NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine is guided by its mission to train outstanding physicians, spanning the continuum of medical education that encompasses pre-clinical education, clinical education, and graduate medical education.

Please note, the method of delivery of a course may be modified at any time as permitted by governmental and/or accreditor regulations.

The first two years of the educational continuum consists of a systems-based curriculum that incorporates faculty presentations along with small group discussion-based sessions. It utilizes a student-centered, patient-focused approach that integrates basic and clinical science content. It features small-group instruction in basic and clinical science labs, including practical components of the doctor-patient relationship and osteopathic manipulative medicine. State-of-the art patient simulation encounters allow students to develop and to assess their medical decision making skills in realistic clinical scenarios.

This pre-clinical curriculum integrates the biomedical and clinical sciences along the following two integrated and continuous didactic threads to address osteopathic core competencies.

1) Osteopathic Medical Knowledge (OMK): This thread consists of the cognitive and conceptual knowledge whose mastery is essential for the practice of Osteopathic Medicine with understanding and sound clinical reasoning. This content knowledge is integrated throughout the learning program and incorporates concepts and information from multiple scientific and clinical disciplines, including Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP), biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology, physiology, microbiology, immunology, histology, embryology, pathology, anatomy, medical ethics, and health promotion/disease prevention.

2) Osteopathic Clinical Skills (OCS): This thread emphasizes the acquisition and development of proficiency in defined manual and analytical skills essential for the practice of Osteopathic Medicine. These skills comprise data-gathering activities such as patient interviewing, physical examination, osteopathic structural evaluation, and diagnostic testing, as well as record-keeping and management planning.

Courses are structured according to an approved syllabus that includes a list of faculty-defined objectives. The coursework begins with the Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine course, which presents, reviews, and reinforces common basic biomedical and clinical science concepts that underlie the practice of Osteopathic Medicine. This course lays the groundwork for the systems-based curricular approach and begins to introduce students to the body systems through the study of the integumentary system. Students who do not achieve a passing score in the Osteopathic Medical Knowledge portion of this course may be provided the opportunity to participate in an enrichment course. Once students successfully complete the enrichment course, they may request to repeat the first year.

Each subsequent pre-clinical course addresses several of the following systems: musculoskeletal, neurological, immunological, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and reproductive systems. This traditional organ system approach allows for integration between the biopsychosocial and clinical sciences in a student-centered/patient-focused curricular approach.

Throughout the educational continuum, the teaching program promotes the integration of structural evaluations, osteopathic manipulative treatment, and a deep awareness of psychosocial factors, legal issues, and ethical concerns relevant to the delivery of healthcare in the 21st century.

Third- and fourth-year clinical clerkships provide a variety of clinical exposures and experiences, from one-on-one preceptorships in physicians’ private practices to membership on interprofessional teams in tertiary care hospitals. Additionally, the students are exposed to a wide range of patient populations in both rural and urban locations during the clerkship years. As their skills develop, our students assume increasing responsibility and participate in advanced medical procedures.

The college curriculum committee examines course content and pedagogy for all four training years on an ongoing basis and acts as an advisory board to the dean to suggest enhancements each year. At the conclusion of each course and clinical clerkship, students provide feedback on course/clerkship content and delivery, utilizing a campus wide course analysis system. Additionally, representatives of the student body meet regularly with course and college administrators to address concerns and consider suggestions for improvement of the learning program.