AACOM Hosts 2019 Choose DO Medical School Expo

In preparation for the May 2 opening of the 2019-2020 AACOMAS application cycle, 219 prospective students and their guests traveled from 15 states to Washington, DC to participate in the Choose DO Medical School Expo. This event, held on April 11 during Educating Leaders 2019, the AACOM Annual Conference, was geared toward aspiring physicians interested in learning more about the osteopathic medical profession and meeting with member colleges.

dan_krajcik_choosedomedexpo The evening began with a lively and engaging introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of osteopathic medicine by Dan Krajcik, DO. Dr. Krajcik, or "Dr Dan" as his patients and colleagues now know him, is a first-year Family Medicine resident at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, OH. After working in cardiovascular research at the Cleveland Clinic, he attended the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) for medical school. He was active in medical school, serving as his school's Student Government President, later continuing his leadership on the national level with the student government leadership council within AACOM. Dr. Krajcik’s presentation gave an overview on the pathways to medicine included a case study presentation with audience participation, discussed the overall growth of the profession, and reminded participants that an aspiring physician should “partner with patients, develop relationships, think outside the box, build communities, and work toward health for all."

admissions_panel_choosedomedexpo Attendees of the Medical School Expo all have one common goal in mind: To become a physician. The second presentation of the evening was a panel of admissions representatives invited to help guide participants through the biggest hurdle of becoming a physician: admissions. The admissions experts who served on the panel were Nigel James, MBA, Admissions Recruiter at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Daniel Goodpaster, MS, Director of Enrollment Management for the Marian University Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine, Whitney Porter, MA, Director of Admissions at Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Katie Ruger, EdD, Associate Dean, for Admissions and Student Life at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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Last but not least, attendees were given the opportunity to hear from current medical students, who discussed why they chose osteopathic medical education, relayed their experiences, and answered many questions from the audience.

After the presentations concluded, attendees made their way to the Medical School Expo where 30 colleges with locations across the country participated in providing materials and resources specific to their colleges and imparting knowledge and advice for the admissions process. The participating institutions are listed below. AACOM staff also hosted a booth to help answer any questions about the 2019-2020 AACOMAS application, which opened for submissions on May 2, 2019.

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The Choose DO Medical School Expo was a great success among attendees. In a recent survey, 92.5 percent of respondents ranked the event as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent.’ Ninety-five percent of respondents said they were likely to apply to a DO school after attending the event. One pre-med student described their experience saying, “Really great and organized event. I can't imagine how anyone who attended could be dissatisfied with the information given. The admissions panel was very informative and the students on the panel were very professional. The medical school fair was great as well and the admissions representatives from all schools seemed quite eager to talk and converse with students!” Another attendee found the event a great space for networking and getting questions answered describing, “[AACOM] did an awesome job. [AACOM Staff] were able to fill in on topics that might have been unknown to speakers, which allowed us to get any questions we had answered. I was able to network and make friends that could make for potential connections in the future.”

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The admissions representatives who attended the Medical School Expo described their experience with, “This was such an awesome event—I had a line at my table the whole time and we got to dive into some greater conversations than just, ‘What is osteopathic medicine?’” Another representative shared the positive outcomes for students who attended the fair; “[the Medical School Expo was a] huge success. We had six recruiters at our table and could barely keep up with the crowd. One candidate gained an interview after visiting our table, another who was on our wait list gained acceptance after his visit!”

Medical Schools in attendance:

AACOM Hosts 2019 Choose DO Medical School Expo

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