ACOI President, Joanne Kaiser-Smith, DO, FACOI, on What to Expect in the Coming Year
The ACOI has endured for over eight decades as a dynamic entity that has successfully evolved and grown as medicine has continually changed through the years. Concurrently, ACOI members have witnessed our profession gain more respect over time, while increasingly becoming the career of choice for many students deciding between the allopathic and osteopathic paths. The numbers speak for themselves. The total number of DOs and osteopathic medical students in the U.S. is now at over 178,000, which is an 81% increase over the past decade.
Not only do these statistics make me proud, but they also demonstrate how it is more important than ever for our organization to support students and residents. That is what I am most excited about as President of the ACOI for the coming year. According to the AOA, the osteopathic medical profession now represents more than 11% of all physicians in the U.S., making it one of the fastest-growing segments of healthcare. And all indicators point to our profession staying on track to continue that exponential growth. Consider that over 25% of all current U.S. medical students are choosing to pursue osteopathic medicine.
Supporting this growth in osteopathic internal medicine means we need to continue to be there for every facet of an individual’s career--starting as students, through residency, and beyond. The ACOI has always been known as an essential and influential provider of continuing medical education and now with single accreditation, we will demonstrate once again how flexible our organization must be.
I am reminded of my conversations with the students and residents at #ACOI2022. Many of them, and so many others that I met, expressed gratitude for the ability to attend the Annual Convention. They said they not only felt the energy of our organization, but they were impressed by the knowledge they gained from the sessions. A bonus for many was the feeling of being embraced by our warm family atmosphere. I heard multiple comments that they loved the sincere welcome they got from our members, and that is the best compliment any organization can receive. We want all students to feel the support and love from osteopathic internal medicine’s top association.
While we increase our focus on the younger generation, we will continue to be as committed to our current members. Some of you have been supporters of the ACOI for multiple decades. Thank you for your loyalty and contributions to the College. You have played an enormous role in the growth of osteopathic internal medicine, have been amazing mentors for so many, and continue to be positive ambassadors for the profession.
We are committed to working on the priorities that we have defined and outlined in our new strategic plan that is intended to positively impact all of you. Look out for exciting announcements this year. In the meantime, we are committed to communicating and listening to you via social media, the ACOInfo newsletter, emails, podcasts, and this blog.
Thank you for all you do to help our profession and our organization grow. I look forward to many more heartfelt and memorable ACOI moments with each of you. Have thoughts or concerns? I am open to hearing them and invite you to email me anytime at president@acoi.org.
Happy New Year.