PCOM requires all applicants who are offered admission and all enrolled medical students to meet specific technical standards. These standards describe the functional abilities and professional capacities considered necessary to participate in the curriculum and to provide safe, effective patient care.
The technical standards are separate from academic requirements. They focus on essential abilities required for participation in classroom learning, laboratory instruction, clinical skills training, and supervised patient care. The standards are intended to ensure that students are able to meet the demands of medical education and clinical practice.
These standards may be met with or without reasonable accommodations. They are not intended to exclude individuals with disabilities who can fulfill program requirements with appropriate accommodations consistent with applicable law.
This information is presented for reference only. The technical standards form will be provided to admitted applicants. Official matriculation and continued enrollment in a degree program cannot be confirmed unless the technical standards form is completed and returned.
Students who have an ADA-recognized disability and who require accommodations related to one or more technical standards should contact PCOM Disability Services for guidance on the accommodation process. Requests for accommodations generally require documentation supporting both the disability and the specific accommodations being requested.
Each request is evaluated individually to determine whether the accommodation is reasonable and whether it allows the student to meet the essential requirements of the program without compromising patient safety, educational standards, or professional expectations.
Disability Services may be contacted at disabilityservices@pcom.edu.
Requests related to cultural practices or religious beliefs are not addressed through the disability accommodation process, as they are not considered ADA-recognized disabilities. Students who believe that cultural traditions or religious requirements may affect their ability to meet one or more technical standards are encouraged to contact the Equal Opportunity and Access Team.
Such requests may be reviewed and discussed; however, approval is not guaranteed and depends on the essential requirements of the academic program.
The Equal Opportunity and Access Team may be contacted at titleixcoordinator@pcom.edu.
The following technical standards describe essential abilities required for participation in the DO program.
Candidates and students must have sufficient vision to be able to observe demonstrations, experiments and laboratory exercises in the basic sciences. They must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand for proper evaluation and treatment integration.
Candidates and students should be able to speak, hear and observe patients in order to elicit information, examine patients, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive non-verbal communications. They must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing. They must also be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the health care team.
Candidates and students should have sufficient motor function and strength and mobility to execute movements required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment required of physicians are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administration of intravenous medication, the application of pressure to stop bleeding, the opening of obstructed airways, the suturing of simple wounds and the performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of the senses of touch and vision. Additionally, to perform osteopathic manipulation, upright posture with sufficient lower extremity and body strength is required
These skills include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, candidates and students should be able to comprehend three dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.
Candidates and students must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Candidates and students must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that will be assessed during the admissions and educational processes.
The osteopathic medical curriculum includes hands-on instruction in osteopathic manipulative medicine and physical diagnosis. Students are expected to participate in palpatory training, perform examination and treatment techniques on peers and patients, and allow peers and faculty to perform such techniques on them as part of the educational process. These activities are essential components of osteopathic medical education. Students must accept the following responsibilities:
In addition to meeting technical standards, students are expected to maintain professional conduct throughout their enrollment. All students are expected to:
Meeting the technical standards is a condition of admission and continued enrollment in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program. Students are responsible for notifying the institution if their ability to meet these standards changes. Accommodations must be requested through the appropriate institutional offices and supported by documentation. PCOM reserves the right to evaluate whether a student can meet the essential requirements of the program.
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