The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Idaho’s first medical school, officially opened Aug. 20 and welcomed its inaugural class.

The 162 students came to ICOM from across the U.S., with 42 hailing from the school’s home state.

“This building looks like it’s designed for the physician of the future, and I’m excited to use all of the resources that we have here,” said Jacob Boyd, OMS-1 and an Idaho native. “I was born and raised [in Idaho] so I’m proud to attend ICOM.”

School officials hope graduates from ICOM will help to fill the critical doctor shortage in Idaho, which ranks 49th for the number of physicians and 50th for primary care physicians per capita in the nation, according to Dr. Robert Hasty, ICOM’s Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer.

The average GPA for the inaugural class is 3.45, while the average MCAT score is 503.

“Our goal is to attract the best and brightest students,” said Dr. Tracy Farnsworth, ICOM President. “We’re delighted with our first class.”

ICOM’s Class of 2022 participated in New Student Orientation Aug. 15-17, prior to the start of classes, where they met faculty and staff, toured the facility and were fitted for their white coats.

The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine will host a ribbon cutting event at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the school. Tours of the facility will be available after the ceremony, and the public is encouraged to attend.