May 30, 2010
Largest Class in School History Graduates from WVSOM
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Lewisburg, WV (HNN) – One hundred seventy-six students graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), receiving their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees Saturday, May 29, 2010, during the school's 33rd annual commencement ceremony on the school campus in Lewisburg, W.Va.
This year's WVSOM class is the largest in school history. The 176 graduates in the WVSOM Class of 2010 represent 35 states. There are 53 West Virginia residents – 91 women and 85 men.
Michael Adelman, D.O., J.D., acting president and Lorenzo Pence, D.O., interim vice president for academic affairs and dean, presided over the ceremonies. Karen Nichols, D.O., M.A., president-elect of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), delivered the keynote address.
In her remarks, Dr. Nichols told graduates the smallest things often have the biggest impact. "The tiny little touches of caring you do for your patients won't go unnoticed," she said, recounting the story of a woman who remembered many years later how Dr. Nichols had comforted her dying mother with a warm blanket.
"The essence of being a doctor is caring for patients," she said. "Patients don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Dr. Nichols also stressed sincerity. "Patients will decide within 18 seconds if they trust you or not. They can tell immediately if you are sincere. You can't fake it," she said.
Nichols encouraged graduates to "embrace the osteopathic philosophy, use manipulative treatment in your practices and cherish your heritage. It won't let you down."
Nichols, dean and professor at the Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downers Grove, Ill., was selected as president-elect of the AOA in 2009. Nichols is the first woman elected to lead the AOA.
Nichols is a graduate of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Mo., one of eight women in her graduating class. The Oak Brook, Ill., resident has been a member of the AOA since 1981 and a member of its Board of Trustees since 1999.
There is a pressing need for primary care doctors in today's health care system. WVSOM is one of the nation's leading primary care medical schools. Seventy-three percent of the class is entering primary care residency programs after graduation. Primary care specialties include Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and OB/Gyn.
According to U. S. News & World Report’s "Best Graduate Schools" online listings, WVSOM has the second highest percentage of graduates who enter primary care residencies (70.3%). The percentage is an average of 2007-2009 graduates entering primary care specialties.
WVSOM has been recognized for 12 consecutive years as a top medical school in the U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” issue. This year, the School was ranked in Rural Medicine (tied for #10) and Family Medicine (tied for #11).
Statistics show that one in five of all American medical students are enrolled in an osteopathic medical school. There are more than 67,000 osteopathic physicians in American today. West Virginia has 756 licensed, practicing osteopathic physicians; 595 of those physicians are WVSOM alumni.
Visit WVSOM online at www.wvsom.edu.
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Largest Class in School History Graduates from WVSOM
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Lewisburg, WV (HNN) – One hundred seventy-six students graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), receiving their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees Saturday, May 29, 2010, during the school's 33rd annual commencement ceremony on the school campus in Lewisburg, W.Va.
This year's WVSOM class is the largest in school history. The 176 graduates in the WVSOM Class of 2010 represent 35 states. There are 53 West Virginia residents – 91 women and 85 men.
Michael Adelman, D.O., J.D., acting president and Lorenzo Pence, D.O., interim vice president for academic affairs and dean, presided over the ceremonies. Karen Nichols, D.O., M.A., president-elect of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), delivered the keynote address.
In her remarks, Dr. Nichols told graduates the smallest things often have the biggest impact. "The tiny little touches of caring you do for your patients won't go unnoticed," she said, recounting the story of a woman who remembered many years later how Dr. Nichols had comforted her dying mother with a warm blanket.
"The essence of being a doctor is caring for patients," she said. "Patients don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Dr. Nichols also stressed sincerity. "Patients will decide within 18 seconds if they trust you or not. They can tell immediately if you are sincere. You can't fake it," she said.
Nichols encouraged graduates to "embrace the osteopathic philosophy, use manipulative treatment in your practices and cherish your heritage. It won't let you down."
Nichols, dean and professor at the Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downers Grove, Ill., was selected as president-elect of the AOA in 2009. Nichols is the first woman elected to lead the AOA.
Nichols is a graduate of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, Mo., one of eight women in her graduating class. The Oak Brook, Ill., resident has been a member of the AOA since 1981 and a member of its Board of Trustees since 1999.
There is a pressing need for primary care doctors in today's health care system. WVSOM is one of the nation's leading primary care medical schools. Seventy-three percent of the class is entering primary care residency programs after graduation. Primary care specialties include Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and OB/Gyn.
According to U. S. News & World Report’s "Best Graduate Schools" online listings, WVSOM has the second highest percentage of graduates who enter primary care residencies (70.3%). The percentage is an average of 2007-2009 graduates entering primary care specialties.
WVSOM has been recognized for 12 consecutive years as a top medical school in the U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” issue. This year, the School was ranked in Rural Medicine (tied for #10) and Family Medicine (tied for #11).
Statistics show that one in five of all American medical students are enrolled in an osteopathic medical school. There are more than 67,000 osteopathic physicians in American today. West Virginia has 756 licensed, practicing osteopathic physicians; 595 of those physicians are WVSOM alumni.
Visit WVSOM online at www.wvsom.edu.
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Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
