disease, taking a personal, holistic approach to health care, embracing mind, body and spirit. To meet the school’s mission and vision, and to foster a culture of student wellness and resilience, WVSOM’s new “Finding
Health” curriculum provides a learner centered experience focused on independent learning and preparing graduates to become outstanding physicians.
WVSOM practices what we teach. The curriculum incorporates student wellness, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and preventive medicine. We want students to be well and take care of themselves so they can deliver exceptional care to their future patients.
Our goal is for students to graduate from WVSOM prepared for meaningful careers and well ‑ rounded lives, so we apply that personal, holistic approach to medical education. We are invested in the development of each student as a unique individual.
You will leave WVSOM prepared to serve and to succeed. We will be with you from your first day through graduation and beyond. I promise!
Best regards,
James W. Nemitz, Ph.D.
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CONNECT
888.276.7836 recruitment@osteo.wvsom.edu VISIT
400 Lee Street North Lewisburg, WV 24901
WVSOM is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and is committed to fostering an educational environment that values the development of human potential, cultural and ethnic diversity and understanding. It is the policy of WVSOM not to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information or other category that is protected under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws in its educational programs, activities, admissions or employment policies. However, with respect to disability, the disability must not be such as would, even with reasonable accommodation, in and of itself preclude the student or applicant’s effective participation in the WVSOM educational program. Questions or complaints concerning equal opportunity or affirmative action should be directed to the WVSOM Human Resources Office, 400 Lee Street North, Lewisburg, WV 24901, or by phone at 304.647.6279 or 800.356.7836.
Questions or complaints concerning sexual discrimination or sexual misconduct should be directed to the WVSOM Title IX Coordinator, Dawn Roberts, EdD, 400 Lee Street North, Lewisburg, WV 24901, or by phone at 304.793.6591. See WVSOM’s Institutional Policy GA-14: Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination, Sexual Misconduct and Other Forms of Harassment. Additional information for students is available on the WVSOM student resources webpage at wvsom.edu/students.