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Kirksville has one medical school, A. T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM), a private DO college founded in 1892 whose main campus is here (school list). Missouri's only other DO college, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, is based in Kansas City (school list).
Kirksville's one hospital on the CMS teaching hospital list is Northeast Regional Medical Center, at 315 South Osteopathy (CMS teaching hospital list). The NPPES registry lists 204 trainee registrations in Kirksville; among the core clerkship specialties, family medicine (64) and internal medicine (31) are largest, while pediatrics and OB/GYN have one each (NPPES NPI Registry).
Facts about Kirksville
- ATSU-KCOM's first-time pass rate on COMLEX Level 2-CE was 94.81% for 2025-2026, against 92.48% nationally. (A.T. Still University)
- ATSU-KCOM graduates passed COMLEX Level 3 at 97.09% on the first attempt in 2025. (A.T. Still University)
- Of the 159 ATSU-KCOM students in the class of 2026 who sought a residency, 158 were placed in graduate medical education. (A.T. Still University)
- ATSU-KCOM was founded in Kirksville in 1892 by Andrew Taylor Still, DO, as the first institution of osteopathic education in the world. (ATSU-KCOM)
- The Kirksville campus also holds ATSU's Gutensohn Clinic, the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine, the A.T. Still Research Institute and Northeast Regional Medical Center. (ATSU-KCOM)
- ATSU-KCOM's DO curriculum opens with Foundations of Medicine, a semester on the scientific principles behind clinical practice, then moves to a patient-centered, systems-based model. (ATSU-KCOM)
- In Years 3 and 4, ATSU-KCOM students are based at regional clinical sites for 88 weeks of rotations plus six weeks of flex, vacation and commencement preparation, in a network spanning Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. (ATSU-KCOM)
- ATSU-KCOM reports a four-year rolling average postgraduate placement rate of 99.4%. (ATSU-KCOM)
- ATSU-KCOM welcomed 168 members of the class of 2030 with a White Coat Ceremony on July 11, 2026, at Truman State University's Baldwin Hall in Kirksville. (ATSU News)
Sources: A.T. Still University, KCOM student outcomes (checked October 29, 2026); ATSU-KCOM, Founding School of Osteopathy (checked November 1, 2026); ATSU-KCOM, Curriculum organization (checked November 1, 2026); ATSU-KCOM, Postgraduate Placement (checked November 1, 2026); ATSU News, ATSU-KCOM honors class of 2030 with White Coat Ceremony (checked November 1, 2026).
Where osteopathic medicine began
Kirksville is where the profession started. Andrew Taylor Still, DO, founded the college here in 1892, and it became the first institution of osteopathic education in the world (ATSU-KCOM). The campus still holds the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine beside ATSU's Gutensohn Clinic, the A.T. Still Research Institute and Northeast Regional Medical Center (ATSU-KCOM).
Each new class starts the same way. On July 11, 2026, ATSU-KCOM welcomed 168 members of the class of 2030 with a White Coat Ceremony at Truman State University's Baldwin Hall (ATSU News). For them the first board exam ahead is COMLEX Level 1.
Two years in Kirksville, then the regional sites
The DO curriculum opens with Foundations of Medicine, a semester on the scientific principles behind clinical practice, and then moves to a patient-centered, systems-based model (ATSU-KCOM curriculum). Those campus years are the groundwork for Level 1, and we build Level 1 review on the same system order, so the weeks before the exam revisit material rather than meet it for the first time.
In Years 3 and 4 students leave town. They are based at regional clinical sites for 88 weeks of rotations plus six weeks of flex, vacation and commencement preparation, in a network spanning Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah (ATSU-KCOM curriculum). Shelf exams and Level 2-CE are prepared from those sites, often far from classmates, which is where one-on-one online sessions help most.
The end point is residency. ATSU-KCOM reports a four-year rolling average postgraduate placement rate of 99.4% (ATSU-KCOM postgraduate placement), and Level 3 follows in the first years of training.
Medical school in Kirksville
| School | Degree | Founded | Type | Exam series | In Kirksville |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine | DO | 1892 | Private | COMLEX-USA | Main campus |
School list: LCME and COCA lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.
Teaching hospitals in Kirksville
On the CMS teaching hospital list (October 2026):
- Northeast Regional Medical Center, 315 South Osteopathy, Kirksville, MO 63501
When Kirksville students must take the boards
A. T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine states: “In order to attend the commencement ceremony, students must have successfully completed COMLEX Level 1 and Level 2CE by December 31 of the academic year in which the student will graduate.” (ATSU-KCOM Policies, Procedures, and Processes (updated 04/2026), 2025-2026).
The exams Kirksville students take, in order
ATSU-KCOM grants the DO, so Kirksville students start with COMLEX Level 1, and many also sit USMLE Step 1 at about the same point.
Each core clerkship ends with an NBME shelf exam, and COMLEX Level 2-CE comes next: ATSU-KCOM reports a first-time pass rate of 94.81% on it for 2025-2026, against 92.48% nationally (ATSU-KCOM student outcomes). The college also wants Level 1 and Level 2-CE passed by December 31 of the graduating academic year, the condition for attending commencement (ATSU-KCOM policies). Our Level 2 vs Step 2 CK guide covers whether to add the USMLE version.
COMLEX Level 3 comes in residency, and ATSU-KCOM graduates passed it at 97.09% on the first attempt in 2025 (ATSU-KCOM student outcomes). Of the 159 class-of-2026 students who sought a residency, 158 were placed in graduate medical education (ATSU-KCOM student outcomes).
Missouri board rules for Kirksville graduates
Kirksville graduates who stay in Missouri for residency or practice fall under Missouri's medical board. FSMB's Missouri summary, checked in October 2026, lists 3 attempts at USMLE Step 3, one fewer than the USMLE program's four per Step (FSMB, USMLE eligibility rules).
ATSU-KCOM graduates sit COMLEX, and that Missouri entry also lists 3 attempts on COMLEX. It does not say whether the three attempts are per Level or in total, so confirm that with the board before you book a retake (FSMB).
How much Kirksville searches for board prep
Google Trends ranks the Ottumwa-Kirksville metro area first among US metro areas for “USMLE” searches over the past five years, with a score of 100 out of 100, and second for “USMLE Step 1”, with a score of 65 (retrieved October 2026). That is a striking result for a college whose students take COMLEX, and it fits the many Kirksville students who also sit Step 1. Scores are relative, not counts of students.
- “USMLE”: number 1 among US metro areas (Ottumwa-Kirksville), score 100 of 100
- “USMLE Step 1”: number 2 among US metro areas (Ottumwa-Kirksville), score 65 of 100



