ACGME residency--> AOA fellowship?

[drkristy85]

There are many threads that address residents in AOA residency who are seeking to get into ACGME fellowship.

My question is: if you are currently in an ACGME residency, are you eligible for AOA fellowship? The reason I ask is many fellowships, such as Cardiology for example, are very competitive. There are lots of AOA Cardiology fellowships. Let's say you are a D.O. , but you are in an ACGME IM residency. You apply for ACGME Cardiology fellowships, but those are very competitive. Maybe you want to boost your chances by applying to AOA Cardiology fellowships (more apps=more chances to get in). Can you do this?

Anyone know the answer?

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[group_theory]

This answer may change in the future as AOA residency/fellowships become ACGME ... but for now

yes, you can do an AOA fellowship after an ACGME residency. First you must get your ACGME PGY1 year AOA approved via Resolution 42. Then after you complete your residency (or near completion), you petition the AOA to recognize your ACGME residency as being AOA-equivalent (or AOA approved), via something similar to Resolution 56 (although I'm not sure it's exactly Resolution 56). Once the AOA recognizes your residency as being AOA-equivalent, then you are eligible to take the AOA Boards (AOBIM instead of ABIM, or AOBP instead of ABP, etc). Once you are AOA board certified in your primary specialty, then you are eligible (after completing your AOA fellowship), to take the AOA board certification in your subspecialty.

Or you can just take the ABMS primary specialty certification, do the AOA fellowship, but never be board-eligible for either AOA or ABMS subspecialty certification. Depends on how important being "board certified" in the subspecialty is to you.

Of course this will change once all AOA residencies and fellowships become ACGME accredited.

 

[drkristy85]

Thank you for responding-that was quite helpful.

In light of the AOA residencies soon to become ACGME residencies, do you know if they will still continue Resolution 42 and 56? And isn't there a 4 state rule with regards to Resolution 42? I thought that the resolutions only applied in those states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and one more).

If you do an AOA fellowship, can't you just take the ABMS subspecialty board certification? After taking your ABMS primary certification.

 

[group_theory]

Thank you for responding-that was quite helpful.

In light of the AOA residencies soon to become ACGME residencies, do you know if they will still continue Resolution 42 and 56? And isn't there a 4 state rule with regards to Resolution 42? I thought that the resolutions only applied in those states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and one more).

Don't know. It's too early. Plus the 4 states that require an AOA intern year to get a license - it's actually codified into law, so the states would either have to change the law, or the AOA would have just have to accept all acgme pgy1 year as equivalent (or else they may make people who are interested in practicing in those 4 states go through the resolution 42 pathway). All speculation on my end, so too early.

If you do an AOA fellowship, can't you just take the ABMS subspecialty board certification? After taking your ABMS primary certification.

Nope. You didn't do an acgme accredited fellowship, so you're not eligible for subspecialty board. There's no reverse mechanism for the ABMS board to recognize AOA fellowship training as ACGME equivalent. If you did an acgme residency and acgme fellowship, and for some strange reason you want to be AOA board certified, you can get the AOA to recognize your acgme residency/fellowship as AOA equivalent via Resolution 56, then you can take the AOA board. The only benefit that I can think of, besides "unity with the AOA" , is if you want to be dean of a DO school or department chair of a DO school.

 

[mprover]

I am finishing an ACGME residency in internal medicine. I interviewed last year for AOA cardiology positions and ACGME positions this year. It is possible at least as of this year. You would have to take ACGME internal medicine boards as part of your requirements for graduating from an ACGME program, and if you choose to matriculate to a AOA fellowship, you will likely have to take the AOA medicine boards. It bascially comes down to making sure your intern year is approved (resolution 42, not a bid deal) for those applicable states and taking an extra licensure exam. Its not a big deal.

 

[group_theory]

I am finishing an ACGME residency in internal medicine. I interviewed last year for AOA cardiology positions and ACGME positions this year. It is possible at least as of this year. You would have to take ACGME internal medicine boards as part of your requirements for graduating from an ACGME program, and if you choose to matriculate to a AOA fellowship, you will likely have to take the AOA medicine boards. It bascially comes down to making sure your intern year is approved (resolution 42, not a bid deal) for those applicable states and taking an extra licensure exam. Its not a big deal.

Applicants interested in this route will need to get resolution 42 approved, even if they don't plan on working in the 4 states (which is also where the majority of the AOA fellowships are located). It is one of the requirements to getting the residency approved. Then towards the end of residency, you petition the AOA to accept your residency as AOA equivalent. You must remain a AOA member in good standing.

And it's not just "taking an extra licensure exam"... It's a board certification exam. It makes studying for the usmle or comlex look easy (I've taken usmle, comlex, and ABIM medicine and ABIM sub specialty exams so I can compare). And the timing is off between ABIM IM exam and AOBIM IM exam by several months ... So it's not like usmle/comlex where you can take it around the same time.

However, if you pursue the ACGME IM and AOA fellowship, I don't think you have to take the ABIM IM exam. Last I checked, there is no ACGME/rrc requirement ... Your program may require you to take it, but I don't think it is an across the board requirement. For programs that do require their senior residents to sign up for the boards, they may view signing up for the AOBIM as fulfilling their requirement. If you don't have to take an extra board certification exam, and if you can save $1300 by not having to take ABIM, why sign up for it?

(An argument can be made that for medicine, ABIM is the gold standard when comparing DO vs MD, much more so than usmle/comlex, which in the eyes of employers and recruiting firms, are just mere licensing exams ... So by taking and passing ABIM it will tell people that your training is on par with your MD colleagues. Whether the exam itself actually reflects a competent physician .... That's another post/rant. And with the new MOC requirement by ABIM, you will only stay ABIM certified for 2 years before you are no longer certified and listed as "not maintaining maintenance of certification". Not sure it is worth it to do the MOC while still a busy cardiology fellow (plus you will have to worry about the AOA equivalent of MOC, which is OCC)

 

[drkristy85]

I am finishing an ACGME residency in internal medicine. I interviewed last year for AOA cardiology positions and ACGME positions this year. It is possible at least as of this year. You would have to take ACGME internal medicine boards as part of your requirements for graduating from an ACGME program, and if you choose to matriculate to a AOA fellowship, you will likely have to take the AOA medicine boards. It bascially comes down to making sure your intern year is approved (resolution 42, not a bid deal) for those applicable states and taking an extra licensure exam. Its not a big deal.

Thank you. That is really helpful to know. So you can be graduating ACGME IM and then apply to AOA fellowship. Do you have to get Resolution 42 if the fellowship is not in the 4 states? Will the resolution cease after the merger?