The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) has received full accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
This milestone signifies that the College has received final approval to offer the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. The degree allows graduates to become practicing physicians.
“We are thrilled to have achieved full COCA accreditation in a timely and responsible way,” said Dr. Tracy J. Farnsworth, President. “This important recognition reflects the excellent teaching and learning that occurs at ICOM, as well as the College’s conformance to rigorous academic standards.”
COCA accreditation indicates that a college has met or exceeded the national standards for educational quality. In this case, accreditation is effective for seven years and is based on an extensive review of the college, including an assessment of standards in curriculum, leadership, finances, facilities, staffing and graduate medical education outcomes. The college will provide COCA with periodic progress reports demonstrating compliance with all accreditation standards.
“Obtaining full accreditation as an osteopathic medical school is an enormous milestone for ICOM,” said Dr. Thomas J. Mohr, Dean and Chief Academic Officer. “It is the culmination of many years of hard work by an incredible team of faculty, staff, and administrators to ensure that the institution is providing the highest quality medical education for our students. We could not have achieved this goal without strong partnerships with Idaho State University, Idaho’s hospitals and clinics, and especially the physicians across the state who have so graciously allowed our student doctors to train alongside them. Idaho continues to be ranked last in the nation in physicians per capita, but we hope that in time, our graduates will expand access to healthcare for our local communities and our region.”
ICOM earned initial provisional accreditation from COCA in 2016, allowing administration to break ground on the campus and begin recruiting its first class of medical students. In 2017, COCA officials visited the college and granted a second provisional accreditation, or pre-accreditation. In preparation for earning full accreditation, ICOM began a self-study two and a half years ago. This involved an internal review of operations to ensure compliance with all of COCA’s standards of accreditation. The self-study was submitted in the fall of 2021 and a comprehensive site visit was conducted by COCA in early 2022.
The inaugural Class of 2022 graduated on Friday, May 13, when students officially earned their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees.