BILL NUMBER: ACR 97 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
ADOPTED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bonilla
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Rodriguez, Achadjian, Alejo, Travis
Allen, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos,
Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo
Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hadley, Harper,
Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,
Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian,
Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Rendon, Salas,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,
Wilk, Williams, and Wood)
(Coauthors: Senators Hernandez and Leyva)
JULY 16, 2015
Relative to medicine.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 97, Bonilla. Medical training: osteopathic students.
This measure, among other things, 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.
WHEREAS, California has a significant shortage and inequitable
distribution of physicians throughout the state due to the aging
population, current population growth, and the increasing number of
insured; and
WHEREAS, According to a study by the Robert Graham Center in 2013,
it was estimated that the state would need 8,243 more primary care
physicians by 2030, a 32-percent increase of its current workforce;
and
WHEREAS, The state's ability to meet the need for primary care
osteopathic physicians (DOs) and allopathic physicians (MDs) is
directly affected by the number of medical residency slots available
in physician training programs across the state, and the current
number of graduate medical education slots must be increased
substantially; and
WHEREAS, DOs are one of the fastest growing segments of health
care professionals in the United States. By 2016, more than 100,000
DOs are expected to be in active medical practice; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of practicing DOs specialize in
primary care fields such as family medicine, internal medicine, and
pediatrics, and many DOs fill a critical need by practicing in rural
and other medically underserved areas; and
WHEREAS, Beginning in 2020, osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD)
residency programs will be overseen by a single unified accrediting
body; and
WHEREAS, Quality medical training for DO and MD students is
critical to their success as fully trained and licensed physicians,
and all medical schools should provide the support necessary for
their students to receive the best possible medical training; and
WHEREAS, Many public and private institutions have provided equal
access to the application process for their medical training programs
by all students and physicians, and have trained exemplary DO and MD
students by choosing those candidates who best suit their programs;
and
WHEREAS, In many areas of the state there are outstanding examples
of medical training programs that have been integrated effectively
and are providing DO and MD students with exceptional training
opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Section 2064.2 of the Business and Professions Code
states that no medical school or clinical training program shall deny
access to elective clerkships or preceptorships in any medical
school or clinical training program in this state solely on the basis
that a student is enrolled in an DO medical school; and
WHEREAS, Section 2453 of the Business and Professions Code states
that it is the policy of the state that holders of MD degrees and DO
degrees shall be accorded equal professional status and privileges as
licensed physicians and surgeons; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature urges both private and
public medical training institutions in the state to provide equal
access to DO and MD students to apply to training programs while
still maintaining the integrity and competitiveness of their
application process and the need to first serve enrolled students;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature urges DO medical schools, MD
medical schools, and training institutions to build on current
successes of working toward greater collaboration and coordination of
education and training for California's future physicians and for
these medical schools to develop a plan to adequately support medical
training for their students and create positive partnerships with
medical training programs that are open to both DO and MD students
and graduates; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature urges efforts by training
institutions and DO and MD medical schools to work toward greater
acceptance and integration of DO and MD students in their medical
training programs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.