About TOMA

Our Mission

The mission of the Tennessee Osteopathic Medical Association is to protect, promote and support the distinct philosophy and practice of Osteopathic Medicine for the benefit of the profession and people of Tennessee.

Our Vision

Be the leading voice for Tennessee Osteopathic Physicians and students and promote the Osteopathic Profession to the public.

History of Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathic medicine, developed by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in 1874, offers a unique approach to American healthcare. Dr. Still, dissatisfied with 19th-century medicine, founded a philosophy focusing on holistic wellness, preventive care, and the body’s natural ability to heal. Osteopathic physicians, or D.O.s, undergo rigorous training, including four years of academic study and a one-year rotating internship in various medical specialties. Afterward, many pursue residency programs for further specialization. D.O.s, like M.D.s, must pass state medical board examinations to practice. This approach emphasizes personalized patient care and addresses lifestyle factors impacting health.

Osteopathic Oath

  • I do hereby affirm my loyalty to the profession I am about to enter.
  • I will be mindful always of my great responsibility to preserve the health and the life of my patients, to retain their confidence and respect both as a physician and a friend who will guard their secrets with scrupulous honor and fidelity, to perform faithfully my professional duties, to employ only those recognized methods of treatment consistent with good judgment and with my skill and ability, keeping in mind always nature’s laws and the body’s inherent capacity for recovery.
  • I will be ever vigilant in aiding in the general welfare of the community, sustaining its laws and institutions, not engaging in those practices, which will in any way, bring shame or discredit upon myself or my profession. I will give no drugs for deadly purposes to any person, though it be asked of me.
  • I will endeavor to work in accord with my colleagues in a spirit of progressive cooperation, and never by word or by act cast imputations upon them or their rightful practices.
  • I will look with respect and esteem upon all those who have taught me my art. To my college I will be loyal and strive always for its best interests and for the interests of the students who will come after me. I will be ever alert to further the application of basic biologic truths to the healing arts and to develop the principles of osteopathy, which were first enunciated by Andrew Taylor Still.

Committee Descriptions

Archives & Awards

  • Maintain historical data for the organization
  • Make recommendations for Physician of the Year award to Board of Directors
  • Make recommendations for TOMA Spirit of Excellence Award to Board of Directors under the direction of the Subcommittee on Student Awards by the winter Board meeting

Bylaws Committee

  • Review current Bylaws and Constitution for edits
  • Present recommendations to the Board of Directors

Convention Committee

  • Review previous convention outcomes data
  • Advise the chair in:
  • Topics
  • Speakers
  • Activities
  • Assist the convention chair and Executive Director at Annual Convention
  • Make recommendations for convention sites and dates to the Board of Directors

Education Committee

  • Serve as a liaison to Lincoln Memorial-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Coordinate and plan education events outside of the annual convention

Finance & Budget

  • Review expenses and income of organization on a quarterly basis
  • Provide budget recommendations to Board of Directors
  • Make recommendations for annual budget, and mid-year alterations to budget (as necessary) to the Board of Directors
  • Utilize report and recommendations of Investments subcommittee in annual budget plans

Legislative Committee

  • Review current state and national legislation as it pertains to the medical professions
  • Review the position of the AOA and pertinent specialty societies on current legislative issues
  • Recommend positions/actions to the Board of Directors on topics that are pertinent to the members
  • Review recommendations/positions set forth by the AOA Delegation Subcommittee

Membership

  • Recommend membership recruitment initiatives to the Board of Directors
  • Recommend membership retention initiatives to the Board of Directors

New to Practice

  • Review issues pertinent to newly licensed physicians
  • Actively engage newly licensed physicians
  • Be a resource to newly licensed physicians

TOMA Bylaws

find them here