Welcome

The Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation is now accepting applications for medical tuition scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year. For details, please visit their website at nwosteo.org.

In response to the need for physicians in the northwest, we created the Northwest Track; a program for 30 qualified students who are residents of or graduates from colleges in six states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington or Wyoming. Northwest track osteopathic medical students complete their first two years of study at our main campus in Pomona, CA. Their third and fourth year clinical rotations take place in affiliated hospitals in Oregon and Washington (excluding elective clerkship experiences which can be taken anywhere). Read a newspaper article about this unique opportunity.

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) perform surgery, deliver babies, and prescribe medicine in hospitals and medical centers around the country. Whether they are family doctors or specialists, DOs use all the tools of modern medicine and more. 

What distinguishes DOs? A whole-person approach that emphasizes the body's interconnectedness, the ability to diagnose and treat using their hands (OMM) (hover over for a definition of OMM) and treating each patient as an individual, not a set of symptoms. Read more about the history of osteopathic medicine.

During your four years at the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), you will develop expertise in diagnosis and learn the problem-solving skills you need to treat and care for the whole patient through:

• basic science
• in-depth study of 10 human organ systems using basic and clinical sciences
• 20 rotations comprised of the major medical disciplines and electives

Watch a Video on the NorthWest Track (15 min) 

Why choose WesternU? We have a nationally recognized program and offer you:

• a record of consistently high first-time pass rates for COMLEX board exams.
• early and extensive clinical training that develops professional and communication skills. 
• a reputation for well trained graduates who receive multiple high-paying job offers.
• a private health professions-focused institution that fosters interprofessional learning. 
• state-of-the-art classrooms and research facilities.
• faculty who care deeply about students and are committed to their success.
• long humanistic tradition of treating patients as people first; treating students with respect; and fostering camaraderie among students.
• outstanding student support services including tutoring and disability resources. 
• diverse student body and rich array of student club and volunteer opportunities.
• Southern California location with tremendous clinical training opportunities as well as access to
  major cultural and recreational resources.
• a chance to join well-respected WesternU-COMP alumni, who enjoy a lifelong connection with the University.

The training you receive at WesternU will prepare you well for the postdoctoral training years of your choice, with an emphasis on clinical care. We will help you build the foundation you need for a rewarding career as a physician caring for patients and their families.

For more information, please join us for an information session,
complete the information request form or contact us.

Meet some of our DO students, faculty and alumni and read their candid thoughts about their experiences at WesternU. Move your mouse over each picture to read more about that individual or read profiles of numerous students, faculty and alumni.

Arriel Atienza DO, Class of 2009, North West Track	Susan Mackintosh, DO, MPH Assistant Professor & Curriculum Advisor	Charles Maynard, DO DO, Class of 1983
Western University gives me the chance to live my life the way I like, to "Work Hard and Play Hard". I see my academic program to be quite challenging, and I find myself dedicating a number of hours in its execution. The rigors of my program, balanced with equally rigorous (and stress relieving) extracurricular activities like SCUBA diving, running, rock climbing, horseback riding, off-road driving, and worldwide travel. WesternU gives me the opportunity to exercise my whole self -- to aggressively challenge my mind and spirit. Unique aspect of the DO program: The ECM course combines a multitude of different areas that will affect the future physician in his or her lifetime career. We teach everything from communicating with patients and taking a history and physical, to developing a diagnosis and plan, to the business of medicine, and even topics such as disaster response. Courses Taught: Essentials of Clinical Medicine Service Learning Physician in Society Interprofessional Education Research Interests: Public /Community Health Disaster Preparedness Bioethics E-mail me Why WesternU: My family doctor and mentor, Dr. Travis Ferguson, suggested I apply. (Growing up with Dr. Ferguson a few doors away, I didn't really understand what an MD was. I thought all doctors were DOs!) Beyond the classroom: Dr. Steven Horowitz [LSP1]and I would connect again years after graduation, this time I was a very ill patient and he was the physician who kept me alive for years. His compassion and clinical knowledge are the reason I am alive today.