Examining OPTI operations with a new light

Since 1999, all postdoctoral training programs approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) have been required to be part of an Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institution (OPTI) consortium. Various AOA tools, such as the revised OPTI Annual Report and OPTI Administrative Handbook, provide assistance to colleges of osteopathic medicine in meeting the accreditation standards for OPTI membership and developing a study to examine all OPTI operations. The revised OPTI Annual Report is modeled after the OPTI Standards Inspectors Worksheet (ie, Standards Crosswalk). Onsite inspections in 2008 and 2009 using the new scoring tool highlighted several OPTI commendations for research and faculty and curriculum development. Responses to the 2009 OPTI Annual Report-a survey of OPTI operational questions-found commonalities in several OPTI operations.