Osteopathic Recognition

In 2016 the National Capital Consortium Family Medicine Residency became the first graduate medical education (GME) program in the Department of Defense to earn Osteopathic Recognition from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Osteopathic Recognition is a new and distinguished status resulting from the 2014 partnership agreement between the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and ACGME. That agreement created a single-accreditation system for all GME programs nationwide, whereby the AOA will maintain its own Board Certification process but will no longer independently accredit programs. Instead, individual programs can apply for Osteopathic Recognition through the ACGME in order to set themselves apart as leaders in Osteopathic Education.

Our Osteopathic curriculum is built into a three-year longitudinal track. This track seeks to prepare any qualifying resident (even MDs who meet specific entrance requirements) to sit for osteopathic board certification in the future. However, the decision to pursue board certification through the AOA, the American Board of Medical Specialties: A branch of medicine or surgery that a doctor specializes in. (ABMS), or both is left entirely to the individual residents so they can craft their own future based on their own goals. Residents must simply keep in mind that only one certification exam will be reimbursed.

We are committed to providing an experience in Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) to any MD resident or student interested in learning. We can work with individual residents to provide an elective experience in their second or third year and are happy to provide varying experiences to medical students during clinic rotations.