It doesn't because that would entail silencing the vocal minority, who also happen to hold all the cards. But I do think that osteopathic graduates who complete an allopathic residency, all the steps of the USMLE, and are boarded by an allopathic organization should be allowed to display "MD" after their name. As JKHAMLIN said (and despite us butting heads on most things, I do think he tends to make valid points with decent regularity):
However I do believe this would rapidly lead to the number of persons advertising themselves as DO's to decline drastically. I can't be sure, but that is what I suspect would happen.
I just don't follow your logic. When I don't like certain rules or policies I don't begrudge the stakeholders who made them. I become a stakeholder myself, organize, get "skin in the game," and try to reform the rules and policies that I don't like.
The D.O. is an academic degree. You can't retroactively change the kind of degree a person earns! If you were an English major in college and graduated with a B.A. degree, but also took all your pre-med classes, calculus, and even advanced math courses your B.A. degree doesn't morph into a B.S. degree even though you have the same "core requirements" that science majors do.
Similarly, someone who holds a D.O. degree doesn't become a "M.D." because they did an ACGME-approved residency and took the USMLE. Think about it ---you can't CHANGE an academic degree once it has been awarded.
The difference between "osteopathy" and "allopathy" is the sort of the same as the difference between "homologous" and "analogous" structures in evolutionary biology. Two
homologous structures share a high sequence identity or similarity, supporting the hypothesis that they share a common ancestor. Two structures in biology are said to be
analogous if they perform the same or similar function by a similar mechanism but not necessarily the same genes. For example, the wings of insects, the wings of birds, and the wings of bats are all analogous. They all let creatures take flight.
The MBBS (British) and MD (USA) are
homologous degrees in so far as that they descend from a common branch of western medicine---"allopathy." People don't associated "allopathy" with a distinct intellectual tradition any longer because it is dead---it's like Latin. So is homeopathy. But, you can't change the past! And, just as we still use Latin words in every day speech and words with Latin roots; so too do all physicians (MD and DO degree holders) evoke "allopathic" concepts in their care of patients. Many MD's also evoke "osteopathic" concepts in the care of patients, but I'm not about to change their degrees!
Thus, the DO (USA) and MD (USA) are analogous degrees --- both enable you to perform the same function --- the unrestricted practice of medicine, but they are historically, educationally, and philosophically distinct. There is ample historical evidence to support this. They descend from parallel, but separate branches of western medicine---osteopathy is actually an off-shoot of allopathy. You can try to argue whether a bat's wing is "better" than a hummingbird's wing, but I think it won't it will be a very persuasive argument too many people. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Ditto for the MD and DO degrees.
What you seem to REALLY want to do is raise the visability and recognition of the field. There are more productive ways to do this than spinning your wheels about trying to change the degree!
BTW, why was this person banned?
