The first 80 students will begin “active learning” in July at Billings’ newly completed Rocky Vista University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine at the intersection of Monad and Shiloh.  Construction began on the 138,000 square foot facility— Montana’s first medical college— in October of 2021. The college is unique in that there are no lecture halls; students learn through hands-on training and hyper-realistic simulations with state-of-the-art technology. Training uses aids such as lifelike mannequins that can breathe and be administered IVs, or virtual reality goggles that can take students into the body, the heart, or into the bloodstreams. David Park, the Vice-President and the Founding Dean, reports that the privately-funded college has already had a significant economic impact on the Billings community and will continue to have a $78.6 million impact, as well as an additional $67 million impact as it continues to fully expand over the next 4 years. The college provides 350 jobs, and adds more than $1.2 million in taxes to the region.

 The college offers a program called the Rural Medicine Track, where our students will be specifically trained on how to deliver healthcare in rural settings, and which will hopefully be able to provide additional services and support for rural communities. Well aware of the housing shortage, Rocky Vista is partnering with Stock Development to build 720 apartments next to the college.36 apartments have already been built. Rocky Vista also has medical colleges at Parker, Colorado and in Ivins, Utah