Third-year osteopathic medical students are beginning their clinical rotations, an important transition in their development as humanistic, compassionate osteopathic physicians. 

Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) and Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine (WesternU HCOM) developed the Transition to Osteopathic Clinical Medicine (TOCM) week, held July 13-16, 2026, in Pomona, Calif. and Lebanon, Ore., to send the students off inspired, motivated, and with practical, hands-on training fresh in their minds, hands and hearts. 

“Our Transition to Osteopathic Clinical Medicine week has evolved considerably over the past few years. Under the leadership of Dr. Sarah Wolff, we’ve grown from a COVID-restricted distance-learning course into a live, in-person, hands-on immersive experience,” said COMP Associate Dean of Clinical Education Stephanie White, DO. “Students receive foundational instruction followed by high-value simulated experiences including mock hospital rounds, simulated cut suit surgeries, and mannequin obstetrical deliveries. The week leverages emerging technologies like AI while keeping the humanistic practice at the core of osteopathic medicine.” 

Students participate in hands-on workshops, oral patient presentations, procedural training, simulation exercises, specialty-specific sessions, and discussions focused on clinical reasoning and patient-centered care. Just as importantly, they learn what it means to function as a valued member of the healthcare team while continuing to develop the compassionate, osteopathic approach that defines our profession, said WesternU HCOM Director of Clinical Curriculum Sarah Wolff, DO. 

“TOCM is valuable because it gives students the opportunity to practice before they encounter these situations with real patients. By the end of the week, they are more confident, better prepared, and equipped with the clinical knowledge, professional expectations, and communication skills they need to begin their third-year rotations,” Wolff said. “Our goal is that every student walks into their first day on the wards feeling ready to learn, contribute, and provide outstanding patient care.” 

Students practiced surgical procedures using surgical cut suits, a realistic medical simulation tool. They also learned how to scrub in for surgery, how to open and put on their personal protective equipment, and how to maintain the sterile field once they’ve entered the operating room. 

“Today’s been a really fun day as we’re prepping for our surgery rotations. We’re going through with surgeons from the local community who are here to volunteer and show us how to scrub in, how to hold instruments, how to help our attendings, and navigate this new role of medical students in the OR,” said third-year WesternU HCOM student Kristen Mittl. “I’m excited to meet patients and see different cases and see how medicine and people’s lives collide in the real world.” 

“This entire week, they’re giving us good pointers, small pieces of information to help us transition more smoothly. I’m looking forward to it,” said third-year COMP student William Dela Cruz. “We’re doing the real thing now. That’s the most exciting part about it. This is a little step toward our big picture goals. We get a glimpse of what our future is going to be like.” 

The week began with inspiring words from COMP and WesternU HCOM Dean Lisa Warren, DO ’01, MBA, who encouraged students to embody a single word: connection. 

“The foundation of connection is humanism. It is being present, serving the person in front of you with whatever you can. Don’t ever underestimate how you can make an impact just by spending a few moments with your patient,” Warren said. “It doesn’t mean you have to know everything but just being there, sharing that empathy, that humanism, connecting with them goes the furthest. It’s how you make them feel, not always what you know. We have all the confidence that you all will make a huge difference stepping into your clinical rotations, and the ripples you will make will be momentous.” 

Keynote speaker and COMP alumna Brittany Wertz, DO ’16, told COMP students this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Caring for patients and allowing them to be vulnerable with you is the whole idea of medicine, she said. 

Wertz provided practical advice: be reliable before you try being impressive. Know your patients better than anyone else. It’s OK to say ‘I don’t know.’ What’s more important is what comes after that. Presenting patients is a skill, not a measure of your intelligence. Everyone struggles with presentations at first. Focus on being organized, concise and clear. Ask for feedback early and often. Don’t wait until the last day of your rotation to find out how you’re doing. Small adjustments throughout a rotation can have a huge impact by the end of it. 

“Be kind to every patient. Long after the patients forget the details of their treatment plan, they are going to remember how you made them feel. Introduce yourself, sit down, listen without interrupting. Explain what you’re doing and why. Thank the patients for allowing you to participate in their care,” Wertz said. “Don’t just complete the rotation, truly immerse yourself in the experience, and the privilege of caring for another human being.” 

Students practiced giving oral presentations and learned hospital lingo, said third-year COMP student Aleena Dost. 

“It’s fun to learn what you will see in the hospital so you’re not overwhelmed,” Dost said. “It’s been nice to have alumni who went to WesternU now back. It’s reassuring knowing that I am going to be in their shoes one day.” 

Third-year students spent the past several weeks preparing for boards. WesternU HCOM student Marc Shermer said rather than throwing them into rotations, this week has gotten him back into a learning environment and into the mindset of being a student again, so he’s ready to go.  

“I’m excited to make my clinical rotations the best that I can make it,” Shermer said. “They are always saying that this experience is what you want it to be.  How much energy you put in is how much energy you’re going to get out and so I’m really excited to hopefully give it my best and get the best back in return.”