Residents work hard and their work often takes them away from time with their families and other activities that make them well-rounded physicians. The AAFP states that family medicine residents should enjoy up to 1 month away from their program for vacation, illness, personal business, leave, etc per academic year. Additionally up to 5 CME days may be taken per year that do not count towards this total. The AOA currently restricts all total leave to 20 days including CME. By including CME in the total leave, the AOA is essentially discouraging residents from seeking CME courses outside their program by disallowing protected time to do so. CME courses are in important way for residents to augment their medical education and pursue their special interests. While every program has its individual needs, we ask that the AOA add time to their leave policy to allow extra protected time for CME and additionally bring their total leave time more in line with their ACGME counter parts to continue to support DOs in their choosing to complete AOA approved residencies.

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