British (U.K.) Osteopathic Medicine And COMLEX ?

[!PsyChirurgus!]

Hey everyone! I desperately need your help and guidance, please.😳

This is probably my first post on the DO forum.🙂 I just would like to know whether the UK's B.Ost.Med in Osteopathic Medicine graduates can take the COMLEX examination to gain a residency in the USA in Psychiatry?

UK's medical education naming is really different to the US's as you can tell. For example:

• 4 Year Post-Graduate M.D. (Doctor Of Medicine) = UK's Undergraduate 5 Year MBBS (Medicine Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery)

• 4 Year Post-Graduate D.O (Doctor Of Osteopathy) = UK's Undergraduate 4 Year B.Ost.Med (Bachelor Of Osteopathic Medicine).

Do you think if I graduate with a 'B.Ost.Med' and passed the COMLEX as an IMG I would stand the same chance as other IMGs who did an M.D. and pased the USMLEs?
Because I heard that residency programs give higher preference to M.D.s than D.O.s, and I was wondering if M.D. IMGs are given more preference than D.O. IMGs.🙁

Cheers, thanks for any reply. I'm sorry I didn't know where to post this question.

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[!PsyChirurgus!]

Oops, I forgot to link the British College Of Osteopathic Medicine website: http://www.bcom.ac.uk/courses/bachelors-pathway

There are at least 5 colleges/universities offering this kind of program in the UK.🙂

 

[bioteach]

I thought "osteopaths" in Great Britain were very different than "doctors of osteopathic medicine" in the US. Is that not correct?

 

[CorpusERdoc]

Hey everyone! I desperately need your help and guidance, please.😳

This is probably my first post on the DO forum.🙂 I just would like to know whether the UK's B.Ost.Med in Osteopathic Medicine graduates can take the COMLEX examination to gain a residency in the USA in Psychiatry?

UK's medical education naming is really different to the US's as you can tell. For example:

• 4 Year Post-Graduate M.D. (Doctor Of Medicine) = UK's Udergraduate 5 Year MBBS (Medicine Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery)

• 4 Year Post-Graduate D.O (Doctor Of Osteopaphy) = UK's Undergraduate 4 Year B.Ost.Med (Bachelor Of Osteopathic Medicine).

Do you think if I graduate with a 'B.Ost.Med' and passed the COMLEX as an IMG I would stand the same chance as other IMGs who did an M.D. and pased the USMLEs?
Because I heard that residency programs give higher preference to M.D.s than D.O.s, and I want wondering if M.D. IMGs are given more preference than D.O. IMGs.🙁

Cheers, thanks for any reply. I'm sorry I didn't know where to post this question.

British DO's are like chiropractors--or even more like physical therapists.

They are not physicians.

Not only would you not be allowed to take the COMLEX, but you wouldn't be any more qualified than a nurse to apply for residency...

The fact that you asked if a bachelor's degree can count is almost amusting...

 

[!PsyChirurgus!]

Ahh, thank you for clarifying. Looks like I should just stick to applying to Medical schools then as an IMG🙁. Thanks guys!🙂👍

It's just that the syllabus/course content for the B.Ost.Med is very similar to our MBBS/MbChB courses over here...for the first two years anyway. Plus chiropractors, osteopaths and physical therapists are of completely different fields by the way. They undergo different training and qualifications.

 

[EastCoaster78]

The fact that you asked if a bachelor's degree can count is almost amusting...

The standard medical degree in England is the MBBS witch is a bachelors degree. Same most everywhere else in the world. MD, DO are mostly American degrees. Actually in many countries earning an MD is kinda like earning a Phd after medical school.

 

[DrMidlife]

Ahh, thank you for clarifying. Looks like I should just stick to applying to Medical schools then as an IMG🙁. Thanks guys!🙂👍

It's just that the syllabus/course content for the B.Ost.Med is very similar to our MBBS/MbChB courses over here...for the first two years anyway. Plus chiropractors, osteopaths and physical therapists are of completely different fields by the way. They undergo different training and qualifications.

The curriculum shown looks rather light compared to US medical curriculum (for the MD or DO degree).

Just to reiterate others' comments, in the US, the DO degree is almost entirely equivalent to the MD degree (DO equals [MD plus osteopathic techniques]). DOs become neurosurgeons and cardiologists here.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

The fact that you asked if a bachelor's degree can count is almost amusting...

You are correct that in England osteopathic education is very different than in America. However, this has nothing to do with the fact that it is a "bachelors". Allopathic med school in the UK is also a bachelors and is 100% to the US MD degree. Those that graduate in the UK with the MBBS or MBChB degrees are allowed to the MD title while practicing in the US and those with US MD degrees usually use the MBBS title when signing documents, etc if they are working in the UK. 👍

 

[MossPoh]

As has already been answered. I'm going with no, probably not. If you want to hear from an authority rather than internet forum people then make some phone calls to the AOA and what not.

The bachelors thing is like that almost everywhere. In some places it is deceiving to put "MD" because that is an extra level of education and training beyond which you have. I'm not saying it is good or bad, but we are one of the few places that seems to put these extra painful years in there.

 

[group_theory]

While the British MBBS (or MBBCh) and the US MD are similar/equivalent degrees and profession, the US DO and the British DO are nothing alike and the only similarity that is shared is the postnominal abbreviation, heritage, and osteopathic manipulation. British DOs are not train to be physicians.

To be more specific and answer your question

Can a graduate of a UK's B.Ost.Med Program take COMLEX?
Answer: NO. Students and graduates of the UK's Osteopathic Medicine programs are not eligibile to register or take any steps of COMLEX. From the NBOME Bulletin of Information

Eligibility.

COMLEX-USA Level 1​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]A candidate is eligible to take the COMLEX-USA Level 1 examination upon compliance with the following requirements: .
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]1. Must have completed the first academic year of study and be in good standing as a matriculated student in an osteopathic medical school accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on College Accreditation (AOA COCA). .

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

As has already been answered. I'm going with no, probably not. If you want to hear from an authority rather than internet forum people then make some phone calls to the AOA and what not.

The bachelors thing is like that almost everywhere. In some places it is deceiving to put "MD" because that is an extra level of education and training beyond which you have. I'm not saying it is good or bad, but we are one of the few places that seems to put these extra painful years in there.

Grouptheory is correct. British Bachelors of Osteo does not equal US DO, however British MBBS does equal MD. It is not a higher degree.. they are equal. There is nothing decieving about it. 👍 Again, it has nothing to do with the fact they call it a bachelors.. this is mainly tradition. American's love to give everyone a "doctorate" these days.. even physical therapists who only a few years ago were getting Masters and a few years before that all physical therapy programs granted BSPT (bachelors degrees).. however at the end of the day they are all equally licensed physical therapists, with professionally equivalent degrees. (ie. someone who graduated in '92 with a BSPT is legally equivalent physical therapist as a '07 DPT grad.. no different). This was both a political push by the PT community, as well as so Universities to make their degrees more marketable and so they could charge more tuition.. it has nothing to do with the quality or level of graduating PTs.

Same goes for the BVS or BVSc (bachelor of Vet Surg/Science) degrees (vet). Some vet schools in Australia and New Zealand are accredited by the AVMA (American Vet Med Assoc) and are legally no different than going to any US vet school and getting a DVM or VMD degree. They are also equivalent. Example of an American Vet with American accredited BVMS (vet) degree from An Australian University.

The fact that British B.Osteo doesnt equal US DO is just because they don't learn "medicine". It is an entirely different profession over there. They are not considered "physcians" where as in the US they are. Simple as that.