Registration: Opened on Nov 1, 2011, and will close on Jan 27, 2012.  Here is a link to register.
Date: March 8, 2012
Information: Please visit the AOA's DO Day on Capitol Hill eBriefing Center for information on prior 2011 issues

D.O. Day on Capitol Hill is an annual event where AOA leadership, osteopathic physicians, and osteopathic medical students convene in Washington, DC to lobby legislators about issues important to the osteopathic profession. It is an opportunity for members of the osteopathic community to join together and speak with federal legislators and their staff members face-to-face. Legislators tend to remember the day when thousands of white coats visit the Capitol!  SOMA chapters are encouraged to help facilitate student participation in D.O. Day on Capitol Hill by fundraising to cover transportation and housing expenses (the AOA does not charge students to attend). DO Day on Capitol Hill is held on a Thursday (April 7), and the Spring SOMA Convention is the following Friday-Saturday (April 8-9).  We hope that you will fully participate in both DO Day and the spring convention by planning to arrive in DC on Wednesday evening (April 6) and departing Sunday morning (April 10).  Students with less time available may attend either event.  For ideas about which political ideas might be important to students during the 112th Congress, check out this article on TheDO.

What to expect:

• Appointments held in the office of your legislators (Both Senate & House)
• Large AOA-wide meetings during the morning, where you will meet DO students from other schools
• In the morning, you will learn lobbying techniques from AOA staffers, and you will have a chance to practice these techniques in the afternoon, usually with a group of fellow DOs and DO students
• Lunch will be on your own.  In prior years, a voucher has been provided to permit you to eat in one of the House/Senate cafeterias at no cost to you.

How to prepare:

• Read the preparatory DO Day on the Hill legislative bulletins provided by the AOA
• Research the political issues that are important to you
• Determine which legislators you will visit (based upon your voting district - i.e. your permanent address). Research their recent voting record and their committee involvement so that you can provide them with specific direction while acknowledging their prior positive/negative legislative actions.  (You may wish to start with the DO Advocacy Action Center (using the link at the bottom of this page), or conduct your own research using the Senate or House websites.)

What to pack:

• White coat
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Camera
• Business cards (if you like to use them - they are certainly not required)

My Example Schedule (from 2011):

• 06:30 AM  Registration & Breakfast at the Marriott Wardman Park
• 07:45 AM  Welcome & Introduction - Karen Nichols, DO AOA President
• 08:15 AM  The Honorable Joe Heck, DO (R-NV-03)
• 09:15 AM  Introduction of Special Guests and AOA Staff (Shawn Martin, AOA Dir of Govt Relations)
• 09:30 AM  Briefing Packet Review and Meeting Preparations (Leann Fox, AOA Dir of DC Advocacy & Comm)
• 10:00 AM  Policy Briefing (Shawn Martin, AOA Dir of Govt Relations)
• 10:50 AM  Questions & Final Notices (Shawn Martin, AOA Dir of Govt Relations)
• 11:00 AM  Departure for Capitol Hill (metro cards provided to attendees)
• 02:00 PM  Meeting with Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY-04) (staff Lauren O'Brien) in 1119 Longworth
• 03:30 PM  Meeting with Sen. Mitch McConnell (directly with the Senator) in S-230 Capitol
• 04:30 PM  Meeting with Sen. Rand Paul, MD (staff Seana Cranston) in 34-A Russell

Each student received a packet containing information on where meetings would be held, whether the meetings would be with a staffer or directly with the elected Senate/House member, a list of other students/physicians that would be present at the meeting, where the meeting would be located, office phone numbers of the elected officials, a map of the state capitol, a congressional directory, and meeting survey/debriefing forms (to be filled out later).