AOA Urges Residency Programs to End Dual Licensing Expectations for DO Medical Students

November 4, 2026

The American Osteopathic Association urged residency programs to end the expectation that osteopathic medical students take both the COMLEX-USA and USMLE licensing exams in a public statement this week.


To back its position, the AOA cited a new report generated during the Single GME Accreditation System Summit, which is convened by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. In June, summit participants — which included leadership from the AOA, ACGME, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and others — examined the first decade of single accreditation for graduate medical education. They concluded that single accreditation achieved "structural integration and expanded opportunities for osteopathic learners."

They also found that a lack of cultural, operational, and informational awareness continues to "affect parity, specialty access, and how residency programs understand osteopathic training."


Ultimately, stakeholders concluded that dual licensing expectations for osteopathic medical students must be eliminated. The post-summit report underscored the additional burdens dual licensing expectations place on students, including financial and logistical challenges. According to the group's analysis, these added burdens have no "educational justification."


The report outlines straightforward steps for achieving an effective alternative to the dual licensing model:

  • Universal acceptance of degree-specific licensing exams
  • Elimination of differential clinical rotation fees for osteopathic medical students
  • Clearer, more comparable information from residency programs; stronger education for program directors and coordinators on osteopathic training, certification pathways and professional identity; and better competency-based assessment information for residency selection
  • Shared responsibility and coordinated action across the medical education continuum


In its statement, the AOA shared that the report's priorities closely align with its ongoing parity advocacy. The national organization has committed to serving as a planning partner on several initiatives outlined in the report.


Source: American Osteopathic Association

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