The legislative position of the Osteopath in Italy after the Decree of the Ministry of Universities and Research of 29 November 2023, in agreement with the Minister of Health: implications in terms of professional responsibility and current shortcomings.

Background: At the end of a long definition and legislative process (Law No.3 of 11 January 2018 and DPR No 131 of 2021), started under the thrust of the European directives, with the Decree of the Ministry of Universities and Research of 29 November 2023, in agreement with the Minister of Health, osteopathy in Italy has become a healthcare profession in all respects. Materials and Methods: In order to understand the current legislative and professional position of the Osteopath, research of the original definitions and the history of the profession has been carried out, assessing an overview of the current situations among EU countries. Therefore, an analysis of the current Italian legislation has been carried out in a medical-legal key, with a critical eye aimed above all at assessing the current shortcomings. Conclusions: The inclusion of osteopathy as a healthcare profession in Italy is a significant step towards the regulation and recognition of this practice, implying considerable innovations both in terms of access to the profession, both in the field of the professional health responsibility. Even if with the Decree of 29 November 2023, a significant step forward has been made, further regulatory and control measures are needed to ensure the quality, safety, and effectiveness of osteopathic treatments, as well as the protection of patients and the professionalism of operators.

An overview of osteopathy graduates' perceived preparedness at transition from educational environment to clinic environment one year after graduation: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated perceived preparedness to practice, one year after graduation across osteopathic education institutions (OEIs) and explored possible differences between countries where osteopathy is regulated (Reg) and countries where it is not (Unreg). METHODS: Two hundred forty-five graduates from 7 OEIs in 4 European countries, already assessed in a previous study, were contacted one year after their graduation to complete the survey. Survey tools included a questionnaire to assess perceived preparedness to practice: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) questionnaire, and a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic information and practice characteristics. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-eight graduates (68.6%) completed the survey. The AAMC mean score one year after the graduation (23.19; confidence interval 22.81-23.58) was significantly higher than in the previous study (17.58; 16.90-18.26) (p < 0.001). A difference was also found between Reg (23.49; 23.03-23.95) and Unreg (22.34; 21.74-22.94) (p = 0.004). Osteopaths with a previous healthcare degree scored significantly higher on AAMC score (25.53; 24.88-26.19) than osteopaths without a previous healthcare degree (22.33; 21.97-22.69) (p < 0.001). Regulation and a previous degree were the only significant independent variables in the most predictive multivariate linear model. The model had an r2 = 0.33. CONCLUSIONS: Graduates from OEIs where osteopathy is regulated felt significantly better prepared to practice than Unreg. Systematic information searches about graduates' perception of preparedness to practice, may enable OEIs to strengthen their existing curricula to ensure their graduates are effectively prepared to practice.

The Single Graduate Medical Education (GME) Accreditation System Will Change the Future of the Family Medicine Workforce.

BACKGROUND: Due to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)/American Osteopathic Association (AOA) single-accreditation model, the specialty of family medicine may see as many as 150 programs and 500 trainees in AOA-accredited programs seek ACGME accreditation. This analysis serves to better understand the composition of physicians completing family medicine residency training and their subsequent certification by the American Board of Family Medicine. METHODS: We identified residents who completed an ACGME-accredited or dual-accredited family medicine residency program between 2006 and 2016 and cross-tabulated the data by graduation year and by educational background (US Medical Graduate-MD [USMG-MD], USMG-DO, or International Medical Graduate-MD [IMG-MD]) to examine the cohort composition trend over time. RESULTS: The number and proportion of osteopaths completing family medicine residency training continues to rise concurrent with a decline in the number and proportion of IMGs. Take Rates for USMG-MDs and USMG-IMGs seem stable; however, the Take Rate for the USMG-DOs has generally been rising since 2011. CONCLUSIONS: There is a clear change in the composition of graduating trainees entering the family medicine workforce. As the transition to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education progresses, further shifts in the composition of this workforce should be expected.

"Whatever you are, be a good one": osteopathic identity, equality, and the california merger.

In the early 1960s, Dorothy Marsh, DO, then president of the California Osteopathic Association, ardently promoted an amalgamation with the California Medical Association that would eliminate the doctorate of osteopathy (ie, DO) degree and grant medical doctor (MD) degrees to DO holders. Marsh traveled extensively throughout California in an effort to gain support for the merger, which passed in spring 1961. The osteopathic medical community tends to view the California merger as a dark period in history of the profession, a devastating loss of members and facilities. Yet, on the day it was signed, Marsh called the event a "historic achievement in the field of osteopathy." Using primary documents from the Dorothy Marsh Collection at the University of California, Los Angeles, the author attempts to understand the reasons why an osteopathic physician would fight so passionately to abandon her own professional identity. These documents shed light on Marsh's motivations and the perspectives of merger supporters and opponents during this period.

Correlation of scores for the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination with osteopathic medical school grades.

The authors evaluated construct validity of scores for the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA), the examination used to evaluate osteopathic physicians for licensure. They computed correlations between students' grades in the first 2 years of osteopathic medical school and their scores on the COMPLEX-USA Level 1 (N = 187) and Level 2 (N = 86), as well as correlations between third- and fourth-year clerkship grades and the COMLEX-USA Level 2. Correlations of Level 1 scores with grades for years one, two, and the first 2 years combined were .74, .80, and .81, respectively; for Level 2, correlations were .59, .70, and .71. Correlation between clerkship grades and scores for the COMLEX-USA Level 2 was .26. The strong correlation between COMLEX-USA results and grades for the didactic curriculum in the first 2 years of medical school provides evidence for the construct validity of scores for the COMLEX-USA Levels 1 and 2.