Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) is an osteopathic medicine school located in Parker, Colorado near Denver. The school is currently in the process of admitting its first class of medical students who will begin classes in the Fall of 2008.^[1]

For-profit status

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The accredidation of RVUCOM generated some controversy before the school held its first class. Like all osteopathic medical schools, RVUCOM is accredited by a board of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Unlike the other 28 osteopathic and 126 allopathic medical colleges in the U.S., RVUCOM is organized as a for-profit corporation.^[2] Critics claimed the AOA's approval of a for-profit school "erodes creditability" of osteopathic medical schools, especially in comparison to their allopathic counterparts. ^[3] The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits the M.D.-granting (allopathic) U.S. medical schools, has banned for-profit schools.^[4] Concerns were raised about the close ties of the RVU's founder and chancellor, Yife Tien to the American University of the Caribbean^[2][5], a for-profit medical school located outside the U.S. but attended by primarily U.S. citizens. School officials insist the for-profit status of the school will not compromise the integrity of its educational mission.^[6] AOA president Peter Ajluni responded, "there are many socially minded for-profit companies that contribute time, resources, and profits to their communities" and "for-profit institutions like RVUCOM can further the cause of osteopathic medicine in the United States."^[7]

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