Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with a master’s degree in nursing, and they provide primary care for many people and sometimes provide acute care to individuals. According to the American Osteopathic Association, a doctor of osteopathic medicine is a medical doctor who focuses his practice on the muscle and skeletal system and disease prevention with a holistic approach. Most doctors of osteopathic medicine practice general internal medicine or family medicine. Nurse practitioners already possess almost all of the necessary undergraduate and some graduate pre-requisites to qualify for admission to medical school. They must also take the Medical College Admission Test.

Western University

The doctor of osteopathic medicine program at Western University in Pomona, California, trains students with a whole person approach. Doctors learn to focus their practice on the individual and not just on symptoms. The doctor of osteopathic medicine program is a four-year program in which medical students will learn basic science, detailed study of the human organ systems and clinical science and perform 20 rotations of major medical electives and medicine disciplines. Western University doctor of osteopathic medicine graduates have a high pass rate for first time board examination takers.

Western University provides state-of-the-art facilities for its students, and the faculty is committed to student success. Nurse practitioners who have recently completed all pre-requisites qualify for admission if their advanced degrees and undergraduate studies included completion of all program pre-requisites. Contact a Western University counselor at 909-469-5333 for information about the application process and pre-requisites.

Western University of Health Sciences 309 E. Second St. Pomona, CA 91766 909-623-6166 western.edu

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey located in Stratford, New Jersey, is a four-year medical school program. The first year curriculum for new students focuses on classroom education in basic science like gross anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry and histology. The osteopathic medicine program includes additional areas of study.

Osteopathic medicine students will attend a course on the concepts and history of osteopathic medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine as well as functional anatomy of the human body. Second-year students focus on disease prevention and patient wellness. By the third year, students begin their clinical work, attend seminars and select their elective course work. Fourth-year students will begin caring for patients and learning to make diagnoses. Applicants must have completed eight hours of biology, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry and physics. A laboratory for each class is also required.

UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine One Medical Center Drive Stratford, NJ 08084-1501 856-566-7050 umdnj.edu

Des Moines University

All applicants must have earned a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree with at least a 3.0 GPA before enrollment in the Des Moines University doctor of osteopathic medicine program. In addition to biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics and English as undergraduate, nurse practitioner applicants must provide a letter of recommendation from another health care provider. The letter of recommendation must state that the nurse practitioner has been exposed to the practice of medicine. The University also requires Medical College Admission Test scores that are no older than three years. Applications to the Des Moines University must be made through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service by calling 301-968-4100 or completing the online application at aacom.org.

Des Moines University 3200 Grand Avenue Des Moines, IA 50312 515-271-1400 | 800-240-2767 dmu.edu

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