NEWS
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
WVSOM ’ s Class of 2022 Achieves 99 % Residency Placement Rate
Additionally , 88 % of WVSOM Class of 2022 graduates matched to one of their top choices of residency programs , as self-reported by graduates .
Linda Boyd , DO , WVSOM ’ s vice president for academic affairs and dean , praised the class for its success in residency placement .
“ We work hard to support our students in getting the residency of their choice . WVSOM has a great reputation in training doctors to perform well from the beginning of residency ,” Boyd said . “ However , most of the work comes from the students themselves , who study hard for four years to learn their profession , including building a strong foundation of knowledge in science and medicine , as well as practicing the art of medicine by listening to patients and doing physical exams and procedures . Many students also do research while at WVSOM to build a skill set in scientific inquiry . Medical school is incredibly rigorous , and we ’ re proud of our students ’ accomplishments .”
In a key measure of the success of its graduates , the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine ( WVSOM ) placed 99 % of its Class of 2022 into residency programs — 2 % higher than the school ’ s 2021 residency placement rate .
James W . Nemitz , PhD , WVSOM ’ s president , said the school ’ s high placement rate is especially notable at a time when the growth in the number of United States ( US ) medical students is outpacing the growth of graduate training programs .
Although WVSOM ’ s graduates can enter any specialty , part of the school ’ s mission is to train physicians to practice in primary care , which encompasses family medicine , internal medicine , pediatrics , and obstetrics / gynecology . A total of 105 graduates in WVSOM ’ s Class of 2022 , or 55.3 % of those who matched , are entering primary care residencies .
Other popular specialties for 2022 graduates of the school include emergency medicine , with 27 graduates ; general surgery , with 10
“ I am proud of our graduates and their success in securing residencies at a time when there are more applicants applying for residencies than positions available ,” Nemitz said . “ The successful placement of our graduates is the culmination of hard work by our students , faculty and staff . WVSOM continues to be a leader in providing quality , highly competent , compassionate osteopathic physicians to serve our communities .”
According to a report by the National Resident Matching Program ( NRMP ), the nonprofit organization responsible for placing most medical school graduates into residency programs , the 2022 match rate for new US graduates receiving Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine ( DO ) degrees was 91.3 %— an all-time high — while the match rate for those receiving Doctor of Medicine degrees was 92.9 %.
After completing medical school , new physicians train in residency programs for three to seven years in order to qualify for medical licensure . A total of 190 of the 192 on-cycle graduates in WVSOM ’ s Class of 2022 matched to residencies .
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