Need Clarification: Osteopathic Internship/Residency in PA

[Taus]

I have been doing a lot of reading through the search feature on this site, but still have a few questions. It is to my underdstanding that I can forego the 1 year DO internship and still be affiliated w/ AOA if I do a residency that combines that year with the traditional residency ( ie still only 3 years total for IM or Peds). However, I have read that their are 5 states that still require this traditional 1 year internship regardless. I will be attending PCOM and am a little discouraged by this, as PA is one of those 5 states. Am I correct in assuming that there is no way to do this combined residency/internship in PA and still be affiliated with the AOA w/o doing 4 years post med school (1 internship+ 3 residency)?!

If anyone can clarify this I would really appreciate it. It just seems rediculous that I won't be able to practice in PA without doing an extra f@*king year post med school. Thanks in advance for your time.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I have been doing a lot of reading through the search feature on this site, but still have a few questions. It is to my underdstanding that I can forego the 1 year DO internship and still be affiliated w/ AOA if I do a residency that combines that year with the traditional residency ( ie still only 3 years total for IM or Peds). However, I have read that their are 5 states that still require this traditional 1 year internship regardless. I will be attending PCOM and am a little discouraged by this, as PA is one of those 5 states. Am I correct in assuming that there is no way to do this combined residency/internship in PA and still be affiliated with the AOA w/o doing 4 years post med school (1 internship+ 3 residency)?!

If anyone can clarify this I would really appreciate it. It just seems rediculous that I won't be able to practice in PA without doing an extra f@*king year post med school. Thanks in advance for your time.

You can apply to have that year counted for the AOA, and will most likely be successful, as long as that residency wasn't right next door to an AOA residency with open spots.

I am also in one of those 5 states.

 

[Dr JPH]

The 5 states all require a one year AOA approved internship in order to gain licensure in that state.

Some of the AOA programs and AOA/ACGME dual accredited programs will count the first year of the program as your internship year, therefore forgoing the formal separate internship year thus not putting you behind a year.

Some programs' first year will NOT count as this year and therefore you may be denied licensure in that state upon completion of the residency, unless you petition the AOA...or complete the internship prior to that residency. Keep in mind that if you do petition the AOA you need to provide solid reasoning why you chose to attend a particular program and forgo the internship year...these can be: couples match, location, military comittment, etc.

Again, if you claim location as a reason make sure that there is not an AOA approved internship nearby. For instance, if you decide to attend a residency in Virginia you can easily claim there are no AOA approved internships in the vicinity...I think there are only 2 in that whole state. The same argument may not work in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, for example where AOA approved internships are plentiful.

For programs like FP, IM and EM there are plenty of AOA/ACGME programs that include the internship year and it will count. Geisinger medical center and Einstein in Philly are 2 biggies that come to mind.

Make sure you are clear on the rules of each program prior to applying.

This issue is talked about a great deal on here any many people blow it way out of proportion because they dont fully understand why it is in place and how it factors into a DOs education. You dont necessarily need to "lose a year" in order to fulfill the AOA requirements and practice in these states.

 

[OSUdoc08]

The 5 states all require a one year AOA approved internship in order to gain licensure in that state.

Some of the AOA programs and AOA/ACGME dual accredited programs will count the first year of the program as your internship year, therefore forgoing the formal separate internship year thus not putting you behind a year.

Some programs' first year will NOT count as this year and therefore you may be denied licensure in that state upon completion of the residency, unless you petition the AOA...or complete the internship prior to that residency. Keep in mind that if you do petition the AOA you need to provide solid reasoning why you chose to attend a particular program and forgo the internship year...these can be: couples match, location, military comittment, etc.

Again, if you claim location as a reason make sure that there is not an AOA approved internship nearby. For instance, if you decide to attend a residency in Virginia you can easily claim there are no AOA approved internships in the vicinity...I think there are only 2 in that whole state. The same argument may not work in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, for example where AOA approved internships are plentiful.

For programs like FP, IM and EM there are plenty of AOA/ACGME programs that include the internship year and it will count. Geisinger medical center and Einstein in Philly are 2 biggies that come to mind.

Make sure you are clear on the rules of each program prior to applying.

This issue is talked about a great deal on here any many people blow it way out of proportion because they dont fully understand why it is in place and how it factors into a DOs education. You dont necessarily need to "lose a year" in order to fulfill the AOA requirements and practice in these states.

It is very rare to find an ACGME EM program with an internship year included. Keep in mind that it would be a 4-year program, and there are relatively few of those.

 

[Taus]

Thanks a lot for the info...I appreciate it. I guess I'm gonna have to spend some time w/ an academic advisor when the time comes to choose a residency (as I'm sure most people do anyway) to iron out these details. I am very happy with my choice of school (PCOM) but was concerned with the fact that not only will my malpractice be high in PA, but I will be putting in an extra year as well. Again, thanks for helping me clarify the situation.

 

[Dr JPH]

It is very rare to find an ACGME EM program with an internship year included. Keep in mind that it would be a 4-year program, and there are relatively few of those.

They are out there, but the programs I speak of are generally the dually accrediated progs. There are a handful in PA.

 

[OSUdoc08]

They are out there, but the programs I speak of are generally the dually accrediated progs. There are a handful in PA.

I'd be interested in seeing a list of such programs, for my own information.

I think it would be safe to say, however, that we wouldn't use the adjective "plenty" to describe the amount of these programs, unless I am misinformed.

 

[Dr JPH]

I'd be interested in seeing a list of such programs, for my own information.

I think it would be safe to say, however, that we wouldn't use the adjective "plenty" to describe the amount of these programs, unless I am misinformed.

The EMED programs at Einstein and St. Lukes Bethlehem are 2 such programs off the top of my head.

Family has Nesbitt Memorial, Pinnacle Health, Robert Packer, St. Lukes Allentown, St. Lukes Bethlehem, and Western PA Hospital.

IM: Easton, Geisinger, Pinnacle and St. Lukes Bethlehem.

There may be others...these are just a few that I know of from my own research, friends, and information I have gathered at residency fairs.