Osteopathic medical education in 2007: plumbing the depths with the questions we ask.

Shannon • Editorial O medical education (OME) is making great strides on many fronts. The colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) are growing in number and size, producing more osteopathic medical graduates than ever before. Osteopathic medical education is transforming the profession from one with a limited regional presence to one with not only a wider presence, but also greater national acceptance, recognition, and respect. For several years, COM administrators have been witnessing growth in the number of qualified individuals applying to COMs,1-6 receiving a record number of applications for the 2006-2007 academic year.7 Today, nearly one in five students attending medical school in the United States is attending a COM.8 And, recognizing the serious physician workforce shortages that will confront the nation in the next decade,9 osteopathic medicine is stepping up to the plate to offer solutions that we are uniquely situated to provide. In addition to the growth in OME outlined in the February and March issues of JAOA—The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, the “osteopathic difference” in this context includes the osteopathic medical profession’s tradition of a primary care mission—a mission that is desperately needed for today’s and tomorrow’s healthcare system.10 Also, osteopathic medicine’s patient-centered approach is increasingly recognized as a model of care that all physicians should adopt.11 Similarly, there has been growth in the number of osteopathic graduate medical education (GME) programs.12 Within the constraints of the funding caps imposed on GME by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,13 osteopathic programs in primary care and specialty areas are providing more opportunities.12 In addition, competencybased curricular changes and enhanced evaluation processes for our schools and our GME programs are all helping to establish a culture of high-quality outcome expectations for OME.1,14 However, successful growth in a system that is undergoing transition may lead to new challenges, uncertainty, and anxiety about the future. As we move forward, we must ask ourselves the following questions: