Western University College of Podiatric Medicine (WesternU-CPM) is a

podiatric medical school ''Podiatric Medical School'' is the term used to designate the medical institutions which educate students and train them to be podiatric physicians, which diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. ...

Western University of Health Sciences Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) is a private medical school and health sciences university with its main campus in Pomona, California, with an additional osteopathic medical school in Lebanon, Oregon. With an enrollment of 3,81 ...

(WesternU) based in Pomona,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. WesternU-CPM is one of nine podiatric medical schools in the United States, and one of nine colleges at Western University of Health Sciences. The school was founded in 2009 with an inaugural class of 38 students and is fully accredited by the

American Podiatric Medical Association The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is a professional medical organization representing Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (podiatrists) within the United States. The organization was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Mar ...

's Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME). Westernu-CPM offers a four-year professional degree program leading to the degree

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine A podiatrist ( ) is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for ...

(DPM).

History

The College of Podiatric Medicine was founded in 2009 at Western University of Health Sciences. The inaugural class consisted of 38 students; the college currently has about 100 students. In November 2012, the Council on Podiatric Medical Education granted the college full accreditation. In 2010, Osteomed, a small bone implant device company, donated the first of five $20,000 payments to a scholarship fund for podiatry students at Western University of Health Sciences. The donation marked the start of the college's first endowed scholarship fund.

Academics

The College of Podiatric Medicine offers a single four-year professional degree program leading to the degree Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). First and second year podiatry students take the same courses as the osteopathic medical students from the medical college on campus. The first two years of coursework focus on the basic sciences with a systems-based approach to basic clinical sciences. Subjects include biochemistry, pharmacology, immunology, hematology, oncology, neuroscience, psychiatry, rheumatology, endocrinology, cardiology, nephrology, pulmonology, reproductive medicine, dermatology, and gastroenterology. The curriculum at the College of Podiatric Medicine includes

Interprofessional Education Interprofessional education (also known as inter-professional education or “IPE”) refers to occasions when students from two or more professions in health and social care learn together during all or part of their professional training with the ...

(IPE), a program that involves 9 colleges at WesternU. The IPE program aims to demonstrate an understanding of other health professions and to provide and promote a team approach to patient care and health care management, leading to improved patient care. While a debate exists on the effectiveness of interprofessional education in encouraging collaborative practice, IPE is becoming a more common component of medical school curriculum in the United States, and many groups, including the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

, view it as a means of reducing medical errors and improving the health care system. Third and fourth year students complete

clinical rotations Clinical clerkships encompass a period of medical education in which students – medical, nursing, dental, or otherwise – practice medicine under the supervision of a health practitioner. Medical clerkships In medical education, a clerksh ...

through many of the local hospitals, such as

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) is a teaching hospital located in Colton, California, within Southern California's Inland Empire. ARMC is owned and operated by the County of San Bernardino. The emergency department (ED) at ARMC is the se ...

Riverside County Regional Medical Center The Riverside University Health System - Medical Center, or ''RUHS-MC'', formerly Riverside County Regional Medical Center, or ''RCRMC'', and also formerly Riverside General Hospital University Medical Center, or ''RGH UMC'', is a public teaching ...

Olive View–UCLA Medical Center Olive View–UCLA Medical Center is a hospital, funded by Los Angeles County, located in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is one of the primary healthcare delivery systems in the north San Fernando Valley, especially the area ...

Downey Regional Medical Center Downey may refer to: People *Downey (surname) *Robert Downey Jr. Places *Downey, California, US *Downey, Idaho, US *Downey, Iowa, US Businesses *W. & D. Downey, photographic studio *Downey Studios, created out of a former Boeing plant Schools * ...

, and Veterans Administration facilities. The rotations provide hands-on experience in various specialties of medicine, including internal medicine,

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary ...

emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart d ...

anesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), ...

orthopedics Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, and podiatric medicine. Students also have the option of pursuing clinical rotations outside of California for their fourth year. There are two optional programs offered to podiatry students at WesternU. An Intensive Summer Anatomy Course is available for students that have an interest in anatomy, and the Summer Medical Sciences Preparatory Program is offered to students interested in an introduction to gross anatomy, biochemistry, and

osteopathic manipulative medicine Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...

. Students at WesternU-CPM may choose to complete a Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS) degree in addition to their Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.

Accreditation

The College of Podiatric Medicine is fully accredited by the

's Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME), an independent, specialized accrediting agency. Western University of Health Sciences is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...

(WASC). The WASC Accrediting Commission granted approval of the substantive change proposal for the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine on December 8, 2008.

Notable faculty

* Lawrence B. Harkless, professor, researcher, and podiatry school dean, described as the "father of diabetic foot care."

References

External links

WesternU College of Podiatric Medicine Homepage
{{authority control Education in Pomona, California Educational institutions established in 2009 Podiatric medical schools in the United States Universities and colleges in Los Angeles County, California Buildings and structures in Pomona, California

Podiatric Podiatry () or podiatric medicine () is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and leg. A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), or a podiatrist, is a healthcare p ...