[July 26, 2022– Billings, Montana] Rocky Vista University (RVU) announced today that approval has been received from the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), to recruit and accept students for the Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (MCOM) inaugural class entering in the Summer of 2023. MCOM plans on matriculating 80 students into its inaugural class, with a gradual ramp up to 160 students by 2025.
David Park, DO, Founding Dean of MCOM, said, “We are thrilled to receive the recent approval by the COCA to move forward with recruiting, interviewing, and matriculating students at Rocky Vista University’s Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine. The process of accreditation is rigorous and requires an entire team’s knowledge, experience and expertise. I am grateful and very proud of the successful efforts of our RVU team as well as our growing local MCOM team, including several of our community members who have all helped us in achieving this important milestone.”
MCOM will be the first Montana-based 4-year medical school with a dedicated campus in the state and will have a significant economic impact on the Billings Community, the state, and the surrounding Mountain West Region. MCOM’s anticipated direct and indirect economic impact through 2023 is expected to total approximately $78.6 million, provide 350 jobs, and add more than $1.2 million in taxes to communities in the region. Upon full operation, MCOM is expected to support directly and indirectly 304 jobs in the region, generate $67 million in annual total economic impact and add $3.3 million in tax revenue to the state and local government.
The 12.8-acre campus and 138,000 square foot technologically advanced building, located in the West End section of Billings, has been under construction since early last summer and is on track to be completed by the end of this year. The growing number of MCOM employees are excited to move into their new building in January 2023.
Dr. Park continued, “We are very glad we hired Billings’ own Langlas & Associates as the general contractor for our project. They are wonderful to work with and we are constantly impressed with how they are able to keep on schedule with our tight timeline.”
David Forstein, DO, President and Provost of Rocky Vista University, stated, “The Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine will be Rocky Vista University’s third campus in the Mountain West Region. We are excited to enhance quality medical education in Montana to help solve the health professional shortage in the state and region. We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received from Governor Gianforte and the Billings community.”
Rocky Vista University receives national recognition for consistently demonstrating excellence in board examination pass rates and scores at its College of Osteopathic Medicine campuses in Colorado and Utah. This past year, RVUCOM ranked #1 of all osteopathic medical schools on the Level 3 exam for pass rate among first time test takers, ranked #3 on the Level 2 exam, and ranked #2 on the Level 1 exam of the national Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA). RVUCOM also demonstrates strong residency placement rates, with 99% of its graduating students from the Colorado and Utah campuses securing residency positions in the U.S.
RVUCOM was ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the categories of most graduates practicing in rural areas, primary care fields, and in medically underserved areas.
Additional information regarding MCOM can be found at Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine - Rocky Vista University. Applications for admission to MCOM will be available at Considering Medical School? Become A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
