2017 Fact Book

62 and community service; and advocates for the health and welfare of diverse populations, including the medically underserved. The college offers a full-time, four-year course of study leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. In addition, it offers a complement of distinguished graduate and community-education programs. These include the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics (M.S.), Master of Science (M.S.) in Disaster and Emergency Management, Master of Science (M.S.) in Nutrition, and Master of Science (M.S.) in Medical Education degrees. Certificate programs include public health, informatics, and social medicine. Concurrent and dual degree options include the D.O./J.D., D.O./ M.P.H., D.O./D.M.D., D.O./M.B.A., and D.O./M.S. (areas of focus include health law, biomedical informatics nutrition, or medical education for example). The D.O. program strives to prepare high-quality, compassionate physicians with an emphasis on primary care disciplines and their vital role in rural, urban, and underserved communities. As a result, more than half of our alumni practice in family medicine, internal medicine, or general pediatrics. A significant number of our graduates also choose other specialties or sub-specialties. The innovative curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, guiding students to a holistic, osteopathic approach to medicine, and correlating basic scientific information with fundamental clinical application. Students are exposed to clinical settings in their first semester, which begins to prepare them for the real world of medicine. A systems approach to classes integrates material learned from the various departments so that clinical aspects, pathophysiology of diseases, and disorders of each system are addressed. Throughout the course of study, the principles and practice of osteopathic medicine, including manipulative techniques, are applied in specific fields, and attention is given to the fields of community medicine, geriatrics, minority medicine and the humanities. Students can also undertake basic or applied research or scholarly study under faculty supervision. To sustain its place at the forefront of osteopathic medical education, the college consistently reviews and updates its curriculum by implementing progressive programs and interactive student-learning tools. The use of high-fidelity manikin simulators and standardized patients allows students to further hone their arsenal of clinical skills. Various modes of education and of cutting- edge technology, such as Second Life virtual software, have offered our students ample hands-on learning opportunities. Students receive clinical training in a vast and comprehensive network of affiliated public and private hospitals, medical practices, ambulatory centers, and public health units, as well as at the NSU health care centers. A notable aspect of the clinical training program is a required three-month rotation in medically underserved practice settings. For two months, students rotate in rural and urban clinics throughout the state of Florida, assisting in providing health care to medically underserved and indigent patient populations and learning to treat ethnic groups whose lifestyles, practices, and cultural attitudes toward health care differ from those in more traditional training sites. This enriching educational experience is one that cannot be taught in the classroom. The third month can be at a site within or outside the United States selected by the student and approved by the college. Physicians do not work in a vacuum; they are part of a health care team. The college uses the resources of the university’s multidisciplinary health care centers to provide a comprehensive learning experience. While on campus, medical students share faculty members, classes, and campus facilities with other Health Professions Division students and participate along with other disciplines in the comanagement of a diverse patient base as part of their clinical training. The college exposes students to all aspects of managed care and integrated health care systems to provide them with the knowledge and skills they will need to function in the constantly changing health care environment. The college keeps pace with the changing health care system through partnerships with community, health, and educational organizations to better prepare students and residents for their future professional roles. It offers more than 100 internship, residency, and fellowship