‘Incendiary’

Withdrawn: Resolution insisting on DO directors of medical education

The measure was pulled after garnering criticism during a preliminary meeting.

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An attention-getting resolution proposing that the AOA adhere to its policy of allowing only DOs to serve as directors of osteopathic medical education was pulled before moving to the AOA House of Delegates. The Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association withdrew the measure after it garnered criticism during an AOA Board of Trustees’ reference committee meeting on July 18.

“We are doing everything we can to provide for future training programs, and statements like that are pretty much incendiary,” said Clinton E. Adams, DO, the dean of the Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, Calif.

Joseph P. McNerney, DO, of Michigan disagreed. “As a director of medical education, I’ve been through all of this. I’m against changing the language,” he said. “As far as I can see, there aren’t difficulties finding osteopathic DMEs,” he said.

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Yet some parts of the country don’t have enough DOs to draw from for DME positions, countered Karen J. Nichols, DO, the AOA’s 2010-11 president. “That has been a severe limiting factor in expanding our osteopathic residency opportunities—at least in the short term,” she said.

While noting that he wasn’t against the resolution overall, Michael I. Opipari, DO, who chairs the AOA Council on Postdoctoral Training, said exceptions may need to be made during an interim period for hospitals that are “actively searching but not able to find anyone.” Exceptions have already been made to allow MDs to be AOA-approved residency program directors in geographic regions that have few DOs in certain specialties.

The resolution also called on the AOA to oppose any movement toward permitting nonosteopathic physicians to serve as DMEs.

2 comments

  1. W. Richard Loerke DO

    I was wanting a copy of this page or magazine. If I print the page the picture does not print. Nancy L. Kragt is our daughter and we would like a copy of the magazine.

  2. Patrick Sinco, managing editor

    Hi Dr. Loerke.

    The DO is only available online. I have sent a PDF of this page to you by email. Please let me know if you don’t receive it.

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