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There are many questions and concerns regarding the AOA and ACGME merger. Please use the information compiled below to gain a solid understanding of what is occurring and what the overall process is before creating a "merger" thread. I have provided links to many documents and websites that further expand on the information given below.
October 2019 UPDATE:
- Please see this thread to see list of AOA program status in the merger, including fellowship status. (Special thanks to @Dr.Bruh for collating this)
AUGUST 2019 UPDATE, important points below:
- As of July 1, 2019 730 AOA programs have applied for ACGME accreditation, 636 have achieved accreditation (92% of AOA programs)
- 117 of these programs are subspecialties. 182 are surgical programs.
- Of the 636 accredited programs, 23 have received warnings.
- 200 programs have received osteopathic recognition (this does NOT mean that you must do OMM, just that they offer a track for additional OMM training)
- June 30, 2020 is when the merger ends. Any program that still has pre-accreditation (NOT continued pre-accreditation) status will receive a review committee decisions of either initial accreditation or accreditation withheld. Programs given a withheld decision will be given a 30-day period to appeal the decision.
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MARCH 2019 UPDATE:
https://osteopathic.org/students/resources/single-gme/single-gme-student-faq
AOA Residents and Medical Students
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Definitions
ACGME: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This group governed residency programs, in general, from hospitals affiliated with MD-granting institutions.
AOA: American Osteopathic Association. This group governed specifically osteopathic residency programs.
LCME: Liaison Committee for Medical Education: This group governs the accreditation process of MD-granting institutions.
COCA: Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. This group covers the accreditation process of DO-granting institutions.
MOU: Memorandum of Understanding.
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Timeline:
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Frequently asked questions:
Will AOA programs close down because of the merger?
Yes, many have elected not to apply for ACGME accreditation for one reason or another.
How many AOA programs will close down because of this?
As of data from October 2016, around 200 programs will close for a multitude of reasons (source: http://www.une.edu/sites/default/files/UNECOM_10072016 Shannon.pdf). As noted by @hallowmann "It should be clarified that only 3 programs that closed cited not wishing to apply for ACGME accreditation, the rest that closed all seemed unassociated with the merger. There are 75 others that hadn't responded as of that presentation though, and another 50 or so are up in the air."
What will happen to the AOA in 2020?
The AOA will still be a governing body but will cease to play a role in the realm of residency accreditation, providing the reigns to ACGME.
What does this mean for DO students applying for residency?
Prior to the completed merger, DO students were able to apply to the AOA match and the ACGME match. If they matched into AOA they were required to forfeit from the ACGME match. The AOA match occurred earlier than the ACGME match. If a DO student forewent the AOA match and could not find placement in the ACGME (primary match, SOAP, or scramble) the student could still apply for open AOA positions to secure a spot for graduate training. The single accreditation system will pipeline the process of applying for residency into one program so that all match results occur in the same timeline, MD or DO.
Will this effect my chances as a DO student towards getting into a competitive specialty?
Prior to the merger, DO students applying to competitive specialties like ortho or neurosurgery utilized the AOA system due to decreased competition and decreased risk of going unmatched in the ACGME process. With the merger in play, MD applicants will have the opportunity to apply to newly accredited ACGME programs that were once limited to DO applicants. The logistics and specifics of whether a program director would favor MD or DO applicants from a previous AOA program is largely varied amongst programs and thus, a homogenous answer is difficult to provide. Anecdotally, a PD of an AOA orthopedic program in MO with ACGME accreditation has stated they will still prefer DO applicants over MD applicants.
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UPDATE (Feb 2018):
As of December 2017 -
Orthopedic surgery program specific information regarding the AOA-ACGME merge.
AOA regarding the merger.
October 2019 UPDATE:
- Please see this thread to see list of AOA program status in the merger, including fellowship status. (Special thanks to @Dr.Bruh for collating this)
AUGUST 2019 UPDATE, important points below:
- As of July 1, 2019 730 AOA programs have applied for ACGME accreditation, 636 have achieved accreditation (92% of AOA programs)
- 117 of these programs are subspecialties. 182 are surgical programs.
- Of the 636 accredited programs, 23 have received warnings.
- 200 programs have received osteopathic recognition (this does NOT mean that you must do OMM, just that they offer a track for additional OMM training)
- June 30, 2020 is when the merger ends. Any program that still has pre-accreditation (NOT continued pre-accreditation) status will receive a review committee decisions of either initial accreditation or accreditation withheld. Programs given a withheld decision will be given a 30-day period to appeal the decision.
----
MARCH 2019 UPDATE:
https://osteopathic.org/students/resources/single-gme/single-gme-student-faq
AOA Residents and Medical Students
----
Definitions
ACGME: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This group governed residency programs, in general, from hospitals affiliated with MD-granting institutions.
AOA: American Osteopathic Association. This group governed specifically osteopathic residency programs.
LCME: Liaison Committee for Medical Education: This group governs the accreditation process of MD-granting institutions.
COCA: Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. This group covers the accreditation process of DO-granting institutions.
MOU: Memorandum of Understanding.
----
Timeline:
- 2013 - announcement was made by Dr. Nasca (CEO of the ACGME) regarding the ACGME Board of Directors approval of a single accreditation system MOU. Simply, the ACGME was making the decision to bar AOA graduates from ACGME fellowship and ACGME advanced residencies)
- July, 2013 - MOU rejected by AOA and AACOM.
- February, 2014: announcement was made about the merging of the ACMGE and the AOA. The executive summary of discussion and outcomes was presented here.
- March, 2014 - MOU officially approved by AOA, AACOM & ACGME
- AOA residency programs will submit an application to ACGME. This grants the program the status of Pre-Accreditation which allows the AOA program to begin the process of Initial Accreditation though the ACGME. Initial Accreditation is granted upon the contingency of ACGME Review Committee approval that the program is compliant to ACGME standards which will entail a site visit from the ACGME (Source: Single GME Accreditation System).
- AOA programs must reach the status of "Pre-Acredditation" by June 30, 2020. Those who do not reach this status will not be allowed to recruit any more residents for their program.
- You can view reports of AOA programs ACGME status here. You can also view which AOA programs are planning to apply for ACGME accreditation here. Please note that some AOA programs have not provided such information about their decisions to apply. It is difficult to translate this as a decision to not apply, please contact the program directly should you have concerns reading these specific programs.
- Starting July 1, 2016, fellowship eligibility requires graduates to have completed training from an ACGME, RCPSC, or CFPC. Exceptions to this have been categorized by specialty here (please note, this was updated in 2015 and these response may have changed). Those that provide exceptions will consider graduates of AOA programs however the methods and rules governing these exceptions will vary across specialties.
- Sitting for the USMLE is not a hard requirement to apply for ACGME programs however, there will be programs that do not accept COMLEX scores in lieu of USMLE scores. Additionally, specific fellowship programs will require USMLE scores. Please contact the program directly to determine specifics or utilize the AMA Frieda software program.
- Board exams (taken to become board certified in the specialty you trained in) will still be administered by both the NBME and the AOA, there are no announcements of change.
- Graduates of US, MD-granting institutions will be allowed to apply to ACGME accredited programs once AOA. AOA programs receiving ACGME Initial Accreditation will be listed on the NRMP (software system utilized to apply for residency). Programs with Osteopathic Recognition (provided by newly formed ACGME committees) will have specific OMM requirements and, in general, will be limited to students graduating from DO-granting institutions. However, exceptions of eligibility to applying for OR-approved ACGME programs will be provided by program directors (source: page 6 of the ACGME osteopathic recognition FAQ).
---
Frequently asked questions:
Will AOA programs close down because of the merger?
Yes, many have elected not to apply for ACGME accreditation for one reason or another.
How many AOA programs will close down because of this?
As of data from October 2016, around 200 programs will close for a multitude of reasons (source: http://www.une.edu/sites/default/files/UNECOM_10072016 Shannon.pdf). As noted by @hallowmann "It should be clarified that only 3 programs that closed cited not wishing to apply for ACGME accreditation, the rest that closed all seemed unassociated with the merger. There are 75 others that hadn't responded as of that presentation though, and another 50 or so are up in the air."
What will happen to the AOA in 2020?
The AOA will still be a governing body but will cease to play a role in the realm of residency accreditation, providing the reigns to ACGME.
What does this mean for DO students applying for residency?
Prior to the completed merger, DO students were able to apply to the AOA match and the ACGME match. If they matched into AOA they were required to forfeit from the ACGME match. The AOA match occurred earlier than the ACGME match. If a DO student forewent the AOA match and could not find placement in the ACGME (primary match, SOAP, or scramble) the student could still apply for open AOA positions to secure a spot for graduate training. The single accreditation system will pipeline the process of applying for residency into one program so that all match results occur in the same timeline, MD or DO.
Will this effect my chances as a DO student towards getting into a competitive specialty?
Prior to the merger, DO students applying to competitive specialties like ortho or neurosurgery utilized the AOA system due to decreased competition and decreased risk of going unmatched in the ACGME process. With the merger in play, MD applicants will have the opportunity to apply to newly accredited ACGME programs that were once limited to DO applicants. The logistics and specifics of whether a program director would favor MD or DO applicants from a previous AOA program is largely varied amongst programs and thus, a homogenous answer is difficult to provide. Anecdotally, a PD of an AOA orthopedic program in MO with ACGME accreditation has stated they will still prefer DO applicants over MD applicants.
--
UPDATE (Feb 2018):
As of December 2017 -
- 62% of all AOA programs (82% of residencies, 39% of fellowships, & internships) have been accredited (~40%) OR have submitted an application for ACGME accreditation (~20%).
- 10-15% of AOA programs have closed or are planning to close.
- Of programs that have applied for osteopathic recognition (OR): 53% were dually accredited (AOA & ACGME). 15% were ACGME accredited. 32% were AOA programs.
- OR requirements include designated faculty who will incorporate and apply osteopathic principles and practice into the six cores of ACGME residency training. It is important to note that despite being OR recognized, a program may choose to only have a select cohort of residents per class to gain formal training in OMM depending on resident interest and career prospects (link).
- Programs have until June of 2020 to apply for pre-accreditation. Pre-accreditation does not equate to ACGME accreditation (initial accreditation), only that the program has submitted an application.
- The deadline for three-year residencies (IM, FM) to have submitted an application to ACGME was Dec. 2017.
- Those who graduate from an AOA program with ACGME pre-accreditation will fall underneath less restrictive eligibility requirements for those who wish to pursue ACGME fellowship. Please see the provided link as each board has determined eligibility at their own discretion.
Orthopedic surgery program specific information regarding the AOA-ACGME merge.
AOA regarding the merger.
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