Third- and fourth-year medical students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine attended Education Day on Friday at the school’s Central West campus site in Parkersburg. The students practiced injection techniques on fruit. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

PARKERSBURG — The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine hosted Education Day on Friday at the school’s Central West campus site in Parkersburg.

The school opened the Parkersburg location over 16 years ago and has been providing hands-on clinical experience for students who come from all across the country.

Education Day occurs monthly from July to May on its campuses and focuses on providing third- and fourth-year medical students with additional clinical skills that will help them with their clinical rotations.

“D.O.’s (doctors of osteopathic medicine) learn manual medicine, and they learn how to do these techniques that really help the body restore function,” said school President James W. Nemitz. “Osteophathic medicine is around the world and is one of the fastest growing segments of the health care market.”

Osteopathic medicine focuses on the body as a whole and techniques that incorporate holistic health and well-being.

Nurses from WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center showed West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine students how to properly use needles and IVs on a patient at Education Day on Friday at the school’s Central West campus site in Parkersburg. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

“They think more holistically and in addition to teaching the anatomy and physiology, they’re taught that human beings are made up of a mind, body and spirit,” said Nemitz.

About a quarter of the medical students in the country are D.O. students, according to Nemitz.

Nemitz said students from all across the country attend the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine for the first two years before entering clinical rotations their third and fourth years. The students have the option to complete clinical rotations locally or anywhere in the nation.

About 20 med students were present for Education Day on Friday, from as far as California and as close as Ohio and West Virginia.

The students were sectioned into groups to work with nurses and doctors from WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. Activities included learning how to stitch a wound, inject an IV into a muscle and draw blood from a vein.

Students from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine practice inserting IVs on prosthetic arms Friday at the school’s Central West campus site in Parkersburg. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

“On some of the Education Days, the students actually get to present a case study on a topic of diagnosis that they’ve encountered on rotation,” said Dr. Marla Haller, assistant dean for the regional statewide campus in Parkersburg. “We don’t want to overwhelm the students, but we want them to get some of the very basic skills that they potentially have not been exposed to.”

The schedule included various activities and guest speakers throughout the day. The morning focused on skill stations followed by lectures from Nemitz and others. The students would then work on activities like aerial blood gas tests, injections and IV’s until lunch.

The afternoon included clinical skill sessions with Haller and a review session.

“Some of the students have never been in the medical field and have not had any exposure … so this really affords them that ability,” Haller said.

About a quarter of the medical students in the country are D.O. students, according to Nemitz.

Students from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine practice sutures on oranges at one of the stations during Education Day on Friday at the school’s Central West campus site in Parkersburg. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The school has alumni in residencies at both Camden Clark and Marietta Memorial Hospital.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com.

Nurses from WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center helped West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine students practice drawing blood from a vein using prosthetics during Education Day on Friday at the school’s Central West campus site in Parkersburg. (Photo by Amber Phipps)