(sparked by shady grove's post in the introductions thread)

No, not a "which is better or more prestigious" question a la the premed forums, but rather which is more prevalent? Are there proportionally more DOs than MDs in hospice/palliative care than in some of the more traditional fields? Do DO schools tend to include more training along these lines in their curricula than MD schools?

Those of you who have completed med school (either MD or DO): how do you feel about your choice to pursue that "flavor" of medical training, given your interests/goals in palliative/hospice care?

Discuss! :)

(sparked by shady grove's post in the introductions thread)

No, not a "which is better or more prestigious" question a la the premed forums, but rather which is more prevalent? Are there proportionally more DOs than MDs in hospice/palliative care than in some of the more traditional fields? Do DO schools tend to include more training along these lines in their curricula than MD schools?

Those of you who have completed med school (either MD or DO): how do you feel about your choice to pursue that "flavor" of medical training, given your interests/goals in palliative/hospice care?

Discuss! :)

My DO school (Ohio) has some courses on Palliative/End of Life Care and a required 2-week clerkship in a Hospice unit run by 1 DO and 1 MD.

There are plenty of MD schools that provide an equally strong primary care, palliative emphasis, whole-person approach to medicine in general. I am a DO, but I will be the first to step up and say that I could have received the same education at many an MD school, with the exception of the questionable manipulation. Manip is another topic, and patients like it, but there is no real proof of its long term benefit. But the same could be stated about many therapies in traditional medicine. The main thing I am trying to say though is that you can get good training in the field of palliative care from MD and DO schools. You just have to avoid the research heavy MD schools that place primary care as low emphasis. Schools like UTSW where research is paramount and where they have few grads go into primary care...that is what I am saying. But even here at U-Iowa where I am doing my residency in EM, there are plenty of courses these students take on end of life and palliative medicine. U-Iowa is a perfect example of an MD school with plenty of balance in their approach.

There are plenty of MD schools that provide an equally strong primary care, palliative emphasis, whole-person approach to medicine in general. I am a DO, but I will be the first to step up and say that I could have received the same education at many an MD school, with the exception of the questionable manipulation. Manip is another topic, and patients like it, but there is no real proof of its long term benefit. But the same could be stated about many therapies in traditional medicine. The main thing I am trying to say though is that you can get good training in the field of palliative care from MD and DO schools. You just have to avoid the research heavy MD schools that place primary care as low emphasis. Schools like UTSW where research is paramount and where they have few grads go into primary care...that is what I am saying. But even here at U-Iowa where I am doing my residency in EM, there are plenty of courses these students take on end of life and palliative medicine. U-Iowa is a perfect example of an MD school with plenty of balance in their approach.

:thumbup:agree