Resident and Faculty Attitudes Toward Osteopathic-Focused Education

Area of Science:

• Graduate Medical Education
• Osteopathic Medicine
• Medical Education Research

Background:

• The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) single accreditation system transition impacts osteopathic residency programs.
• As of February 2018, a significant percentage of American Osteopathic Association (AOA) programs pursued ACGME accreditation or osteopathic recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess faculty and resident attitudes in AOA-accredited and dually accredited programs.
• To evaluate perceptions of osteopathic-focused educational curricula and mentors.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to program directors, faculty, and residents in AOA-accredited and dually accredited programs.
• The survey measured awareness of osteopathic principles and practice (OPP), attitudes toward osteopathic culture, and curriculum importance.
• Statistical analyses included principal components analysis, independent t tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Main Results:

• A total of 327 individuals responded, including 115 faculty and 211 residents.
• Over 60% of residents intended to use osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in practice; this was higher for osteopathic family medicine residents (nearly 80%).
• Working with osteopathic faculty was ranked as the most important curricular component. Awareness of OPP and OMT performance was high.

Conclusions:

• Osteopathic residents value osteopathic mentors and OMT, with strong intentions to incorporate OMT into their future practice.
• Programs with ACGME osteopathic recognition demonstrated more favorable attitudes toward osteopathic culture and curriculum compared to those without.