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- Osteopathic medical school accreditation standards require training in internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, family practice, surgery, psychiatry, radiology, preventive medicine, and public health.
www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/about-osteopathic-medicine/overview-of-osteopathic-medical-education-and-accreditation
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COCA is the accreditor of colleges of osteopathic medicine, signifying if a college has met or exceeded the Commission’s standards for educational quality.
- COCA Mission, Goals, and Objectives
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
- Goal 4
- COCA Responsibilities
- COCA Membership
- COCA Nomination Process
- COCA Leadership
- Duties of the Chair
- Duties of the Vice-Chair
- COCA Meetings
- COCA Staff
- Information on COCA Members and Staff Made Available to the Public
- Registry of Evaluators of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (Evaluators Registry)
- COCA Standing Committees
- COCA Appeals Panel
- Ad Hoc Committees and Work Groups
- Confidentiality and Conflict-of-Interest Policy
The COCA serves the public by establishing, maintaining, and applying accreditation standards and procedures to ensure that the academic quality and continuous quality improvement of the education delivered by the COMs reflect the evolving practice of osteopathic medicine. The scope of the COCA’s work encompasses the accreditation of COMs.
To serve the public and interested communities (e.g., colleges of osteopathic medicine, osteopathic medical community, etc.) by ensuring the continued effectiveness of the COCA. Objectives: Maintain an independent and objective accreditation process. Inform the public and the communities of interest regarding the accreditation status of programs ...
To develop, maintain, apply, and periodically review the COCA's accreditation processes and the accreditation standards for COMs. Objectives: Review COM programs and institutions and make accreditation decisions in accordance with COCA's standards and procedures. Establish and disseminate standards, policies and procedures for the COMs accredited b...
To foster continuous quality improvement of osteopathic medical education by encouraging innovation and creativity in COM programs and institutions. Objectives: Communicate to the community of interest that the COCA encourages innovation and creativity in the COM. Ensure that the policies and the procedures of the COCA do not inhibit innovation. En...
To assure the continued effectiveness of the accreditation process by the development and application of continuous quality assurance, self-assessment, and external review of the COCA. Objectives: Maintain recognition by the USDE, by meeting all federal regulations for accreditation as found in the Code of Federal Regulations. Seek external review ...
The COCA serves as the accrediting agency for colleges of osteopathic medicine. In this capacity, the COCA reviews, evaluates, and takes final action on college accreditation status and communicates such action to appropriate state and federal education regulatory bodies. In addition, the COCA approves the standards, policies, and procedures for co...
The COCA has twenty-one (21) voting members whose appointment will be in staggered terms and be limited to no more than three consecutive three-year terms for regular members (for a maximum of nine consecutive years) and one two-year term for student members. No member of the AOA Board of Trustees will serve concurrently as a member of the COCA. T...
Open COCA positions will be added to the annual AOA Bureau/Council/Committee application process for the AOA President-elect to source and identify potential candidates for COCA appointment. Annually, two AOA members will be chosen by the AOA President-elect to vet and recommend COCA appointment selections to the AOA President-elect. In addition, n...
COCA Chair The AOA president appoints the chair, from within the membership of the COCA for a two-year term. The AOA Board of Trustees then approves the appointment. The chair may be re-appointed to serve another one-year term. To be eligible to serve as chair, a COCA commissioner must have served at least two years on the COCA.
The chair presides over all meetings of the COCA. The chair appoints the membership of the committees described in this handbook and, with approval of the COCA, may establish and appoint the membership of ad hoc subcommittees, for which the chair shall be an ex-officio member. The chair also oversees the selection of qualified evaluators to serve o...
The vice-chair will assume the duties of chair in the event the chair is absent for cause, or if the chair so designates.
Policies and procedures governing COCA meetings are published in Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: COCA Policies and Procedures.
The formal responsibilities for managing the COCA are held by the Department of Accreditation at the American Osteopathic Association. Legal counsel attends all COCA meetings and advises the membership and staff as needed on legal issues relating to accreditation activities. The Department of Accreditation supports the operation of the COCA and m...
The COCA maintains on its website the names and current academic/professional affiliations of commission members and principal administrative staff.
The COCA will maintain an evaluators registry of individuals who are approved to serve as site visit team members. The COCA will review the composition of the Evaluators Registry on an annual basis. This review will include, but not be limited to, the following criteria: attendance at accreditation training workshops; current employment status, ...
All members of COCA committees are subject to the conflict of interest and confidentiality policies of the COCA. Executive Committee (COCA-EC) The purpose of the COCA-EC is to function in well-defined, limited roles between regularly scheduled meetings of the COCA. The COCA-EC will include seven COCA members, including the COCA chair and vice-chair...
The COCA Appeals Panel consists of five members, including one (1) public member. These members will be selected from a list of former COCA members who were not COCA members when the COCA made the adverse decision under appeal. The list of former COCA members eligible for participation on the Appeals Panel will be reviewed and approved annually by ...
The COCA Chair may designate ad hoc committees, subcommittees, or work groups to address policy issues, accreditation standards, or other matters deemed important for the effective functioning of the COCA.
COCA members and staff are expected to protect the confidentiality of confidential information provided to the COCA by COMs and stakeholder groups unless there is clear indication that the information provided is for public distribution or that the information is not intended to be confidential. Failure to protect the confidentiality of informatio...
After graduation from 4 years of intensive medical education, osteopathic physicians must further complete residency medical training in a specialty field of their choosing. They must then complete specialty certification examinations as well as medical licensure examinations required for registration with a provincial college of physicians and ...
Ensuring high academic standards and continuous quality improvement. Access the COCA handbook and accreditation resources for current, new and developing colleges of osteopathic medicine. The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
To apply to osteopathic medical school, an individual must have a university education including core requirements in chemistry, physics, biology, and biochemistry. One must also have completed and have high standing in the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
To apply to osteopathic medical school, an individual must have a university education including core requirements in chemistry, physics, biology, and biochemistry. One must also have completed and have high standing in the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
