American Osteopathic Association (AOA)

History

Founded in 1897 by a group of 16 students from the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri, the AOA aimed to organize the efforts of individual physicians and osteopathic medical colleges to advance the osteopathic medical profession. On April 19, 1897, the committee created a constitution and permanently established the association. Originally the American Association for the Advancement of Osteopathy, the name changed to the American Osteopathic Association in 1901.

Leadership

The AOA's leadership includes a board of trustees comprising a president, president-elect, two past presidents, three vice presidents, 18 additional trustees, an intern-resident representative, and a student representative as well as a house of delegates comprising DOs representing osteopathic medical state and regional societies and specialty colleges, a speaker, and a vice speaker.

Board Certification

The AOA, through its official certifying body, the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists, and its 18 member certifying boards, offers 85 board certifications in specialties, subspecialties, and areas of added qualifications. Recognition by one of the certifying boards of the AOA means a DO has completed specific specialty or sub-specialty training, has passed a rigorous board examination, and has met other board-specific requirements.

The AOA specialty certifying boards, through the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists, define the qualifications required of DOs for certification and recertification in each specialty; determine the qualifications of osteopathic physicians [Page 72]as specialists for certification in each specialty; conduct examinations for certification; issue certificates, subject to the approval of the AOA Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists, to those physicians who are found qualified for certification in each specialty; recommend revocation of certificates for cause; and use every means possible to maintain a high standard of practice in each specialty within the osteopathic medical profession.

DOs can become AOA board certified in anesthesiology, ophthalmology and otolaryngology, dermatology, orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, pathology, family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology and psychiatry, preventive medicine, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, proctology, nuclear medicine, radiology, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery as well as a number of subspecialty and added qualification areas of medicine such as cardiology, neurophysiology, geriatrics, and medical toxicology.

Certification requirements vary by specialty. At a minimum, candidates for AOA certification must have a valid state license to practice medicine, have completed a 1-year internship followed by completion of an approved residency training program, have passed the board examination or examinations, and be members of the AOA or the Canadian Osteopathic Association.

To maintain board certification, AOA board-certified physicians must complete a minimum of 120 hours of approved and documented AOA continuing medical education credits within a 3-year period, of which 50 hours must be in their general specialty. The American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians is an exception, requiring 150 hours with 50 hours still in the general specialty.

...