White Peter B, Henry James P, Partan Matthew J, Choy Kenneth, Hogge Caleb A, Katsigiorgis Gus, Bitterman Adam D, Cohn Randy M
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwell Health at Huntington Hospital, Huntington, New York.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
JB JS Open Access. 2022 Sep 1;7(3). doi: 10.2106/JBJS.OA.22.00057. eCollection 2022 Jul-Sep.
Fourth-year away rotations are well recognized as an important modifiable variable that has been shown to increase a student's opportunity to match into orthopaedic surgery. The purpose of this article was to determine whether allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical students have equal opportunities for away rotations in terms of (1) eligibility and (2) fees associated with rotations after the single accreditation merger.
A cross-sectional study was performed during the 2021 application cycle (April to November) by reviewing all nonmilitary, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited orthopaedic surgery programs (n = 194). Each program's website, affiliated school of medicine's website, and visiting student applications service portal were searched. Eligibility criteria for an away rotation and associated fees were recorded.
Of the 194 programs, 18 (9.3%) of programs were found to have publicly published eligibility for away rotations that prohibited students based on applicant degree. Five (2.6%) programs/medical schools had fees that were larger for DO medical students compared with MD medical students ranging for $50 to $5,000. No programs/medical schools had larger fees for MD medical students compared with DO medical students.
Although DO and MD degrees are equivalent degrees for licensing and credentialing and graduate medical education has transitioned to a single accrediting body, there remained discord in the opportunities for fourth-year away rotations between osteopathic and allopathic medical students. This study highlights the necessity for greater reform, consistency, and transparency among orthopaedic surgery residency programs and their affiliated institutions.
四年级的轮转实习被公认为是一个重要的可改变因素，已证明它能增加学生匹配到骨科手术专业的机会。本文的目的是确定在（1）资格和（2）单一认证合并后与轮转实习相关的费用方面，全科医学（MD）和骨科医学（DO）专业的医学生在轮转实习机会上是否平等。
在2021年申请周期（4月至11月）进行了一项横断面研究，通过审查所有非军事的、经研究生医学教育认证委员会认证的骨科手术项目（n = 194）。搜索了每个项目的网站、附属医学院的网站以及访问学生申请服务门户。记录了轮转实习的资格标准和相关费用。
在194个项目中，发现有18个（9.3%）项目公开公布了轮转实习的资格标准，这些标准基于申请人学位禁止某些学生。有5个（2.6%）项目/医学院对骨科医学专业医学生收取的费用高于全科医学专业医学生，费用范围为50美元至5000美元。没有项目/医学院对全科医学专业医学生收取的费用高于骨科医学专业医学生。
尽管MD和DO学位在执照和资质认证方面是同等学位，并且研究生医学教育已过渡到单一认证机构，但骨科医学和全科医学专业的医学生在四年级轮转实习机会上仍存在不一致。本研究强调了骨科手术住院医师培训项目及其附属机构进行更大改革、保持一致性和提高透明度的必要性。
