Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine

Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine
The seal of the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine
Motto	Pedestris Scientiae Porta
Established	1916 (MCMXVI)
Type	private/coeducational
President	Thomas V. Melillo D.P.M.
Dean	Vincent J. Hetherington D.P.M.
Academic staff	40+
Students	450
Location	Independence, Ohio, United States
Campus	Suburban 27 acres (0.0 km2)
Website	www.ocpm.edu Student Website Alumni Website

The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, known colloquially as OCPM, is a four-year, private medical college in the greater Cleveland, Ohio metro area. The College has moved throughout the region during its history, and is currently in the suburb of Independence, Ohio at the intersection of Interstate 480 and Interstate 77. It has graduated 5,000 podiatric physicians and surgeons since its inception as The Ohio College of Chiropody in 1916. It is a member of The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM), and is accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME). All graduates receive the degree Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM).

History

The College began as The Ohio College of Chiropody in 1916, and was located in Euclid Avenue's Republic Building. Its facility consisted of a lecture hall, a laboratory with one microscope, six Bunsen burners, and six chairs for patients. The only admission requirement to the college was a high school diploma. The course of study was one year in length including night classes. The original degree granted to graduates of the college was the Doctor of Surgical Chiropody (D.S.C.) By the middle of the century, the Council on Podiatric Medical Education standardized the curricula and entrance requirements for all podiatric schools, and replaced the term chiropody to podiatry to reflect the increase in training. The College became the Ohio College of Podiatry at this point, and for a short time granted the degrees Doctor of Podiatry (D.P. and/or Pod.D). By the late 1960's, the field was reorganized for the last time, and all schools and colleges became institutions of podiatric medicine, and thus the college became the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and granted the D.P.M.

By 1976, the college had moved to its former University Circle location, 4.5 acres (18,000 m²) wide, on Carnegie Avenue. This campus was a comprehensive medical college giving its students more room and resources for clinical, scientific, and research based education. In 1990 the Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic was built on the campus and it contributd to the innovative curriculum and clinical opportunities for OCPM's students.

In the summer of 2007, OCPM was presented a grant from the Cleveland Clinic to purchase and renovate its new 115,000-square-foot (10,700 m²) facility located on 27 acres (110,000 m²), which is located 10 miles (16 km) south of Cleveland's University Circle. The new campus provides ample space and cutting edge technology for its student doctors.

On November 1st 2011, a joint statement was released from the College and Kent State University stating that the two institutions would be merging, but no timeline was made available for the move. On December 15th 2011, Kent State University announced that its Board of Trustees passed a resolution to officially acquire OCPM within six months of the first of January, 2012. The College will be renamed Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine.

Academics

OCPM class of 2012.

The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine is a single purpose, private, nonprofit institution that graduates Doctors of Podiatric Medicine. The authority to confer the DPM degree is granted to the college by the Ohio Board of Regents. The curriculum follows the Allopathic medical education model, but with an emphasis on the lower extremity, and is divided into basic science and clinical science components.

Basic Sciences

The basic sciences make up the first two years of study at OCPM, it is composed of courses designed for understanding the entire body and its many functions. Faculty are from both the college itself and adjunct faculty from Case Western Reserve University. Classroom and laboratory education is combined to give students the knowledge necessary to understand the complexity of the human condition, a preparation necessary for third and fourth year clinical education. Coursework in gross anatomy with cadaver dissection, histology, systems physiology and pathology, microbiology and immunology, biochemistry, pharmacology, neurobiology along with other courses, make up the basic science curriculum. This first two years of study accounts for 95 of the credits required for graduation.

OCPM side view.

Clinical Sciences

The third year marks the beginning of the clinical education and includes 24 credits of classroom/laboratory courses such as dermatology, traumatology, general medicine, neurology, women's health, behavioral medicine, radiology, and of course podiatric medicine and podiatric surgery, among others. Third year also includes rotations in departments such as podiatric medicine and surgery, wound care/plastic surgery, vascular surgery, trauma surgery, radiology, internal medicine, and emergency medicine to name a few. These clinical rotations are through the college's affiliations with:

Affiliations

• the college owned Cleveland Foot and Ankle Institute, located in diverse Midtown Cleveland
• Huron Hospital Department of Podiatric Surgery
• Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Division of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• University Hospitals of Cleveland- Richmond Medical Center
• St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine
• Metro Health Cleveland Departments of Vascular, Plastic and General Surgery
• South Pointe Hospital Departments of Emergency Medicine and Wound Care

Fourth Year Externships

During the fourth and final year, students set out on four to six 4-week externships in podiatric medicine and surgery at hospitals across the country. These off campus externships provide extensive clinical and surgery exposure that will be necessary entrance into Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residencies (Three year post-graduate medical education required for licensure and board certification).

Facilities

The Campus itself is a 27-acre (110,000 m²) enclave in the Cleveland Suburbs, situated upon which is the 115,000-square-foot (10,700 m²) college. The College boasts brand new and state of the art:

• Anatomy Lab
  • with Sky-Eye overhead camera which transmits live dissection to Plasma TVs over each cadaver table
  • Full gross cadaver dissection with one human cadaver for a group of three students
  • Touch-screen Windows based computers with Internet accessibility at each lab station
• Podiatric medical skills lab
• Histology and Microbiology Labs
  • Microscopes, fume hoods, heat plates, refrigeration, and full compliment of reagents and substrate material necessary for bacteriological/mycological examination
• simulated patients' learning center
  • Overhead camera and microphone in each simulated exam room records student progress throughout the Physical Examination course-study
  • equipped with medical manikins that test students on real-life medical emergencies
• Three 300-seat lecture hall equipped with Smart Technology
  • where each lecture is audio and video recorded for later study
• Powerstep research laboratory
• Comprehensive medical library
  • with media center, quiet study areas, and a collection of over 15,000 medical books and publications, 110 subscribed print journals, and 350 online e-journals.
• Radiology Department
  • Equipped with viewing boxes and largest educational collection of radiographic pathology in the State of Ohio

Student life

Sports

OCPM and student organizations sponsor a number of ahthletic endeavors depending on the interest of the student body. Special athletic competitions include:

• golf
• flag football
• volleyball
• basketball
• softball

OCPM also participates every spring in a basketball tournament with the other colleges of podiatric medicine.

Student organizations

OCPM offers many clubs and fraternizing opportunities for students:

• American Association of Podiatry Practice Management (AAPPM)
• American Association of Women in Podiatry (AAWP)
• American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS)
• American Podiatric Medical Students Association (APMSA)
• American Society of Podiatric Surgeons (ASPS)
• Jewish Podiatric Medical Student Association (JPMSA)
• Ohio Podiatric Medical Student Association (OPMSA)
• Podiatric Association for Diabetes (PAD)
• Linda Oh's Sports Medicine Club
• Student National Podiatric Medical Association (SNPMA)
• Alpha Gamma Kappa Fraternity
• Kappa Tau Epsilon professional fraternity
• Occopodian - OCPM yearbook
• Footprints - OCPM student publication
• Pi Delta National Honor Society - Beta chapter

References

• "Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine Main", September 20, 2008.
• http://www.uscollegesearch.org/ohio-college-of-podiatric-medicine.html
• http://www.ocpm.edu/images/seal.gif
• http://www.cuyahogavalleychamber.org/OCPM.htm