Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) is a for-profit medical school granting an osteopathic medical degree (D.O.) located in Parker, Colorado near Denver. The school admitted its first class of medical students in August 2008. The school is owned by its founder, Yife Tien, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) located in St. Maarten. RVUCOM broke ground on March 23, 2007 and admitted its first class in August 2008. The provisional accreditation of RVUCOM generated controversy before the school held its first class. Like all osteopathic medical schools, RVUCOM is accredited by the AOA's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). Unlike the other 28 DO (osteopathic) and 126 MD (allopathic) medical colleges in the US, RVUCOM is organized as a for-profit corporation. Critics claimed the AOA's approval of a for-profit school "erodes creditability" of osteopathic medical schools, especially in comparison to their MD counterparts, medical schools accredited by the LCME. The LCME has banned for-profit schools in the United States and Canada.