MetroHealth Medical Center is an Associate Member of Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE). The Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE) became the nation's first accredited Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institution (OPTI) in 1997 and established a model for the osteopathic profession. The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) defines an OPTI as a community-based training consortium comprised of at least one college of osteopathic medicine and one teaching hospital.  CORE internship and residency programs accommodate over 450 postdoctoral trainees.

The Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE) system is an integrated statewide medical education consortium formed by affiliations between OU-COM and teaching hospitals in Ohio, as well as other colleges of osteopathic medicine nationwide. This infrastructure supports and promotes excellence in the continuum of osteopathic medical education that begins with matriculation at an osteopathic medical school and extends through residency training and beyond into continuing medical education.  All CORE partners are linked via real-time videoconferencing and distance learning technology as well as global, interactive, online Internet access.

MetroHealth Medical Center currently supports Residency Programs in Family Practice and Internal Medicine. The Director of Osteopathic Medical Education at MetroHealth Medical Center is Dr. Joseph Baker. He also is the current Program Director for the Family Practice Residency Program. Dr. Karen Kutoloski is the Internal medicine Program Director.

What is Osteopathic Medicine?

Osteopathic medicine was developed 130 years ago by physician A.T. Still, and is one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the U.S. , bringing a unique philosophy to traditional medicine. With a strong emphasis on the inter-relationship of the body's nerves, muscles, bones and organs, doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, apply the philosophy of treating the whole person to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, disease and injury.

You are more than just the sum of your body parts. That's why doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) practice a "whole person" approach to health care. Instead of just treating specific symptoms, osteopathic physicians concentrate on treating you as a whole.

Osteopathic physicians understand how all the body's systems are interconnected and how each one affects the others. They focus special attention on the musculoskeletal system, which reflects and influences the condition of all other body systems.

This system of bones and muscles makes up about two-thirds of the body's mass, and a routine part of the examination DOs give patients is a careful evaluation of these important structures. DOs know that the body's structure plays a critical role in its ability to function. They can use their eyes and hands to identify structural problems and to support the body's natural tendency toward health and self-healing.

Osteopathic physicians also use their ears to listen to you and your health concerns. DOs help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don't just fight illness but also help prevent it. Millions of Americans prefer this concerned and compassionate care and have made DOs their physicians for life.

Complete Care

DOs are complete physicians. That means they are fully trained and licensed to prescribe medication and to perform surgery. DOs and MDs are the only two types of complete physicians in the United States.

DOs practice in all specialties of medicine from emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery to psychiatry and geriatrics.

To be an osteopathic physician, an individual must be a graduate of one of the nation's osteopathic medical schools. Each school is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. This accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education.

Typically, applicants to osteopathic medical colleges have four-year undergraduate degrees and complete specific science courses. Applicants must take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Osteopathic medical schools also require a personal interview to assess a student's interpersonal communication skills.

The curriculum at osteopathic medical schools involves four years of academic study. As a reflection of osteopathic philosophy, the curriculum emphasizes preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care. Throughout the curriculum, medical students learn to use osteopathic principles and techniques to diagnose and treat patients.

After completing osteopathic medical college, many DOs serve a one-year internship, gaining hands-on experience in internal medicine, emergency medicine, and family practice, as well as serving electives in core rotations such as obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics. This experience ensures that osteopathic physicians are first trained as primary care physicians. Internships provide DOs with the perspective to see and treat every patient as a whole person.

Today, all DOs serve residencies, consisting of two to six years of training. Residencies are available in the primary care disciplines of family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics, as well as other specialties such as surgery, radiology, psychiatry and sports medicine.