Changing degree from OD TO MD

[HOPEOPT]

I heared stories about optometry students that change their education to medical school or sometimes after they got their OD degree they go to med school, Could you share your opinion if you have any ideas? Do you think if a person has two degrees MD AND OD, can work with both?.

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[gochi]

Do you think if a person has two degrees MD AND OD, can work with both?.

What do you mean?

 

[thanotoriousfob]

I heared stories about optometry students that change their education to medical school or sometimes after they got their OD degree they go to med school, Could you share your opinion if you have any ideas? Do you think if a person has two degrees MD AND OD, can work with both?.

OMD is not the same as MD + OD if that is what you are asking.

 

[JMU07]

You can't change a degree. You can only go back to school and get another one.

Some people have both degrees. If you want to spend another however many years in med school, go for it. I don't know why you'd want to do this unless you decided optometry wasn't right for you and you wanted to try something different. Maybe other people have some other ideas.

 

[4Eyes]

Nothing new to add here, really, just wanted to reiterate a couple of points.

I've never heard of anyone who WANTED both an OD and an MD degree from the start. Just some ODs who later decided they wanted to be physicians so they got the MD after their OD. IMHO, there's no particular advantage to having the OD if you're going to be an MD anyway. Just a boat load more debt.

As for changing degrees.... If you start OD school and later decide you want to go to MD/DO school, you will have to start all over. Yes, some of the first year classes are more or less the same, but it's not like you can just transfer programs. Your med school program will be just as long and rigorous, and your OD courses won't count toward anything else. If there is an exception to this rule, it would have to be exceedingly rare. I've never heard of anything like it.

 

[HOPEOPT]

Thanks for the reply, I shadowed two different optometrists, and both of them told me stories about their classmates who got their degree in optometry and then they started med school, I am just wondering can a person love optometry and apply for it then discover it is not the right fit for him/her ??

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Thanks for the reply, I shadowed two different optometrists, and both of them told me stories about their classmates who got their degree in optometry and then they started med school, I am just wondering can a person love optometry and apply for it then discover it is not the right fit for him/her ??

A very well known doctor at Mayo did this. He got his OD first, then went back to school and got a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy, basically the same as MD) and now practices as ophthalmologist. I suppose you could say he is one intelligent DOOD. 😉

 

[thanotoriousfob]

A very well known doctor at Mayo did this. He got his OD first, then went back to school and got a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy, basically the same as MD) and now practices as ophthalmologist. I suppose you could say he is one intelligent DOOD. 😉

l can't imagine all that schooling, really gutsy.

lol at that last part!

 

[EyEnStein 07]

I dont get what the point of that was though? He went to OD school in hopes to become an optometrists i would hope. Maybe after his first year of practice he realized he wanted more out of eye care (surgery) and wanted to go to med school?

He probably should have researched both fields in depth and not went to OD school, unless what you learn in OD school is so indepth that they skip information when you do a Ophthalmology Residency.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

I dont get what the point of that was though? He went to OD school in hopes to become an optometrists i would hope. Maybe after his first year of practice he realized he wanted more out of eye care (surgery) and wanted to go to med school?

He probably should have researched both fields in depth and not went to OD school, unless what you learn in OD school is so indepth that they skip information when you do a Ophthalmology Residency.

I can't speak to his motivation, so I don't really know if there is a "point" to what he did. Does there need to be a point? He did what he wanted, is very successful and, I assume, happy now.

The moral of the story is make sure you are picking the right profession for you. If by chance you want to change your mind, or just add to your knowledge base, you can always go back to school.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

l can't imagine all that schooling, really gutsy.

lol at that last part!

Yeah - pretty smart guy. You are going to Pacific, right? You can do a rotation with him 4th year in Minnesota.

 

[gochi]

I dont get what the point of that was though? He went to OD school in hopes to become an optometrists i would hope. Maybe after his first year of practice he realized he wanted more out of eye care (surgery) and wanted to go to med school?

He probably should have researched both fields in depth and not went to OD school, unless what you learn in OD school is so indepth that they skip information when you do a Ophthalmology Residency.

Because he didnt like earning 55k/year by working at wal-mart.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

I can't speak to his motivation, so I don't really know if there is a "point" to what he did. Does there need to be a point? He did what he wanted, is very successful and, I assume, happy now.

The moral of the story is make sure you are picking the right profession for you. If by chance you want to change your mind, or just add to your knowledge base, you can always go back to school.

Yeah i agree, but i thought that there should be a point. I got the impression that you said he went to OD school then immediately after went to DO school....not he practiced as an OD, didnt like it, then he went to DO school. Thats why i was trying to find out the reason. If it was because he was unhappy, thats perfectly fine,

but if its something were missing such as specific eye care of research opportunity for example, then its good to know about.

Because he didnt like earning 55k/year by working at wal-mart.

You knew him?

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Yeah i agree, but i thought that there should be a point. I got the impression that you said he went to OD school then immediately after went to DO school....not he practiced as an OD, didnt like it, then he went to DO school. Thats why i was trying to find out the reason. If it was because he was unhappy, thats perfectly fine,

but if its something were missing such as specific eye care of research opportunity for example, then its good to know about.

I don't know if that was his plan all along or if he decided to go to DO school after practicing as an optometrist and not liking it. I only mentioned him as an example of someone who has done what the OP asked about.

And I HIGHLY doubt gochi knows him. He can't miss a chance to spout off about $55,000/year salaries.