Advice picking between two schools...

[throwaway257575]

I dual applied MD/DO this past cycle and have recently matriculated at a well-respected osteopathic program. Within the last week, I also received an acceptance off of the WL at a middle tier allopathic program within my state.

I am very torn at which direction I should go. I've put together a pros/cons list and have been trying to get advice from everyone I know.

Tuition would come to be about the same, with the allopathic school having the edge. However I feel extremely comfortable where I'm at currently, and have already settled down and made great friends, etc...

I guess my biggest qualm is how will the merger in 2020 effect residency positions for DO's if at all..? And will I actually be closing doors to my career if I continue on here? I also am fairly sure I do not want to do primary care, but really have no idea what I'd like to specialize in at this point. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated

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[sharpstickie]

Pick the MD school no doubt. 100%.

 

[Burning River]

You'll make great friends at the MD school for sure and you'll more than likely end up thanking yourself at the end of the day for making that decision as well.


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[777137]

@Goro @gyngyn any words of wisdom?

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

MD and don't look back. I had the choice of a lower tier allopathic vs one of the top DO schools and took the former in a heartbeat.

 

[sharpstickie]

@Goro @gyngyn any words of wisdom?

They're going to say the exact same thing.

 

[777137]

They're going to say the exact same thing.

I was just curious.

 

[Goro]

The MD school will give you more career opportunities.

I dual applied MD/DO this past cycle and have recently matriculated at a well-respected osteopathic program. Within the last week, I also received an acceptance off of the WL at a middle tier allopathic program within my state.

I am very torn at which direction I should go. I've put together a pros/cons list and have been trying to get advice from everyone I know.

Tuition would come to be about the same, with the allopathic school having the edge. However I feel extremely comfortable where I'm at currently, and have already settled down and made great friends, etc...

I guess my biggest qualm is how will the merger in 2020 effect residency positions for DO's if at all..? And will I actually be closing doors to my career if I continue on here? I also am fairly sure I do not want to do primary care, but really have no idea what I'd like to specialize in at this point. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated

 

[throwaway257575]

Are there specific career opportunities that will not be available to me by continuing where I'm at? Or do you just mean in general?

The MD school will give you more career opportunities.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I was just curious.

Don't use the bat signal for unimportant things, especially for something discussed ad nauseum

Are there specific career opportunities that will not be available to me by continuing where I'm at? Or do you just mean in general?

The MD school will give you more career opportunities. Better mentorship, research opps, better chance at certain specialties, and better chance at better residency programs regardless of specialty. Go and don't look back, you can thank us in 4 years when you go through the match. You have no idea what you want to do, so why handcuff yourself when you don't need to?

 

[Ioannes Paulus]

I mean, personally, if I had to choose between UKansas or UNC and PCOM, I don't know, it would be a tough choice personally. But you're saying this is a school in your home state, sounds easy to me.

 

[caffeinemia]

The MD school will give you more career opportunities.

I like your honesty. More residency spots and more options for MD. Residency merge may affect things, but I don't see it being a major impediment on the MD side.

An aside, I've noticed no difference in quality of physician among the many mds and dos i've worked with during residency. Ultimately, you learn the same stuff, but it comes down to prejudice and prestige. I hate medicine for that.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

An aside, I've noticed no difference in quality of physician among the many mds and dos i've worked with during residency. Ultimately, you learn the same stuff, but it comes down to prejudice and prestige. I hate medicine for that.

Very true. In practice it is almost impossible to know what degree someone has my the way they go about their work. Being a good doctor is a individual thing completely. The DO anesthesiologist I work with could put me out any day of the week with full confidence, the anesthesiologist from Yale I wouldn't let give me laughing gas at the dentist.

I wonder if the prejudice and prestige whoring in medicine will ever disappear. It isn't even just DO/MD, you see it all the time with top ranked medical schools and state medical school or "lower ranked" schools.

But with the way things are currently OP there are more opportunities with the MD than if you go DO. Are most things possible as a DO? Absolutely, but having the MD creates less headaches down the road

 

[Mansamusa]

I mean, personally, if I had to choose between UKansas or UNC and PCOM, I don't know, it would be a tough choice personally. But you're saying this is a school in your home state, sounds easy to me.

UNC as in the really good, basically top tier MD, medical school UNC? Wouldn't even be a question for me personally

 

[Goro]

For whatever it's worth, I've seen a remarkable turnaround in attitude towards the DO path on the pre-Allo board, which I think says something.

I've seen more and more of my own students matching into ACGME programs as the first DO students those programs have ever accepted.

I see more of my students turning down MD schools for mine.

I like to say that most of the anti-DO prejudice you see is from elderly PDs, ignorant pre-meds, and the occasional dumb-ass resident.

The wariness among PDs about DO students being poorly trained is valid because too many schools have a preceptor-based clinical curriculum, not a wards-based one, and this hurts the profession. This won't go away until the AOA gives up its mindless "more DOs good!" attitude, and places more emphasis on clinical training.

Elitism will never go away. Look at some of the attitudes expressed in these forums that Primary Care is like one of the seven circles of Hell.

I wonder if the prejudice and prestige whoring in medicine will ever disappear. It isn't even just DO/MD, you see it all the time with top ranked medical schools and state medical school or "lower ranked" schools.

But with the way things are currently OP there are more opportunities with the MD than if you go DO. Are most things possible as a DO? Absolutely, but having the MD creates less headaches down the road

 

[777137]

For whatever it's worth, I've seen a remarkable turnaround in attitude towards the DO path on the pre-Allo board, which I think says something.

I've seen more and more of my own students matching into ACGME programs as the first DO students those programs have ever accepted.

I see more of my students turning down MD schools for mine.

I like to say that most of the anti-DO prejudice you see is from elderly PDs, ignorant pre-meds, and the occasional dumb-ass resident.

The wariness among PDs about DO students being poorly trained is valid because too many schools have a preceptor-based clinical curriculum, not a wards-based one, and this hurts the profession. This won't go away until the AOA gives up its mindless "more DOs good!" attitude, and places more emphasis on clinical training.

Elitism will never go away. Look at some of the attitudes expressed in these forums that Primary Care is like one of the seven circles of Hell.

What's your opinion one the merger?

 

[Goro]

1) we won't see all the effects until after I become Professor Emeritus
2) it will work both ways for MD and DO grads
3) it will hurt the Carib diploma mill grads the most
4) if it leads to most DOs -> Primary Care and most MDs -> specialties, then that's part of the evolutionary process of American medical education.
5) There's one more thing that my Clinical Education dean told me the other day about this, but I've forgotten!

What's your opinion one the merger?

 

[caffeinemia]

For whatever it's worth, I've seen a remarkable turnaround in attitude towards the DO path on the pre-Allo board, which I think says something.

I've seen more and more of my own students matching into ACGME programs as the first DO students those programs have ever accepted.

I see more of my students turning down MD schools for mine.

I like to say that most of the anti-DO prejudice you see is from elderly PDs, ignorant pre-meds, and the occasional dumb-ass resident.

The wariness among PDs about DO students being poorly trained is valid because too many schools have a preceptor-based clinical curriculum, not a wards-based one, and this hurts the profession. This won't go away until the AOA gives up its mindless "more DOs good!" attitude, and places more emphasis on clinical training.

Elitism will never go away. Look at some of the attitudes expressed in these forums that Primary Care is like one of the seven circles of Hell.

The moment they do with the more DOs good attitude, the DO spots get more competitive, and it will start resembling MD more, and students who may have had weak MCATs or whatever will stop getting the chance that helps so many of htem become successful doctors...

 

[Goro]

Time will tell!

The moment they do with the more DOs good attitude, the DO spots get more competitive, and it will start resembling MD more, and students who may have had weak MCATs or whatever will stop getting the chance that helps so many of htem become successful doctors...

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to SSD