Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)

History about the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) was established by two doctors; Rev. Mason W. Pressly and Oscar John Snyder; on 24^th January 1899. It was first known as Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) and the college awarded its first degree in February 1990, to a class of one woman and one MD. PCIO was renamed to Philadelphia College of Osteopathy (PCO) in May 1921 and in 1967 the school became Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).

With time the student enrollment grew and the college established its first campus at 33rd and Arch Streets, a suburban neighborhood in West Philadelphia. The campus was a mansion with beautiful lawns where the college started to grow more professionally and student life was developed by establishing the organization of athletics, professional societies, fraternities, and sororities.

The College moved to 1715 N. Broad Street (1908-1912), then to 832 Pine Street in the city’s Society Hill section, where a hospital, later on, came to fruition at 410 S. Ninth Street. Then in 1916, the College purchases its first building at 19th and Spring Garden streets, in 1921 it added a hospital and acquired two adjacent townhouses—one for additional classrooms and clinics, the other for a nurses’ home.

In 1951, the College bought the Women’s Homeopathic Hospital and changed its name to the North Center Hospital. This was the training ground for many of the students, interns, nurses, and residents of the College. In 1952, the College shifted to a Moss Estate located at City Avenue and Monument Road.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Departments

Department of Biomedical Sciences
Department of Clinical Psychology
Department of Counseling
Department of Emergency Medicine
Department of Family Medicine
Department of Forensic Medicine
Department of Geriatrics
Department of Internal Medicine
Department of Library & Educational Information Systems
Department of Medical Humanities
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Organizational Development & Leadership
Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Department of Pharmacy Practice
Department of Physical Therapy
Department of Physician Assistant Studies
Department of Professional Development and Online Learning
Department of Psychiatric Medicine
Department of Radiological Sciences
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Department of School Psychology
Department of Surgery

Programs & Degrees

Osteopathic Medicine
Osteopathic Post-Graduate Training
Pharmacy (Pharm-D)
Physical Therapy (DPT)
Clinical Psychology (PSYD)
School Psychology (MS, EDS, PSYD)
Educational Psychology (PHD)
Biomedical Sciences (MS, CGS)
Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology (MS)
Mental Health Counseling (MS)
Physician Assistant Studies (MS in Health Sciences)
Applied Behavior Analysis (Certificates – Online)
Non-Profit Leadership and Population Health Management (MS, CGS, GAGS)
Organizational Development and Leadership (MS, Certificates)
Public Health Management and Administration (MS, CGS, GAGS)
Forensic Medicine (MS, Pathway)
Medical Simulation (Certificate)
Psychology Certificates (CGS, GAGS)
Online Programs
Applied Behavior Analysis (CAGS, CGS)
Forensic Medicine (Pathway Program)
Medical Simulation (Certificate

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Admission Requirements

The applicant should have attained a bachelor degree from an accredited college or university.

The applicant should have 8 semester hours of Biology, including two semester hours of laboratory.

The applicant should have 8 semester hours of Physics, including two semester hours of laboratory.

The applicant should have 16 semester hours of Chemistry, including 4 semester hours of laboratory; at least 4 of the 16 required semester hours must be organic chemistry (with lab) and at least 3 semester hours must be biochemistry.

The applicant should have 6 semester hours of English composition and literature.

The applicant should have attained the following MCAT requirements:

Official MCAT exam scores from an exam taken within three years of the desired date of matriculation.

PCOM does not have minimum MCAT requirements for the DO program.

Generally, a competitive MCAT is at or above 500 with 125 for each subsection.

GPA requirements are:

PCOM does not have minimum GPA requirements for the DO program.

The averages for all PCOM Classes of 2023 were (as calculated by AACOMAS):

Cumulative GPA : 3.5

Overall Science GPA: 3.4

Application Procedure

PCOM takes admission applications via the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). The applicant can visit AACOM official website to see the application procedure and requirements.

Letters of Recommendation

The Letter of Recommendation requirement for DO admission is as follows:

A letter of recommendation from your pre-health or academic advisor/committee (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate programs). NOTE: This is the preferred letter of recommendation by the DO Faculty Committee on Admissions.

Three faculty letters of recommendation: Two of those three letters must be from SCIENCE professors (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate programs). The remaining required letter can come from any other faculty member.

After the applications are completed and submitted the selected applicants are called in for interviews. Interviews being in mid-September and are conducted till March of the next year. The selected applicant is sent an email which includes a date of the interview.

Admission Decisions and Enrollment Confirmations

Interviewed candidates are usually notified via U.S. Postal Service within 4-6 weeks of their interview date.

PCOM follows the AACOMAS Traffic Guidelines, therefore accepted applicants are asked to send a $250 non-refundable tuition prepayment according to the following schedule:

Those accepted prior to November 15 will have until December 14
Those accepted between November 15 and January 14 will have 30 days
Those accepted between January 15 and May 14 will have 14 days
Those accepted on or after May 15 may be asked for an immediate deposit

All accepted applicants are also required to remit a $1,500 non-refundable deposit by April 15 of that year. The candidate is also asked to review and acknowledge PCOM’s Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation (PDF) by sending the completed/signed forms to techstandards@pcom.edu.

Cost of Attendance

Clinical Psychology (PSYD)

Educational Psychology (PhD)

$909 per credit 500-level courses

$983 per credit 600-level courses

$1,174 per credit 700-level courses

Year	1	2	3	4	5
Terms enrolled	3	4	4	4	4
Months enrolled	9	12	12	12	12
Estimated credit hours	31.0	25.5	13.5	15.0	4.0
Estimated tuition	$38,874	$31,977	$16,929	$18,810	$5,016
School fee	$562	$750	$750	$750	$750
Tuition and fees	$39,436	$32,727	$17,679	$19,560	$5,766
Room, board, and utilities	$17,325	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100
Books and supplies	$525	$552	$532	$648	$252
Instruments and equipment	$162	$552	$432	$208	–
Personal	$1,800	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400
Transportation	$1,350	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800
Health insurance	$1,800	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400
Federal Stafford loan fee	$356	$396	$396	$396	$396
TOTAL	$62,754	$63,927	$48,739	$50,512	$36,114

Year	1
Terms enrolled	3
Months enrolled	9
Estimated credited hours	19.0
Estimated tuition	$22,306
School fee	$562
Tuition and fees	$22,868
Room, board, and utilities	$17,325
Books and supplies	$356
Personal	$1,800
Transportation	$1,350
Health insurance	$1,800
Federal Stafford loan fees	$216
TOTAL	$46,579

Osteopathic Medicine (DO)

Year	1	2	3	4
Terms enrolled	3	3	4	4
Months enrolled	9	9	12	12
Estimated tuition	$51,972	$51,972	$51,972	$51,972
School fee	$750	$750	$750	$750
Tuition and fees	$52,722	$52,722	$52,722	$52,722
Room, board, and utilities	$17,325	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100
Books and supplies	$501	$600	$1,000	$500
Instruments and equipment	$201	$201	$300	–
Personal	$1,800	$1,800	$2,400	$2,400
Transportation	$1,350	$1,350	$3,000	$3,000
Health insurance	$1,800	$1,800	$2,400	$2,400
Federal Stafford loan fee	$432	$432	$500	$500
Board exam	–	$660	$660	–
TOTAL	$76,131	$76,890	$86,082	$84,622

Pharmacy (Pharm D)

Year	1	2	3	4
Terms enrolled	3	3	3	4
Months enrolled	9	9	9	12
Estimated tuition	$39,552	$39,552	$39,552	$39,552
School fee	$750	$750	$750	$750
Tuition and fees	$40,302	$40,302	$40,302	$40,302
Room, board, and utilities	$17,325	$17,325	$17,325	$17,325
Books and supplies	$930	$552	$501	$500
Instruments and equipment	$1,002	$252	$501	$500
Personal	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800	$2,400
Transportation	$1,350	$1,350	$1,350	$3,000
Health insurance	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800	$2,400
Federal Stafford loan fee	$348	$348	$346	$396
TOTAL	$64,857	$63,729	$63,927	$72,598

Physical Therapy (DPT)

Year	1	2	3
Terms enrolled	4	4	4
Months enrolled	12	12	12
Estimated tuition	$29,036	$29,036	$29,036
School fee	$750	$750	$750
Tuition and fees	$29,786	$29,786	$29,786
Room, board, and utilities	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100
Books and supplies	$1,000	$500	$500
Instruments and equipment	$1,000	$500	$500
Personal	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400
Transportation	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800
Health insurance	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400
Federal Stafford loan fee	$216	$216	$216
TOTAL	$61,702	$60,702	$60,702

School Psychology (PSYD)

$909 per credit 500-level courses

$983 per credit 600-level courses

$1,174 per credit 700-level courses

Year	1	2	3	4	5
Terms enrolled	4	4	4	4	4
Months enrolled	12	12	12	12	12
Estimated credit hours	32.0	31.0	25.0	20.0	4.0
Estimated tuition	$31,049	$31,307	$28,204	$23,480	$4,696
School fee	$750	$750	$750	$750	$750
Tuition and fees	$31,799	$32,057	$28,954	$24,230	$5,446
Room, board, and utilities	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100	$23,100
Books and supplies	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500
Personal	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400	$2,400
Transportation	$1,350	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800
Health insurance	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800	$1,800
Federal Stafford loan fee	$216	$216	$216	$216	$216
TOTAL	$62,215	$62,473	$59,370	$54,646	$35,862

Clubs & Organizations

National Organizations

American Medical Association (AMA)
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)
American Pharmacist Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists
Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA)
Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (AMOPS)
Association of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP)
Christian Medical Dental Association (CMDA)
LGBT Alliance of Students Organized for Health
Medical Students for Choice
Muslim Student Medical Association
National Community Pharmacists Association
National Latino Health Organization (NLHO)
Phi Sigma Gamma Fraternity
Physicians for Human Rights Club
Sigma Sigma Phi Honorary Osteopathic Service Fraternity
Student American Academy of Osteopathy (SAAO)
Student American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (SAOASM)
Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA)
Student Osteopathic Surgical Association (SOSA)
Student Society of the American Academy of Physician Assistants

Professional Organizations

Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Interest Group
Anesthesiology Club
Biomedical Sciences Club
Business in Medicine
Clinical Neuroscience Society
Dermatology Club
Emergency Medicine Club
Genetics in Medicine Club
Geriatrics Club
Internal Medicine Club
Jewish Medical Association
Nutrition in Medicine Club
Obstetrics-Gynecology Club
Oncology Club
Ophthalmology Club
Orthopedic Club
Otolaryngology Club
Pathology Club
Pathology Club
PLAY Club (Pediatrics)
Psychiatry Club
Psychology Society
Public Health Club
Radiology Club
Robert Berger, DO Pediatrics Society

Sports, Recreation and General Interest Clubs

Art of Healing
Basketball
Coalition for Healthcare, Humanities and the Arts
Deck Hockey
Flag Football
Graduates Representing Academic Achievement Diversity and Service
Ice Hockey Team
Kappa Sigma Phi Women’s Osteopathic Society
PCOM East
PCOM Fit
PCOM Pulmonics
Physicians for Humanity
Runner’s Club
Soccer Club
Volleyball Club
Wilderness in Medicine Club

After Getting into Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – PCOM:

There are some tips and tricks that need to be kept in mind to effectively get through Medicine School by demonstrating excellent performance and utilization of skills.

It is a renowned fact that Medicine School is no joke. It requires effort, long sleepless hours, immense hard work, meeting deadlines, and so forth. Thus it is especially essential to follow some core fundamental techniques to get you by.

Study on daily basis:

This phrase is the most commonly used phrase across the world. But this holds an integral importance when it comes to Medicine School. And why is that? Because tackling medicine school on a day-to-day basis is the sole way of ensuring a representable place in the classroom. Medicine school requires versatility in nature, adaptability in routine, resilient and tough working hours where you can either make or break; depending on the way you take this experience. Thus, it is imperative to perform a day-to-day study to ensure your survival; which becomes a necessity, if not an option to many students.

Ability to meet deadlines:

The ability to meet deadlines is an integral part of any institute around the world. This is the primary need of any institute, be it medicine, business, engineering, etc. Meeting deadlines timely is specifically required of the student. If the student, for any reason, is unable to meet his/her deadlines; this, as a result, portrays a lack of professionalism, inability or unwillingness to learn thereby reckoning survival impossible.

Study smartly:

Studying non-stop or studying 18 hours out of 24 hours is an extremely common phenomenon among the students in Medicine School. This capability of long hours of studying by the students sometimes may eliminate or diminish the ‘smart study’ factor. This occurs due to students being overly stressed, paralyzing their brains from thinking smartly or outside the box. Situations like these give rise to long unproductive studying sessions, which consequently, bear no fruit.

Najeeb’s Lectures:

To say the least, these lectures have been a game-changer. These lectures transformed productively and innovatively, the way students study and demonstrate their hard work and their skills. It cannot be emphasized adequately as to how crucial and how much importance every lecture holds in the field of Medicine. Every lecture defines the paradigms of future lectures, thereby missing out on a single lecture create conceptual distortions and ambiguities, thereby paralyzing future concepts. But in the worst of scenarios, there could be valid reasons surrounding the need to leave a lecture.

That’s when Dr. Najeeb’s lectures come into play. These lectures shed light on many crucial concepts to facilitate future concepts.

These lectures are a click away, and the way they enlighten the students on the puzzling and technical concepts in an easy way is mind-blowing. The subjects encompassing these lectures are Neuro-Anatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology. The teaching style in these lectures is extremely versatile and flexible; this is because students all over the world are viewing these lectures and the quality is accommodated by adapting to a diverse set of teaching skills, making it comprehensible for the students viewing it.

Furthermore, incorporation of visual representation is also accommodated to aid in betting understandability of the vast concepts surrounding this field. The use of the application, with the vast Internet usage, makes it easier and simpler for students to view the lectures from their phones because the availability of laptops may not always be present. Lastly, these lectures will transform your life in the best way possible, if given a fair chance to do so. Furthermore, following these tips will also ensure the necessary success in this field.

Don’t give up and never lose hope, keep our tricks and tips in mind and Good luck!