Elkins – Davis & Elkins College and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine have entered into a partnership that will benefit students planning to further their education in osteopathic medicine. The agreement, established as the pre-osteopathic program, helps guide undergraduate students on their academic track.
Beginning this spring, D&E sophomores who achieve a science grade point average of 3.4 or higher and have completed eight hours each of biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry may apply for the program. They also must be U.S. residents or permanent citizens.
“This program is for students who have selected WVSOM as their first choice of medical schools,” said Dr. Shawn Stover, professor of biology at D&E, who serves as the pre-osteopathic program coordinator at D&E. “Students who qualify for the program will receive guidance from a WVSOM faculty mentor, as well as D&E’s pre-medical adviser. Participating students will be able to network with medical students, faculty and alumni from WVSOM. By making an early commitment to osteopathic medicine, participants will have a distinct advantage over traditional applicants.”
Students who make positive progress in the program will be granted an expedited application review to WVSOM and an early admission interview. Successful candidates will receive an acceptance to WVSOM prior to their senior year at D&E.
Applications are available by contacting Stover at stovers@dewv.edu or 304-637-1275. The deadline is May 1.
“The value of establishing partnerships among key stakeholders with mutual interests in enhancing opportunities for improving the human condition cannot be over emphasized,” said Dr. Wally Neel, executive vice president and provost at D&E. “This strengthening of existing alignments between Davis & Elkins College and the West Virginia Osteopathic School of Medicine represents a step forward in continuing the improvement of rural health care in West Virginia. This arrangement will be valuable in attracting pre-med students to attend WVSOM and encouraging them to settle in the area after completing medical school.
Needless to say, we at Davis & Elkins College are extremely pleased with this arrangement.”
In 2015, Davis & Elkins partnered with WVSOM and Davis Medical Center for the Green Coat Program. The unique internship has allowed D&E students to spend more than 100 hours job shadowing physicians and other health care providers to gain an in depth perspective of the professions.
For the last 15 years, WVSOM has been ranked in the top 10 of rural primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Recently, an article in Academic Medicine ranks WVSOM as No. 1 in rural and primary care in the nation.
