Primary care scored big in the 2015 American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Intern/Resident Registration Program, which matches new and recently graduated osteopathic physicians with residency programs nationwide.

According to a Feb. 9 press release(www.prnewswire.com) announcing the 2015 results, a total of 2,907 individuals participated in this year's program, and 75 percent of them, or 2,179 newly minted physicians, successfully matched to a program.

Of that total, 54 percent, or 1,171 placements, were with primary care specialties -- defined by the AOA as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and OB/Gyn.

The AAFP considers only residents who choose family medicine, general internal medicine or general pediatrics to be additions to the ranks of primary care medicine.

Family medicine fared well in 2015 by matching 549 applicants to residency programs, a 6 percent increase from 2014.

"The news from the AOA Match is very encouraging," said Stan Kozakowski, M.D., the AAFP's director of medical education. "It continues the trend of increasing interest in family medicine and primary care that we have witnessed in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), or the 'traditional Match,' over the last several years," he added.

According to latest AAFP member survey, 11.3 percent of active members hold a D.O. degree.

Regarding the increasing number of graduating D.O. students entering primary care specialties, Kozakowski said, "It is not at all surprising that a large percentage of osteopathic medical students select family medicine given the emphasis (in that discipline) on treating the whole person.

"The principles of osteopathic medicine dovetail well with the principles of family medicine and primary care," he added.

Results of the much larger NRMP Match will be announced on March 20.

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Primary Care, Family Medicine Shine in 2015 Osteopathic Match