Founding college of osteopathic medicine welcomes class of 2010

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (Aug. 19, 2006 ) – A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) welcomed its newest medical students on August 19 at its annual White Coat Ceremony.

The White Coat Ceremony was initiated in 1996. The ceremony is designed to impress upon the first-year student the significance and symbolism of wearing a white coat. The first-year student receives his/her white doctor’s coat, a Body, Mind, Spirit lapel pin, and the book On Doctoring provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ATSU holds the White Coat Ceremony in conjunction with new student orientation and the class induction.

This year, more than 2,800 applicants vied for the 172 positions in the Class of 2010 at ATSU-KCOM. The new class includes 103 men and 69 women representing 37 states as well as Iceland, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The incoming class posted average GPAs of 3.33 for science and 3.47 overall. Of the 37 states represented, 28 are from Utah, 19 are from Missouri, and 10 each are from Illinois and Minnesota.

The Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, the founding college of osteopathic medicine, has been training physicians for over 110 years. ATSU-KCOM was chosen as one of the best graduate medical programs in the country in the U.S. News and World Report 2007 Edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools.