Application Strategy for Pre-DO Interested in Psychiatry

[Osminog]

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[Ibn Sina MD]

It's not really that DOs like primary care, it's that they like preventative care.

Psychiatrists are all about preventative care, sell that. Shadow a DO psychiatrist, get a DO letter of rec (some schools require this). Psychiatry is very friendly to DOs btw. I would not recommend you lie, I recommend you remain honest that you want to do psychiatry and explain why.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Lol psych is considered PC in a lot of places. No one will bat an eye if your say you want to do psych.

 

[Osminog]

A big component of osteopathic medicine is OMM, obviously. How would I explain the relevance of OMM to my pursuits?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

A big component of osteopathic medicine is OMM, obviously. How would I explain the relevance of OMM to my pursuits?

95% of DOs do not use OMM in practice. There is no need to bring it up. It’s always safe to simply say, “at this point I’m trying to keep my options as open as possible.” when asked what fields you are interested in. Really, no one will care that you are interested in psych. Many DOs go into psych every year. However, now that I say that I want to caution you that you will come off negatively if you appear “psych or bust” simply because it shows close mindedness and immaturity.

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

Hey, I was just accepted as a DO interested in psychiatry. I felt in interviews it was fine to talk about that being a major interest particularly since there is a huge gap of physicians in the field. Most of the DO schools are really into public health ideas and talking about how mental health is a key determinant to physical wellness can also help

 

[Osminog]

Hey, I was just accepted as a DO interested in psychiatry. I felt in interviews it was fine to talk about that being a major interest particularly since there is a huge gap of physicians in the field. Most of the DO schools are really into public health ideas and talking about how mental health is a key determinant to physical wellness can also help

Did you mention psychiatry in your primary and secondary essays, too?

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

Primary-> There was no reason. It did not flow with the essay that I wrote, and it does not matter. Secondary-> Some of them, if it fit well with the narrative and the question then I would put it. Overall I didn't try to over emphasize it too much in the written portions of my application since schools expect that your choice of a specialty may change (such as many people's major with undergrad). If you have other questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[Akazi]

I have been accepted to DO. In my interview, half of my answers were related to psychiatry. Also psychiatry is considered primary care.

 

[Osminog]

I have been accepted to DO. In my interview, half of my answers were related to psychiatry. Also psychiatry is considered primary care.

Oh. I heard that only family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, and EM are primary care fields.

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

Oh. I heard that only family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, and EM are primary care fields.

It depends on who is defining primary care.

 

[Akazi]

Primary care or not, it doesn't matter. You can talk about being a surgeon as a DO. Just know about the mind, body and spirit connections.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Primary care or not, it doesn't matter. You can talk about being a surgeon as a DO. Just know about the mind, body and spirit connections.

Only if you want to be rejected. Don't just spout off what you can read in pamphlet, adcoms hate that.

 

[Akazi]

Only if you want to be rejected. Don't just spout off what you can read in pamphlet, adcoms hate that.

I have gotten accepted to 5 DO schools so far by saying how I want to focus on the mental aspect of health due to my personal experience. I told them I believe in the mind, body and spirit aspects of DO. Word for word.

 

[Osminog]

I have gotten accepted to 5 DO schools so far by saying how I want to focus on the mental aspect of health due to my personal experience. I told them I believe in the mind, body and spirit aspects of DO. Word for word.

5 acceptances, wow! Congratulations!!!

 

[okdna]

A big component of osteopathic medicine is OMM, obviously. How would I explain the relevance of OMM to my pursuits?

At an interview I had recently, an OMS 2 asked us to pick a speciality that we thought OMM had no role in. I picked psych. He discussed how touch can be used to empower victims of assault and abuse. Apparently, psychiatrists and psychologists are exploring the applications of OMM in treating trauma. I can also see how it might be relevant for stress management, anxiety reduction, etc. since those issues tend to take a toll on one's muscles.

 

[Osminog]

At an interview I had recently, an OMS 2 asked us to pick a speciality that we thought OMM had no role in. I picked psych. He discussed how touch can be used to empower victims of assault and abuse. Apparently, psychiatrists and psychologists are exploring the applications of OMM in treating trauma. I can also see how it might be relevant for stress management, anxiety reduction, etc. since those issues tend to take a toll on one's muscles.

I didn't know that. Very interesting! (I'd be curious to hear how they would've responded had someone replied "diagnostic radiology." )

 

[okdna]

I didn't know that. Very interesting! (I'd be curious to hear how they would've responded had someone replied "diagnostic radiology." )

Someone did! Well, radiology anyway. The response was that docs can use OMM to reduce swelling that would interfere with imaging.

 

[Osminog]

Someone did! Well, radiology anyway. The response was that docs can use OMM to reduce swelling that would interfere with imaging.

Ha, creative!

 

[Batmann123]

@Akazi Wow 5 acceptances is great!! What were your MCAT and stats? Any MD acceptances yet?

 

[amerepedestrian]

I have gotten 3 DO acceptances so far, 4 additional DO interviews (no post-II rejections yet) and two MD interviews. Even though I have wanted to become a psychiatrist for nearly my entire life, in applications I have emphasized my strong interest in the brain and behavioral health and remarked on how my experiences in related areas have influenced my passion for medicine in general. I am extremely passionate about lessening health disparities and applying holistic thinking to psychiatry, and I dream of creating an unconventional (talk therapy AND pharmacotherapy), probably not very lucrative but likely very rewarding psychiatric practice. But the truth is that none of us ultimately know what we will go into. We can only really describe our motivating forces, the things that presently fascinate us, and how we might like to practice one day. I will most likely go into psych, but neuro is infinitely fascinating, neuropsych is possibly even cooler, and emergency medicine is yet another path I am excited to explore. You might discover something you prefer to psych in med school. That’s part of the excitement. My advice ultimately is for you to be honest about your background, passions and dreams but also be genuinely open to alternate futures.

 

[Cath Up]

Given your current statements in this thread (Forbes Osteopathic Medicine Article) why are you planning to apply exclusively DO? Seems like you might prefer MD only.

Not saying that you should avoid DO only because you disagree with OMM, but from the way you express your opinions it seems like it is incredibly frustrating to you, and that in the context of an education system that is too large for you to change while a student, could be even more frustrating for you.

Edit: you gave a great reason in another thread, thanks.

 

[Meekor]

My gf is at a Top 50 university ACGME psych residency as a DO. Her advice would be to take step 1 and do well on the steps. Her prorgam had ~10spots and they matched in their top 10 and they interviewed around 80-100. That’s how competitive psych has gotten. The days of applying psych with just COMLEX are soon to be over, but then again n=1

 

[fourandtwo]

My gf is at a Top 50 university ACGME psych residency as a DO. Her advice would be to take step 1 and do well on the steps. Her prorgam had ~10spots and they matched in their top 10 and they interviewed around 80-100. That’s how competitive psych has gotten. The days of applying psych with just COMLEX are soon to be over, but then again n=1

Did she also do research in undergrad or in med school?

 

[Meekor]

Did she also do research in undergrad or in med school?

Like one or two things, nothing major though