Are any of you guys pure DO believers?

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I was wondering if any DO's or students are pure Oseopathic believers, meaning you had no desire to go to an MD school or be an MD because you believe in the principles of Osteopathic medicine?

Or for those who accept Allopathic and Osteopathic principles, what made you want to become a DO over an MD?

I chose one school that just happened to be DO over another school that just happened to be MD.

Originally Posted by SteinmetzMD

I was wondering if any DO's or students are pure Oseopathic believers, meaning you had no desire to go to an MD school or be an MD because you believe in the principles of Osteopathic medicine?

Or for those who accept Allopathic and Osteopathic principles, what made you want to become a DO over an MD?

If the match list/ life style/location is better at a DO school where I will be happier than at the MD school then I will choose the DO school in a heartbeat.

This is usually the case for lower tier MD's.

I have never heard of someone turn down a UC/ivyleague MD school or schools like Georgetown/Duke/Tulane, etc for a DO school. However, it is not unheard of for a low tier MD.

I can't speak for people choosing it based on the philosophy of osteopathic medicine, which confuses me because we all know 98% of the DOs do what MDs do anyway.

I want to be a physician first and foremost. I do appreciate and like Osteopathic medicine for its focus on hollistic treatment, recruitment of non-trads and am curious about how efficacious OMM can be, but I know at the end of the day I would be an equally qualified physician with either degree; therefore, I'm choosing based on the best location for me.

Originally Posted by SurgeDO

I chose one school that just happened to be DO over another school that just happened to be MD.

Me too.

I believe DO will make me a physician... If that's what you mean lol.

I had a high GPA, lower MCAT so didn't apply MD because of what I thought would be a waste of time and money on the applications and fees. However, I do think many of the osteopathic principles and "tools" are great and overall I feel way more comfortable with the environments and student body of osteopathic programs and that says a lot to me about the future of my DO colleagues and how the medical community will view those letters.
My one issue with some of the DO schools is that I believe they fall short of the resources and opportunities (particularly clinical and research wise) of many state MD programs. This has nothing to do with them being MD vs DO, more to do with their being public vs private and affiliated with resource heavy institutions that are older with more connections versus stand alone and still establishing community connections.
Being aware of this weakness solid DO programs still exist you just have to do your research

EDIT: I'd like to consider myself an osteopathic purist for the record. I don't know the requirements but just thought I'd be more explicit about my loyalties

I don't think you're going to get too many people answering yes to that question.

I chose based on location and research connections/ networking I had in that given area.

This, combined with lifestyle choice and living with my significant other that's going to make waaay more than I will in any medical specialty in that given city, made it an easy decision. I chose that option over applying MD broadly (I had average MD acceptance stats).

I'm a BELIEBER! But really I applied only DO because a few years back after an awful first year of school, I learned about osteopathic medicine. I figured with the terrible first year, I'd likely struggle to get into MD schools even though I've done MUCH better ever since. I started shaping my app to make me a good applicant for DO schools specifically because I knew I would be much more competitive there. IF I had applied to any MD schools, it would have only been to my state school. But because I had zero research, I didn't because they never would have considered my app. So because of the fact that DO = MD, I happily chose to go the direction where I had a stronger chance and wouldn't be wondering if I'd be accepted.

Also, learning OMM seems awesome to me (ignore the few random things that everyone says sucks about it like cranial).

Also, I might add that DO seems to be much more non-trad friendly and that was another draw, considering that I'm married + a baby.

I definitely prefer DO. This is mostly based upon my personal experiences with doctors. Right now, a DO school is at the top of my list. I may apply to a couple of state MD schools, and if I end up choosing MD, it will be for purely financial reasons. I don't want to give too much identifying detail here, but yes, there are student who want to be DO's.

I am a big fan of the osteopathic holistic philosophy.

I personally see it as an equivalent to MD. IE I have no reason to matriculate to one over the other, besides the fact that more often than not the DO schools are a little more pricey.

With that said, I haven't had the opportunity to see OMM performed in person. I have a family friend who's parents run a weekend OMM clinic. Having spoken to them exhaustively on the subject, it seems that it can certainly be an extra tool in the physicians bag o' treatments. For this reason I'm interested in seeing what OMM is about if I matriculate into a DO school.

But. We have to play the game.

Edit: I have shadowed 16 physicians. Four of them were DO's. Each one of them was one of the nicest, most down to earth person I had a pleasure to work with. Small sample size, but it really turned me on to looking into it more. Not saying the MD's were douchebags (2 were) or anything, but the DO's just seemed to have personalities that I naturally gravitated to more.

Originally Posted by SteinmetzMD

I was wondering if any DO's or students are pure Oseopathic believers, meaning you had no desire to go to an MD school or be an MD because you believe in the principles of Osteopathic medicine?

Or for those who accept Allopathic and Osteopathic principles, what made you want to become a DO over an MD?

There are definitely people out there that want exclusively DO.

For me, it depends more on the school, area, cost, etc. I like the idea of learning OMM, simply for the extra tool in the kit and the excuse to spend more time with patients, especially if I end up in a primary care setting. Also, I liked the environment/students at most of the DO schools I saw more than those at a lot of MD schools I saw. That being said, the last MD school I saw was amazing, so that kind of made me feel like some of that was at least school-specific.

Originally Posted by Mehd School

Edit: I have shadowed 16 physicians. Four of them were DO's. Each one of them was one of the nicest, most down to earth person I had a pleasure to work with. Small sample size, but it really turned me on to looking into it more. Not saying the MD's were douchebags (2 were) or anything, but the DO's just seemed to have personalities that I naturally gravitated to more.

16?! How is that at all possible..

Originally Posted by abolt18

I'm a BELIEBER! But really I applied only DO because a few years back after an awful first year of school, I learned about osteopathic medicine. I figured with the terrible first year, I'd likely struggle to get into MD schools even though I've done MUCH better ever since. I started shaping my app to make me a good applicant for DO schools specifically because I knew I would be much more competitive there. IF I had applied to any MD schools, it would have only been to my state school. But because I had zero research, I didn't because they never would have considered my app. So because of the fact that DO = MD, I happily chose to go the direction where I had a stronger chance and wouldn't be wondering if I'd be accepted.

Also, learning OMM seems awesome to me (ignore the few random things that everyone says sucks about it like cranial).

Also, I might add that DO seems to be much more non-trad friendly and that was another draw, considering that I'm married + a baby.

This is pretty much me exactly. I like to say that I got accepted to my two top pick schools. I applied fairly broadly to DO schools across the country and got accepted to what had been my top two picks all along. That isn't to say that I wouldn't pick Harvard or some other elite school if given the opportunity, but for me, my family, and my life circumstances, and based on what I could realistically obtain, it worked out perfectly for me, in in my case, that was DO.

Really interesting in learning OMT, but I'm gunning for psych... So, not sure if I have a preference, though I will likely apply only DO due to non-trad, stats, etc...

I think the OP meant to ask if there are any kool aid drinkers

Originally Posted by DrEnderW

I don't think you're going to get too many people answering yes to that question.

I chose based on location and research connections/ networking I had in that given area.

This, combined with lifestyle choice and living with my significant other that's going to make waaay more than I will in any medical specialty in that given city, made it an easy decision. I chose that option over applying MD broadly (I had average MD acceptance stats).

I also thought the KCOM spouse support was pretty on point. Another huge plus.

Originally Posted by abolt18

Also, I might add that DO seems to be much more non-trad friendly and that was another draw, considering that I'm married + a baby.

You're married and also a baby?! Talk about non-trad!

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I was a huge location whore.....I chose my school based on location primarily, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't do the same thing for residency of which I got my first choice. I could not pass up being in a warm climate for med school vs spending 4 years in the cold, MD or DO each of which I was accepted at. In retrospect I don't regret a thing. I loved my 4 years in a nice climate but after 4 years I wanted to relocate back up north.

As for the holistic thing...I still believe that is BS.....while DO schools may preach that whole "holistic approach" or "we treat the whole person" that is just stupid....Show me the name of one MD that only treats the disease and not the whole person and I'd be very surprised

I think some people find it hard to justify to adcoms "why DO?" without pushing KoolAid. I had my way of not citing holistic medicine (none of which was BS), but I sometimes wonder if people that do have ever really tried to operationally define, in any way, the concepts, holistic or more holistic than MD'

In truth though, my state MD school, the only MD school I really gave a _____ about, kinda depressed me. A lot of the people I met (disclaimer: not nearly all) seemed out of energy and borderline apathetic. I'm glad to be heading the way I am, which happens to be an osteopathic school, where the impression was quite the opposite.

Side statement: I'm not at all a subscriber to that moronic public bathroom hand dryer analogy.

I will be eternally grateful for the "holistic" way they evaluate applicants (and retakes).

I love the sense of community that DOs seem to have.

I think historically there was a bigger difference in MD/DO philosophies and "holistic" approach but now it just sounds like another marketing line (like the "cloud").

I'm skeptical of the efficacy of OMT (maybe not for lower back pain but chiropractors already have that covered).

I'm sad that the DO degree isn't recognized in my home country.

= Probably not a true believer

Originally Posted by SteinmetzMD

I was wondering if any DO's or students are pure Oseopathic believers, meaning you had no desire to go to an MD school or be an MD because you believe in the principles of Osteopathic medicine?

Or for those who accept Allopathic and Osteopathic principles, what made you want to become a DO over an MD?

I'm HalfListic

am I a true believer? DOs have to exist. They just have to. There is far too much "coincidental" evidence to suggest otherwise. Why would these pointless OMT billing codes exist, if the government wasnt trying to cover up the existence of DOs and left a loose thread hanging?

Originally Posted by NurWollen

This is pretty much me exactly. I like to say that I got accepted to my two top pick schools. I applied fairly broadly to DO schools across the country and got accepted to what had been my top two picks all along. That isn't to say that I wouldn't pick Harvard or some other elite school if given the opportunity, but for me, my family, and my life circumstances, and based on what I could realistically obtain, it worked out perfectly for me, in in my case, that was DO.

Woot woot! I think you just said what I was TRYING to say, but much more eloquently. Bravo!

Originally Posted by Lysilegluleu

I also thought the KCOM spouse support was pretty on point. Another huge plus.

Agreed. That was one of the biggest selling points for me that made me choose KCOM over my acceptances at NOVA, KCUMB (which was a TOUGH choice), and SOMA.

Originally Posted by GorillaPanic

You're married and also a baby?! Talk about non-trad!

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Oh there will probably be a couple more (guessing 3 total) by the end of med school and maybe another in residency. I think we'll call it at 4.

Originally Posted by austin4ski

16?! How is that at all possible..

I work for an md. For a while he would introduce me to a physician and immediately ask them if I could shadow. Some I shadowed once or twice, some I shadowed 20+ hours. It felt more like a work commitment since my boss always loved getting updates on the experience.

At first he was actually against me applying md, but some of the colleagues he liked the most were DO's and he didn't even know until I told him.

O_O Wow. I tell ya, one child is hands down enough for me at this point. I doubt I'd be able to handle more than my one force-of-nature child. To each.

I had a 3.9something and a low 30 mcat. I only applied to DO schools because the only doctor I knew before school was a DO. Looking back, I would have probably applied to some MD schools, but, in the end, I don't think it would have mattered that much. I got good interviews and I matched my second choice for anesthesia. I do, however, believe that a DO who knows medicine well and OMM well is a better family physcian than an MD or a DO that doesn't utilize OMM. Yes, I know there isn't much evidence for OMM, but you'll see some patients really benefit from it.

Originally Posted by TriagePreMed

I want to be a physician first and foremost. I do appreciate and like Osteopathic medicine for its focus on hollistic treatment, recruitment of non-trads and am curious about how efficacious OMM can be, but I know at the end of the day I would be an equally qualified physician with either degree; therefore, I'm choosing based on the best location for me.

These are my words straight out of my head! Totally agree.

Originally Posted by GorillaPanic

You're married and also a baby?! Talk about non-trad!

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Hey now, married +2 kids

Originally Posted by abolt18

Oh there will probably be a couple more (guessing 3 total) by the end of med school and maybe another in residency. I think we'll call it at 4.

Same here, but we're thinking more like 6.

Originally Posted by sterlingh87

These are my words straight out of my head! Totally agree.

Hey now, married +2 kids

Same here, but we're thinking more like 6.

Not sure I could do 6, coming from a family with 6 kids. Just thinking of having 6 stresses me out!

I applied DO only because I got my new MCAT score too late in the cycle (august) for Allopathic schools. My stats would have probably been competitive for my state MD schools if I had applied on June 1st. Three days after submitting my new MCAT score to AACOMAS I had 2 DO interviews in my e-mail and I hadn't submitted my AMCAS yet. I also really wanted to get out of my state and explore somewhere else so I figured I'd just go DO and see how it went, rather than probably spend significant money on AMCAS. I think it'll work out.

Originally Posted by schussboarder

As for the holistic thing...I still believe that is BS.....while DO schools may preach that whole "holistic approach" or "we treat the whole person" that is just stupid....Show me the name of one MD that only treats the disease and not the whole person and I'd be very surprised

You're right. There are DOs that only treat the disease and don't believe in the holistic at all.

MDs and DOs treat holistically, just because it is DO philosophy does not mean all DOs are strict holists and all MDs are strict reductionists.

It's a balance depending on what area you practice and other factors that don't depend on the 2 letters after your name.

“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease”

- William Osler, MD (1849-1919)

I think there's a slight bias to the reporting, because at least in my case, I had never even heard of DO until I started researching alternatives to MD

Originally Posted by Nymphicus

“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease”

- William Osler, DO (1849-1919)

Sorry I fixed that for you. There's NO WAY and MD would think of something like that.

Originally Posted by Nymphicus

“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease”

- William Osler, MD (1849-1919)

On a semi related note... never forget who this man is. We all owe all of modern medical education to him. Irony of all ironies: he is Canadian.

Actually, I finally went to a DO a few months ago for my checkup, and for the first time in my life, the doctor asked me things about my personal life such as eating habits, work-out routines, and job stressors. I had gone to MDs and PAs all my life and this was the first time my life choices was being examined at a checkup. I suppose there are differences between the two approach. Last time I went for a checkup, it was just the usual palpate, listen, anything in the past year that concerns you, and out the door.

I think there are practical uses for omm. I also think there are some techniques that are pretty bogus. Overall, I just wanted to be a doc, MD or DO so its working out so far.

Originally Posted by DrZed

Actually, I finally went to a DO a few months ago for my checkup, and for the first time in my life, the doctor asked me things about my personal life such as eating habits, work-out routines, and job stressors. I had gone to MDs and PAs all my life and this was the first time my life choices was being examined at a checkup. I suppose there are differences between the two approach. Last time I went for a checkup, it was just the usual palpate, listen, anything in the past year that concerns you, and out the door.

Not gonna lie, same thing happened to me. I've been to many MD's in my life and it was refreshing when I went to a DO and found that he actually got a good, full history/understanding of my life to determine my overall health. Ran bloodwork, and just did a lot more than any doc had ever done for me. I've now had 2 DO's as my family doc and they were both this way. It may be nothing and it may be something. So far it looks like we're up to n=3.

[/QUOTE]

sometimes this seems all to real...

Originally Posted by DocEspana

On a semi related note... never forget who this man is. We all owe all of modern medical education to him. Irony of all ironies: he is Canadian.

I thought we owed it to William Henry Welch

Every DO that I have spoken to ( in the ER and also those who own their own practice) have said they dont even remember most of the OMM they learned. Infact the DOs in the ER have told me numerous times that OMM is quite frankly too time consuming to even attempt in the ER.

And to the question of "pure DO believers"- I think that only applies to the people who chose an MD school over a DO school. Half the people on the DO thread have even admitted that if they gained an acceptance to an MD school they would switch over in a heartbeat.

n=4 I have a primary care DO and he is awesome and really takes the time to sit down and talk to you.

The question is though: is this type of approach a product of the DO education or are people who go DO just more inclined to sit down with patients and do a comprehensive review?

Originally Posted by austin4ski

n=4 I have a primary care DO and he is awesome and really takes the time to sit down and talk to you.

The question is though: is this type of approach a product of the DO education or are people who go DO just more inclined to sit down with patients and do a comprehensive review?

Probably the latter?

Originally Posted by abolt18

Probably the latter?

Agreed.

Originally Posted by felix2929

I thought we owed it to William Henry Welch

Wash your mouth out with soap for suggesting we honor a pathologist.

Originally Posted by DocEspana

Wash your mouth out with soap for suggesting we honor a pathologist.

ha i blame The Great Influenza. They fawn all over him in the book

Originally Posted by abolt18

Not gonna lie, same thing happened to me. I've been to many MD's in my life and it was refreshing when I went to a DO and found that he actually got a good, full history/understanding of my life to determine my overall health. Ran bloodwork, and just did a lot more than any doc had ever done for me. I've now had 2 DO's as my family doc and they were both this way. It may be nothing and it may be something. So far it looks like we're up to n=3.

Make it n=5 since both DOs I shadowed showed this type of commitment when I saw them. The MDs just asked what the problem was, wrote a prescription and out the door ASAP. Still, I'm not going to say all MD are this way. Sometimes it just depends on the person and what time commitments they have.

Originally Posted by austin4ski

n=4 I have a primary care DO and he is awesome and really takes the time to sit down and talk to you.

The question is though: is this type of approach a product of the DO education or are people who go DO just more inclined to sit down with patients and do a comprehensive review?

I could see maybe a weak interaction effect, but otherwise, amen to that question. My reasoning is that considering my personality plus my UG education, those have led me to believe in the importance of these more in depth/lifestyle factors, thus, I feel more inclined toward the prospect of including them in a checkup, but if DO schools train these principles tangibly, it might further increase my likelihood of going that route.

With all that said, I shadowed a peds doc (MD) who asked a very thorough battery of questions for her well-child checkups. I couldn't really think of much more, tbh. Is this common in peds our are there a good variety of MDs who dig deep in such a way?

Originally Posted by Lysilegluleu

I could see maybe a weak interaction effect, but otherwise, amen to that question. My reasoning is that considering my personality plus my UG education, those have led me to believe in the importance of these more in depth/lifestyle factors, thus, I feel more inclined toward the prospect of including them in a checkup, but if DO schools train these principles tangibly, it might further increase my likelihood of going that route.

With all that said, I shadowed a peds doc (MD) who asked a very thorough battery of questions for her well-child checkups. I couldn't really think of much more, tbh. Is this common in peds our are there a good variety of MDs who dig deep in such a way?

There are a standard set of questions you ask each age group. She may have just been asking the normal well-child check questions. Some docs ask lots of questions, some rely on tests, some are kind of in between.