Allopathic (MD) and Osteopathic (DO) Performance on the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Initial Certifying Examinations

Background Osteopathic physicians (DOs) represent over 30% of residents in allopathic (MD) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) training programs. However, some have questioned the quality of osteopathic medical school training and the graduates of osteopathic medical schools. The performance of osteopathic physicians in allopathic PM&R training programs has not been assessed. Objective To compare allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) physician performance on American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) initial certifying examinations. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting Board-eligible PM&R physicians. Participants MDs and DOs who completed an allopathic ACGME-accredited PM&R residency training program. Methods MD and DO pass rates and mean scaled scores on the ABPMR initial certifying examinations were compared. MD versus DO degrees and training program 6 years aggregate board pass rates were independent variables. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure MD and DO pass rates and mean scaled scores on the ABPMR initial certifying examinations. Results Of the 2187 physicians who were first-time ABPMR initial certifying examination takers, there were 1596 MDs (73%) and 591 DOs (27%). No statistically significant difference was found in pass rates between MDs and DOs on Part I (94.9% vs. 93.9%, P = .35) or Part II (87.8% vs. 88%, P = .83) of the ABPMR certifying examination. Analysis of mean scaled scores demonstrated higher MD scores on both Part I ( 526, SD = 31, vs. 516, SD = 67, P = .002) and Part II ( 6.73, SD = .83 vs. 6.62, SD = .77, P = .005), significant only in programs with a 90%-100% pass rate. These differences, however, were of very small magnitude and likely not meaningful from a clinical or educational perspective. Conclusion This study did not find meaningful differences in performance on the ABPMR certifying examinations between MDs and DOs.