ATSU-KCOM And Exposure To Osteopathic Medicine

[capnamerica]

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Hey gang,

I was just curious about something and was wondering if current KCOM students could please chime in. Looking at KCOM's secondary from last year, there is a question as follows: What specific experience/exposure have you had with osteopathic medicine? How has this influenced your decision to become an osteopathic physician?

I was remotely exposed to osteopathic medicine and OMM during my undergraduate studies in Kinesiology, but I haven't shadowed a DO to gain additional exposure. Considering that I will basically have no answer to this question (one of the two questions in the entire secondary), is KCOM basically a write-off for me?

Thanks. 🙂

 

[Mosonik]

I am not a KCOM student but I think you should know that this is likely not the last time you see that question (in more or less words) either on secondaries or without a doubt in interviews. You need to be prepared to answer this!

Now, don't freak out that you have so little exposure to osteopathic medicine, many don't. This won't be viewed negatively. Just make sure you do some quality research to educate yourself on it. Pick out some aspects that you connect with and use them to assure adcoms that you would be comfortable with those letters behind your name. Your background in Kinesiology and preliminary intrigue into OMM are a perfect start.

 

[Skeeks]

I suggest you buy a copy of The Difference a D.O. Makes by Bob Jones. Its cheap and a quick read over the summer (maybe 150 pages in LARGE print). It will give you a very good comprehensive look into the profession. I have not shadowed a D.O. either and more than half the schools I am applying to are Osteopathic Medical schools. I did quite a few things to gain exposure to off set my lack of exposure and I thought this book was one of the best things I did.

 

[Pesquisador]

Truth be told, I've worked under DOs for several months during an internship, and I didn't feel like I got a big scoop into osteopathic medicine either - they seemed just like the MD folks anyway!

For the sake of the question, why not just look up the nearest DO in your area and give them a call? Or stop by with a hand-written note about how you would love to shadow an expert and what days work best for them?

I'll bet you can do that pretty quickly, and it might sound better to say "I went ahead and met with/shadowed a DO, and it was different from what I expected.." than it would to say "well I've read about it..."

 

[spleencakes]

Not a current student, but I interviewed and was accepted this year. I think your initial exposure to OMM in kinesiology is a really good start. If you can, try to shadow a DO, as it will not only help you with your app prompts (KCOM will not be the only school that will want to know about you and osteopathic medicine!), but you can also get some LORs. To be honest, most of the people I met during interview day didn't even really know what OMM was, aside from what they read online. I only met one person who saw OMM in action during shadowing. For the most part, people I've met on the interview trail just liked the osteopathic principles. On top of shadowing, I'd suggest doing some research beyond reading the Wiki page.

To answer your original question, no, KCOM would not be out of the picture. 🙂

 

[Skeeks]

Truth be told, I've worked under DOs for several months during an internship, and I didn't feel like I got a big scoop into osteopathic medicine either - they seemed just like the MD folks anyway!

For the sake of the question, why not just look up the nearest DO in your area and give them a call? Or stop by with a hand-written note about how you would love to shadow an expert and what days work best for them?

I'll bet you can do that pretty quickly, and it might sound better to say "I went ahead and met with/shadowed a DO, and it was different from what I expected.." than it would to say "well I've read about it..."

I totally agree with this. I only suggested the book and because I felt it was very informative and educational. Most of my "best" answers I have for why D.O. come from this book. You have to read it to understand, its very down to earth and helpful in getting a real vision of osteopathic principles. However, I agree that the physician exposure will be worth more. I didn't blow off the whole shadowing thing, I called every D.O. within a 25 mile radius of my hometown (which was only about a dozen doctors) and I NEVER received any invitation after multiple attempts to come shadow one of them. So I did my best in other areas to try and make up for it. I started a year ago and seriously was never able to meet with a single D.O. I did more than just read a book though. I attended presentations given by Osteopathic medical schools at our university, and at regional premedical conferences. I also helped start a chapter of Pre-SOMA at our university and served as secretary for it for six months.