Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (or LECOM) is a private, graduate school of medicine and pharmacy. The main campus is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1992, LECOM is a member of the Millcreek Health System in partnership with Millcreek Geriatric Education and Care Center, and physician offices of Medical Associates of Erie. In 2004 LECOM opened a branch campus in Bradenton, Florida. LECOM grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and the Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and also maintains a Post Baccalaureate Program, providing educational opportunities for students who need to enhance their basic science credentials for admission to medical or pharmacy school.

The Medical School has three learning pathways: a traditional Lecture Discussion Program, a Problem Based Learning Program, and an independent study program. This offers students a variety of ways to learn, allowing them to learn in the method that best suits them. The Erie campus offers all three pathways, while the Bradenton campus is solely Problem Based Learning. The Erie branch also offers a unique accelerated pathway to primary care, LECOM's Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP), which condenses four years of medical education into three years in order to graduate Primary Care physicians sooner.

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General information

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine located in Erie, Pennsylvania with a branch campus in Bradenton, Florida, is the nation's second largest medical college. Its mission is to train physicians to meet the country's growing demand for health care professionals. LECOM recognizes student-centered learning styles by offering three curriculum pathways. The traditional, lecture-discussion curriculum begins with core basic science and pre-clinical courses and progresses with a systems-based curriculum in year two. Problem-based learning offers small-group training following patient cases and Independent Study allows qualified students to use educational modules based on the core and systems curriculums.^[1]

Admissions

Admissions to Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is extremely competitive.^[2] The Princeton Review classifies its selectivity as "most competitive." For the class of 2010, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine matriculated less than 4% of those who applied, placing it as one of the most selective institutions in the world.^[3] The median MCAT score for admitted students is well above the national average, while the median GPA falls well into the competitive category. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have diverse academic backgrounds as well strong character and leadership. The average age of matriculation is 25.

Students

LECOM's main campus is located in Pennsylvania's fourth largest city and overlooks the beautiful Lake Erie. The city is a resort community with a large number of tourist, entertainment, and recreational facilities. Erie county has five colleges and supports several professional minor league teams in baseball, football, and hockey. LECOM Bradenton is located in a master-planned community in one of the fastest growing regions of Florida.^[4] Students of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine tend to score in the top percentile on their national Board Exams when compared to the national average among medical colleges. After completion of the first semester of Gross Anatomy, the average score on the NBME Shelf Exam for LECOM was 520, 30 points higher than the national average, with five LECOM students scoring between 750-770.^[5]

Graduates

Many alumni complete residencies and fellowships in many of the medical specialties including: Anesthesia, emergency medicine, family practice, ob/gyn, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, surgery, and urology. LECOM has developed postgraduate training at 26 hospitals. Graduates have matched for residencies at major hospitals around the country.^[6]