The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) is looking forward to welcoming students to campus August 3, for the 2020-21 academic year.

ICOM is ready to resume full campus operations for the Fall 2020 semester, which includes a hybrid of in-person and online instruction. The health and safety of ICOM’s students, faculty and staff is the college’s top priority, and a number of health guidelines will continue to be implemented as students return to campus.

All group sessions and lectures will be provided online. On-site training will take place for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), Osteopathic Principles & Practice (OPP), Anatomy, and other procedures as needed in order to allow students to progress through their training. On-site training will be scheduled in small groups to limit the number of students on campus at any given time. ICOM will provide extreme flexibility for students needing to miss an event due to illness, exposure, or quarantine.

Out of an abundance of caution, ICOM has also decided to postpone the White Coat Ceremony for its incoming Class of 2024, originally scheduled for September 2020.

“There has always been a risk associated with the practice of medicine, and that risk is heightened in the current pandemic,” said Dr. Thomas J. Mohr, ICOM Dean and Chief Academic Officer. “However, there has never been a more critical time to ensure that medical education continues to move forward. With a worsening of the physician shortage in the U.S., the country cannot afford to ‘pause’ the pipeline for new physicians or settle for substandard training that does not include appropriate hands-on experiences.”

Employees and students and will continue to engage in physical distancing of at least six feet, wear face coverings at all times, and stay home if sick. Temperature checks will continue to be performed at entrances. Enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures for the facility are followed daily.

ICOM’s COVID-19 Task Force continues to meet regularly and implement local, state and federal safety recommendations. Contingency plans have been created, should the need arise to return to distance learning.

For more information, visit idahocom.org/coronavirus. Learn how COVID-19 has impacted ICOM’s Application Review process by clicking here.