I talked to this one freshman pre-med, and she said she wanted to be an anesthesiologist as well. I asked her if she was going to be applying to MD and DO schools when she finished undergrad, and she said.
[Her]What?
[Her]Uhhhhh.....What's a DO?
[Her]That's not an anesthesiologist!
[Her]An anesthesiologist has an MD!
[Me]I replied, they're the same thing; very similar to the way that some dentist have a DDS and some have a DMD. Maybe you should actually research the field of medicine before you decide to go into it.
[Her]Noooo. I want the MD.
[Me]So you want it so you can have "prestige", or do you want it so you can provide a much needed service to the public? I say this because a DO and an MD can do exactly the same thing and are seen as equals when it comes to medical rights and licensure. If you want to be a doctor for the right reasons, it shouldnt matter what initials you have behind your last name.
[Her] I don't know
THE DEBATE ENDED THERE
It's not like it matters though. The girl just failed a microbiology test and was forced to drop the class, and from what I understand, she's failing chemistry. It's funny how so many premeds want to be an MD because it sounds cool. However, I find that many freshmen fail to realize what it actually takes to get into medical school. It's easy to say, Ill rock the MCAT. I'll ace Organic Chemistry I and II. Physics, HA...NO problem for me! However, when the time comes when that person actually has to face those accusations he or she has made, it's a whole other story. Point being, don't worry about it. Some people's opinions aren't worth squat. Sometimes I get the feeling that uniformed people (by that I mean the people that think negatively of DOs) suddenly think that just because they believe a MD is above a DO, that they suddenly think that they are as well. I'm not saying that I believe life is a hierarchy of status. However, many people do feel that way, and the best thing you can do to retaliate is to be informed to the point that you will have no problem clarifying any confusion or ignorance the person you are educating has. If you base your argument on facts, and the other person bases their's only on an opinion, then you will never have to worry about someone making you feel as though your career path is less than your MD counterparts, because the facts say they they are pretty much the same except for OMM, which is rarely even used by any DO.