Osteopathic medical students, residents, and faculty want osteopathic recognition

As an increasing number of AOA residency programs receive ACGME pre-accreditation in the profession’s transition to a single GME accreditation system, there is a growing focus on osteopathic recognition. Do osteopathic medical students, residents, and faculty see value in osteopathic recognition?

According to a recent article in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, the answer is “Yes.”

Kari Hortos, DO, and colleagues at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine surveyed students, residents and physicians to gauge their views on osteopathic recognition and the single accreditation system.

Students are OR’s biggest fans

Of the 728 total respondents, 68% indicated that osteopathic recognition was somewhat important, important, or very important. The findings varied by respondent group.

“Students were the most likely to believe osteopathic recognition was important, at 80%. Faculty followed at 76%, followed by residents at 56%,” reports Dr Hortos.

It’s unclear why residents rated the importance of osteopathic recognition lower than the other participants, but the authors postulate that some residents may believe OR is not relevant to their specialty.

Faculty also identified barriers to applying for osteopathic recognition. It’s not surprising that the perceived administrative time required for obtaining it topped the list.

“Although some DO educators may view the additional requirements for osteopathic recognition as an opportunity to maintain osteopathic distinctiveness, others may question whether the additional administrative task is worth the effort,” says Dr Hortos. “We hope that our findings can help inform strategies to ensure that interested programs achieve osteopathic recognition.”

Read the full findings in The JAOA.