MedPage Today Highlights DO Bias—Take Action for Residency Fairness
Published April 06, 2026
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy OME Advocate
A recent MedPage Today article highlights persistent challenges DO students face in the residency selection process. New AACOM survey data show that among more than 3,700 graduating students, 79.1 percent experienced bias related to attending an osteopathic medical school. Many respondents reported being required to take the USMLE or being denied interviews.
Some also described troubling interactions, including: “You people shouldn’t be doing surgery,” “Do you regret ‘settling’ for a DO school?” and “We usually don’t take DOs, but thanks for coming.” These experiences underscore the financial, emotional and professional barriers DO students continue to face.
The article highlights the Fair Access In Residency (FAIR) Act, H.R. 2314 / S. 2715, as a measure to address these disparities by requiring Medicare-funded residency programs to accept COMLEX-USA and ensure fair consideration of osteopathic (DO) applicants.
Read the article and tell Congress to support the FAIR Act to give DO students fair access to residencies and strengthen our healthcare workforce.