Amended in Assembly August 19, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent ResolutionNo. 97


Introduced by Assembly Member Bonilla

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Rodriguez)

(Coauthors: Senators Hernandez and Leyva)

July 16, 2015


Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 97—Relative to medicine.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 97, as amended, Bonilla. Medical training: osteopathic students.

This measure would urge both private and public medical training institutions in the state to provide equal access to osteopathic and allopathic students to apply to training programs, would urge osteopathic medical schools, allopathic medical schools, and their training institutions to build on current successes of working toward greater collaboration and coordination of education and training for California’s future physicians, and would urge efforts by training institutions and allopathic and osteopathic medical schools to work toward greater acceptance and integration of osteopathic and allopathic students.

Fiscal committee: no.

P1    1WHEREAS, California has a significant shortage and inequitable
2distribution of physicians throughout the state due to the aging
3population, current population growth, and the increasing number
4of insured; and

5WHEREAS, According to a study by the Robert Graham Center
6in 2013, it was estimated that the state would need 8,243 more
P2    1primary care physicians bybegin delete 2030 -end deletebegin insert 2030,end insert a 32 percent increase of
2its current workforce; and

begin insert

3WHEREAS, The state’s ability to meet the need for primary care
4osteopathic physicians (DOs) and allopathic physicians is directly
5affected by the number of medical residency slots available in
6physician training programs across the state, and the current
7amount of graduate medical education slots must be increased
8substantially; and

end insert

9WHEREAS,begin delete Osteopathic physiciansend deletebegin insert DOsend insert are one of the fastest
10growing segments of health care professionals in the United States.
11By 2016, more than 100,000begin delete osteopathic physicians (DOs)end deletebegin insert DOsend insert
12 are expected to be in active medical practice; and

13WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of practicing DOs
14specialize in primary care fields such as family medicine, internal
15medicine, andbegin delete pediatricsend deletebegin insert pediatrics,end insert and many DOs fill a critical
16need by practicing in rural and other medically underserved areas;
17and

18WHEREAS,begin delete Osteopathicend deletebegin insert Beginning in 2020, osteopathicend insert (DO)
19and allopathic (MD) residency programs willbegin delete soonend delete be overseen by
20a single unifiedbegin delete graduate medical educationend delete accrediting body; and

21WHEREAS, Quality medical training for DO and MD students
22is critical to their success as fully trained and licensed physicians;
23and

24WHEREAS, Many public and private institutions have
25begin delete historicallyend delete provided equal access to the application process for
26their medical training programs by all students and physicians,
27and have trained exemplary DO and MD students by choosing
28those candidates who best suit their programs; and

29WHEREAS, Section 2064.2 of the Business and Professions
30Code states that no medical school or clinical training program
31shall deny access to elective clerkships or preceptorships in any
32medical school or clinical training program in this state solely on
33the basis that a student is enrolled in anbegin delete osteopathicend deletebegin insert DOend insert medical
34school; and

35WHEREAS, Section 2453 of the Business and Professions Code
36states that it is the policy of the state that holders of MD degrees
37and DO degrees shall be accorded equal professional status and
38privileges as licensed physicians and surgeons; now, therefore, be
39it

P3    1Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
2thereof concurring,
That the Legislature urges both private and
3public medical training institutions in the state to provide equal
4access to DO and MD students to apply to training programs while
5still maintaining the integrity and competitiveness of their
6application process and the need to first serve enrolled students;
7and be it further

8Resolved, That the Legislature urgesbegin delete osteopathicend deletebegin insert DOend insert medical
9schools,begin delete allopathicend deletebegin insert MDend insert medical schools, and their training
10institutions to build on current successes of working toward greater
11collaboration and coordination of education and training for
12California’s future physicians; and be it further

13Resolved, That the Legislature urges efforts by training
14institutions andbegin delete allopathicend deletebegin insert MDend insert andbegin delete osteopathicend deletebegin insert DOend insert medical schools
15to work toward greater acceptance and integration of DO and MD
16students in their medical training programs; and be it further

17Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
18of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.



O

    98