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.