Hi, I am a potential student at a doctor of osteopathy school, but I plan on probably doing and internal medicine residency and becoming a GP. The school is recognized by the WHO as a medical institution, and I don't want to become an osteopath. Tell me, how successful would it be to immigrate to the UK with these qualifications? I would like to do my medical training here, but my fiance and I have always wanted to settle abroad.

Thanks!

Originally posted by rgerwin
Hi, I am a potential student at a doctor of osteopathy school, but I plan on probably doing and internal medicine residency and becoming a GP. The school is recognized by the WHO as a medical institution, and I don't want to become an osteopath. Tell me, how successful would it be to immigrate to the UK with these qualifications? I would like to do my medical training here, but my fiance and I have always wanted to settle abroad.

Thanks!

Highly unlikely. I'm sorry. They are SO strict - even with regular foreign M.D.'s. Osteopathy is a 4-year undergrad. degree in the UK, they are not called "doctor" and they do not have privileges of a doctor. I would go to an M.D. school.

Hi, thanks for the reply. For further clarification, for you and anyone else, I fully intend on immigrating after my intern year, so I would take a post as an SHO. There, the majority of my training would be from the UK, and I could get full registration at that point. My question is more would I then be thought of as a physician with those qualifications and be able to get further posts or not?

Thanks again!

honestly do not bother; DOs are not recognised in the UK and are seen as quacks at best, so follow friendly's advice and go to an MD school.

Thanks for more inside the system information. I really appreciate it. Just one more, final question. If I came to the UK a doctor of osteopathy, but with a fully completed allopathic residency, in any specialty but definitely not further osteopathic training,board certified, could I get a job? Trust me, there are reasons for me pushing this idea that are too complicated to detail. I'm not purposefully avoiding the MD degree.

Thankyou for any and all help!

Osteopathy in the UK is basically quackery. Osteopaths here are certainly not doctors!

However, DO in the US is equivalent to MD, and therefore I think the GMC are becoming more open to the idea of DOs from the US (but nowhere else).

You would have to contact the GMC (www.gmc-uk.org) and actually ask them, because they seem to be doing things on a case-by-case basis at the moment.

I have posted this before, but I'll do it again.

US-trained DOs can practice medicine (not just manipulation) in the UK. I personally know one who has done so. I imagine there are some hoops, but it certainly is not imposssible.

I'm sorry, I could never find that post. Would you be able to furnish me with more details of the process the person you went through. Or details about the situation in general? I would greatly appreciate any and all information.

Thanks!

One more thing, even if I'm allowed to practise medicine, will I be able to find a job? I know there are shortages, and I have no desire to live in London, or any other very urban area. I'm a rural environment person myself.

Thanks!

Originally posted by rgerwin
I'm sorry, I could never find that post. Would you be able to furnish me with more details of the process the person you went through. Or details about the situation in general? I would greatly appreciate any and all information.

Thanks!

He did a fellowship in GI there. I don't have a lot of details, but do know that he had no restrictions on his ability to practice medicine.

did he stay, or come back to the us?

He's in the US now. Come to think of it, I've never asked him why he chose to do his fellowship in the UK. We've just talked about the fact that he did it and had standard medical privledges.

You won't have any problems getting a job! You'll be as competitive as any UK grad since you have a US degree, so you'll pretty much be able to go anywhere. Just make sure you do well with the DO route!

Did someone tell you that for sure?! B/c that would be great.

My understanding is that because you can practice in the US as a Physician then you will be eligible to sit the PLAB exam in the UK and if you pass, practice in the UK with GMC registration.

US DO degrees are not comparable to UK Osteopath degrees but they are comparable to UK MBBS degrees. Your qualification should therefore be recognised as a bona fide medical degree.

Contact the GMC and get the facts. Let us all know what they say- there are probably others out there eager to work over here and why not? It's a fantastic country!!:laugh:

Thanks, that's what I thought! Question, I have tried to contact the GMC twice, explainging that though it is called a doctor of osteopathy, it's not comparable to an undergrad uk osteopath degree, but actually an undergrad med degree. They don't seem to get it though, and keep referring me to the osteopathic council, who then refer me back to the gmc. Should I call? Or, is there a better way to explain it?

Perhaps tell them that DO is exactly the same as a US MD degree, but with an extra 4 week clerkship in "Manipulation" (?Physiotherapy) or whatever (try to avoid saying osteopathy so you don't confuse them). Then say because of this extra stuff, you get to be called a Doctor of Osteopathy. This means you have all the full prescribing rights etc that a usual MD doctor has, but with additional experience in the osteopathic arena.

You're probably getting hold of a little clercial type person who knows nothing about these things - persevere!

Keep on with the fact that you are not an Osteopath in the UK sense. In fact, just emphatically deny that you are an Osteopath!

Hope you get somewhere.

Originally posted by FionaS
Perhaps tell them that DO is exactly the same as a US MD degree, but with an extra 4 week clerkship in "Manipulation" (?Physiotherapy) or whatever (try to avoid saying osteopathy so you don't confuse them). Then say because of this extra stuff, you get to be called a Doctor of Osteopathy. This means you have all the full prescribing rights etc that a usual MD doctor has, but with additional experience in the osteopathic arena.

You're probably getting hold of a little clercial type person who knows nothing about these things - persevere!

Keep on with the fact that you are not an Osteopath in the UK sense. In fact, just emphatically deny that you are an Osteopath!

Hope you get somewhere.

I think that most osteopaths would disagree with the underlined statement. Osteopathy is not allopathy. This is not intended as a put-down, it is simply a fact.

The DO in the US is not an allopathic degree in approach. The "Osteopath" part of the US DO refers to an incorporation on preventative and holistic care. You can then use this degree to become an osteopath. Most people, however, tends towards internal medicine and family practive residencies. It is completely possible, though, to do any specialty, either in an allopathic or osteopathic program. A DO is just as qualified, if not more so in some areas, as an MD to perform any specialty.

i haven't read any of these questions yet on this site, but a quick browse of it might be of interest. i have been following these posts and really thank everyone for their help.

here is the link British Medical Journal Career inquiries (http://www.bmjcareersadvicezone.synergynewmedia.co.uk/)

and i just found this one as well, i don't know if this helps answer any of your questions, but these pages have really answered a lot of mine


http://www.britishcouncil.org/health/nacpme/index.htm

hope it helps

US DO degrees are not comparable to UK Osteopath degrees but they are comparable to UK MBBS degrees. Your qualification should therefore be recognised as a bona fide medical degree.

This is correct. :-) Your degree counts! (Probably, see next sentence.) What you should do is go to the GMC website and look for their information about qualifications.

US is a non EEA, non-Commonwealth-related country... for these, the GMC can accept your qualification if it is on the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s list of approved medical schools. Look for your school in the WHO's list here: http://www.who.int/hrh/documents/HRH_documents/en/index1.html/ I am guessing that your school is probably listed; if it's not, then I'd suggest staying away from patients. :D

It definitely comes up on the WHO list. Does this mean I"m okay? Are there any websites that woujld explicitly say it was accepted. All US Osteopathic colleges are on the list.


Help! I'm beginning to feel like I'm running incircles. As of 1998, US DOs were denied, however the WHO list came out in 2000, and is updated in 2003.

The GMC homepage is where you want to go: http://www.gmc-uk.org

Specifically, you can go to the site map here http://www.gmc-uk.org/global_sections/sitemap_frameset.htm and click, under Registration, on the link to "Accepted Qualifications." You'll get to a flowchart that explains this.

That should answer your question about whether your degree qualifies; then I would suggest going back to that site map and reading all the sections under Registration, particularly PLAB and IELTS.

This is a very confusing website, but don't let it scare you too much. ;) That is probably the best place to start because they will basically be the ones to accredit you.

The closest UK version of the American "Iserson's Getting into a Residency" is So you want to be a brain surgeon by Ward and Eccles. I have a copy, it is pretty useful if you want to look up the details, competitiveness, salary, training process and qualifications, societies, etc for particular specialties. If you're serious about the move and want to learn more, the book is worth getting because it's very informative, although it does not offer much in the way of tips for how to succeed in getting a post.

btw, if I had to do this over again knowing I was gonna marry a Brit (and assuming we'd decided what country to stay in) I wouldn't bother with attending school in one country, then moving to the other. I would have simply made my applications to med schools in the country I was going to stay in. It is a lot of trouble to climb up the medical ladder in another country, especially if you've already done it once. :p Medical training takes so many years that it is simply not worth doing twice just for the novelty of a different country, and it's also pretty humbling to be in a place where your application for a post may be looked at last or thrown out. IMO getting trained in one country, then moving to another for postgraduate training in medicine is not pie in the sky-- but that doesn't mean you can't do it, just that you shouldn't do it lightly. :)

the reason why osteopathy is not recognised as well as medicine in the UK is that anyone can call themselves an ostepath. training an vary from a certificate to a degree.
if you add on the british health service, from it's roots, services are free at the point of need. more people needed medicine than osteopathy. therefore.
I'm not too sure about this, but i'm pretty sure that doctors (of medicine) aren't even permitted to refer patients to osteopaths.
Plus we have physios, lots and lots of physios. they're autonomous pretty much.
anywho. used to live in guam so kinda undestand the uk and us systems any q's? then feel free to post me.

I attend Philadelphia College of Osteopathy as a Third year and I also would like to move to the UK for my residency and to settle down as a fully-registered physician. I was under the impression that it was impossible to do so as a DO but I think it may be possible on a case-by-case basis but the red tape is very hard to get around. I think I did find one possible solution. In the Carribean, there is a medical school (I forget which one right now- maybe ross, grenada, etc.) that allows DO's to get an MD in one year or so. The course is online and there is an exam at the end... I think. If that is true, you may be able to take the plab as a carribean MD and then get in the door that way. Just a thought and I would like to hear any thoughts on this if anyone knew anything about it. Thanks.

I attend Philadelphia College of Osteopathy as a Third year and I also would like to move to the UK for my residency and to settle down as a fully-registered physician. I was under the impression that it was impossible to do so as a DO but I think it may be possible on a case-by-case basis but the red tape is very hard to get around. I think I did find one possible solution. In the Carribean, there is a medical school (I forget which one right now- maybe ross, grenada, etc.) that allows DO's to get an MD in one year or so. The course is online and there is an exam at the end... I think. If that is true, you may be able to take the plab as a carribean MD and then get in the door that way. Just a thought and I would like to hear any thoughts on this if anyone knew anything about it. Thanks.


You can just work as an osteopath probably but you can't be both without having seperate qualifications if you dont have a MD then the DO might not be convertible to allow you to practise medicine as that is onyl achievable if you gain the MB BS here. A qualification in osteopathy will allow you to practise osteopathy which is definitely not medicine here

Clearly no one has really searched this site properly. It may require more red tape, but all DO schools here are listed under the WHO acceptable schools list for UK registration. A Doctor of Osteopathy is not just an osteopath, which is becoming more and more understood. It is a medical degree.

Clearly no one has really searched this site properly. It may require more red tape, but all DO schools here are listed under the WHO acceptable schools list for UK registration. A Doctor of Osteopathy is not just an osteopath, which is becoming more and more understood. It is a medical degree.
Its my understanding that British Osteopathys use the initals DO! This despite the fact they are not medical degree.

http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ost_intl

What countries offer full medical practice to graduates of American colleges of osteopathic Medicine and AOA approved graduate medical education?

A: The International Licensure Summary is located in the members-only section of www.do-online.org, the osteopathic professionals' Web site of the AOA. If you're a member and would like more information, contact Linda Mascheri at lmascheri@osteopathic.org. To learn more about member benefits, visit the membership section.

Found this list of countries ...

Worldwide acceptances of DO (http://portal.osteotech.org/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_803_503_359_43/http%3B/content.osteotech.org%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/do_online/certification_and_licensing/pdf/lic_int_0405.pdf)

hey

As opposed to guessing and relying on peoples opinions here why not ask the Source.

Here is the link for the AOA in regards to international acceptance.

http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ost_intl

Read that.

Still unofficial but at least there is hope - check out this SDN thread
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=239601

Just keep in mind the training of US DOs is vastly different than the training of non-US DOs.


Also, the name "Philadelphia College of Osteopathy" is a really old name and was officially changed to "Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine" over 30 years ago. Hence why the initial "PCOM" is on the flags around campus, plastered throughout campus, on every envelops and stationarys, etc. I wonder how a 3rd year PCOM student can forget what it stands for?