By TENA L. COOK, CSC Marketing Coordinator
CHADRON – Chadron State College students interested in an advanced degree in osteopathic medicine will have the option of Rocky Vista University-Colleges of Medicine (RVU-COM) following the completion of an agreement between the two institutions in Oct. 2022.
Dr. Tami Selby, Vice President of Enrollment Management, said CSC’s goal is to have the application process ready for students by Fall 2023.
Dr. Jim Powell, Vice President of Academic Affairs, said the Early Acceptance Program will benefit CSC students.
“This gives our out-of-state students who are not eligible for RHOP and our in-state students who are interested in osteopathic medicine an opportunity to gain early admission into the Rocky Vista University-Colleges of Medicine,” Powell said.
Selby said the agreement expands the number of guaranteed medical school seats CSC will be able to offer its students.
“CSC is becoming the destination school for pre-health professions students,” she said.
Powell said Dr. Randy Rhine, CSC President, initiated a conversation that led to the agreement with Rocky Vista University administrators when he became aware of their campus in Billings, Montana.
According to the RVU-COM website, the private, for-profit health sciences institution was established in 2006. RVU chose osteopathic medicine as its first program because of its emphasis on primary care and its mind-body-spirit approach to medicine. The university also offers a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies.
Parker, Colorado, was the site of the first RVU-COM campus. The organization chose the location due to the large number of Colorado counties designated as medically underserved areas, with only one other medical school in the state. Similarly, RVU chose Utah for its second campus. Billings is the site of the third campus.
RVU has regional accreditation from Higher Learning Commission (HLC). RVU-COM is accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association.