The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine: A Leader in Osteopathic Medical Education
The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM) stands as a distinguished private medical school located in Portland, Maine. As Maine’s only medical school and the sole osteopathic medical school in New England, UNE COM plays a vital role in shaping future healthcare leaders. Founded in 1978, UNE COM is part of the University of New England and grants two degrees: the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and a Master of Medical Education Leadership.
Overview of UNE COM
UNE COM transforms students into healthcare leaders who advance patient-centered, high-quality osteopathic primary care, community health, and research for the people of Maine, New England, and the nation. The college was founded in 1978 by the New England Osteopathic Foundation. The following year, 1979, the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine merged with St. Francis College. In 1996, the University of New England merged with Westbrook College. The campus of the former Westbrook College is now known as the UNE Portland Campus, and it houses UNE's Westbrook College of Health Professions, College of Pharmacy, and College of Dental Medicine.
The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM) is a private medical school in Portland, Maine. Founded in 1978, the college is part of the University of New England and grants two degrees: the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and a Master of Medical Education Leadership. The college was founded in 1978 by the New England Osteopathic Foundation. The following year, 1979, the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine merged with St.
Motto: "Lucens et Ardens"Motto in English: "Ardor for Light"Type: Private medical schoolEstablished: 1978Parent institution: University of New EnglandBudget: $35.42 million
Core Values and Academic Environment
UNE COM's core values include professionalism, compassion, excellence, collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking. The academic environment is one of collaboration and support among the student body and with faculty members. The typical class size is 175-178 students, who come from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds. While approximately sixty - seventy (60-70) percent of the class is from New England, there are students from around the country. Some come directly from undergraduate studies, while others have completed master’s and professional degrees. The male/female ratio is about 50/50 and the average age of entering students is 23 years old.
Read also: Your Guide to New England Colleges
Curriculum and Educational Opportunities
UNE COM delivers a number of opportunities for you to enhance your educational experience. Live your passion and cultivate a desire for serving others.
The UNE COM curriculum is designed to develop osteopathic primary care and other specialized physicians who are skilled in health promotion and illness prevention, as well as the delivery of healthcare to the ill. contemporary, patient-focused curriculum that fosters life-long, self-directed, evidence-based learning and professional development. ME. During the first and second years, students will be exposed to patients in clinical settings, and are required to demonstrate clinical skills competency to progress in the program. acquire a deep understanding of structural human anatomy through rigorous academic study, coordinated with exploration and practice in the dissection lab, clinical skills lab, and in the clinic. manipulative medicine (OMM) is provided in the first two years, and supplemented, reinforced, and expanded in Years 3 and 4.
In addition to being focused on clinical experiences and competency, we value the role of research in all educational, clinical, and basic science activities. The Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN) endeavors to make innovative discoveries in the neurosciences. The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for the Study of Pain and Sensory Function works toward an understanding of the neurobiology of chronic pain, and the discovery and development of new therapies. standardized and real patients. The last two years of predoctoral training focuses on experiential learning in a clinical setting to further develop individual and team learning and to expand clinical acumen. The entire third year curriculum is conducted, over a twelve-month period, at one of the designated Clinical Campuses, located throughout New England and the Northeast region.
Clinical Rotations
Each third year student is required to complete 6-week rotations in Family Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Psychiatry, Surgery, and Pediatrics, as well as a 12-week rotation in Internal Medicine. Fourth year students are required to complete 4-week clerkships in emergency medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, a surgical subspecialty, a subspecialty of pediatrics or internal medicine, and rural health, through Maine's AHEC program. Students are then free to complete 19 weeks of electives in any specialty they want.
Dual Degree Programs
In addition to the DO degree, students at UNE COM may complete Masters in Public Health or a Master of Science in Medical Education Leadership (MMEL). UNE COM students can earn their Master of Public Health (MPH) degree fully online. The 46-credit hour curriculum is designed to enhance students’ skills in a variety of professional areas including analysis, communication, program development and planning, financial management, policy, ethics, and law.
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Post-Baccalaureate Program
UNE Online’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Certificate is a 18-30 credit program and is designed for students who want to pursue an advanced degree in healthcare or medicine but have yet to complete the required health science courses required for admission into health or medical school. With UNE Online’s competitive tuition and flexible, fully online course format, pursuing your Post-Bacc Pre-Health certificate allows you to complete your coursework sooner and more affordably.
This Post-Bacc Pre-Health certificate program has customizable curriculum, addressing the needs of students interested in applying to: medical school, PA (physicians assistant) school, veterinary school, pharmacy school, dental school, NP (nurse practitioner) school, PT (physical therapy) school, OT (occupational therapy) school, RD (registered dietitian) school, or other graduate health professional programs.
Students in the Post-Bacc Pre-Health certificate program will have the ability to work with an academic advisor to assist with laying out their course plan and structure to meet your individual needs and prepare you for the health or medical program of your choice. In addition, eligible students may be awarded a committee letter at the successful completion of the Post-Bacc program to assist with entry and acceptance into medical school.
Master of Science in Clinical Anatomy
The one-year Clinical Anatomy graduate certificate program amplifies your resume for admission to medical school. You’ll have successfully completed one year of anatomy education within our College of Osteopathic Medicine’s D.O. program, side-by-side with current medical students. The Clinical Anatomy certificate program incorporates some of the existing curriculum within the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree program. The program is centered around UNE’s donor anatomy lab - the only lab of its kind in southern Maine. The one-year anatomy certificate curriculum includes courses in the following topics:
- Medical donor Anatomy, where students develop an understanding of human structure and function at the donor anatomical level.-Medical Physiology, which introduces medical science knowledge, particularly physiology and pathophysiology.- Medical Embryology, which includes the study of the early development of human cells, tissues, and organs.- Medical Histology, which covers the study of microscopic anatomy and function of cells and tissues that make up the organ systems.
Read also: BU: Courses and Programs
Admissions Information
Applications, as verified and received from AACOMAS, are pre-screened for minimum requirements. Qualified candidates will receive an invitation to submit the supplemental application fee. Applications are reviewed for completion (prerequisites complete or in-progress for completion by 1/1/2025, embedded supplemental questions completed, supplemental application fee paid, all required Letters of Recommendation received, official MCAT scores submitted). Completed applications are holistically reviewed for interview invitation.
Admissions decisions are determined after each interview session and are on-going throughout the application cycle. Physician letter required? Virtual Shadowing Options? Accepts online coursework to fulfill prerequisite requirements? Accepts prerequisite coursework pass/fail grades? Will your institution waive MCAT exam requirements? Accepts online lab coursework? Supplemental Application Required? Qualified applicants will be invited to submit the supplemental application payment and move forward in the process. Considered on a case by case basis.
Osteopathic Medical College (COM) applicants may be asked to submit necessary matriculation documents, including a deposit, according to the following AACOMAS traffic guideline schedule:Those accepted prior to November 15 to have until December 14.Those accepted between November 15 and January 14 to have 30 daysThose accepted between January 15 and April 30 to have 14 days.
Prerequisite Requirements
Prerequisite requirements include eight semester hours of biology with labs, eight semester hours of physics with labs, eight semester hours of inorganic chemistry with labs, four semester hours of organic chemistry with lab, and three semester hours of biochemistry. In addition to the science prerequisites UNE COM also requires six semester hours of English composition or literature and six semester hours of behavioral science coursework (as classified by AACOMAS). The catalog-posted minimum GPA is 2.8 in both the sciences and overall, while the class average. The MCAT is required and should be no more than two years old at time of application.
Non-Academic Achievements
The following non-academic achievements are important in the evaluation process as well: leadership experience and organizational involvement; hands-on, patient-centered healthcare experience, whether volunteer or paid employment; and community service and volunteer experience. Passion and commitment to working with and serving others is important to the Committee on Admissions.
Campus and Facilities
The UNE medical school features state-of-the-art facilities on our beautiful Portland Campus for the Health Sciences, highlighted by the new Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences. This modern, spacious, and sustainably designed facility is home to UNE COM and enhances our ability to train more doctors and anatomists in a dynamic, interprofessional environment.
At UNE COM, you learn through an innovative curriculum in high-fidelity patient simulation labs and hands-on learning spaces for clinical skills, anatomy, and osteopathic manipulative medicine. It all happens in a close-knit community of inspired students, where you’re supported by expert faculty who teach in small groups and emphasize team-based and peer learning.
UNE COM is an integral part of a comprehensive health professions university, and interprofessional learning is central to our approach. With all health professions programs united on one campus you learn about, with, and from students from diverse disciplines, preparing you to collaborate effectively in today’s team-based care.
Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences
In 2025, UNE COM will be relocated to a newly constructed Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences in Portland, Maine on the Portland Campus. OPENING 2025! The Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences - a purpose-built, sustainably designed, bright, spacious, and technologically connected facility - will be the centerpiece of the transformed Portland campus. will be the new home for UNE COM as well as the Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice (CAIEP), which prepares students to work collaboratively and across disciplines. community space, allow the school to train more doctors, and connect future doctors with caregivers across the health professions - all furthering UNE’s leadership in medical and health professions education.
Other Campus Facilities
Innovation Hall: Includes the Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center, Graduate Admissions and UNE Online office, and a collection of classrooms and study spaces.The Josephine S. Abplanalp Library: Open 24 hours a day with access to online and traditional collections, as well as in-depth research, special collections and databases.The Beverly Burpee Finley Recreation Center: Offers a full fitness center and a variety of recreational, wellness and fitness programming for students.The Nor'easter cafe in Alexander Hall: The central dining area on Portland Campus.The Oral Health Center: The clinical home of UNE's College of Dental Medicine.The School of Pharmacy building: Devoted entirely to academic study and research in the field of pharmacy.UNE's on-campus dental hygiene clinic in the Coleman Dental Hygiene building: Serves as both a teaching facility and community service facility.Historic Alumni Hall: Has been restored to celebrate its rich alumni history.UNE's Art Gallery on the Portland Campus: Presents imaginative and thought-provoking shows that are open to the public.
Student Housing
Seavey Terraces, located at 40 Clover Lane in Westbrook, Maine - less than a 10-minute drive from UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences - offers 65 furnished apartments in a variety of styles for UNE graduate students.
Student Life
With more than 40 active clubs and organizations, the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine prides itself on providing a holistic out-of-classroom experience. Our co-curricular activities give you the opportunity to put what you are learning in the classroom into practice, while also providing you the space to heighten skills that produce more engaged community members, innovative practitioners, and - ultimately - more balanced individuals.
UNE COM values dynamic learning environments that prepare our students to be effective leaders and collaborative health professionals. The Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice (CAIEP) engages UNE undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of cross-disciplinary experiential activities, immersive service-learning opportunities, team-based community initiatives, and collaborative research projects.
There are many different intramural sports for you to take part in, as well as fitness classes - as a participant or instructor. COM recognizes and supports the role of research in all of its educational, clinical and basic science activities. Research is fundamental to, consistent with, and a prerequisite for excellence in teaching and the creation of a scholarly atmosphere for learning.
Community service is a large part of student life here at UNE COM. Students take part in a variety of events that integrate their classroom experiences, strengthen their leadership development, and give back to the greater community. These events provide educational opportunities to the public and, in turn, help UNE COM students become better physicians and people. The holistic approach of osteopathic medicine lends itself to a culture of giving that is reciprocally beneficial.
Part of what defines UNE COM is the commitment to provide high-touch community service to underserved populations of people both within our own community and abroad.
Student Affiliate Organizations
With more than 40 active clubs and organizations, the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine prides itself on providing a holistic out-of-classroom experience. Our co-curricular activities give you the opportunity to put what you are learning in the classroom into practice, while also providing you the space to heighten skills that produce more engaged community members, innovative practitioners, and - ultimately - more balanced individuals.
Interprofessional Experiences and Collaboration
UNE COM values dynamic learning environments that prepare our students to be effective leaders and collaborative health professionals.
The Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice (CAIEP)
CAIEP engages UNE undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of cross-disciplinary experiential activities, immersive service-learning opportunities, team-based community initiatives, and collaborative research projects.
Intramural Sports
There are many different intramural sports for you to take part in, as well as fitness classes - as a participant or instructor.
Student Research Opportunities
COM recognizes and supports the role of research in all of its educational, clinical and basic science activities. Research is fundamental to, consistent with, and a prerequisite for excellence in teaching and the creation of a scholarly atmosphere for learning.
Volunteer Opportunities
Community service is a large part of student life here at UNE COM. Students take part in a variety of events that integrate their classroom experiences, strengthen their leadership development, and give back to the greater community.
These events provide educational opportunities to the public and, in turn, help UNE COM students become better physicians and people. The holistic approach of osteopathic medicine lends itself to a culture of giving that is reciprocally beneficial. Part of what defines UNE COM is the commitment to provide high-touch community service to underserved populations of people both within our own community and abroad.
Osteopathic Medicine
Osteopathic medicine is a distinct American branch of evidence-based, mainstream medicine that stresses wellness, promoting health, and preventing illness as much as treating disease. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine are physicians, surgeons, and other specialists who emphasize a holistic approach to treatment and care. D.O.s employ a full range of medical treatment options, including surgery, nutrition, medication, and manual medicine.
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) are one of two types of fully-licensed medical doctors in the United States, and practice in every medical specialty. D.O.s can work either independently, as associates or partners in group practices, or as employees of hospitals, medical groups, and the government, including the military. D.O.s can also work in an academic, research, or pharmaceutical setting.
D.O. physicians and surgeons have demanding training requirements. Becoming a D.O. Pre-clerkship is on-campus training where the fundamental knowledge of anatomy, manual medicine, clinical skills, and laboratory sciences are taught primarily in a lecture, small group, simulation, and lab setting. Students also gain knowledge from biomedical science courses in these types of settings. Unlike in other types of education, students at osteopathic medical school are assessed for competency of skill in Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) as well as traditional clinical skills, and graded from knowledge-based exams.
Clerkship takes place primarily while students are rotating on various specialty services at clinics or hospitals exposing the students first-hand to what is involved in providing medical care in different settings. D.O. students must also pass national board exams to progress, and may take M.D. board examinations, as well. Once clerkship is completed, D.O.s complete further training at D.O. and/or M.D. residencies.
UNE COM Graduates
UNE COM has more than 3,300 graduates working in primary care and specialty fields around the country. Approximately 60-65 percent of each class pursues residency programs in family practice, general internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics. Others choose to bring a patient-centered approach to a wide variety of specialties including emergency medicine, anesthesiology, psychiatry, general and orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation, to name a few. Others will specialize in neuromuscular medicine (NMM).
Demand for doctors in the American Healthcare System continues to grow faster than the supply, with a shortfall of between 61,700 and 94,700. Job growth for physicians is projected to increase into the foreseeable future.
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