A site visit is also a part of the accreditation process. The ACGME highlights numerous benefits of consolidating into a single system, including: NATIONAL RESIDENT MATCHING PROGRAM®, NRMP®, SUPPLEMENTAL OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE PROGRAM®, and SOAP® are registered trademarks of National Resident Matching Program. Residencies will no longer be MD versus DO—they’ll all be grouped together. The Merger: Accreditations Completed Under SAS As of May 24, 2018, there were 231 ACGME-accredited EM residency programs, and another 8 in ACGME pre-accredited phase. New programs then need to complete an application and ensure they meet established standards to participate in the Match. A physician involved in launching a categorical pediatric program wrote a journal article highlighting the need to first build a solid foundation by establishing an institutional affiliation and training site, securing funding, and laying out a reasonable timeline. Now that the transition to the single system is right around the corner, current and soon-to-be medical students have started to take notice. • Greater opportunities for osteopathic graduate medical education Look no further than the DO-MD merger, which combines the allopathic and osteopathic graduate medical education accreditation systems, for proof. The good news is that moving to one system is a lot less scary than it sounds. Additionally, 507 … The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) will be merging with the MD programs’ Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Many medical students wonder why changing to a single system is necessary. For those of us medical students graduating in 2020, the year the ACGME merger is supposed to be complete and we apply for to a single system of residencies, which exam are we supposed to take? It isn’t a dire situation. While combining the two accreditation systems has taken a considerable amount of effort, it’s for good reason. For programs that are already accredited by the ACGME, they simply need to maintain the same standards they always have. A program in this category will be involved in the AOA match in February and have taken all of the early necessary steps to comply with the ACGME merger to this point. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) will be merging with the MD programs’ Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME If having separate accreditation standards for DO and MD residencies has worked fine thus far, why rock the boat? Many programs have successfully made the transition, and there will be more to come. Before digging into the differences between DO and MD residency programs already meeting their respective standards, it’s useful to understand the typical ACGME accreditation process. Dr. John Potts, Senior VP of Surgical Accreditation at the ACGME, talks about the recent decision to combine MD and DO residency programs under a single GME accreditation system (SAS) by 2020… How To Apply for Exceptions to ECFMG Alternative Pathways, ECFMG Announces Alternative Step 2CS Pathways for IMG Certification – 2021 Match Cycle, Official Services Respond to 12-18 Month Delay of USMLE Step 2CS, Fees for the 2020-21 US Medical Residency Application Cycle. These are conducted to ensure programs are compliant with all requirements, which fall under three categories: Institutional Requirements, Common Program Requirements, and Program Requirements—specific standards established for different specialties. However, it is likely – at least for a while – that some ACGME programs will continue to prefer to receive a USMLE score. Upon receipt of a completed institutional application, the ACGME may assign pre-accreditation status to the sponsoring institution. www.matcharesident.com. That means securing the best licensing exam scores you can, acquiring excellent letters of recommendation, and being thoughtful and honest during interviews. The accreditation process for programs and Sponsoring Institutions includes periodic on-site visits to assess compliance with the Program and Institutional Requirements. But the change officially takes place July 1, 2020. Any new program seeking this credential needs to do a fair amount of legwork. Question Answer Benefits. What are the benefits of a single accreditation system for graduate medical education (GME) in the US? Here’s a breakdown of what every medical student should know about the future of residency training. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. Although there has been a 5-year transitory period beginning in 2015, the MD/DO merger is taking place, Save a significant amount of money by streamlining bureaucratic processes to operate under one authority (For example – dually accredited programs will no longer have to pay twice to both governing bodies), Provide more consistent evaluation and accountability for GME training nationwide, Create a more transparent system for both the federal government (which gives money for graduate medical education) and the public, the ultimate consumer and recipient of results of GME, Ideally, the merger will help a greater percentage of physicians land residency positions, which would address the physician shortage in the United States, which is especially pronounced in rural areas, Provide the same opportunities for MDs and DOs, eliminating a possible “glass ceiling” for DOs (For example – programs oftentimes limited Fellowship opportunities to only Allopathic trainees, excluding DOs from many chances for more specialized advanced training), Hopefully, reduce the stigma around Osteopathic DO training since it will all be done under ‘one roof’ – so to speak, A unified Match will give residents the opportunity to ‘mix’ their Rank Order Lists, expanding their opportunities without fear of sacrificing program choice, Give MDs the opportunity to apply to less competitive DO subspecialties, Give MDs opportunities to apply for Osteopathic training programs, DO subspecialties will become more competitive, DOs are no longer going to have as large of a buffer of unfilled programs (usually almost 1,000 unfilled positions a year!). 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