Curriculum Overview

Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM) utilizes a helical curriculum with an emphasis on active learning and problem solving to prepare its students to meet the competencies established by the profession, and to provide the opportunity for students to obtain the level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of osteopathic physicians. Emphasizing an interdisciplinary collaboration, the curriculum guides students to develop a holistic, osteopathic approach to medicine. We continuously correlate basic science information and methodology with fundamental clinical application. The curriculum utilizes early clinical experiences, medical outreach opportunities, classroom lecture demonstration, active and team-based learning presentations, hands-on laboratory sessions, small-group, casebased learning, the use of standardized patients and simulation, as well as guided independent study opportunities to achieve this outcome. Our innovative curriculum is designed to fulfill our mission of providing fully trained and competent students who will be prepared to enter graduate medical education. An emphasis is placed on preparing our students to become primary care physicians.

The goals of the curriculum are to foster not only the acquisition of knowledge and skills, but also the assessment, evaluation, and application of factual knowledge in the clinical context. ARCOM strives to produce graduates who are skilled in the science of patient-centered osteopathic medical care dedicated to the ethical and social principles of the osteopathic profession, committed to lifelong learning, and focused on service to the underserved. ARCOM seeks to teach students the techniques they will require to continue to learn and grow professionally and personally throughout their lifetime.