Accepted to DO, but waitlisted at MD schools

[shreebee]

Has anyone put a deposit on a DO school, but is waitlisted at MD schools and waiting to see what happens????

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[pafbdoc]

Nope, i actually withdrew my MD apps when I got into D.O. school. I suppose you're looking at your future as of today as a backup plan?

 

[PublicHealth]

Second what Slickness says! You want to be a doc, right?

 

[shreebee]

Well...I am in the Special Masters Program at Georgetown right now where you take 6 medical school courses with the first years. And, I'm on 6 waitlists at allopathic schools. My first choice is RWJ. I did like the osteopathic school I was accepted to (PCOM), but I'm a little torn because I think that if I received so many waitlists this year, I would have a greater chance of being accepted next year. I just wanted to see if anyone else was in a similar position.

 

[oceandocDO]

Decide if you want to be a D.O. If not, find something to do for a year. We know you want to be a doctor, but do you want to be a D-O.? Do you like the philosophy? Would you be interested in learning something extra? What are your career goals? Primary care, specialty, etc? There's plenty of stuff to do in DC for a year to kill time, but it's also another year before you reach your goal, but exactly what goal is that, do be a doctor, or be an MD?

Because of the fact that you're torn, you obviously have doubts, so figure it out quick, for this will affect the rest of your professional life. Make a decision and dont look back. Whatever you choose will be the best decision... you'll see, someday.

 

[Rev. Horace]

Originally posted by shreebee
I did like the osteopathic school I was accepted to (PCOM), but I'm a little torn because I think that if I received so many waitlists this year, I would have a greater chance of being accepted next year.

But you got accepted somewhere this year.

Do you really want to be a DO, or are you after an MD?

Is there some aspect of you that you can improve over the next year that makes you think you can get off of the waitlists? (app a little late in the cycle, some other huge EC still in the works)

My advice to you is take the money and run, of course that's just me, but I also wouldn't go somewhere I thought I would be unhappy. Ask your self the above questions, if you haven't already, and see what you come up with (there's probably a few more, but this is what I got off of the top of my head).

Also, and I don't know how true this is, I've heard something about med schools knowing where you've turned down acceptances when you reapply. If that's true then you will have some explaining to do regarding that fact, but it very well might be some pre-med urban legend.

 

[SexyEgptnDr]

You seem to be leaning more towards MD. If that's what you want, then go for it. Don't settle for something you don't want- especially because there is a huge price tag on it.

The worst thing you can do is to be unhappy AND broke!

Good luck with your decision.

SexyEgptnDr

 

[Plinko]

If you have any reservations whatsoever about being a DO then I would suggest doing everyting in your power, including taking a year off to re-apply, to obtain admission into an allopathic program. Medical school is hard enough without having doubts about the goals you set for yourself. I think if you go to PCOM and find that you do not feel you are one hundred percent sure you are where you are supposed to be, and you have doubts about the end result you have selected for your career ambitions, then you will have a much more difficult time in medical school than your fellow classmates who are at a DO school because they truly want to be. In my class, there are a couple of guys I know of that wanted to go MD but only got into a DO school. They eventually came around and are now doing fine, but their lack of belief in the DO profession really showed in their performance when they first started school.

 

[ramsestiger]

Honestly, I was not gung-ho about a DO originally. I talked with a few physicians to allay my traditional pre-med fears. I even thought about getting an MD from the islands. However, my detective work all pointed to one simple idea: clinically, there's no significant difference between an MD or a D.O. Since intelligent people are sensitive, caring, and congenial, it is not even an issue in the "real world."

Pre-meds often don't have a lot of professional experience, they don't have too much knowledge about the health care delivery experience, and they certainly don't have a true gauge of opinions from patients. What they (many, not all!) do have are feelings of insecurity, a contentious attitude that is typical of all youths, and a lot of myths/urban legends. Again, not slamming ALL pre-meds, just stating that they're generally less knowledgeable about medicine than real physicians.

Here are some things that should be clear to you before you make your decision:

1. In every specialty, DOs have full practicing rights completely equivalent to MDs. There are DOs in every specialty.
2. One can secure a competitive allopathic residency from an osteopathic school (I mean names like Harvard, Hopkins, Stanford, etc.). If you're motivated, there are no real limitations, despite what you might hear from an uninformed yet well-meaning soul who doesn't know much about osteopathy.
3. No decent human being is ever going to disparage your educational background... an overwhelmingly large percentage of MDs, DOs, and health care workers consists of decent human beings. There are always special people in every profession. Just remember this, no one can make you feel inferior without your permission.
4. DOs or overseas MDs do not get less pay for the same workload. For instance, a Harvard MD in a optho residency at Drexel won't get paid more than a X DO or a Carib MD. DO does not stifle your professional future as a physician in any way - the chiefs of radiology and orthopedic surgery at Pitt (a very competitive medical institution and two very competitive medical fields) are DOs.
5. You could apply to both allopathic and osteopathic residency slots, which gives you a slightly better shot at ultra-competitive fields in surgery or whatever you desire. Also, you are virtually guaranteed a residency as long as you meet the bare minimum standards.
6. You will learn an additional modality for treatment in OMM. No matter what it is, you don't have to use it if you don't like it. Most DOs do like it, though.
7. Business schools always try to warn you not to fall into the trap of the sure thing. Make a decision based on what is best for you. Make a decision based on what will help you fulfill your personal goals and ambitions. Don't make decisions in haste. Gather info by contacting reliable sources like practicing physicians, define how much you personally value the letters "MD," ask yourself if you would be happy at a DO school, consider the financial implications of an extra year as a non-physician, and write down that you'll be proud of whatever you do in life. Don't just pick PCOM because it's a sure thing, pick it because it offers you what you want out of your life.
8. Winners don't try to win the race, they just love to run.

Originally posted by Rev. Horace
Also, and I don't know how true this is, I've heard something about med schools knowing where you've turned down acceptances when you reapply. If that's true then you will have some explaining to do regarding that fact, but it very well might be some pre-med urban legend.

A lot of the medical schools ask you on your secondaries about your past admissions into medical institutions, foreign or domestic... most of us forget about that question (kind of like the felony question) since it's not a big issue for us.

 

[Joe Joe on da Radio]

Originally posted by shreebee
Well...I am in the Special Masters Program at Georgetown right now where you take 6 medical school courses with the first years. And, I'm on 6 waitlists at allopathic schools. My first choice is RWJ. I did like the osteopathic school I was accepted to (PCOM), but I'm a little torn because I think that if I received so many waitlists this year, I would have a greater chance of being accepted next year. I just wanted to see if anyone else was in a similar position.

with 6 waitlists, you'll probably get in somewhere. start writing those letters of interests and/or intents. it clearly shows that you are competitive for admission to allopathic schools. on the other hand, 6 waitlists leads me to wonder if something is going on at your interviews that is not allowing you to seal the deal.

 

[Nater44]

I completely agree with Slickness. Why apply to a DO school if you have reservations? I want to be an osteopathic physician and to be completely honest only want to go to school with others who feel the same way. There's probably someone on PCOM's waitlist that really wants to practice osteopathic medicine and doesn't have the same doubts you do. Give them what they want and go for what you really want. A year off is probably a good thing. Time off will give you something to talk about in your next interview and research the field a little closer.

 

[shreebee]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your responses. I didn't mean to start a DO vs MD thread. I actually know a lot about the DO profession because my sister and brother-in-law are both DOs and went to UMDNJ-SOM. Mys sis helped me by giving me her old books and advice and such for the med classes that I had at Georgetown. I just wanted to see if anyone else on this thread was in the same position as me and how they planned on handling the situation.