Applying to DO schools without DO experience

[lazybutt26]

Hi,

I am sure there’s plenty of posts regarding this but I was wondering if anyone can help me with this.
I have 503 MCAT, 3.86 cGPA and 3.79 sGPA. 3 letters of rec from professors and one strong MD letter from a family physician as I would love to become a primary care physician as well. I have 3 years of clinical experience and currently work at one of the best hospitals in the nation(oncologist unit). However, I do not have the DO shadowing experience. The nearby DO school, however, does not require a DO letter although they strongly recommend it. I have a couple of friends who went there and they all got in without a D.O letter as well, but I am just worried if not having that experience will hurt my chances.

So I actually reached out to the school and asked them if they know a DO who will let me shadow. The lady I talked to said I can shadow current D.O students and they will allow me to see how they will interact with patients, do manipulations and stuff. But since the semester is coming to an end, they don’t have the students back until August and by the time I contact them for the shadowing, they will have my applications!!!! Because I will be applying this May!

Any advice? I’ve been contacting all the DO around the area for the past few weeks and no luck. They all work at large hospitals and they said unfortunately not due to hospital policies

Thanks!

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[Magus5454]

You should be ok, however, please don't apply to only one school. If you can get a DO letter, great. if not, apply to the schools who will take a MD letter.

 

[DameJulie]

I strongly recommend getting some experiences with a current DO physician. E.g. shadowing, working for, research with a DO. Hopefully, you will get a DO letter by the time you apply.

On the other hand, people get into DO programs w/o DO letters. But if you have one, it should facilitate the process and it favors your side whenever asked "why DO"

 

[Osteosaur]

why chance it? keep looking. try places where you volunteer, perhaps? Some schools have OMM clinics and such as well you might want to ask if such a thing exists. also maybe look up faculty at the school? an academic physician may be working in an environment where they are more used to a billion students wandering about.

 

[Goro]

Hi,

I am sure there’s plenty of posts regarding this but I was wondering if anyone can help me with this.
I have 503 MCAT, 3.86 cGPA and 3.79 sGPA. 3 letters of rec from professors and one strong MD letter from a family physician as I would love to become a primary care physician as well. I have 3 years of clinical experience and currently work at one of the best hospitals in the nation(oncologist unit). However, I do not have the DO shadowing experience. The nearby DO school, however, does not require a DO letter although they strongly recommend it. I have a couple of friends who went there and they all got in without a D.O letter as well, but I am just worried if not having that experience will hurt my chances.

So I actually reached out to the school and asked them if they know a DO who will let me shadow. The lady I talked to said I can shadow current D.O students and they will allow me to see how they will interact with patients, do manipulations and stuff. But since the semester is coming to an end, they don’t have the students back until August and by the time I contact them for the shadowing, they will have my applications!!!! Because I will be applying this May!

Any advice? I’ve been contacting all the DO around the area for the past few weeks and no luck. They all work at large hospitals and they said unfortunately not due to hospital policies

Thanks!

You'll be OK

 

[lazybutt26]

I strongly recommend getting some experiences with a current DO physician. E.g. shadowing, working for, research with a DO. Hopefully, you will get a DO letter by the time you apply.

On the other hand, people get into DO programs w/o DO letters. But if you have one, it should facilitate the process and it favors your side whenever asked "why DO"

Thanks for your reply. I agree. Since I work in a large hospital, there are two DOs that I can email and see if they would be willing to let me shadow, but I am not sure if they would write the letter ... can I just put the DO shadowing experience on the application tho? What do you think? It’s almost May and I am not sure if I will have a DO to shadow in time and long enough to shadow so he or she can write me a letter. Thanks!

 

[DameJulie]

Thanks for your reply. I agree. Since I work in a large hospital, there are two DOs that I can email and see if they would be willing to let me shadow, but I am not sure if they would write the letter ... can I just put the DO shadowing experience on the application tho? What do you think? It’s almost May and I am not sure if I will have a DO to shadow in time and long enough to shadow so he or she can write me a letter. Thanks!

Yes you can; make sure one of the DOs are willing to serve as your contact on the application

 

[lazybutt26]

Perfect. Thank you so much for your help. That would be much easier. Thanks a lot !

 

[hellosnd]

I’d wait til August to get your experience then submit your applicant afterwards, if you still feel DO is the way for you. The DO cycle runs longer than the MD cycle and you should be fine submitting around then as long as it’s before thanksgiving. I got my DO experience (shadowed a student) around August and didn’t submit til thanksgiving and it still worked out.

 

[lazybutt26]

Did you put the DO student shadowing experience on the application? Because you probably still didn’t have the letter right? I got in contact with an MD who is friends with a DO nearby and I am gonna be able to get some shadowing experience with her. How many hours of shadowing do you think I should have? Thanks!

 

[lazybutt26]

I’d wait til August to get your experience then submit your applicant afterwards, if you still feel DO is the way for you. The DO cycle runs longer than the MD cycle and you should be fine submitting around then as long as it’s before thanksgiving. I got my DO experience (shadowed a student) around August and didn’t submit til thanksgiving and it still worked out.

The only thing is, I currently work full time and it seems almost impossible to shadow a D.O over the weekends. I can take a day off and shadow a D.O for a day but that’s only 8 hours. I worked as a medical scribe for 3 years and have worked with ENT, pediatrician, ER physician, PCP, pulmonologist, endocrinologist and now oncologists(shadowed surgical, medical and radiation oncs while I work at current hospital-they let me do so), so I definitely have enough exposure to medicine, I just need the DO experience!

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I certainly would like to see a DO letter for a DO school. My question would be why not shadow a DO earlier?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Did you put the DO student shadowing experience on the application? Because you probably still didn’t have the letter right? I got in contact with an MD who is friends with a DO nearby and I am gonna be able to get some shadowing experience with her. How many hours of shadowing do you think I should have? Thanks!

When I applied in 2017, I only shadowed one D.O. for two days (about 8 hours total) at the very last minute close to the end of September before submitting my app, and she ended up submitting a letter for me (which probably was very generic). It still worked out since I ended up with 12+ interview invites (only attended 4) and 2 acceptances. All admins want to see is that you have an idea of what Osteopathic Medicine is about, and that you know what you're getting yourself into.

 

[lazybutt26]

I certainly would like to see a DO letter for a DO school. My question would be why not shadow a DO earlier?

Since I work full time, I had it put away 5-6 months to study for the MCAT. I didn’t take it until end of March. After my MCAT, I reached out to DOs in the city and since they are all part of big hospitals, they said impossible since they only allow their own medical students to shadow

 

[lazybutt26]

When I applied in 2017, I only shadowed one D.O. for two days (about 8 hours total) at the very last minute close to the end of September before submitting my app, and she ended up submitting a letter for me (which probably was very generic). It still worked out since I ended up with 12+ interview invites (only attended 4) and 2 acceptances. All admins want to see is that you have an idea of what a Osteopathic Medicine is about, and that you know what you're getting yourself into.

Very helpful! That’s my plan too. One of the physicians I closely worked with reached to her colleague who is a DO at her hospital so I might have a good chance at shadowing her, but unfortunately it would have to be close to 8 hours. How did you ask her for the letter at the end after only shadowing for like 8 hours? I am already so scared to ask...but I guess if you don’t try, you will never know

 

[Magus5454]

Very helpful! That’s my plan too. One of the physicians I closely worked with reached to her colleague who is a DO at her hospital so I might have a good chance at shadowing her, but unfortunately it would have to be close to 8 hours. How did you ask her for the letter at the end after only shadowing for like 8 hours? I am already so scared to ask...but I guess if you don’t try, you will never know

The DO I asked to write my letter did it this way, we talked, then he had me shadow him a day in his clinic and he wrote my letter after that

 

[lazybutt26]

That's great!! he offered to write the letter? That's amazing. That would be my dreammmm. I just heard back from the D.O office manager to find out how much I am planning to shadow, so I am gonna tell her just a day (8 hours) and then go from there. I am wondering if I have to muster the courage to ask for the letter!!! LOL that would be so weird. "Hi, nice to meet you" Spends 8 hours "can you please write me a letter for me..?" Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[BobbyKoch]

The DO I asked to write my letter did it this way, we talked, then he had me shadow him a day in his clinic and he wrote my letter after that

Same, except I shadowed two days spaced about a month apart. They know the deal with the letters and he even said he would write it after the first day, I just wanted the hours.

My question for you is with all your experience and your killer gpa, why not take another go at the MCAT and shoot for MD?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Very helpful! That’s my plan too. One of the physicians I closely worked with reached to her colleague who is a DO at her hospital so I might have a good chance at shadowing her, but unfortunately it would have to be close to 8 hours. How did you ask her for the letter at the end after only shadowing for like 8 hours? I am already so scared to ask...but I guess if you don’t try, you will never know

I just kindly asked and she accepted. Most physicians already know that you might need a letter from them before you even started shadowing them. If they weren't willing to help you out, they wouldn't have allowed you to shadow. They've all been there before and they know how the process of getting into Med school is.

 

[lazybutt26]

Same, except I shadowed two days spaced about a month apart. They know the deal with the letters and he even said he would write it after the first day, I just wanted the hours.

My question for you is with all your experience and your killer gpa, why not take another go at the MCAT and shoot for MD?

Wow that’s amazing. I guess I will just have to try and ask. You never know!
Thank you. But did you see my MCAT? LOL and that was my retake. I am so done with that test, for the life of me, I can’t seem to crack that exam. English is not my first language so I tanked CARS

 

[lazybutt26]

I just kindly asked and she accepted. Most physicians already know that you might need a letter from them before you even started shadowing them. If they weren't willing to help you out, they wouldn't have allowed you to shadow. They've all been there before and they know how the process of getting into Med school is.

So true. Your post gave me the energy I needed!! I just heard back from a DO office manager and she said absolutely fine to shadow the DO doctor for one day, she will just get back to me with the date and time that works for her. Fingers crossed!!!!! ✌️ I am just gonna ask for the letter afterwards too and see what happens! Thank you guys so much. Without you, I would have just not even tried!!

 

[BobbyKoch]

Wow that’s amazing. I guess I will just have to try and ask. You never know!
Thank you. But did you see my MCAT? LOL and that was my retake. I am so done with that test, for the life of me, I can’t seem to crack that exam. English is not my first language so I tanked CARS

I took it four times myself. I feel you! Best of luck, and if for some reason you don’t get a letter, try try again. Having all the boxes checked makes applying that much easier. It’s a stressful, expensive, possibly year-long process, so best to submit your best possible application.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

So true. Your post gave me the energy I needed!! I just heard back from a DO office manager and she said absolutely fine to shadow the DO doctor for one day, she will just get back to me with the date and time that works for her. Fingers crossed!!!!! I am just gonna ask for the letter afterwards too and see what happens! Thank you guys so much. Without you, I would have just not even tried!!

You're welcome.

English is my second language too, or should I say "third" because we speak 2 languages back home, but anyway I took the MCAT 4 times as well before scoring well enough for DO schools. So trust me, I know the feeling, and to this day I'm still shocked I got so many interview invites and 2 acceptances. Your stats are slightly better than mine when I applied, so go get this letter and you should be more than fine for DO. Just make sure you do your research on the schools you're going to apply to.

 

[lazybutt26]

I took it four times myself. I feel you! Best of luck, and if for some reason you don’t get a letter, try try again. Having all the boxes checked makes applying that much easier. It’s a stressful, expensive, possibly year-long process, so best to submit your best possible application.

Thanks buddy! I appreciate it. And I couldn't agree with you more. I actually applied two years ago without checking all the boxes lol because I just wanted to start school right away, but obviously it didn't work out. I am slowly getting all of my ducks in a row and the last piece of the puzzle is really that DO letter so I better start praying now LOL. So if I get the D.O letter, do you guys still think I should put the D.O shadowing experience on the application? Then wouldn't you think the admission faculties would be like "this person literally shadowed a D.O for 8 hours and got the letter?" how effective would that letter be?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Thanks buddy! I appreciate it. And I couldn't agree with you more. I actually applied two years ago without checking all the boxes lol because I just wanted to start school right away, but obviously it didn't work out. I am slowly getting all of my ducks in a row and the last piece of the puzzle is really that DO letter so I better start praying now LOL. So if I get the D.O letter, do you guys still think I should put the D.O shadowing experience on the application? Then wouldn't you think the admission faculties would be like "this person literally shadowed a D.O for 8 hours and got the letter?" how effective would that letter be?

Like I said earlier my letter was probably very generic as well because the physician that wrote it didn't know me at all. I still added the experience into my app (and that was right before I submitted), and I didn't encounter any problems with that. The only problem I had was that she didn't add the Hospital letter head and didn't physically sign the bottom of the letter, and many schools emailed me back for an updated letter, so she had to send physical copies to those schools , and that was it. Schools didn't mind that at all. They just want you to appreciate what you're getting yourself into, and shadowing is a good way to do that.

 

[lazybutt26]

You're welcome.

English is my second language too, or should I say "third" because we speak 2 languages back home, but anyway I took the MCAT 4 times as well before scoring well enough for DO schools. So trust me, I know the feeling, and to this day I'm still shocked I got so many interview invites and 2 acceptances. Your stats are slightly better than mine when I applied, so go get this letter and you should be more than fine for DO. Just make sure you do your research on the schools you're going to apply to.

Amazing!! Same here too! I had to take the MCAT four times myself as well!! And 503 was all I could get. Again, never again with that test My dream is to get into one near where I live (only an hour away) in early September or October so I won't even have to travel to other states for interviews! I actually reached out to that school I really wanna go to and see if they know any D.O alumni I can shadow, the lady I spoke to said I can shadow current students there sometime in early August, since they won't be back on the campus until then after finishing up this semester. But they will already have my applications in their hands by the time it's early August!!! So there's a lot of riding on this D.O physician shadowing!

 

[lazybutt26]

Like I said earlier my letter was probably very generic as well because the physician that wrote it didn't know me at all. I still added the experience into my app (and that was right before I submitted), and I didn't encounter any problems with that. The only problem I had was that she didn't add the Hospital letter head and didn't physically sign the bottom of the letter, and many schools emailed me back for an updated letter, so she had to send physical copies to those schools , and that was it. Schools didn't mind that at all. They just want you to appreciate what you're getting yourself into, and shadowing is a good way to do that.

Okay. Good to know! I will make sure to remind her of those letter requirements if she says yes!! I noticed that you're class of 2022. How do you like the D.O school? Do you know what specialty you're gonna get into? Look at me, I am getting so ahead of myself, I am getting so excited

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Okay. Good to know! I will make sure to remind her of those letter requirements if she says yes!! I noticed that you're class of 2022. How do you like the D.O school? Do you know what specialty you're gonna get into? Look at me, I am getting so ahead of myself, I am getting so excited

Going the D.O. route, you gotta make sure you're Ok with Family medicine, Internal medicine, peds, and some other D.O. friendly specialties (if you work hard enough) like Emergency medicine, psych, PM&R, OB/Gyn, anesthesiology, and maybe also general surgery and radiology. I've always wanted Internal medicine, so I'm fine so far and I hope I won't change my mind later. That's why I also tell you to do your research on the schools you're applying to because the school you go to can also be a factor if you want something competitive.

 

[lazybutt26]

Going the D.O. route, you gotta make sure you're Ok with Family medicine, Internal medicine, peds, and some other D.O. friendly specialties (if you work hard enough) like Emergency medicine, psych, PM&R, OB/Gyn, anesthesiology, and maybe also general surgery and radiology. I've always wanted Internal medicine, so I'm fine so far and I hope I won't change my mind later. That's why I also tell you to do your research on the schools you're applying to because the school you go to can also be a factor if you want something competitive.

That’s good to hear! Yeah I’ve also always wanted to internal medicine-I love long lasting relationships you form with patients, continuity of care and predictable hours and conditions. I am gonna go and research all the schools now. Thanks for your help again!

 

[Synchronous]

Looking back, I don’t think I had a DO letter. But what I did have was over a year of research in EM at an EM residency program which I started doing during my post bac. The PD wrote me a letter. The program also took/takes a bunch of DOs, and usually has a few from the school I ended up matriculating at. So, I guess try get the best letters you can.

 

[dial1010usa]

I worked as a scribe for over a year with MD/PA. I asked them if they know any DOs. They referred it to me 3 different DOs and I shadowed all 3 of them and got 3 different LORs. Keep asking and if you have to take couple days off its worth it. Sooner the better because most of your app is done. This is the only thing you need. This is very important that way you can apply to all DO schools, and make apply to most of DOs except new ones. You are good for my school as well.Your GPA is really good. How's your EC? What state you from?
All the best!!!

 

[lazybutt26]

Hey! I actually worked as a scribe too for 3 years for all kinds of different specialties(FM, EM, Oncology, Endocrinology, ENT, Pulmonology) and one of the family physicians I closely worked with referred me to a DO physician she works with. I reached out to the office and they're just trying to find a day when there are a few OMTs with the patients so I can shadow!! Still waiting that was last week, and the office manager said she'd reach out to me soon with the date(all day) so fingers crossed! Thanks! I am from MA. Besides working as a scribe, I have leadership experience, direct patient care experience in underserved communities, teaching experience, and now I currently work at one of the best hospitals in the nation as a team lead! Which school are you going to, if you don't mind asking? Yeah, I really want to be able to get a DO letter in time for my application