DOs only applying to MD residencies

[MedicineMan99]

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I haven't been able to find a comprehensive answer to this question anywhere on SDN and I am sure this question's answer will be useful to many.

I am a DO student who, due to geographic reasons, will be applying only to MD FM residencies (not dually-accredited residencies, just MD). Since this is the case, what part of the residency match application do I NOT need to fill out and participate in?

Although I went to medical school in PA, which does require an AOA internship for a license, I plan to practice in either NJ or NY, states that DO NOT require the AOA internship. Does this mean that I can simply go right from medical school graduation to a MD 3-year family practice residency and once I finish residency be able to apply for MD Family Med board certification and practice in NY or NJ?

Thanks very much for your input!

 

[Handy388]

i think there are plenty of DO residencies in NYC

 

[MedicineMan99]

I'm sorry- I should have been more specific. I mean Manhattan. There are only two Family Medicine residencies in Manhattan: Beth Israel and Columbia- both are MD.

 

[BobBarker]

The AOA approved internship rule is nothing to worry about. Just apply for the residency like the MD students do. This is a non-issue.

 

[MedicineMan99]

The AOA approved internship rule is nothing to worry about. Just apply for the residency like the MD students do. This is a non-issue.

Thank you for your reply. That is what I suspected but so many people have told me differently.

So do I just need to go via the ERAS/NRMP route? Do DOs applying for DO residencies simply use the ERAS route without NRMP? Thanks.

 

[MedicineMan99]

bump

 

[aecuenca2]

The answer is yes.

I went to an MD residency for geographic reasons and became FM board certified through the ABFM. I'm in California, so my license is through the Osteopathic Medical Board of CA which I received after completing the COMLEX series. I did ERAS through NRMP.

And just FYI: I wanted to do a DO sports med fellowship so I did all the paperwork and got my internship and residency AOA approved, sat and became FP/OMT board certified through the AOBFP and then finally my CAQSM through the AOBFP. It's very easy to get the intership approved if you want to practice in all 50 states..it's just a bunch of paperwork and no additional fees. However, I needed to get the residency AOA approved to do a DO fellowship, which was even easier to get approved.

 

[Aaron Earles]

I haven't been able to find a comprehensive answer to this question anywhere on SDN and I am sure this question's answer will be useful to many.

I am a DO student who, due to geographic reasons, will be applying only to MD FM residencies (not dually-accredited residencies, just MD). Since this is the case, what part of the residency match application do I NOT need to fill out and participate in?

Although I went to medical school in PA, which does require an AOA internship for a license, I plan to practice in either NJ or NY, states that DO NOT require the AOA internship. Does this mean that I can simply go right from medical school graduation to a MD 3-year family practice residency and once I finish residency be able to apply for MD Family Med board certification and practice in NY or NJ?

Thanks very much for your input!

go to this website
http://www.do-online.org/index.cfm?au=S&PageID=sir_main

scroll down to the section about Planning for Residency and click on the Powerpoint url

There is a new resolution where you can sometimes get the AOA to waive the AOA internship requirement, but you have to meet their guidelines. This could have changed since I applied for residency two years ago.

 

[MedicineMan99]

go to this website
http://www.do-online.org/index.cfm?au=S&PageID=sir_main

scroll down to the section about Planning for Residency and click on the Powerpoint url

There is a new resolution where you can sometimes get the AOA to waive the AOA internship requirement, but you have to meet their guidelines. This could have changed since I applied for residency two years ago.

But if I am not doing a residency or working in one of the "5 states" that require an AOA internship, I don't need to worry about this, right?

 

[Aaron Earles]

But if I am not doing a residency or working in one of the "5 states" that require an AOA internship, I don't need to worry about this, right?

sometimes, according to the aoa resolution, they will approve a ACGME intern year as an osteopathic internship year if you meet the criteria, if i recall, one of the exemptions was if you needed to live in an area in which no osteopathic internships exist.... you have to apply for the exemption

 

[MedicineMan99]

sometimes, according to the aoa resolution, they will approve a ACGME intern year as an osteopathic internship year if you meet the criteria, if i recall, one of the exemptions was if you needed to live in an area in which no osteopathic internships exist.... you have to apply for the exemption

But let's say I am not interested in being AOA board certified. My question is if I simply do a 3 year allopathic residency (with NO AOA internship year), I can simply be MD board certified (not DO board certified) and live happily ever after without ever having to get anything approved by AOA, right?

 

[thejanitor99]

But let's say I am not interested in being AOA board certified. My question is if I simply do a 3 year allopathic residency (with NO AOA internship year), I can simply be MD board certified (not DO board certified) and live happily ever after without ever having to get anything approved by AOA, right?

Yes, exactly. You can go on to complete an MD residency and never have anything to do with the AOA again. That's my evil plan as well. 👍

 

[MedicineMan99]

Yes, exactly. You can go on to complete an MD residency and never have anything to do with the AOA again. That's my evil plan as well. 👍

👍 Yes me too. I have just heard too many bad stories about the hassle and cost of being AOA board certified.

 

[group_theory]

I think you're being confused with AOA board certification and AOA-approved intern year.


If you are interested in only an ACGME FM residency, you apply via ERAS and NRMP. DOs interested in AOA residencies apply ERAS/NMS.

You do your typical 3 year of FM residency. Since you're going into FM, it's just a formality to get your ACGME Intern Year AOA-approved. The exception requirement has been eliminated so you no longer have to prove hardship. The hardest part for most people is the "rotational requirements" of resolution 42, but since you're going into FM, you don't have to worry one bit about it since by default your intern year will satisfy the rotational requirement. The only additional work that you will have to do, in addition to applying for Resolution 42, is to do an "educational" component, such as giving a talk about some aspect of osteopathic medicine, or going to an AOA conference. The application isn't too hard either.

Once you get Resolution 42 approved, you are then eligible for license in all 50 states (provided you also take COMLEX 3). If you choose not to go this route, then there will be some states that you will be ineligible for. THat's your choice to make.

If you want to pursue it further, you can get your entire ACGME residency AOA approved and be eligible for AOA Board Certification. It's additional paperwork. The reason aecuenca2 needed to get his ACGME residency approved by the AOA is because he/she wanted to do an AOA FP fellowship in sports medicine (and be eligible for certification) - in order to do an AOA fellowship, you need an AOA approved residency.

Resolution 42 only deals with intern year. Unless you are interested in an AOA approved fellowship, being a dean/dept chair of a DO school, or want to take the AOA Specialty Boards, most people don't proceed past Resolution 42 and get their residency approved


Will you be ok if you don't do Resolution 42 - yes. But it's so easy to fulfill as an FM resident, why not keep your options open in the future. What if in the future an ideal job or family situation appears and you will have to move/practice in one of the 5 states that requires an AOA approved intern year?

 

[MedicineMan99]

I think you're being confused with AOA board certification and AOA-approved intern year.


If you are interested in only an ACGME FM residency, you apply via ERAS and NRMP. DOs interested in AOA residencies apply ERAS/NMS.

You do your typical 3 year of FM residency. Since you're going into FM, it's just a formality to get your ACGME Intern Year AOA-approved. The exception requirement has been eliminated so you no longer have to prove hardship. The hardest part for most people is the "rotational requirements" of resolution 42, but since you're going into FM, you don't have to worry one bit about it since by default your intern year will satisfy the rotational requirement. The only additional work that you will have to do, in addition to applying for Resolution 42, is to do an "educational" component, such as giving a talk about some aspect of osteopathic medicine, or going to an AOA conference. The application isn't too hard either.

Once you get Resolution 42 approved, you are then eligible for license in all 50 states (provided you also take COMLEX 3). If you choose not to go this route, then there will be some states that you will be ineligible for. THat's your choice to make.

If you want to pursue it further, you can get your entire ACGME residency AOA approved and be eligible for AOA Board Certification. It's additional paperwork. The reason aecuenca2 needed to get his ACGME residency approved by the AOA is because he/she wanted to do an AOA FP fellowship in sports medicine (and be eligible for certification) - in order to do an AOA fellowship, you need an AOA approved residency.

Resolution 42 only deals with intern year. Unless you are interested in an AOA approved fellowship, being a dean/dept chair of a DO school, or want to take the AOA Specialty Boards, most people don't proceed past Resolution 42 and get their residency approved


Will you be ok if you don't do Resolution 42 - yes. But it's so easy to fulfill as an FM resident, why not keep your options open in the future. What if in the future an ideal job or family situation appears and you will have to move/practice in one of the 5 states that requires an AOA approved intern year?

Thanks for your reply.

It is true thought that if I only wanted to be MD board certified and not practice in "the five states" I would NOT need to even get my internship year approved by the AOA.
Basically, after I graduate from DO school I never have to communicate with the AOA in any way shape or form ever again and still be able to get full licensure in the other 45 states provided I do a ACGME residency. Although I may end up getting my residency AOA-approved since it's so easy for FM, it's important for DO students to know that this is another option.

 

[aecuenca2]

Thanks for your reply.

It is true thought that if I only wanted to be MD board certified and not practice in "the five states" I would NOT need to even get my internship year approved by the AOA.
Basically, after I graduate from DO school I never have to communicate with the AOA in any way shape or form ever again and still be able to get full licensure in the other 45 states provided I do a ACGME residency. Although I may end up getting my residency AOA-approved since it's so easy for FM, it's important for DO students to know that this is another option.

Yes, everything that you have stated as well as posted by grouptheory is correct. Though I have to wonder why you wouldn't want to have the AOA in your corner? It may have its problems (like every organization) but it is the one organization that will promote your practice rights as an osteopathic physician.

It truly is not that hard to get the internship AOA approved. I was the only DO resident in my program to have gotten my internship AOA approved and I never quite understood why my other DO residency colleagues and the ones that came before me never bothered to do the paperwork. Full practice rights in all 50 states (in the event you ever have to move to the 5 states with outdated laws for some reason..you never know where life will take you) in exchange for some kind of osteopathic education component you provide and filling out paperwork? A small sacrifice in my opinion, but everyone has their reasons. I think the other residents just didn't research the approval process enough. And when I did show others how to do it, they always intended to do it but just never did because they put it on the backburner.