Bipartisan bill would require residency programs to equitably assess DO, MD candidates
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
A newly introduced bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would require federally funded graduate medical education programs to equitably assess and accept both DO and MD residency candidates, according to a press release.
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) has applauded the bill, dubbed the Fair Access in Residency (FAIR) Act, in a statement describing it as an effort to address “the unfair barriers and discrimination that osteopathic medical students face when applying to federally funded residency training.”
“Ensuring that osteopathic medical students have an equitable path to residency not only reflects the spirit of single accreditation, which was designed to increase access to residency programs for both DOs and MDs, but it also addresses persistent and prevalent biases against osteopathic medical students, many of whom will go on to care for patients in rural and medically underserved communities,” Robert A. Cain, DO, president and CEO of AACOM, said in the group’s press release. “We also thank the 29 and counting national and state organizations who are supporting this vital bill.”
The FAIR Act was introduced on Sept. 15 in the U.S. House by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). If enacted, the bill would require federally funded graduate medical education programs to annually report the number of residency applicants from MD- and DO-granting medical schools, as well as how many applicants were accepted from each type of school.
The bill would also require these programs to annually affirm that they accept applicants from MD- and DO-granting medical schools, and that, if an examination score is required for acceptance, both MD and DO licensing exams are accepted equally.
According to the AACOM, citing data from the National Resident Matching Program, 36% of residency program directors “never or seldom interview DO candidates.” In addition, 32% of residency programs require osteopathic medical students to take the MD licensing exam, despite the DO licensing exam granting physicians unrestricted practice rights in all 50 states, according to the AMA’s Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access.
“I am proud to help lead legislation that has the ability to transform accessibility to DOs across the country and strengthen our physician pipeline, especially in rural and underserved areas,” Harshbarger said in the release. “It’s more critical now than ever that we ensure our taxpayer-funded residency training programs are equally deploying all the best talent of tomorrow’s doctors and specialists, from both DO and MD educational backgrounds. This bill is an important step toward ensuring transparency and equality in our taxpayer funded GME programs, with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of physicians trained and serving our communities.”
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts