Good Morning!

Many of you have heard me praise the numerous qualities of Des Moines University that drew me here. They include the University’s high academic quality; its rigorous, well-equipped curriculum that supports innovative education; the interprofessional interactions among our students and faculty; and the wonderful work and support of our employees.

Another exceptional aspect of DMU is its commitment to the health of communities in Iowa and literally around the world. From our central philosophy of holistic, preventive care to the volunteer service of our students and employees to our collaborations with entities such as the World Health Organization, we demonstrate our continued leadership in improving the health of all.

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Welcome to DMU!!

This is a special greeting to the new and returning students arriving at Des Moines University this week! In my short time here, I have come to know that this is a very special place with a warm and engaging campus community. As a health sciences university we also have a compelling mission with a commitment to primary care, prevention, wellness and academic excellence. You join a community which places the highest priority on respect for the dignity and diversity of the members of the entire campus community and we are mindful of the fact that we have should always strive for excellence in all that we do.

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Students in surgery lab

I’ll admit, working at DMU and seeing our students and high-tech facilities on a daily basis may make us a little biased about how amazing they are, but here is more proof that it’s true. Kate Robbens, a third-year D.O. student shares her thoughts about how the first two years of the doctor of osteopathic medicine program prepared her and her classmates for rotations in years three and four:

After just completing my first 3 months of rotations, I can say that I’ve loved every minute. I would attribute the smooth transition from the classroom to the clinical world to our curriculum during our first and second years. We work so hard, and it definitely pays off.

In my opinion, here are the top 5 activities that we, as DMU students, work tirelessly on during the first 2 years that put us heads above the rest:

1. Surgery lab
   The hours you spend learning surgical etiquette, procedural skills, suturing and knot tying are extremely worthwhile. My surgeon and nurses were constantly impressed with the basic skills that we all learn as surgery students. The more competent you are in your skills, the more autonomy you get as a student. It’s definitely worth it when you are suturing during the closure of every surgery!

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Saturday was the Des Moines University Run-Day-Voo, a 5k run/walk for students, alumni, staff and friends. Lisa Vroegh and I, from the Enrollment office, decided to participate in the event this year. As walkers. We don’t run.

Despite being toward the end of the pack, we had a great time.  It was wonderful to see more than 270 members of the DMU community participating in such a fun event together. The course took us south of the University into beautiful neighborhoods full of challenging hills. Along the way students were there to guide us and provide us with encouragement. Afterwards D.O. and D.P.T. students were on hand to provide free OMM and stretching treatments.

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This week marks the start of a journey for 50 new DMU students in the Physician Assistant program. After three days of orientation, the PA class of 2011 will begin their coursework today.

For many it has been a long road getting to graduate school, and for those 50 students who begin this week, it will be a challenging and demanding two years. But, I’m pretty sure that this group of students is up to the challenge. Before the end of the first day of orientation, there was already a mob of new students trying to buy all their books at Matthew’s Bookstore.

Posted in Current Students, Guest bloggers, Life in Des Moines, New Students, Physician Assistant | 1 Comment

 by Rishi Shah* (11yrs, Downtown School, Des Moines, Iowa)

Did you ever have an opportunity to go see a real heart? Well, I have when we visited Des Moines University (DMU) in 3rd grade. We were greeted by Dr. Matz, who showed us around campus.

Posted in Anatomy, Current Students, Des Moines Events, Guest bloggers, Life in Des Moines | 2 Comments