West Virginia University School of Medicine

About West Virginia University School of Medicine

A story of growth and change – The West Virginia University got its name in 1868, just a year after establishment as the Agriculture College of West Virginia. Alongside some medical courses being part of the curriculum in the university’s earliest years, the first comprehensive medical education program was not established until 1903. By 1912, an independent school offering a 2-year basic science curriculum was established and by 1945 a medical technology program was established. By 1960, along with the University Hospital opening, a four-year curriculum was offered at the WVU School of Medicine and the University hospital also opened for patients in the same year.

Today WVU’s Health Sciences Center is a large, modern medical complex including Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health, three hospitals, a physician office building, state-of-the-art cancer, and eye centers and a $40 million facility that houses the Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute.

At West Virginia University the School of Medicine serves more than 2,500 students studying in a variety of programs, including medicine, physical and occupational therapy, laboratory science (formerly medical technology), exercise physiology, continuing medical education, public health sciences, and others. With faculty members providing advanced clinical care to more than 100,000 West Virginians throughout the state. All the while advancements are taking place with the institution making major investments, focusing on new state-of-the-art facilities and improvements in education, research, as well as clinical care.

An Overview – Why would you want to be associated with WVU School of Medicine

What WVU stands for,

their mission: to transform lives and eliminate health disparities – through this they remain at the service of West Virginia and its people. With this and more, a WVU medical education can prepare you for a challenging career in medicine, research, and academia. With rural health experience being mandatory as part of the curriculum, many graduates choose to specialize in this field and help meet the state’s medical needs. With such experience, the students can learn better and have a more hands-on experience.

The culture at WVU School of Medicine,

connected through students, teachers, staff, practitioners, and researchers who value health and wellness the WVU community stands tall and proud. Supporting a culture of purpose, accountability, honesty, and gratitude that prepares you to be resilient and confident as you care for people, conduct research and transform lives. At the West Virginia University School of Medicine, educating health professionals, providing thousands of people with medical care, and conducting lifesaving research are things to be focused upon. As a student here you will get the opportunity to work side-by-side with doctors, scientists and health professionals in the University’s modern hospitals, clinics, and laboratories.

Multiple campuses

lead to ample opportunity in the wide net of “bases” the students have as they undergo part of their training at off-campus sites where they learn the demands of rural healthcare first-hand. Having three campuses, you as students have a chance to learn from professionals that practice at medical offices, clinics, and hospitals across the state. WVU has medical school campuses in Morgantown, Charleston, and Martinsburg, as well as relationships with hospitals and physicians in rural areas throughout the state – all of which help you due to the broadened geographical setting.

Your career opportunities,

if you apply here, the School of Medicine’s health programs will allow you to explore careers in physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, immunology and medical microbiology, medical laboratory science, health informatics and information management, and as a pathologists’ assistant. As a health professional student, you will get to participate in research, clinical rotations, and advanced studies that will prepare you for professional careers and offer a pathway towards turning your career into a strong one.

Service to the State,

West Virginia has long suffered from disparities in disease, injury, health behaviors, and health status. Under-served populations in rural areas, and poor or elderly citizens in every community, often are alienated from the health care system or find it difficult to approach a decent medical care center. At WVU it is believed that the university has a social responsibility to the entire state of West Virginia. The School of Medicine strives with the social and political to be involved in the health and wellbeing of every citizen of the state. More than a decade ago a conscious decision was made to broaden the commitment to mobilize the students, faculty, and resources in service to the state. “Our preference is to act, not just talk.” Hence, understanding the importance of community ownership shared decision making takes place with the community. For this, “state-wide approach” Students and faculty must be physically present for extended periods in places at great distances from the campuses in order to have a real impact on the health of the people who live in these areas. All the while as a student you will be expected to meet and exceed the academic and clinical standards of the respected curriculum. All of the community service initiatives that the West Virginia University of Medicine takes are organized either to provide direct support to people impacted by these health disparities or to empower people and communities to achieve lasting changes that will reduce these health issues.

Statistics,

60+ research labs in our facility, 13th nationally in training rural-medicine doctors, 82% of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their field, 5,000+ applicants for 110 positions at the School of Medicine. Diverse WVU students come from all 50 states, 108 countries and speak 100 different languages, $87 million in scholarships was awarded to WVU students during the 2016-17 academic year, 42,113 Outpatient surgeries completed in 2018, 277,954 Emergency Department visits in 2018. Occupational Therapy boasts an impressive 100% employment rate after certification. Physical Therapy boasts an impressive 100% employment rate. 4 specialty tracks for medical students in global health, rural health, culinary and lifestyle medicine and accelerated curriculum (MATTER). Accelerated curriculum MD students can finish school in 3.5 years through the MATTER program. 100 hours of community service are completed by each medical student before graduation.

Alumni,

the alumni are kept motivated and informed about the school through The Alumni Affairs program which provides them with opportunities for service, involvement, and support.

How to Apply

West Virginia University composes of a diverse Medical Degree Program that is prepared for a range of medical career options. Here at WVU, you get the chance to become physician leaders who can advance biomedical research and improve local, national, and global health. This will be accomplished through a curriculum in which students learn the core basic sciences in the first and second years and complete core clinical clerkships and scholarly investigation in the third and fourth years.

Admission requirements,

• 4 units of English (including grammar, composition, and literature)
• 3 units of college preparatory mathematics (units must be Algebra I or higher, Math I or higher and include Algebra II; Transitional Math for High School Seniors will also be accepted)
• 4 units of social studies/fine arts (any combination of social studies, fine arts or humanities will fulfill the requirement; combination must include U.S. studies/history)
• 3 units of science (recommended units include biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, and environmental science)
• 2 units of the same world language (American Sign Language is acceptable)
• West Virginia residents: minimum 2.0 cumulative high school GPA and either a super scored ACT composite of 19 or a super scored SAT Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math Section score of 990.
• Nonresidents: minimum 2.5 cumulative high school GPA and either a super scored ACT composite of 21 or a super scored SAT Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math Section score of 1060.
• All applications must be accompanied by a transcript
• An SAT and/or ACT standardized test score is required of all first-time freshman applicants. WVU does not require the writing portion of the ACT or essay for the SAT.
• Minimum of 3.8 GPA for medicine

First-time freshmen,

• Freshmen Application and include the nonrefundable fee. $50 for in-state and out-of-state applicants and $65 for international applicants.
• Send transcripts of previous schoolwork or self-report your courses and grades.
• Submit your ACT and/or SAT scores to WVU

Interviews

• September through March
• Each applicant will have two twenty-minute interviews conducted by members of the Committee on Admissions
• 10:00 a.m.- Arrive for your interview
• 10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Information session with Admissions
• 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. – Lunch with current medical students
• 11:50 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. – Tour of WVU Health Sciences Center campus and teaching hospital
• 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Applicant Interviews

Admission timeline

No specific deadline by which you must apply. First-come, first-served basis. All application materials and supporting documents must be received by these dates:

• December 31 for spring semester admission
• August 1 for fall semester admission
• August 1: Early Decision Program Deadline
• August 31: Early Decision Secondary Application Deadline
• November 1: Regular Decision Deadline
• December 15: Secondary Application Deadline
• May 31: Commit to Enroll Date

Cost

First-Year Tuition & Estimated Living Expenses

Spring Semester

Summer Semester

Campus Life

168 off study hours,

in a week and WVU recognizes it and helps you make the most of it. Full of discovery, growth, and discovery.

Different campuses,

before everything else WVU School of Medicine, has three different campuses to offer that the students will rotate in, in their four years. Students entering the M.D. Program complete their first two years at the Morgantown campus and their remaining two years at either the Morgantown, Charleston or Eastern campus, depending on their assignment upon admission. Each campus experience offers a unique opportunity to engage in the local community and participate in clinical rotations at various partner hospitals and clinics around the state. With a chance for you to learn and compete with the world.

Housing at Campus,

why do it? Because living at campus improves your overall performance. At the West Virginia University School of Medicine, a safe and healthy environment for the residents is offered with convenience. Along with a caring and supportive staff. Furthermore, living on campus enhances the student’s educational engagement.

Dining Services,

the WVU community has had the WVU Dining be an integral part of it with dozens of restaurants and dining centers across campus, two catering divisions, and thousands of customers served daily. “The Bite App” can be downloaded to see all the campus eating places. Moreover, special cost-effective diet plans are offered to students around their schedules. It is very important to be nourished for a person to be successful. At WVU they understand this.

Transportation and Parking,

On the WVU website, bus locations and schedules are uploaded. The university offers parking space to the students with cars and multiple bus services are available.

Library and Information Technology Services,

hours, events scheduled at the library and an online database is available for the WVU community. For tech services, each student is given their ID and login which is protected and will be good for a year before change. These credentials are used to access MIX email, eCampus, STAR, and other WVU systems. You can change your password and perform other tasks at login.wvu.edu. Gaming consoles, TVs and internet entertainment devices can also be linked to this.

Student Life,

providing fun activities where you can meet other students, academic progress counseling, referral information, information on-campus events and activities, community service opportunities, and a place to relax between classes. Scheduled events can be seen and are uploaded on the website. Students can take part in activities such as mountaineering, sports clubs and much more.

An Added Advantage – Dr. Najeeb Lectures

With the diversity and the level of hard work and commitment that the West Virginia University School of Medicine demands from its students, Dr. Najeeb Lectures is the perfect help in medical school for keeping up with studies!

“World’s Most Popular Medical Lectures. Trusted by 80% of Medical, Dentistry, Nursing & Pharmacy students.” – Access 800+ videos on Basic Sciences & Clinical Medicine. Dr. Najeeb is an online phenomenon in the medical world, with teaching experience of over 32 years. Helping students all over the world, he has introduced the world’s first foundation course for USMLE Step 1. This will help international students apply to the US as well as national students to gain knowledge etc.

Dr. Najeeb Lectures uses an unorthodox teaching methodology inculcating a sense of humor, and his brilliant illustrations have known to make everything stick well to one’s memory. These video lectures available online, are an incredible source for self-studying- covering topics from Gross Anatomy, Neuro-anatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology.

At WVU – getting assigned different assignments, Dr. Najeeb is the most suitable tool for you to use to keep your academic career afloat. With campus changes at 3^rd year and clinical rotations, this help will remain constant and assured. While at WVU and balancing life in-between studies and the 168 off class hours per week, Dr. Najeeb is the fastest most efficient way to absorb and understand concepts you have to revise. Recommended a 10/10 self-study method.

Especially concerning how the school has strategized their medical education. With hands-on experience being a big part of their curriculum, the students can use these lectures to further clarify their concepts in a focused environment outside the rush of the rotations. In the case of classroom lectures, students may use these lectures to pre-prepare themselves for class or couple them with their class notes for better averaging scores in the exams –  Dr. Najeeb Lectures may be an easy and effective way to meet deadlines effectively.

For a medical student, any help is most welcome, sometimes with the overload of information and the workload, time management becomes tricky. Pause, repeat, rewind your information as you go along! To become a responsible and integral part of society, become a better doctor!

The Takeaway

With West Virginia University ranked No. 84 (tie) in Best Medical Schools: Research and No. 48 (tie) in Best Medical Schools: Primary Care. (Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.) And their overall focus on a healthy life for the students and staff that’s highly professional. WVU School of Medicine is the place to be for you! Excellence in education and community service go hand in hand here. The opportunities you will get as a student are limitless from learning at different locations of the state to the experience of working with such professionals to your careers having the strongest base! Everything you can name that will help you succeed, you’ll find here.