[April 23, 2020] As the number of novel coronavirus cases continue to peak in various parts of the United States, the need for a robust healthcare workforce has become more important now than ever before. Taking this into consideration, and our students innate drive to help during this time of crisis, Rocky Vista University (RVU) has moved forward with allowing early graduation for fourth-year students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
In lieu of an in-person celebration, RVU will host a virtual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 1st, during which 152 osteopathic medical students will officially receive their Degree of Osteopathic Medicine. Graduates from Class of 2020 will be a sent a link to a prerecorded video with remarks from Clinton E. Adams, DO, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Thomas N. Told, DO, FACOFP, dist., Dean and Chief Academic Officer of RVUCOM.
The keynote address will be given by Thomas L. Ely, DO, FACOFP, FAAFP, a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Board of Trustee and has been a delegate representing Tennessee in the AOA’s House of Delegates since 1998. Dr. Ely will also serve as the Commissioning Officer for graduates from RVU’s Military Medicine Program, one of the University’s specialized educational programs.
As a gift from RVU to the Class of 2020, each graduating senior will receive a 12-month subscription to COMBANK, a question bank designed to help students prepare for the COMLEX Level 3 examination, which certifies students as competent in the foundational domains of osteopathic medicine. “We are all invested in your future as physicians and want to continue to see you succeed in all your future endeavors,” said Dr. Adams in a message to the graduates. Class of 2020 will also have their regalia, graduation program, and diploma shipped to their homes by May 1st.
Though students from the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences program will not officially graduate until Saturday, May 16th, they will be honored during the early graduation ceremony, as well.
