KansasCOM Interview Prep Guide (2025-2026)

Kansas Health Science University’s Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM) is the first osteopathic medical school in Kansas, founded in 2022 to address the state’s healthcare needs aacom.org studentdoctor.net. Applicants invited to interview at KansasCOM will encounter a virtual, two-part interview format: two closed-file, one-on-one interviews via Zoom, each approximately 20 minutes long kansascom.kansashsu.org studentdoctor.net. KansasCOM’s mission-driven culture emphasizes training empathetic, community-focused, and innovative physicians aacom.org kansascom.kansashsu.org, and its values include diversity, inclusion, service to the community, integrity, and teamwork kansascom.kansashsu.org. Reflecting these priorities, the school evaluates not only academic metrics but also leadership experiences, community involvement, and healthcare exposure during admissions aacom.org. The program features a case-based curriculum with advanced simulation technology and a focus on serving rural Kansas, aligning with broader healthcare policy efforts in the region studentdoctor.net hpj.com. Common interview topics reported by past candidates range from motivations for pursuing osteopathic medicine and ethical scenarios to personal reflection questions and discussions of healthcare issues studentdoctor.net studentdoctor.net. This guide also outlines the 2025–2026 application timeline – with primary applications due by April 1, 2026 and interviews conducted on a rolling basis through April 2026 aacom.org kansascom.kansashsu.org – to help applicants stay on track with their preparation.

KansasCOM conducts interviews virtually, consisting of two 20-minute one-on-one interviews with faculty or admissions committee members via Zoom kansascom.kansashsu.org. These interviews are typically closed-file, meaning the interviewers have little to no prior information about the applicant’s academic record or application details studentdoctor.net. This format allows candidates to present themselves afresh, focusing on their experiences, motivations, and personal qualities. According to official and association data, KansasCOM employs a hybrid interview style blending traditional questions with some MMI-like elements aacom.org. In practice, that means the conversations are largely structured yet conversational, with predetermined questions designed to assess a range of attributes (from ethical judgment to communication skills) in each candidate kansascom.kansashsu.org. Interviewees have generally described the atmosphere as friendly and low to moderate in stress studentdoctor.net studentdoctor.net, helping applicants feel comfortable. While precise post-interview acceptance statistics aren’t published, KansasCOM’s overall acceptance rate is around 7% of all applicants studentdoctor.net, so an interview invitation is significant. The school notifies interviewed applicants of admissions decisions about 4–6 weeks after the interview day kansascom.kansashsu.org, underlining the importance of a strong interview performance in securing a spot.

KansasCOM’s mission is to “improve healthcare for generations to come” by training future osteopathic physicians in an environment of innovation, caring, and inclusiveness aacom.org. In practical terms, this means KansasCOM is dedicated to producing forward-thinking, empathetic healthcare leaders who will serve underserved communities in Kansas and beyond aacom.org kansascom.kansashsu.org. As the first and only osteopathic medical college in the state, KansasCOM was founded with a strong service ethos: to address disparities in access to care in Kansas, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas aacom.org. The school’s core values reinforce this mission. They highlight diversity and inclusion, indicating a commitment to welcoming different perspectives and backgrounds, and serving community needs, underlining that community service is at the heart of the program’s purpose kansascom.kansashsu.org kansascom.kansashsu.org. Other values like integrity, humility, innovation, teamwork, and excellence also guide KansasCOM’s culture kansascom.kansashsu.org. Together, the mission and values paint a picture of a program that prizes compassion, social responsibility, and collaboration. For interviewees, understanding these guiding principles is crucial. Interviewers may look for evidence that an applicant resonates with KansasCOM’s values – for example, by discussing experiences working in diverse teams, serving the community, or demonstrating empathy – as an indication of fit with the school’s overarching mission.

KansasCOM is a private, non-profit osteopathic medical school located in Wichita, and it enrolled its inaugural class in the 2022–2023 academic year studentdoctor.net. With approximately 85 students in each incoming class (total enrollment was 85 in its first year) studentdoctor.net, the program offers a relatively intimate learning environment. The curriculum is designed around a patient presentation model and case-based learning: in the first two years, students engage in interactive classes, small-group case discussions, and early clinical skills training using standardized patients and high-fidelity simulations studentdoctor.net. KansasCOM has invested in cutting-edge educational technology – from a dedicated Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab to an anatomy suite equipped with augmented reality tools and plastinated specimens aacom.org aacom.org – to enhance hands-on learning. In the third and fourth years, students rotate through clinical clerkships with a special emphasis on primary care and experiences in underserved or rural communities studentdoctor.net. This approach reflects the school’s mission to produce doctors who will serve in high-need areas and provides students with exposure to the types of community settings they are being trained to work in. KansasCOM is also part of a broader educational system (The Community Solution Education System) that supports its development and community outreach initiatives tcsedsystem.edu tcsedsystem.edu. Facts like these are useful to remember for the interview: understanding the program’s structure and focus can help candidates tailor their answers or conversations. Additionally, these unique features present great opportunities for applicants to ask informed questions during the interview.

• What opportunities do KansasCOM students have to work with rural or underserved communities during their training (e.g. through rotations or outreach programs)?
• KansasCOM has invested in modern learning tools like simulation labs and augmented reality. How are these technologies integrated into the curriculum, and how do they benefit student learning?
• Does KansasCOM offer any research or innovation opportunities for students, given its emphasis on forward-thinking and innovative care?
• How does the school support students in preparing for residency, especially in primary care or in Kansas? (For example, through advising, partnerships, or a focus on local residency placements.)
• As a newer medical school, how would you describe the student culture and community at KansasCOM? What traditions or initiatives are current students helping to establish?

KansasCOM’s founding is intertwined with pressing healthcare policy issues in Kansas and the broader U.S. Healthcare access and physician workforce shortages are central topics. In Kansas, a large proportion of counties (by some estimates, 70–90%) are considered medically underserved, particularly in rural regions hpj.com. This reflects a shortage of healthcare providers outside urban centers, a gap KansasCOM aims to help fill by educating physicians who might practice in those areas. The state also faces an aging physician population, meaning many current doctors are nearing retirement klrd.gov, which could worsen access gaps if new doctors aren’t trained to replace them. Nationally, the Association of American Medical Colleges projects a significant physician shortfall (potentially up to ~120,000 doctors) by 2032 hpj.com, so fostering new medical graduates – especially in primary care and underserved communities – is a policy priority. KansasCOM aligns with solutions to these challenges: for example, it partners with regional health systems to provide rural clinical rotations and residencies for students and graduates hpj.com, an approach supported by workforce experts as a way to encourage physicians to stay in or return to rural areas klrd.gov hpj.com. Other relevant healthcare topics include the expansion of telemedicine (important in Kansas to reach remote patients klrd.gov), incentives like loan forgiveness for doctors working in shortage areas, and the role of osteopathic medicine in improving primary care access. Interviewees should be aware of these contexts – for instance, understanding Kansas’s healthcare landscape and how KansasCOM’s mission serves it – as they may be brought up in discussion or help inform a candidate’s answer to “Why KansasCOM?” in terms of wanting to impact these issues.

KansasCOM uses a holistic admissions approach, meaning personal and experiential qualities weigh heavily alongside academic metrics. According to the program’s published criteria, successful applicants demonstrate not only strong academic preparation but also leadership ability, community involvement, and exposure to healthcare work or clinical settings aacom.org. This can include activities like holding leadership roles in student or community organizations, volunteering in healthcare or underserved settings, shadowing physicians or working as a scribe/EMT, and other hands-on patient care or service experiences. The emphasis on service is a natural extension of KansasCOM’s mission – they are looking for students who have shown dedication to helping others and improving their communities. In addition, qualities such as empathy, teamwork, professionalism, and cultural humility are likely valued; evidence of these might be seen through an applicant’s experiences working with diverse populations or through letters of recommendation. KansasCOM even encourages applicants to submit a CASPer situational judgment test score aacom.org, which suggests that traits like ethics and communication (which CASPer is designed to assess) are important to them. While research experience is not explicitly required for admission, a mindset of curiosity and innovation can be inferred as desirable given the school’s value on innovation and its growing research infrastructure aacom.org aacom.org. Overall, candidates who can demonstrate they are well-rounded – academically capable, socially conscious, and aligned with the school’s values – will meet the non-academic profile KansasCOM seeks.

The educational program at KansasCOM is designed around nationally recognized competency frameworks to ensure graduates are well-prepared physicians. As a DO school, KansasCOM adheres to the osteopathic medical competencies set by accrediting bodies. These include the traditional six core domains (borrowed from ACGME for all physicians) – Medical Knowledge, Patient Care, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Professionalism, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, and Systems-Based Practice – plus the additional competencies that reflect osteopathic training, notably Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) meducalix.org. In total, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) outlines seven competency domains (often expanded into finer sub-competencies, sometimes listed as 14 items) covering everything from clinical skills and medical knowledge to empathy, ethics, and population health meducalix.org. KansasCOM’s curriculum and assessments are built to cultivate these areas. For example, the focus on community health and communication ties into professionalism and interpersonal skills, and the integration of technology and innovation in the curriculum speaks to systems-based practice and continuous learning. Additionally, KansasCOM likely incorporates the concept of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) – a set of 13 core activities (like patient hand-offs, interpreting tests, etc.) each new medical graduate should be able to perform on day one of residency pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Being aligned with these frameworks means that interview questions or evaluation criteria may indirectly reference these competencies. While applicants don’t need to memorize all the competency names, it’s helpful to recognize that the program is looking for evidence of things like teamwork, ethical decision-making, and effective communication – qualities that map to these professional competencies.

Interview feedback from KansasCOM applicants suggests that the school covers a comprehensive range of topics in its questions, reflecting both its mission and the hybrid interview format. Motivation and “Why us?” – Many candidates have been asked why they want to be a physician (and specifically, why a DO and why KansasCOM) studentdoctor.net. This gives applicants a chance to express their passion for medicine and align their goals with KansasCOM’s offerings (such as its focus on Kansas or osteopathic philosophy). Personal background and traits – Open-ended prompts like “Tell me about yourself” studentdoctor.net or questions about one’s strengths and weaknesses may arise, allowing interviewers to get to know the applicant’s character and life story. Ethical and critical thinking scenarios – Some reported questions probe ethical reasoning, for instance asking if or when it might be acceptable for a doctor to lie to a patient studentdoctor.net or presenting other dilemmas. These test an applicant’s integrity, judgment, and ability to reason through complex situations in line with professional values. Behavioral questions – Interviewers often inquire about past experiences to gauge how an applicant behaves in certain situations. Examples from KansasCOM include describing a time you had to communicate bad news or resolve a conflict (e.g., “Tell me about a time that you had to communicate something difficult – how did you approach it and what was the outcome?”) studentdoctor.net. Such questions assess communication skills, empathy, problem-solving, and resilience. Unique or MMI-style prompts – Reflecting the “hybrid” format, a few unconventional questions have been noted. For example, one interviewee mentioned being asked to choose a color that represents them, which is a more abstract prompt aimed at understanding creativity or self-perception studentdoctor.net. Others hinted at health policy or current events topics, such as discussing a healthcare issue – tying back to KansasCOM’s interest in socially aware physicians studentdoctor.net. These could have been part of an MMI station or just a structured question within the one-on-one interview. Overall, the themes suggest that preparation should be well-rounded: applicants should be ready to discuss their personal journey and motivation, reflect on ethical principles, recount meaningful life or work experiences, and even think on their feet for an unexpected question. Notably, KansasCOM’s interview was generally described as fair and conversational despite covering diverse content, meaning the school isn’t looking to surprise or trick applicants, but rather to understand them in depth.

Staying on top of deadlines is essential in the medical school application process. Below are the key dates and milestones for the 2025–2026 KansasCOM admissions cycle:

• May 4, 2025 – Primary Application Opens: AACOMAS (the centralized osteopathic medical school application) opens in early May aacom.org. Applicants can begin submitting their primary applications to KansasCOM and other osteopathic schools at this time. Applying early is advantageous, as KansasCOM operates on rolling admissions (applications are reviewed and interviews offered continuously).
• August–September 2025 – Secondary Invitation & Submission: After the AACOMAS application is verified and if an applicant meets initial criteria, KansasCOM will invite them to complete a secondary application (supplemental essays and additional information) aacom.org. It’s best to submit the secondary promptly (ideally within 1-2 weeks of receiving it). KansasCOM’s secondary application deadline is around Mid-May 2026 (tentatively May 15, 2026) aacom.org, but waiting that long is not recommended since interview slots may fill earlier.
• September 2025 – April 2026 – Interviews Conducted: KansasCOM begins interviewing candidates in the fall (often starting by September or October) and continues through April of the following year kansascom.kansashsu.org. Interviews are scheduled on a rolling basis, typically via virtual “Interview Day” events that include the two individual interviews, a faculty Q&A panel, and info sessions kansascom.kansashsu.org. Be aware that available interview dates become scarcer as the cycle progresses, so completing applications early increases the chance of an earlier interview invite.
• April 1, 2026 – Primary Application Deadline: This is the final date for AACOMAS to receive primary applications for KansasCOM for the 2025–2026 cycle aacom.org. However, submitting by the deadline is considered late in the rolling process; for best consideration, applicants are encouraged to submit well before this (AACOM advises at least 4 weeks prior, i.e., by early March 2026) aacom.org.
• Admissions Decisions: KansasCOM issues admissions decisions on a rolling basis. Interviewed applicants typically receive an acceptance, waitlist, or rejection notification about 4–6 weeks after their interview kansascom.kansashsu.org. If accepted, applicants will need to pay a deposit to hold their seat. KansasCOM adheres to AACOM’s traffic guidelines, which set common deadlines for when applicants must commit to one school. For example, by mid-December many candidates will begin making initial deposits, and by May 15, 2026, those holding multiple acceptances must choose their single school (per AACOM rules) aacom.org.
• July 2026 – Matriculation: The KansasCOM academic year for the Class of 2026 will begin in mid-summer 2026. Accepted students will receive specifics about orientation and the start of classes (typically late July). This is when the new students officially matriculate and begin their journey at KansasCOM.

In summary, effective interview preparation for KansasCOM involves a blend of self-reflection, research, and awareness of both the program and the healthcare environment it serves. Candidates should familiarize themselves with KansasCOM’s mission to train caring, community-oriented physicians aacom.org and be ready to discuss how their own values and experiences align with that mission. Understanding the interview format – two one-on-one, mostly conversational interviews – can help applicants practice articulating their thoughts succinctly in a 20-minute timeframe kansascom.kansashsu.org. It’s also valuable to stay informed about the healthcare issues central to KansasCOM’s purpose (like rural healthcare challenges in Kansas) and be prepared to engage on those topics if they arise. Remember that the interview is as much an opportunity for applicants to learn about the school as it is for the school to learn about applicants, so coming in with knowledge of the program’s features and thoughtful questions to ask will demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative. By combining an appreciation of KansasCOM’s values and offerings with clear personal examples that highlight one’s fit for the school, applicants can approach the interview with confidence and authenticity. Good luck with your KansasCOM interview and the 2025–2026 application cycle!