NBOME Conference Travelogue
January 8, 2020
Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA) Conference
From October 4-6, 2019, NBOME Board Vice-Chair Geraldine O’Shea, DO, and President and CEO, Dr. John R. Gimpel, attended the annual Osteopathic International Alliance Conference in Bad Nauheim, Germany.
The OIA is in official relations status with the World Health Organization, and “envisions a world in which every person has access to high-quality osteopathic medicine.” Next year’s AGM and conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from September 30-October 2, 2020.
National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Conference
From October 3-5, 2019, NBOME Associate Vice President for Strategy and Quality Initiatives, Melissa Turner, MS, attended the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) Conference in Chicago. The NBOME provided attendees with a COMLEX-USA update.
This year’s stakeholder conference, titled, “Transition to Residency: Conversations Across the Medical Education Continuum,” set a record for its 300 registrants. Focusing on a variety of topics related to residency, speakers included Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, Helen Fisher, PhD and Lawrence G. Smith, MD, MACP.
The COMLEX-USA Composite Examination Committee (CCEC) Meeting
The COMLEX-USA Composite Examination Committee (CCEC) met on October 14 and 15 in the Philadelphia Executive offices. This committee reviews all levels of the COMLEX-USA examination series, including statistics and candidate feedback, and provides a report to the NBOME Board of Directors. At this meeting, CCEC reviewed performance and innovations happening within the examination series — including the potential of reducing test items in Level 1 and 2-CE, as well as the Level 2-PE team researching possible modifications to the Humanistic and Biomedical/Biomechanical Domains. CCEC convenes the Blueprint Subcommittee, which regularly reviews the COMLEX-USA Master Blueprint to assure it keeps up with the evolving practice of osteopathic medicine.
The committee also discussed hot topics related to licensure examinations, such as the possibility of switching to a pass/fail scoring system, or keeping some form of numeric-based scoring. The CCEC is also reviewing the current maximum number of attempt limits per examination level. The Point-of-Care Knowledge, Education and Testing (POCKET) process was reviewed and decisions were recommended regarding next steps with this process.
Osteopathic Medical Education Conference (OMED)
From October 25-28, 2019, the NBOME participated in the Osteopathic Medical Education Conference (OMED) in Baltimore, Maryland. The American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) annual conference brought together thousands of osteopathic physicians, medical students, and other health professionals from across the country for medical education, inspiration, networking and entertainment.
NBOME exhibited at the conference, featuring our new COMAT-Foundational Biomedical Sciences portfolio, as well as the COMLEX-USA examination series, the CATALYST platform and opportunities for doctors to explore the NBOME National Faculty Program. Attendees visiting the NBOME booth were greeted by staff who had meaningful conversations with many visitors and were on hand to answer student, faculty, practicing physician and others’ questions.
On day one of the conference, the American Osteopathic Foundation hosted its annual Honors Gala, presenting awards to a number of NBOME National Faculty members, including AOF Educator of the Year to Richard Jermyn, DO, from RowanSOM. In addition, and in honor of NBOME’s 85th anniversary year, the NBOME made a contribution to the William Anderson, DO Minority Scholarship Fund.
Early Sunday morning, a team of NBOME runners and walkers came out to join in the Advocates for the American Osteopathic Association (AAOA) Fit for Life Run 2019. The run benefitted osteopathic student scholarships and the NBOME was a featured sponsor as well.
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Conference
From October 8-12, NBOME sent John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd to attend the AAMC Learn, Serve, Lead 2019 Conference in Phoenix, AZ. The meeting covered many of the successes and challenges of academic medicine nationwide, and was attended by medical educators from across the country. Retired President and CEO of AACOM, Steve Shannon, DO, received an achievement award.
Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) & Organization of Program Directors Associations (OPDA) Annual Meeting
From November 21-22, 2019, NBOME Vice President for Collaborative Assessment & Initiatives Sandra Waters, MEM and Associate Vice President for Strategic & Quality Initiatives, Melissa Turner, MS, attended the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) Annual Meeting and Specialty Forum in Arlington, VA.
Together, they presented NBOME and COMLEX-USA updates at The Organization of Program Directors Associations (OPDA) meeting. “OPDA is dedicated to promoting the role of the residency program director and program director societies in achieving excellence in graduate medical education.”
The NBOME Test Accommodations Committee (TAC) Meeting
Between November 21-22, The NBOME Test Accommodations Committee, which is comprised of osteopathic physicians and other subject matter experts who review applications for special accommodations from COMLEX-USA candidates in cooperation with NBOME staff.
The Committee met to discuss trends and developments in the test accommodations realm, as they apply to high-stakes testing agencies like the NBOME.
Coming Up
In the next quarter, we’ll be making appearances at the following conferences and meetings:
