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Family Practice Warren, Mich MWU/CCOM Class of 2001

To the Editor: After reading the "feel-good" article by Ann-Valerie O. Griffin, MA, and Konrad C. Miskowicz-Retz, PhD, CAE¹ about increased enrollment at colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) published in the March 2007 issue of JAOA—The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, I wondered to myself, "Where are all these students going after graduation?"

We know that only about 40% of COM graduates participated in the American Osteopathic Association's Intern/Resident Registration Program (ie, the AOA "Match") in 2005.² Of these COM graduates, most match in specialty internship/residency programs, leaving many primary care (eg, family practice) residency positions unfilled. Yet, we keep hearing that the osteopathic medical profession is committed to primary care. Unfortunately, our profession's actions do not reflect these words.

In the span of just a few years, I have seen my own graduate medical education alma mater (Mount Clemens General Hospital [now Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center] in Mich) reduce the number of positions per year in its family medicine residency program—first from six to four...and then down to two.³ Funding for the previously filled family medicine residency positions at Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center has been shifted to positions in emergency medicine, general surgery, and radiology.³

It seems as if the AOA has decided to address the shortfall of filling COM residency positions by adapting Civil War battle tactics: if you push enough bodies out there, eventually you'll get through. By increasing the number of osteopathic medical students in our COMs, the AOA is apparently hoping that the roughly 40% who choose to stay in the osteopathic medical profession via the AOA Match will fill the shrinking residency programs.

So please tell me again, why should I and my fellow alumni continue to send money to COMs that allow the majority of their students to move into the allopathic medical profession through residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education?

References
1. Griffin A-VO. Undergraduate osteopathic medical education. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2007;107:109-116. Available at: http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/107/3/109. Accessed December 8, 2007.

2. Obradovic JL, Winslow-Falbo P. Osteopathic graduate medical education. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2007;107:57-66. Available at: http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/107/2/57. Accessed December 8, 2007.

3. Residency programs. Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center Web site. Available at: http://www.mcrmc.org/body.cfm?id=53. Accessed December 18, 2007.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Lisowsky, T. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lisowsky, T.