Tracks & Electives

The MCOM Tracks and Electives program strives to create and deliver optional curricular programming strategically crafted to offer students an opportunity for inspiring educational experiences in a variety of healthcare areas as they endeavor to serve patients in diverse communities with compassion, integrity, and excellence. Elective courses and tracks are offered as a mechanism to enhance student education beyond the core osteopathic curriculum.

Upon completion of the educational activities offered through Tracks Electives, students will be able to:

•Demonstrate professional competence in learning or enriching experiences offered through MCOM tracks or electives.

•Apply relevant contextual information (social, methodological, and/or cultural) to health care practices.

•Engage in expanded opportunities within areas of specific health care practice. Full course descriptions can be found under the Course Descriptions tab. 

Tracks are optional, curricular programs outside of the core curriculum offered through the Department of Tracks Electives. 

Tracks will appear on the student’s transcript as a Concentration. Successful Track Completion will be acknowl-edged on a student’s Dean’s Letter and their transcript.

Students who successfully complete a track will also receive a sash worn to wear at graduation. Beginning the second CARES block of the first semester of OMS 1, students will elect to participate in a track at MCOM.

The educational objectives and contents of each track are in addition to the required core curricula and are outlined in the Track Overviews.

Elective courses are optional, curricular courses that offer educational experiences outside of the core curriculum. Other than by exception, elective courses will be delivered and completed during CARES blocks. 

Elective courses are open to all MCOM medical students of any year who do not need to complete academic remediation. Students can enroll in an elective course even if they have not elected to complete a track.

Students may also enroll in an elective course outside of their elected track as long as the course does not conflict with their track completion requirements.

The Military Medicine track provides an overview and introduction to 1st and 2nd year students regarding clinical scenarios commonly faced by military medical officers, preparation for military medicine residencies, and education on military lifestyle integration. Students may also have the opportunity to liaison with leaders, educators, and military officers at U.S. posts, bases, medical centers, hospitals, and other sites in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the Pro-gram.

This track spans 3.5 years of the military student members’ educational experience at RVU, beginning in the second semester of the 1st year. This includes the three semesters of structured academics during the first two years, and ongoing mentoring, residency match preparation and research opportunities during the clinical years.

The Military Medicine track includes immersion-based experiential reality training, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), information sessions, and experiences related to Medical Corps Officer military obligations. Focused discussions include topics such as leadership, discipline, military environments, field exercises, disaster response, and triage/evacuation in combat environments on land, sea and air. Expert guests, military officers, and appropriate civilian physicians, and teachers will be hosted virtually and on campuses. This Program collaborates with other MCOM Special Tracks where synergies are evident and possible.

The field of academic medicine encompasses expertise in the areas of research, education, and leadership as it applies to clinical medicine. With the expansion of medical schools and residency programs in the United States there is a growing demand for well-trained academic physicians who will lead in complex and diverse healthcare settings.

Students in this specialty track will learn about various, multi-faceted topics in research, medical education, organized medicine, health policy, diversity, health disparities, and leadership development. Students will receive training to be an effective scholar, public speaker, educator, health advocate, and physician leader. Contemporary health challenges require that leaders understand how to lead teams, understand diverse groups, build coalitions, and be attentive to communities. Students in this track will be asked to declare their concentration capstone after their second semester.

The focus of the GRWUT Track is developing well rounded medical students who will be able to thrive in diverse communities and environments whether serving in global, rural, wilderness, underserved or tribal areas. We will be combining the best of this intersection with a particular emphasis on global health bi-directionality, and how we can extrapolate from international lessons learned and apply them to solve problems in rural, wilderness, underserved communities and tribal health here in Montana.

This includes three semesters of structured academics during the first two years- beginning the second semester of year 1. There is ongoing mentoring, residency match preparation, and research opportunities during the clinical years. Additionally, participants will be equipped to recognize health care disparities and social determinants of health across a broad range of populations. Expert guests, physicians, and teachers will be hosted virtu-ally and on campus.

This program collaborates with other MCOM Tracks where synergies are evident and possible. Students will complete their GRWUT Track with a capstone project that identifies a concentration in one of the GRWUT are-as: global, rural, wilderness, underserved and/or tribal medicine. This focus area will be acknowledged as their concentration on their Dean’s Letter.