Both VCOM-Virginia and VCOM-Carolina were honored to host John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, president and CEO of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), for campus visits that connected students and faculty with one of the most influential leaders in osteopathic medical education and assessment.
Dr. Gimpel’s visit offered an opportunity to bridge the gap between medical education, licensure, and clinical practice. As the organization responsible for COMLEX-USA, the national licensing exam series required for osteopathic medical students and graduates in the United States, NBOME plays a central role in ensuring that future osteopathic physicians meet national standards for competency, safety, and patient care. Hearing directly from a leader involved in developing this exam gave students invaluable insight into how assessment reflects the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors required of physicians.
“Assessment drives learning,” Dr. Gimpel emphasized, reinforcing a key principle in medical education. How students are evaluated shapes how they study, how faculty teach, and ultimately how physicians practice. He highlighted that COMLEX-USA is intentionally designed around competencies essential to patient care; communication, clinical reasoning, hands-on examination skills, and osteopathic manipulative treatment.
Understanding COMLEX-USA is not about “teaching to the test,” but about recognizing the end goal of medical education. Dr. Gimpel explained that the exam is meant to ensure readiness for safe, effective, and compassionate care. For students, understanding that helps reduce anxiety and empowers them to adopt more intentional study strategies, focusing on application, clinical reasoning, and thinking like a physician rather than memorizing facts.
He also encouraged students to embrace their identity as osteopathic physicians. “There’s never been a better time to be a DO student,” he noted, pointing to expanding opportunities across specialties and a historic residency match success. Residency programs, he emphasized, value DO graduates for their distinctive training and patient-centered approach, adding that it is “important to make sure that the fight isn't, hey, we're just equivalent, plus we have this extra tool type thing…we need to be really proud of who we are as a distinctive kind of profession within the house of medicine, and that we do have a different philosophy…focused on prevention, the whole person...a compassionate approach. And it does focus on the care of the patient's body, mind, and spirit.”
Dr. Gimpel also underscored the importance of professionalism and mentorship, urging students to work with confidence in their osteopathic training and their professional identity. He highlighted that what matters most is how physicians care for patients when no one is watching, demonstrating empathy, integrity, and a commitment to whole-person care. These qualities, he noted, are not only central to osteopathic philosophy but also directly impact patient outcomes.
For faculty, Dr. Gimpel’s visit created opportunities to talk about curricular alignment, assessment strategies, and evolving national standards. Direct engagement with NBOME leadership helps VCOM ensure that its curriculum remains aligned with licensure expectations while also supporting continuous improvement in teaching and evaluation.
Ultimately, hosting Dr. Gimpel inspired both students and faculty to pursue excellence, not just in passing an exam, but by becoming skilled, thoughtful, and compassionate physicians dedicated to the communities they serve.
Learn more about NBOME and the Fundamental Osteopathic Medical Competency Domains (FOMCD), which guides both education and assessment across the profession.
