Why Osteopathic and not allopathic?

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The question is in the title of this thread. Why did you choose osteopathic over allopathic? Did the different philosophy towards medicine interest you? I want some help distinguishing between these two different areas of medicine.

So, why did you choose osteo and what makes it so different from allo? That is my main question here. Also, did any of you apply to osteopathic schools as a back-up plan?

Thanks.

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I got a 25 on my MCAT.
I really do buy into the osteopathic philosophy.
I love the particular school I was accepted at and would chose it over an MD
 
I feel like these threads never end well. The reason is that typically osteopathic/caribbean applicants are not competitive for allopathic schools (which apparently nobody likes to admit). BUT there are cases when people choose osteopathic schools over allopathic when they know they want to do family practice or something along those lines and the DO school is in their preferable location (near home,etc) while the MD school is not.

Also:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/md-vs-do-threads.133066/
 
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I feel like these threads never end well. The reason is that typically osteopathic/caribbean applicants are not competitive for allopathic schools (which apparently nobody likes to admit). BUT there are cases when people choose osteopathic schools over allopathic when they know they want to do family practice or something along those lines and the DO school is in their preferable location (near home,etc) while the MD school is not.

Also:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/md-vs-do-threads.133066/


In many cases they are competitive enough but simply don't get in. 3.5/30 has a 50% of getting in for MD and probably 100% at DO. They're competitive but getting in is difficult and arbitrary.

But in the end most go DO because they want to be doctors and because they don't want Carib.
 
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I went DO for a couple reasons. One being that I live in IN and IU is the only other school other than MUCOM. I more than likely would have been competitive with my stats for IU but at the time (it still may be) IU was the largest med school in the country and had heard from friends who went there that they were treated like a number. I wasn't a fan of that idea so chose to go to go to Marian because I was familiar with the school and wanted to stay in state.

I think there's something to the DO philosophy but I don't know how much really translates to the real world. Maybe if you open an OMM clinic? I start in August so I'll know more then.
 
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I got a 25 on my MCAT.
I really do buy into the osteopathic philosophy.
I love the particular school I was accepted at and would chose it over an MD

Hijack post, but are you from North Dakota??? I live in SD! Hey, neighbor! And going to DMU in Iowa, we're neighbors again! One of my good friends is starting her 3rd year there.
 
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Hijack post, but are you from North Dakota??? I live in SD! Hey, neighbor! And going to DMU in Iowa, we're neighbors again! One of my good friends is starting her 3rd year there.

Yes!
That's awesome dude! There were quite a few girls I knew from SD (Aberdeen) that I went to college with.
 
The only doctors I knew before med school were all DOs.
 
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I got a 25 on my MCAT.
I really do buy into the osteopathic philosophy.
I love the particular school I was accepted at and would chose it over an MD
What is the osteopathic philosophy? There is none--there is just OMM/OMT... Come on TP! You know better than that...
 
What is the osteopathic philosophy? There is none--there is just OMM/OMT... Come on TP! You know better than that...

I think there is a paradigm and spin on the education as maybe awarded by OMM. But yah...
 
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There are many factors that went into my decision:

1. Equivalent license/rights as MD within the US.
2. Proximity of Osteopathic colleges. Near impossibility to stay in-state MD (CA).
3. Philosophy makes sense and speaks to my background in social sciences.
4. Price. Yes, school is expensive relative to some, but it is also cheaper relative to others.
5. I'm going to sound like a child, but there's something cool about being part of a historical "rebel" group of physicians :p
6. They gave me a chance when nobody else did.

I also don't like the hypercompetitive environment, but I don't know if it will be different at my COM.
 
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I had a 3.8/35. Decided on the DO school I chose because the crowd there is much more nontraditional than the average MD class, and I think I'd fit in better and be happier there. I never applied MD. Thusfar I'm pretty happy with my decision, but who knows what I'll think come match time. Also the location is awesome, I don't think there's an MD school within a thousand miles of here that has as beautiful of a campus as the school I'll be going to. Good people, good location, good school- what more could I ask for.
 
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It came down to my competitiveness -- of course I would have gone MD if I had been accepted to the closest and best school.

However, I also enjoyed my DO school "interview" more than those at MD schools I was able to interview at. My school allows me to be close to home, in a fantastic environment, around people I identify with, with the opportunity for a bright future in nearly any specialty I could want. What's not to like?! :) I would choose MSU-COM over Central/Western Michigan any day. However, I would have a tougher decision with MSU-COM and some of the east coast schools I was looking at. All in all, I feel lucky with my decision and know that there's no reason I can't accomplish the same things I would have at any MD school.
 
There are many factors that went into my decision:

1. Equivalent license/rights as MD within the US.
2. Proximity of Osteopathic colleges. Near impossibility to stay in-state MD (CA).
3. Philosophy makes sense and speaks to my background in social sciences.
4. Price. l is expensive relative to some, but it is also cheaper relative to others.
5. I'm going to sound like a child, but there's something cool about being part of a historical "rebel" group of physicians :p
6. They gave me a chance when nobody else did.

I also don't like the hypercompetitive environment, but I don't know if it will be different at my COM.
I had a 3.8/35. Decided on the DO school I chose because the crowd there is much more nontraditional than the average MD class, and I think I'd fit in better and be happier there. I never applied MD. Thusfar I'm pretty happy with my decision, but who knows what I'll think come match time. Also the location is awesome, I don't think there's an MD school within a thousand miles of here that has as beautiful of a campus as the school I'll be going to. Good people, good location, good school- what more could I ask for.

These 2 posts have summarized the majority reasons of why people go DO.

One of the biggest factors to a lot of people in both going to med school and picking a residency is location.

That said, its also restricted by opportunity. Like someone mentioned above, someone with a 3.5/30 has a 50/50 shot at MD school (which is crazy, because when I started undergrad that was roughly the average of MD matriculants), but probably closer to a 100% chance of getting into a DO school. A lot of people would rather just start med school than have to reapply just to get an MD instead of a DO.
 
Why Osteopathic? Answer: Goro

Seriously, I hadn't thought of this Osteo before. I find the philosophy very appealing.
 
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I had a 3.5/31 with good ECs so may have had a shot at MD. I applied only to 4 schools in Texas and matched to TCOM. The tuition is too cheap to pass up and the school has a great rep in the state. My main goal is to stay here so that's where I will be going. Really wasn't an MD/DO issue for me but more stay in Texas/leave Texas.
 
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Because with my stats, I knew I could get into multiple DO schools vs probably only getting into my local MD school (UB) because of connections. UB just wasn't enticing to me. I agree with the DO philosophy and a DO degree will get me where I want to be. So it was an easy decision for me.
 
Because of my MCAT (25). Unless you are more comfortable with the school or have location issues you should try to go MD. Much easier to match into what you want where you want. If I was an MD with my stats I would have likely had an easier time obtaining auditions, likely had 10+ more interviews. If you want any of the real competitive specialties MD is a no brainer even with possible merger. Now if you have low stats and don't want to do a masters or waste a year then DO is better than IMG schools but still MD just makes your life easier.
 
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The question is in the title of this thread. Why did you choose osteopathic over allopathic? Did the different philosophy towards medicine interest you? I want some help distinguishing between these two different areas of medicine.

So, why did you choose osteo and what makes it so different from allo? That is my main question here. Also, did any of you apply to osteopathic schools as a back-up plan?

Thanks.

It was not a matter of choice for me, I could not get into any Allopathic schools, I applied two years in a row and gave up. Then I tried DO schools, I got nearly a dozen invites to interviews.

Most people go to DO schools as an alternative to MD schools, very few people will choose a DO school over an MD. Some people say they prefer the "philosophy" which in my opinion is something that comes out of a bull's rear end.
 
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It was not a matter of choice for me, I could not get into any Allopathic schools, I applied two years in a row and gave up. Then I tried DO schools, I got nearly a dozen invites to interviews.

Most people go to DO schools as an alternative to MD schools, very few people will choose a DO school over an MD. Some people say they prefer the "philosophy" which in my opinion is something that comes out of a bull's rear end.
Is there a way to eloquently say this in an interview? Like what did you tell your interviewers if this question came up?
 
It was not a matter of choice for me, I could not get into any Allopathic schools, I applied two years in a row and gave up. Then I tried DO schools, I got nearly a dozen invites to interviews.

Most people go to DO schools as an alternative to MD schools, very few people will choose a DO school over an MD. Some people say they prefer the "philosophy" which in my opinion is something that comes out of a bull's rear end.
I genuinely believe people like the philosophy. Of course, philosophy is not reason enough for most people to pick it over MD, but at least you end up in a place that isn't a bad alternative.
 
I genuinely believe people like the philosophy. Of course, philosophy is not reason enough for most people to pick it over MD, but at least you end up in a place that isn't a bad alternative.


Just about no one at my school chose it because of the "Philosophy", a lot of them got no love with MD schools so just settled for DO. There are some DO schools that make a big deal out of OMM and some do not.

90 percent of the people I know went DO because they could not get into an MD school.
 
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Just about no one at my school chose it because of the "Philosophy", a lot of them got no love with MD schools so just settled for DO. There are some DO schools that make a big deal out of OMM and some do not.

90 percent of the people I know went DO because they could not get into an MD school.
Never argued against that. I'm just saying that the philosophy is still good even if you didn't choose the profession for that reason. You don't need to stay cynical. Make the best out of what you have.
 
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My reasons.
1. Started out buying into 'holistic philosophy' (I know now that's ridiculous and our education is no different from allopathic except OTM)
2. Wanted to learn OTM
3. DO is generally far more non-trad and family friendly.
4. Didn't have research to apply to my state school, didn't want to wait an extra year to do some.
5. Studied 9 days for MCAT to get a score competitive for DO but not for MD (28). Didn't want to delay application and study more for higher score.
6. Had a stupid first year of school (2.19 gpa). 3.6 every semester after that only brought me up to 3.3ish.
Some more less influential ones too.
 
Never argued against that. I'm just saying that the philosophy is still good even if you didn't choose the profession for that reason. You don't need to stay cynical. Make the best out of what you have.


I got a classmate of mine who runs tours of my school and he likes to explain to interviewees that my school is like Stanford and Harvard. LMAO to that.
 
There are many factors that went into my decision:

1. Equivalent license/rights as MD within the US.
2. Proximity of Osteopathic colleges. Near impossibility to stay in-state MD (CA).
3. Philosophy makes sense and speaks to my background in social sciences.
4. Price. Yes, school is expensive relative to some, but it is also cheaper relative to others.
5. I'm going to sound like a child, but there's something cool about being part of a historical "rebel" group of physicians :p
6. They gave me a chance when nobody else did.

I also don't like the hypercompetitive environment, but I don't know if it will be different at my COM.

My reasons are mostly the same except for number 2 (I wanted to get the heck out of CA). The school I'll be attending was my top choice overall (even over many MDs) because its ranked so high in primary care.
 
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My reasons.
1. Started out buying into 'holistic philosophy' (I know now that's ridiculous and our education is no different from allopathic except OTM)
2. Wanted to learn OTM
3. DO is generally far more non-trad and family friendly.
4. Didn't have research to apply to my state school, didn't want to wait an extra year to do some.
5. Studied 9 days for MCAT to get a score competitive for DO but not for MD (28). Didn't want to delay application and study more for higher score.
6. Had a stupid first year of school (2.19 gpa). 3.6 every semester after that only brought me up to 3.3ish.
Some more less influential ones too.

I would agree that DO schools tend to be far more open to non traditional and older students. Most MD schools, its seems extremely difficult to get accepted if you have been out of school for more than 5 years.
 
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I disagree. I took 2 cycles to get my application in order, travel, explore and basically see if medicine was right for me. In the end, I was accepted at 11 MD schools and during the interview trail I met several that were as old or older than I am. Judging by my facebook groups for the incoming classes, many have kids, career-switchers and general non-traditionals.

Maybe DOs are more "open" to different applications apart from cookie-cutter Type-A apps, but as far as age, I would argue that non-traditionals as far age are welcomed in the MD realm for maturity and their dedication to actually still commit to it at an older age.
 
I disagree. I took 2 cycles to get my application in order, travel, explore and basically see if medicine was right for me. In the end, I was accepted at 11 MD schools and during the interview trail I met several that were as old or older than I am. Judging by my facebook groups for the incoming classes, many have kids, career-switchers and general non-traditionals.

Maybe DOs are more "open" to different applications apart from cookie-cutter Type-A apps, but as far as age, I would argue that non-traditionals as far age are welcomed in the MD realm for maturity and their dedication to actually still commit to it at an older age.
I realize your comment was more in reference to what Seth Joo said, but I just wanted to say I don't think MD schools are necessarily UNfriendly toward non-trads, but that the DO schools (especially KCOM) are exceptionally good environments for it.

For example. My wife came with me to my interview day (she was invited by the school) with our 6 week old daughter. She had a wonderful experience. KCOM has a "mother's room" that has couches and a nice environment specifically so mom's visiting on campus (or mom students) can go nurse or pump. Only the moms have keys to the room. There is a club made up entirely of med student spouses and SO's called the SAA (student advocate association) aka the wive's club. They are very active and have all kinds of things like exercise group 5 days a week (w/ free babysitting), book club, date nights (with free babysitting), craft club, and others. The school has gone out of their way to help me and several of my classmates as our wives have had babies right before an exam. These are just a few examples, but in summary, it was my experience that DO schools were exceptionally family-friendly.
 
Wow, that sounds great. I'm glad you felt comfortable with your decision and how easily your DO program eased the transition with your family. I know very little of DO programs as I did not apply to any. I hear decent things from the one in my state, and know several of my undergrad friends that are in DO schools.

For me, DO schools were always going to be more expensive than my MD choices (factoring in location) so it was an easy decision. Admittedly, my parents didn't even consider DO as an option as they are older baby-boomer physicians that have had bad experiences with DOs in practice. I guess that kind of rubbed off a little on me.
 
Wow, that sounds great. I'm glad you felt comfortable with your decision and how easily your DO program eased the transition with your family. I know very little of DO programs as I did not apply to any. I hear decent things from the one in my state, and know several of my undergrad friends that are in DO schools.

For me, DO schools were always going to be more expensive than my MD choices (factoring in location) so it was an easy decision. Admittedly, my parents didn't even consider DO as an option as they are older baby-boomer physicians that have had bad experiences with DOs in practice. I guess that kind of rubbed off a little on me.
Hey no worries, it happens. You will see soon enough that the only real difference is the letters. Hopefully one day or faculty will too. The only med school in my home state was basically not an option (too few seats, and require research that I didn't want to take the time for). I actually had many friends who are far more qualified than me all apply there (university of Utah) and I don't know a single one in the past 3 years to have been accepted. Besides their tuition is 10k less than here and that definitely wasn't worth the wait to build my app.
 
I had a 3.8/31 and could have gone MD. But the state schools here in Ohio are pretty expensive actually(cost) and I have no interest in staying here( location was big for me) and even though I was a traditional student, having a wife and two kids made it seem like the more family friendly DO was a better fit. PBL also let's me spend more time at home ( even if I will be stidying) with my family. Finally, the DOs I shadowed were more friendly and helpful than the MDs I shadowed. Probably a coincidence but it still kind of stuck with me.
 
Finally, the DOs I shadowed were more friendly and helpful than the MDs I shadowed. Probably a coincidence but it still kind of stuck with me.

alot of people say it that the ratio of friendlier DOs over MDs are higher through personal experiences. i wonder if its because most DOs are non traditional and more in tune with society through life experiences prior to applying.
 
I had a 3.5/31 with good ECs so may have had a shot at MD. I applied only to 4 schools in Texas and matched to TCOM. The tuition is too cheap to pass up and the school has a great rep in the state. My main goal is to stay here so that's where I will be going. Really wasn't an MD/DO issue for me but more stay in Texas/leave Texas.


Heyyy I'm a TCOM'er too. what class are you in?
 
3.4/32, but i have a 5 in verbal, and I know even if i have to take MCAT another 20 more times, I will never get close to or above 10 cuz english is not my first language, DO school gave me a chance, they look at me holistically rather than just #'s, and now i have reached my goal = anesthesia resident, I am proud to be a DO
 
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I got a classmate of mine who runs tours of my school and he likes to explain to interviewees that my school is like Stanford and Harvard. LMAO to that.
In what way is it like them, according to him?
 
In what way is it like them, according to him?

In what way? He just making statements to give the students a positive impression of the school. There are many people, including a good number of MDs, who hold biases against DOs.
 
In what way? He just making statements to give the students a positive impression of the school. There are many people, including a good number of MDs, who hold biases against DOs.

That's just ridiculous. I like my school and specifically my program and all, but I'm not going to go around pretending like it's JHU or something. It's not, and no one I know, even the ones who give tours to interviewees, make claims evenly remotely close to implying that.
 
The harder question to answer is: Why allopathic and not osteopathic?

That's a very, very hard question to answer when you apply to MD schools. "Well, I don't really believe in the holistic philosophy...." haha!
 
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That's just ridiculous. I like my school and specifically my program and all, but I'm not going to go around pretending like it's JHU or something. It's not, and no one I know, even the ones who give tours to interviewees, make claims evenly remotely close to implying that.

There are a lot of people with this mind set, its kind of like people who modify Honda Civics with spoilers pretending that they are expensive sports cars. People particularly the medical student crowd look into prestige and status a lot.
 
I would agree that DO schools tend to be far more open to non traditional and older students. Most MD schools, its seems extremely difficult to get accepted if you have been out of school for more than 5 years.

I disagree with this. I'm a nontrad who got some love from MD schools even with a ****+late application.

MD is more a numbers game than anything else. If you have that GPA + MCAT + ECs, few schools will care about your age.
 
For me when I am getting the list of schools that I would like to apply to together location is by far the biggest factor where I will be applying to; I'm not really all that worried about the letters that I hang behind my name.
 
i'm going DO over MD because the MD schools i applied to suck, which i didn't know about when i applied. the DO school i'll be attending this august had much nicer facilities, better curriculum, better faculty, and a much better environment to be in. actually one of the MD schools went on probation because their facilities and curriculum are so outdated and the other MD school's facilities were so outdated that i felt like i was back in the 80's. i actually felt bad for the medical students who were attending those MD schools, it was a terrible experience. so i chose a phenomenal DO school over them. i could reapply more broadly next cycle for MD and get into other MD programs but i'm accepted to a phenomenal DO program and i can guarantee i won't get a better education at any other MD program. i'm very happy with my decision of going DO over MD
 
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I got a classmate of mine who runs tours of my school and he likes to explain to interviewees that my school is like Stanford and Harvard. LMAO to that.
That is just sad.
 
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