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Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine reports growth, accreditation success and plans to expand class size
Summary
ICOM told the House Health and Welfare Committee it has graduated 439 physicians (230 Idahoans) since 2018, achieved full accreditation, and received authorization to grow class size toward 220 students per class; the college emphasized partnerships with Idaho State University and ongoing efforts to expand residency capacity in Idaho.
Dr. [surname not provided] (Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine) updated the committee on the college’s development since its founding in 2016. The college welcomed its first class in 2018 and has since matriculated 1,134 student doctors and graduated 439 physicians, including 230 Idaho residents, according to the presentation. ICOM reported placing more than 99 percent of its graduates into ACGME‑accredited residency programs in Idaho and nationally.
The speaker said ICOM received full accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) in 2022 and has been authorized to increase its class size from 150 to as many as 220 students per class beginning this summer. The college is pursuing institutional accreditation with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) to offer complementary academic programs.
ICOM described its public‑private partnership with Idaho State University (ISU), sharing anatomy and allied‑health facilities on the ISU Meridian campus, and noted dual faculty appointments as an emerging collaboration. The college said it had created a private foundation with Blue Cross of Idaho to provide scholarships and established the Mountain State Institute for Graduate Medical Education to help hospitals develop residency programs.
Witnesses included two ICOM students—Annie Hoffman and Joshua Markham—identified as third‑ and second‑year students, respectively. The college emphasized Idaho’s physician shortage (below the national average of physicians per capita), the long timeline to grow the physician workforce, and the economic and social value of retaining physicians in state.
No formal committee action was required for the informational update. The college asked legislators to continue supporting graduate medical education expansion and to encourage practicing physicians to serve as preceptors for students and residents.
