Happy New Year from AOGME!
Published January 29, 2021
AOGME Chair
January 29, 2021
This year is already proving to be one with significant changes that directly impact the graduate medical education community. As the national faces serious challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are growing national efforts to address the crisis, hopefully leading to positive change.
On December 27, the fiscal year (FY) 2021 omnibus spending and COVID-19 stimulus bill was signed into law with important provisions that support GME. The bill extends several physician training programs through FY23, including the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program. It creates 1,000 new Medicare-supported GME positions lifting a nearly 25-year cap, addresses the “resident rotator” issue and eases rural training track requirements. Read the Federal Legislative & Regulatory Updates section of this newsletter for more details.
In December, we solicited input from our members on the future ideal design of the UME-GME transition to help inform AACOM statement to the Coalition. Thank you to those who responded as we were able to incorporate your feedback in the official statement. We continue to engage in the Coalition’s efforts to address the transition to residency and will keep you updated on developments.
This month the Coalition for Physician Accountability (the Coalition) released updated recommendations on away rotations for medical schools and non-U.S. medical school applicants for the 2021-22 academic year. The recommendations are an update to the guidance published on May 11, 2020. You can read AACOM’s press release and the recommendations here.
Next month, we look forward to connecting with you at the virtual ACGME/AOGME Osteopathic Recognition Pre-Conference Workshop on Wednesday, February 24, 9:00am-1:00pm. We are thrilled to partner with the ACGME again for the fourth year to present this workshop, which for the first time solicited abstracts from the community. View the workshop agenda and register for the conference.
This week, the USMLE program announced that they plan to discontinue the Step 2 CS. In December, the NBOME announced that it would change the COMLEX-US Level 1 to report pass or fail. Join us for the AOGME membership meeting next month, February 17 at 4:00 PM ET, to discuss these and other changes that impact the GME community.
In March, we are excited to host a webinar featuring the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE) initiative. AOGME is an NCICLE member organization, represented by Dr. Olivia Sheehan and Dr. Sandra Snyder. NCICLE seeks to provide a forum for organizations committed to improving the educational experience and patient care outcomes within clinical learning environments. Stay tuned for registration details for the webinar on March 3rd at 4:00 PM ET.
The AOGME Residents and Fellows Council (RFC) is actively hosting webinars and member events to engage both medical students and residents. Last month, the group hosted a chat on post-residency interview etiquette and ranking. With over 300 registrants, the webinar featured multi-disciplinary perspectives from residents and tips and strategies on how to prepare for the residency match. The RFC will host a member forum on February 15 on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, its impact on residents and changes to the program due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the RFC and encourage your trainees to get involved!
We also want to thank and welcome new members who joined this month and look forward to your engagement!
We appreciate hearing from you, please feel free to reach out to us at any time with direct inquires by emailing aogme@aacom.org or calling us at 301-657-7881.
Thank you,
Thomas Mohr, MS, DO, FACOI, FAOGME