LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine to help qualified LCSC students receive interviews with the first and only medical school in Idaho, LCSC administrators have announced.
ICOM is located in Meridian and is a four-year osteopathic medical college requiring four years of education where upon completion a student can earn a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). A major part of ICOM’s mission is to educate and train future physicians to help address the shortage of physicians in the Pacific Northwest, and in particular Idaho. A recent research study by the Association of American Medical Colleges says there will be a significant shortage of physicians in both primary and specialty care by 2030. Idaho currently ranks near the bottom in the number of physicians per capital, but near the top in percentage of population growth.
The agreement between LCSC and ICOM will allow up to five qualified LCSC students to be offered interviews in connection with possible admission to ICOM each year. While at LCSC, students must follow a distinct academic protocol and demonstrate high academic achievement. LCSC offers degrees in biology and chemistry that can be tailored to a student’s interest in pre-medical programs. Students who do well in these undergraduate academic programs, meet ICOM’s general admission requirements – including MCAT score and GPA – and complete the prerequisite courses required by ICOM, may qualify for an interview.
LCSC pre-medical advisor and biology professor Jacob Hornby says the agreement will help Idaho’s efforts in increasing access to medical care.
“Encouraging more students, as they approach college, to consider healthcare as a career is one way to deal with this challenge,” Hornby says. “We look forward to developing a strong relationship with ICOM in the years to come.”
Jack Dotson, a graduate of LCSC, was admitted to ICOM’s inaugural class in the fall of 2018.
For more information on attending LCSC and applying for medical school, contact Hornby at [email protected].