AOA/ACGME Merger and IMG grads

[Telekinesis]

What does the merger mean to IMGs? Will things get worse or better?

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[ChrisGriffen]

Hard to say- there is a lot still up in the air. It will probably be a good thing, because it will open up more residency options. The timeline is that starting in 2015 the ACGME will begin to accredit AOA (DO) residencies, and then by 2020 all residencies in the US will be ACGME. In that 5 years, I assume that a some AOA residencies will be shut down, some will be restaffed and some will just smoothly transition as-is.

My guess is that the ones that get shut down will mostly be the same ones that go currently unfilled, so I don't think it will really increase the number of unfilled spots, but it will increase options that IMGs can compete for.

What I can maybe see happening, is that some DO program directors might begin to hold a stronger bias against IMGs in a kind of trickle down way. The guys who feel like they are number 2 might try to separate from number 3. That's just kind of devils advocate though. I think it will be beneficial overall.

 

[Telekinesis]

Seems logical.