Volume 115, Issue 4

The American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOA COCA) is recognized by the US Secretary of Education as the only accrediting agency for predoctoral osteopathic medical education. To maintain its recognition with the US Secretary of Education, the AOA COCA is required to adhere to all federal laws and regulations associated with recognition of accrediting agencies. In this article, the authors discuss the development of new colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs). They also discuss the development of additional locations and branch campuses of existing COMs and compare the 2 processes. Also included is a review of the AOA COCA– approved class sizes of the accredited COMs. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2015;115(4):242-250 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.048

The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association ( JAOA ) encourages osteopathic physicians, faculty members and students at colleges of osteopathic medicine, and others within the health care professions to submit comments related to articles published in the JAOA and the mission of the osteopathic medical profession. The JAOA 's editors are particularly interested in letters that discuss recently published original research. Letters must be submitted online at http://www.osteopathic.org/JAOAsubmit. Letters to the editor are considered for publication in the JAOA with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere and are not simultaneously under consideration by any other publication. All accepted letters to the editor are subject to editing and abridgment. Although the JAOA welcomes letters to the editor, these contributions have a lower publication priority than other submissions. As a consequence, letters are published only when space allows.

Context: Previous studies by the author showed differences in preadmission variables and Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) scores between women and men at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM). It is pertinent to reexamine the preadmission variables, medical school performance, and COMLEX-USA scores of women and men to determine whether these differences still exist. Objective: To examine the relationship between student sex and performance on COMLEX-USA Level 1 and Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation (CE), performance during medical school, and preadmission academic variables at NYIT-COM. Methods: Scores on COMLEX-USA Level 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE, grades in all courses taken during the first 2 years of medical school, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners' clinical science subject examination scores, Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, and undergraduate grade point averages (GPAs) were compared between women and men in the classes graduating between 2009 and 2012. Results: Data from 748 students were analyzed. Men had statistically significantly higher scores than women on COMLEX-USA Level 1 in 2009 (540 vs 500; P <.001) and 2010 (537 vs 496; P <.001). No statistically significant difference in COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE scores was found between women and men. The performance of women and men was comparable during the first 2 years of medical school and on clinical science subject examinations in years 3 and 4. Men had statistically significantly higher MCAT scores than women, but no statistically significant differences were found between women's and men's undergraduate GPAs. Conclusion: Men were found to have higher scores than women on COMLEX-USA Level 1 and the MCAT. However, the reasons behind these data have yet to be elucidated. Although a stronger background in basic science could explain the discrepancy in scores between women and men, women were found to have equally high science GPAs and performed comparably to men in osteopathic medical school. The results were in agreement with previous studies at NYIT-COM. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):222-225 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.044

Growing up in an era of video games and Web-based applications has primed current medical students to expect rapid, interactive feedback. To address this need, the A.T. Still University–School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (Mesa) has developed and integrated a variety of approaches using technology-enhanced active learning for medical education (TEAL-MEd) into its curriculum. Over the course of 3 years (2010-2013), the authors facilitated more than 80 implementations of games and virtual patient simulations into the education of 550 osteopathic medical students. The authors report on 4 key aspects of the TEAL-MEd initiative, including purpose, portfolio of tools, progress to date regarding challenges and solutions, and future directions. Lessons learned may be of benefit to medical educators at academic and clinical training sites who wish to implement TEAL-MEd activities. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2015;115(4):202-211 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.042

Context: Noninvasive diagnostic methods and palpatory physical examination skills are especially important for osteopathic medical students intending to work in rural, underresourced, or underserved areas. The A.T. Still University–Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine integrates ultrasonography into the osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) courses required during the first 2 years of medical school, allowing students to learn the technology and to visualize anatomical structures and regions. Objective: To assess the feasibility of integrating ultrasonography into the first-year and second-year OMM curriculum through the evaluation of students' success in demonstrating the technology and visualizing the anatomy. Methods: As part of their OMM requirements at the A.T. Still University–Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, all first- and second-year students in OMM courses were given ultrasonography assignments that required them to obtain images of musculoskeletal structures in different regions of the body. First-year students studied craniocervical structures and the thoracic, lumbar, and sacral regions. Second-year students studied the glenohumeral joint and the suprapatellar recess. The assignments focused on identifying structures of interest, making annotations, and measuring the structures of interest. Handouts with detailed instructions and a demonstration were provided before each assignment. Results: A total of 183 first-year students and 165 second-year students participated. Of the first-year students, on average, 177 of 181 were able to successfully complete the assignments, with an average completion rate of 98%. The costotransverse joint assignment yielded the lowest completion rate (97%), and the craniocervical landmarks assignment had the highest completion rate (99%). Of the second-year students, 162 of 165 participants were able to successfully complete the assignments, with an average completion rate of 98%. Mean scores were the same for both second-year assignments. Conclusion: First-year and second-year osteopathic medical students successfully demonstrated their use and understanding of ultrasonography and found their assigned structures using live ultrasound imaging. The skills gained through these assignments added another dimension to students' understanding of normal and pathologic musculoskeletal anatomy and vasculature. The integration of ultrasonography into OMM courses may have created a foundation for learning ultrasound-guided injection techniques. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):212-220 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.043

Context: Osteopathic medical students frequently engage in clinical clerkships away from their home teaching institution, which can help them decide on a residency program, gain additional experience in a new environment, and further their professional contacts. Conventional wisdom states that these audition clerkships are an important factor in residency placement, but the educational literature concerning the topic is lacking. Objective: To determine the relationship between clerkship site enrollment and residency placement so that empirical guidelines can be established for osteopathic medical students in the process of making informed decisions about their clerkships, particularly during the fourth year. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted. Data on clerkship and residency placement were compiled for the classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010 at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and χ 2 goodness-of-fit analysis and χ 2 tests of independence were used to explore relationships between clerkship and residency placement. Results: Of 862 graduates, data were available for 812 (94.2%). Statistically significant relationships were noted between residency program status (osteopathic, allopathic, and military) and audition clerkship, with fewer graduates completing audition clerkships in allopathic programs and with more graduates completing audition clerkships in osteopathic and military residency programs than expected from an independent relationship. A total of 416 graduates (51.2%) did not enroll in the residency program where they completed their audition clerkship. A total of 352 graduates (43.3%) enrolled in the residency program where they completed their audition clerkship. An additional 44 graduates (5.4%) did not complete an audition clerkship in the discipline of their residency program but rotated at a hospital. A total of 364 graduates (44.8%) enrolled in osteopathic residency programs, 425 (52.3%) enrolled in allopathic programs, and 23 (2.8%) enrolled in military programs. Conclusion: Although the results of this study are specific to 1 medical school, they provide evidence to counter long-held beliefs that audition clerkships determine residency placement. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):226-231 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.045

The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) assesses the competence of osteopathic physicians in training. It is designed to protect the public by setting minimum competence standards. All osteopathic medical students must pass COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation, and Level 2-Performance Evaluation before being allowed to graduate from an osteopathic medical school. Residency training programs use COMLEX-USA scores as a major factor in deciding whom they will interview and admit into their programs. In addition, colleges of osteopathic medicine use student COMLEX-USA scores as an external assessment of their success in educating students. Because COMLEX-USA is a high-stakes examination series, it is important to understand predictive factors for performance. The authors review the literature on the relationship between COMLEX-USA scores and correlated student variables. Results from the Council on Osteopathic Student Government Presidents' survey on students' preparation methods and performance are also provided. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):232-235 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.046

International medical graduates (IMGs) play a vital role in the US health care system. These graduates represent 26% of physicians in practice and 24% of residents in specialty programs. All IMGs go through US medical licensing examination and credentialing verification to receive certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates to become eligible to enter the US graduate medical education process. Compared with US graduates, IMGs tend to practice in primary care specialties and in underserved and rural areas. The author summarizes available data regarding IMGs in training and in practice to convey the role IMGs play in the US health care system. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):236-241 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.047

In 2014, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding, which creates a single accreditation system for graduate medical education. The present article outlines the history of the agreement and the 5-year transition process, which begins July 1, 2015, and ends June 30, 2020. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):251-255 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.049

In 2013, the Board of Trustees of the American Osteopathic Association approved the new mission and vision statements of osteopathic postdoctoral training institutions (OPTIs) to ensure that OPTIs were operating effectively as academic sponsors of osteopathic graduate medical education. Since then, OPTIs have made substantial strides in meeting and exceeding the new mandates. The authors discuss the revised OPTI accreditation standards, the OPTI annual report, and recent activities. J Am Osteopath Assoc . 2015;115(4):256-264 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.050

The launch of Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC) signifes the next stage of the osteopathic board certification process. The OCC process replaces the old recertification system for all osteopathic physicians who earned time-limited certificates from American Osteopathic Association (AOA) certifying boards. All 18 AOA certifying boards are now engaged in the continuous certification process. With the advent of any new system, many questions and concerns will arise. The AOA Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists continues to evaluate its new certification system and prepare for modi-fcations in response to this feedback. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2015;115(4):265-267 doi:10.7556/jaoa.2015.051