Fruits of labor Single GME update: DOs well-positioned for transition Dozens of DOs have taken leadership positions within the ACGME, noted AOA President-Elect Boyd R. Buser, DO, in an annual report. July 23, 2015Thursday Rose Raymond Contact Rose Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics House of Delegatessingle GME accreditation The medical profession is one year closer to the 2020 full transition to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education. DOs are now well-positioned to ensure the preservation of osteopathic principles and practice in the new system, noted AOA President-Elect Boyd R. Buser, DO, in an annual report to the AOA’s House of Delegates last week. Dozens of DOs have taken leadership positions within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, including: Four DO members on the ACGME board of directors. Roughly 30 DOs on various ACGME residency review committees. Lorenzo Pence, DO, the ACGME’s new senior vice president for osteopathic accreditation. “What I’ve told our board on several occasions is, we are a virulent strain, and we have been injected into the host, and it will never be the same,” Dr. Buser joked to laughter and applause. Robert S. Juhasz, DO, the AOA’s immediate past president, lauded everyone involved in working to make the aforementioned accomplishments possible. “I’m so very proud of the progress we have made over the past year to build a single accreditation system that recognizes the unique principles of osteopathic medical education and the osteopathic profession, and the contribution they make to improving the health care of all Americans,” he said. Single GME progress by the numbers As of this week, 21 out of 24 residency review committees will accept AOA certification for program directors. The thoracic surgery committee met this week and agreed to accept AOA certification, bumping the number from 20, as reported to the House, to 21. From a board-certification standpoint, more than 97% of osteopathic residency program directors meet the qualifications to become program directors in the single GME system. 70% of third-year osteopathic medical students said they’d like to choose an osteopathic training program, according to a survey from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. “Our students are telling us what they want, and we should be very proud of that,” Dr. Buser noted. 83% of osteopathic program directors are planning to pursue osteopathic recognition for their programs. More key achievements from the past year The ACGME created new committees on osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic principles. 29 institutions have applied for ACGME accreditation; six have been awarded initial accreditation. Two AOA training programs have submitted applications for ACGME accreditation. AOA training programs grew by 11%; positions grew by 17%; the number of filled slots grew by 5%. More in Training 6 states in 12 months: A guide to life on the road during fourth year Fourth year is what you make it. Rachel Pray, OMS IV, shares how she embraced travel and adventure as much as possible during her fourth year. Being a DO in a heavily MD residency program: What surprised me I was incredibly nervous to join a large MD-dominant internal medicine residency, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much my osteopathic training helped me excel. Previous articleAOA recognizes achievements toward building a culture of excellence Next article7 Highlights from the AOA's Annual Business Meeting
6 states in 12 months: A guide to life on the road during fourth year Fourth year is what you make it. Rachel Pray, OMS IV, shares how she embraced travel and adventure as much as possible during her fourth year.
Being a DO in a heavily MD residency program: What surprised me I was incredibly nervous to join a large MD-dominant internal medicine residency, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much my osteopathic training helped me excel.
We are not standing together. Before proceeding, the AOA needed to make sure all program directors’ certifications were accepted by the new ACGME. Throwing some of us under the bus, is not representing our profession. Yet the AOA demands our dues. There are good things about the new system, but the AOA is not informing us of the possible bad outcomes. Put politics aside and represent all DO’s. Jul. 25, 2015, at 9:13 am Reply
Remember we got kicked out of the acgme when 500 allopathic students did not match after the scramble. AOA was caught napping when we did not have enough residencey slots. I never was in favor of this deal. All I can think of is the fate of homeopathy. I teach OP&P at a COM and do my best to inspire our students, but too many still only want to be prescription pad doctors who welcome this arrangement Jul. 25, 2015, at 9:36 am Reply
What specialties comprise the three out of 24 residency review committees that have not yet accepted AOA certification for program directors? If even a single osteopathic specialty among the AOA family is not accepted, it will be an unsuccessful transition. Every specialty should be accepted and their acceptance should have been a criteria for completing this transition. Throwing an entire specialty under the bus is not acceptable! Jul. 25, 2015, at 9:24 am Reply
As a student, I welcome these comments. The transition will be slow – there is skepticism from both sides of the table. However, the one thing we must all keep in mind is we are uniting two medical professions under one umbrella. I’m super excited for what the future holds. If a program doesn’t meet standards, then its a great thing its closing; we cannot send under-educated physicians to take care of human beings. What I hope to see in the future – Less talk of how we’re different!! We get it. DO and MD are different, but lets not constantly flaunt our own insecurity with ourself by talking about how we are more holistic. We can just prove it. I can speak for many students when I say this – Please stop with this. We know we’re equal, if not better. Enough talk, let’s practice it. Next: higher standards for medical education. MD schools are opening up with hospitals all over the country, full time basis it seems too. Why do DO schools scrounge around for any hospital that’ll take the maximum number of students? We should be competing on an equal playing field. Lets start by building some of our own University, tertiary care type arrangements. This will be one step, a big step, in ensuring our future. Jul. 30, 2015, at 2:38 pm Reply
As an intern at an ACGME university IM program (as well as the ONLY DO in my class), I agree with the above student poster. We need to work on raising the standards of DO education. The first two years are excellent, however the last two years are too variable. We need to insist on having high quality, teaching hospital based rotations, no more of this precepter based, outpatient centered rotations. When I’ve asked PD’s at various programs why they tend not to take DO’s, the most consistent answer lies in the fact that they just don’t know what they’re getting in terms of clinical training. We must raise these standards and bring them in line with the LCME for DO’s to begin to compete equally. Aug. 1, 2015, at 9:21 pm Reply
For the American Academy of Osteopathy’s response to the proposed standards for ACGME-accredited residencies in osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine, see AAO Member News’ June issue at http://digital.turn-page.com/i/532218-june-2015. Aug. 12, 2015, at 5:22 pm Reply