Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Infobox University
name = Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
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established = 2006
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chairman = Ian R. Levenson
chancellor = Yife Tien
president = Samuel H. Rankin, Jr.
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principal =
dean = Ronnie B. Martin
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doctoral = 160
city = Parker
state = Colorado
country = USA
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website = http://www.rockyvistauniversity.org/

footnotes = Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) is a medical school granting a osteopathic medical degree located in Parker, Colorado near Denver. The school is currently in its first class of medical students who began classes in August 2008.

History

RVUCOM broke ground on March 23, 2007 and admitted its first class in August 2008.

For-profit status

The accreditation of RVUCOM generated controversy before the school held its first class.Croasdale, Myrle. [http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/10/01/prsc1001.htm "First for-profit med school nears approval"] . American Medical News. 1 Oct 2007. ] Like all osteopathic medical schools, RVUCOM is accredited by a board of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Unlike the other 28 DO (osteopathic) and 126 MD medical colleges in the US, RVUCOM is organized as a for-profit corporation.David Whelan. [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0929/060.html An Uncommon Practice.] Forbes Magazine. 29 Sept 2008.] Critics claimed the AOA's approval of a for-profit school "erodes creditability" of osteopathic medical schools, especially in comparison to their MD counterparts, [Mychaskiw G. [http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/107/7/246-b "COM Accreditation: the Flexner Report revisited."] J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2007 Jul;107(7):246-7; 277. PMID: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=17682109&dopt=AbstractPlus 17682109] ] medical schools accredited by the LCME. The LCME has banned for-profit schools in the United States and Canada. [Mychaskiw G. [http://www.aacom.org/events/annualmtg/2007/Presentations/Thu%20Challenge%20-%20Coping%20with%20Growth/Mychaski%20-%201910%20All%20Over%20Again.ppt "Future of DO."] powerpoint presentation. accessed 7 Nov 2007.]

School officials insist the for-profit status of the school will not compromise the integrity of its educational mission. [Martin RB. [http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/107/10/426 "RVUCOM: Striving to Meet the Needs of the Osteopathic Medical Profession"] J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2007 Oct;107(10):426-8. PMID: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=17956994&dopt=AbstractPlus 17956994] ] AOA president Peter Ajluni responded, "there are many socially minded for-profit companies that contribute time, resources, and profits to their communities" and "for-profit institutions like RVUCOM can further the cause of osteopathic medicine in the United States." [Ajluni PB. [http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/107/10/425 "Nonprofit and For-Profit COMs: Investing in the Future of Osteopathic Medicine".] J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2007 Oct;107(10):425-6. PMID: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=17956993&dopt=AbstractPlus 17956993] ]

Rocky Vista University's founder and chancellor, Yife Tien, is involved in managing another for-profit medical school, the American University of the Caribbean,David Whelan. [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0929/060.html "An Uncommon Practice."] Forbes Magazine. 29 Sept 2008.] [ [http://www.rockyvistauniversity.org/founder.asp Founder and Chancellor] . Rocky Vista University website. accessed 18 Nov 2007.] located outside the U.S. but attended primarily by U.S. citizens and founded by Tien's father, Paul Tien. Forbes magazine reported that Tien's financial plan for Rocky Vista is to have tuition revenues increase from 2.7 million US$ in 2008 to 25 million in 2012, with a net income of 3 million US$.David Whelan. [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0929/060.html "An Uncommon Practice."] Forbes Magazine. 29 Sept 2008.]

External links

* [http://www.rockyvistauniversity.org/ Rocky Vista University Website]

References