At DMU-COM, your education and preparation for clinical rotations is our main emphasis. You have the opportunity to learn in a high-quality and supportive environment. Our faculty members are highly qualified, focused on teaching and learning, and noted for their accessibility to students. Our faculty goes to great lengths to ensure that students get personal attention in learning situations that demand it.

A high level of camaraderie exists among our students. This is a reflection of the small college environment in which a sense of community is inherent and where students have the opportunity to get to know virtually everyone on campus. This community spirit is enhanced by the attitude and open-door policy of many faculty members and is supported by university administrators and staff.

In addition to our challenging initial two years in the basic biomedical sciences, extensive training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) and emphasis on the use of simulated/standardized patients to assess clinical competencies in the Physical Diagnosis (PD) program allow students to master their clinical skills. The OMM program at DMU is second to none. Students engage in two full years of OMM training with weekly laboratories and periodic practical exams. Our PD program utilizes extensive encounters with trained, simulated (or standardized) patients to continually assess students' competencies in physical diagnosis skills in Standardized Performance Assessment Laboratories (SPALs). Students have exposure to 12 standardized patients over their final three semesters on campus prior to starting their clinical rotations. Because of their rigorous training and extensive use of physical techniques that demand "touching", our students develop a high comfort level in dealing with patients even before embarking on their clinical clerkships.