National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data indicates that 32 percent of residency program directors “never or seldom” interview DO candidates; and of those who do, at least 56 percent require the MD licensing exam, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

This is an alarming statistic and demonstrates why advocacy for the FAIR Act is so important to me and many of my osteopathic peers. The glaring inequity between licensed osteopathic and allopathic graduating medical students has created a growing frustration within the osteopathic medical community. As a rising OMS-2, I will soon face the consequences of this disparate treatment as I approach registration for both the COMLEX and USMLE examinations. I will take both licensing exams, not because I feel it is fair but because I refuse to let my osteopathic education be treated as somehow qualitatively different from my allopathic peers. I want my dedication to my education and career to be valued equally to an allopathic education, and if for now that means having to complete twice as many licensing exams, then that is what I will do, even though it is unfair. 

I am passionate about advocating for the FAIR Act because I do not support the discrimination osteopathic medical students currently face when applying to residency programs that are federally funded. We are asked to give more time, more money, and shoulder the additional burden of stress that inevitably comes from taking both licensing examinations.  

As a daughter raised by attorneys, I wanted to focus attention on this issue and question why GME programs harbor this reluctance to accept COMLEX as an equal to USMLE. An article published by the NBOME stated that many residency program directors are unsure how to interpret COMLEX scores, and that this knowledge gap is often a deciding factor for requiring applicants to submit USMLE scores. It is frustrating to know that part of the reason the current licensing system is putting additional pressure on osteopathic medical students results from a lack of understanding of how to interpret the COMLEX scoring system. Medical students are required to learn an enormous amount of information at an incredible pace. It only seems fair to ask GME programs to take the time to learn about the COMLEX exam so we can put an end to this unequal treatment once and for all.