For Medical Students

ACGME to accredit U.S. osteopathic programs

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced recently that it was entering into an agreement with the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) to pursue a unified system for accrediting both allopathic and osteopathic graduate medical education programs.

The new, unified system will go into effect in July 2015. At that time, the ACGME will begin accrediting all osteopathic programs currently approved by the AOA, and the AOA and AACOM will become member organizations of the ACGME.

"This is a watershed moment for medical training in the U.S.," said Thomas Nasca, MD, chief executive officer of the ACGME. This would provide physicians in the United States with a uniform path of preparation for practice. This approach would ensure that the evaluation and accountability for the competency of resident physicians are consistent across all programs."

The current system often led to confusion and roadblocks for osteopathic residents seeking to complete training in both osteopathic and allopathic medicine. Over the next few years the organizations will work to unify the systems and modify the ACGME standards to accept AOA specialty board certification as meeting ACGME eligibility requirements for program directors and faculty.

"A unified accreditation system creates an opportunity to set universal standards for demonstrating competency with a focus on positive outcomes and the ability to share information on best practices," said AOA President Ray E. Stowers, DO.

The AMA currently serves as a member organization of the ACGME, along with the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, American Association of Medical Colleges and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies.

AMA-MSS meeting packed with events, policy debate

More than 500 medical students discussed more than 30 items of business and participated in more than 10 education programs Nov. 8–10 during this year's AMA Medical Student Section Interim Assembly Meeting.

The AMA-MSS created dynamic policy on a wide range of topics, including support for an increase in health policy fellowships and working to reduce medical student loan interest rates. Consult the Annotated Reference Committee report for more information on all actions taken by the AMA-MSS Assembly at the meeting.

Education programs covered a range of topics, including leadership development, cultural competency, patient navigators and community service.

On Nov. 9, the AMA-MSS joined the AMA Minority Affairs Section in holding an AMA Doctors Back to School™ event at Honolulu's Kaewai Elementary School. More than 40 medical students and physicians reached out to about 100 fourth- and fifth-graders with lessons about healthy lifestyle choices and how medicine is an attainable career for everyone. The event doubled as an AMA-MSS National Service Project event. Read more about the event elsewhere in AMA Wire.

The section also held the 10th annual AMA Research Symposium in conjunction with the AMA Resident and Fellow Section and the AMA International Medical Graduates Section. More than 180 students participated in the event. The AMA-MSS awarded poster winners in the following eight categories:

• Biochemistry/cell biology – Arasi Kavin Arasar, University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford
• Cancer biology – Jimmy Yao, Albany Medical College
• Clinical Outcomes and Healthcare Improvement – Kelly Regan, The Ohio State University, and Rajani Sharma, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Camden
• Immunology/infectious disease/inflammation – Warren Pan, University of Michigan Medical School
• Neurobiology/neuroscience – Danielle Zheng, New York University School of Medicine
• Public Health and Epidemiology – Roman Krivochenitser
• Radiology/Imaging – Anna Brown, Duke University School of Medicine
• Surgery/biomedical engineering – Thomas Bemenderfer, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis

Kelly Regan of The Ohio State University and Rajani Sharma of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson tied as the overall winners of the poster competition. Christopher Bailey of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine was the overall podium winner. Read more about the event elsewhere in AMA Wire.

The AMA-MSS Assembly elected Atul Nakhasi of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as AMA-MSS Governing Council chair-elect and Ryan Ribeira of University of California, Davis School of Medicine to the medical student position on the AMA Board of Trustees. Their terms will begin in June after the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.