Student- and faculty-reported importance of science prerequisites for osteopathic medical school: a survey-based study.

Context: The relevance of current standard medical school science prerequisites is being reexamined.

Objectives: (1) To identify which science prerequisites are perceived to best prepare osteopathic medical students for their basic science and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) coursework and (2) to determine whether science prerequisites for osteopathic medical school should be modified.

Methods: Preclinical osteopathic medical students and their basic science and OMM faculty from 3 colleges of osteopathic medicine were surveyed about the importance of specific science concepts, laboratories, and research techniques to medical school coursework.