AOA President Karen J. Nichols, DO, debates an issue with fellow members of the AOA Board of Trustees. (Photo by Michael Fitzgerald)

President Nichols shares a moment with two osteopathic medical students and U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz, MSW, D-Pa. (right) during the AOA's 2010 DO Day on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Michael Fitzgerald)

Karen J. Nichols, DO
2010-2011 AOA President

Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said, "People who work together will win." Mr. Lombardi may have been talking football, but I believe his statement has a much broader meaning. At the AOA, we recognize how crucial teamwork is to successfully advance the osteopathic medical profession. Working together to create solutions, we have been able to accomplish great things:

• We have earned recognition and acceptance for COMLEX-USA in all 50 states.
• We've educated the public about the care we provide through intense media outreach efforts, which reached an audience of more than 89 million people in the last year.
• We've assisted AOA members in obtaining full practice rights in more than 50 countries.
• We have vastly improved graduate medical education processes and data collection through the Osteopathic Medical Education Summit program.

While we have much to celebrate, the osteopathic medical profession still faces many challenges. If there was ever a time that called for teamwork to achieve high-stakes results, this it it. During the coming year, we will focus on making improvements in the following five areas:

• Health System Reform
  In order to achieve true reform for our profession and our patients, we will continue advocating for:
  • Comprehensive medical liability reform
  • Team-based care through the patient-centered medical home
  • Sustainable growth rate formula reform
     
• Private Practice Support
  We need to provide more support for physicians in their day-to-day practice operations. By joining efforts, we will all benefit from greater efficiency and, ultimately, higher reimbursement levels.
   
• Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education
  Despite skyrocketing enrollment in our osteopathic medical schools, we are not providing adequate opportunities for osteopathic graduate medical education. I've challenged the OGME Development Initiative to unite all segments of the profession to collaborate on this issue. I also challenge every specialty with greater than 85% fill rates for their residencies to establish 15% more new positions annually until we have developed as many training positions as we have graduates.
   
• Specialty/Student Clearinghouse
  Developing and nurturing relationships between osteopathic specialty colleges and osteopathic medical students is vital to the growth of our profession. To make this a reality, specialty colleges must provide the following resources to students:
  • Mentoring programs, such as iLEARN
  • Bylaws and processes for establishing clubs on campus
  • Convention information detailing student-specific activities
  • Opportunities to participate in specialty colleges
  The AOA will offer a clearinghouse on its website to facilitate one-stop shopping for students to connect with specialty colleges.  
   
• Economic Impact on State Societies and Specialty Colleges
  Many of our profession's state associations and specialty colleges are struggling to provide services due to economic limitations. We must find more innovative ways to promote teamwork among our state and specialty groups to pool resources and build synergies.

One of the most important aspects of teamwork is communication, and one of the ways you can stay in touch with me in the coming year is through the AOA President's Blog. During my term as AOA president, I will use the blog to keep you posted on the latest topics that impact your practices and the health of your patients. I look forward to answering your questions and reading your comments.

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as your AOA President during the next year. By working together as a team, I know we can position the osteopathic medical profession for an even brighter future.