Chiropractor thinking about applying

[wallerdc]

Here is my situation. I am a 28 year old chiropractor married to a medical doctor. I am really interested in applying to DO school, for the simple fact, I could offer patients a whole hell of a lot more. Its kind of sad, but halfway through Chiro school, I was like what the hell have I gotten myself in to? I felt like I was at the point of no return, so I finished, vowing to be the most medical-based chiropractor there is.

The reason I didn't try to go to med school out of undergrad was my gpa. I own a not so stellar 3.2 gpa, majoring in Biology. I basically thought that I wasn't even a candidate for med school with that gpa. I had no knowledge however about DO schools. So here I am now; I wonder if Im to old to even consider this, I would be 30 when I started (Fall 2006), and would I have to absolutely kill the MCAT?

I would have no problem with getting great letters of recommedation, all my friends are medical doctors. Would being a chiropractor at all benefit me in the acceptance process. I feel that the clinical experience that I have achieved thus far would definately benefit me, seeing that I work in a multi-disciplinary clinic (the md here, is the one who has been pushing me to make this decision haha).

I am a Texas resident so I would be applying to TCOM and other DO schools and possibly all the med schools here.

Sorry about the length, but any advice would be appreciated

Thank You

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[Geronimo]

I have a friend who is a D.C. and from what I've heard, he gets offers from schools on a regular basis that say he doesn't even need to take the MCAT. He "claims" and I believe him to be honest, that b/c of his D.C. background, he can simply take 2 and 1/2 years of classes and complete an M.D. (mostly just his clinical rotations). But, I honestly don't know anything more than what he's told me. Sorry.

 

[ockhamsRzr]

If you're too old, then I should roll over and die. At 34 with 2 babies and most all my pre-reqs still to go, I have no intention of letting anyone tell me I'll be a fool for being a resident at 40!

You shouldn't either. Follow your heart and good luck,

Ock

 

[davematthews]

Go for it!

 

[davematthews]

Go for it! Best way to get answers is to call up a school and ask to talk to admissions counselor.

 

[FoughtFyr]

I have a friend who is a D.C. and from what I've heard, he gets offers from schools on a regular basis that say he doesn't even need to take the MCAT. He "claims" and I believe him to be honest, that b/c of his D.C. background, he can simply take 2 and 1/2 years of classes and complete an M.D. (mostly just his clinical rotations). But, I honestly don't know anything more than what he's told me. Sorry.

I can not speak for DO schools, but this is absolutely not true for allopathic schools. While there is a process to "test out" of some of the first year coursework at most schools, these tests are very challenging and are often up to the PhD level of knowledge. DCs are trained in a completely different manner than MD/DOs. Their beliefs about immunology, mircobiology, neurology and endocrine are nowhere near medicine's.

From Midwestern's website (CCOM) see: http://www.midwestern.edu/ccom/
"Admission With Advanced Standing
Newly accepted students may apply for advanced standing if they hold one of the following degrees: an M.D. (from the U.S.), a D.D.S., or a Ph.D.

To initiate the advanced standing process, a newly accepted student must notify the Director of Admissions in writing of his/her intention to apply for advanced standing. In this letter, the student must provide detailed information about his/her academic background as well as identify the academic areas in which he/she feels particularly competent.

After the student submits this letter, the Director of Admissions shares the letter with the Admissions Committee. In consultation with the Chairs of the various basic science departments at CCOM, the Committee determines whether a recommendation to the Dean is warranted in order that the student may pursue an advanced standing program. If the committee recommends to the Dean to offer the student this opportunity, and the Dean approves this recommendation, the student must then contact the appropriate basic science chair at CCOM to make specific arrangements. Each chair determines what the student must do to receive advanced standing in a particular discipline."

There is no mention of a DC. And I would be surprised to find it so at any other DO schools.

I am not calling your friend a liar, but I would be curious as to which institutions these are. I am an MD, and I still "routinely" get mail from European and island schools touting an "easy road to an MD".

- H

 

[wallerdc]

FoughtFyr, you are absolutely right.

Thanks for the responses everybody.

 

[DrDre']

To add fyr to Fought's:
My friend went to MD school later in life. He had a not too remote PhD in physiology. He wasn't able to test out of anything.


Fought: Glad you are loving Mayo so much. Hope to interview there next year.

 

[rockstar2525]

I have a friend who is a DC and decided to go on to med school. The DC degree didn't help her test out of anything, but her Chiro background really helped her with acceptance. Her Chiro school grades countered her UG gpa since they were more recent (and better) and her letters of rec sealed the deal. She still had to take the MCAT, but I think any kind of advanced degree is looked favorably upon by adcoms. GO FOR IT!!

 

[wallerdc]

Rockstar, thanks.
I am well aware of having to make a fresh start.
Im really not concerned with being able to test out of anything, I am just curious if being a DC will be a benefit for me during the acceptance part of it all.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[DrMom]

Your DC can help, especially if you can do a good job in your personal statement of explaining how your background will add to an MD or DO. I'd recommend talking through ideas with your MD spouse for something that comes across well.

If you do DO, you'll definitely have a wonderful background for OMT.

Finally, no, you're not too old. You'll be above the average in your class, but you won't even be the oldest. I started at 31 and round out the top 10% age wise...and the oldest is 10 yrs older than I am.

 

[Geronimo]

I can not speak for DO schools, but this is absolutely not true for allopathic schools.

You probably mean U.S. allopathic schools, right?

DCs are trained in a completely different manner than MD/DOs. Their beliefs about immunology, microbiology, neurology and endocrine are nowhere near medicine's.

My friend, Dr. Hutton, is a little bit eccentric. He certainly has a tendency to be very prideful about his D.C. and almost acts like he is intimidated by me when I am around, maybe just b/c I am heading to med school (I think he originally wanted to but didn't get in, so settled for Chiro School).

That being said, he insists that D.C.s can even write prescriptions in Illinois and other places inside the U.S. I?ve never researched this. Does anyone know if that is true? If it is, I hope to God that they do have sufficient training in pharmacology, endocrinology, etc? on par with med schools.

I am not calling your friend a liar

How kind of you ?

but I would be curious as to which institutions these are.

I?ll ask him at church tonight and let you know. My guess is he?ll say, I don?t remember, but I?ll check. Of course, by Sunday he will not remember. He has a sanguine personality. But eventually, he?ll come up with something.

I am an MD, and I still "routinely" get mail from European and island schools touting an "easy road to an MD".

My guess is that he gets exactly the same ?junk mail? stuff like you. I?m sure the island schools would love to suck away some of his Chiro money just so he can add an M.D. Which, an M.D. really doesn?t mean anything anymore. The kind of doctor you are is way more important than the letters behind your name. There are crapload M.D.s who I wouldn?t trust my dog with and then there are M.D.?s who deserve 5 times what I pay them.

 

[wallerdc]

You probably mean U.S. allopathic schools, right?

My friend, Dr. Hutton, is a little bit eccentric. He certainly has a tendency to be very prideful about his D.C. and almost acts like he is intimidated by me when I am around, maybe just b/c I am heading to med school (I think he originally wanted to but didn't get in, so settled for Chiro School).

That being said, he insists that D.C.s can even write prescriptions in Illinois and other places inside the U.S. I?ve never researched this. Does anyone know if that is true? If it is, I hope to God that they do have sufficient training in pharmacology, endocrinology, etc? on par with med schools.


How kind of you ?




I?ll ask him at church tonight and let you know. My guess is he?ll say, I don?t remember, but I?ll check. Of course, by Sunday he will not remember. He has a sanguine personality. But eventually, he?ll come up with something.



My guess is that he gets exactly the same ?junk mail? stuff like you. I?m sure the island schools would love to suck away some of his Chiro money just so he can add an M.D. Which, an M.D. really doesn?t mean anything anymore. The kind of doctor you are is way more important than the letters behind your name. There are crapload M.D.s who I wouldn?t trust my dog with and then there are M.D.?s who deserve 5 times what I pay them.

Your friend is absolutely wrong. This is not true at all.

 

[FoughtFyr]

You probably mean U.S. allopathic schools, right?

Correct. I can not speak for institutions in other countries, I have no experience in that area.

My friend, Dr. Hutton, is a little bit eccentric. He certainly has a tendency to be very prideful about his D.C. and almost acts like he is intimidated by me when I am around, maybe just b/c I am heading to med school (I think he originally wanted to but didn't get in, so settled for Chiro School).

That being said, he insists that D.C.s can even write prescriptions in Illinois and other places inside the U.S. I've never researched this. Does anyone know if that is true? If it is, I hope to God that they do have sufficient training in pharmacology, endocrinology, etc… on par with med schools.

Chiropractors cannot write prescriptions in any state. There is one DC school that has been trying to institute pharmacology into its program, but generally medications are seen as completely against the chiropractic principles. In Oregon (and possibly other states) chiropractors can de-prescribe, that is they can directly tell a patient to stop taking medications prescribed by a physician. This is an area of great debate, both inside chiropractic and out.

There is a decent thread on this in the "allied health" forum. See: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=133855

I am not sure about your friend. Most "die-hard" chiropractors I know (often called "straights") wouldn't want to prescribe. Most "mixers" also tend to stay away from the issue of meds. Chiropractic theory would be absolutely against the idea, as chiropractic care is generally viewed as maximizing the body's ability to care for itself.

My guess is that he gets exactly the same "junk mail" stuff like you. I'm sure the island schools would love to suck away some of his Chiro money just so he can add an M.D. Which, an M.D. really doesn't mean anything anymore. The kind of doctor you are is way more important than the letters behind your name. There are crapload M.D.s who I wouldn't trust my dog with and then there are M.D.'s who deserve 5 times what I pay them.

Well, I'm not sure how to take this, but the kind of doctor does matter. A MD or a DO, having graduated from an accredited medical school, passed the appropriate exams, and completed the necessary residency training has rights and responsibilities very different from other types of doctor.

If you are merely denoting the lack of difference between an MD and a DO, I agree completely and I generally consider the two interchangable. I apologize if my post above was unclear. Please insert "MD/DO" anywhere I wrote "MD".

- H

 

[Runtita]

Go for it!

We have a DC and a podiatrist in my class. They're having to retake everything, but they're a nice help for those of who haven't already had anatomy, etc.

 

[BackTalk]

Since I am a chiropractor I'll add a little to the discussion. I see much of what I thought about saying has already been said. Waller, out of curiosity, where did you go to chiropractic school? I think DO school is a great choice, especially with a background in chiropractic. Sounds like you have a great opportunity; I would go for it as well.

The people I know who went to medical school said there background in chiropractic helped them not only get in but also helped them in their studies, especially anatomy micro and all those other classes we have already had. I would think most schools (and each school probably has their own rules) would give you an opportunity to "test out" in certain areas, for instance, human anatomy. You should be able to smoke it considering how overly detailed it is in chiropractic college. Personally, I would probably take the courses instead of testing out. They should make for a good review for boards.

Geronimo, I think your friend is blowin smoke. Everyone takes the MCAT. Are you sure that your friend is not talking about a Caribbean medical school? I believe a DC degree gets advanced standing at those schools. Also, I know of no state that allows a DC to write prescriptions, maybe for PT or something like that, but not prescription medication. I practice in Illinois and I can tell you it is probably the most liberal state to practice for a chiropractor. Basically, you can treat human ailments "without the use of prescription medication or surgery".

Chiropractors have training in pharmacology and toxicology but nothing near what a medical student has. "On par with medical schools?" no way!

There are crapload M.D.s who I wouldn?t trust my dog with and then there are M.D.?s who deserve 5 times what I pay them.

Right on! Same goes for chiropractors. Least you recognize all professions have their fruit cakes.

ockhamsRzr, "34 and two babies"...great for you! I thought about medical school and the one of the things that holds me back is I'm 36 with two babies....not to mention all the debt from chiropractic school, homes, boat, cars, business etc. You never know, I may go for it someday. Right now I would hate to miss much of my kids growing up. MD program would take a lot away from them. Hey, maybe I can go the Caribbean route hehe...

Their beliefs about immunology, mircobiology, neurology and endocrine are nowhere near medicine's.

Not entirely true. Some chiropractors believe in "nerve interference" and some do not. Some believe in vaccinations and some do not. Some believe they can manipulate the endocrine system through spinal manipulation and some do not. It all depends on where you went to school and what type of goofy clubs or organizations you joined outside of school.

 

[wallerdc]

BackTalk, thanks for for the two cents. I went to Texas Chiropractic College.

 

[FoughtFyr]

Not entirely true. Some chiropractors believe in "nerve interference" and some do not. Some believe in vaccinations and some do not. Some believe they can manipulate the endocrine system through spinal manipulation and some do not. It all depends on where you went to school and what type of goofy clubs or organizations you joined outside of school.

Fair enough. I know we both respect each others' positions in this matter. And I think you would agree with me that there is not enough standardization in chiropractic education for other institutions (read allo- or osteopathic medical schools) to make "across the board" deferrals of coursework. I do think most schools would allow you to "challenge" or "test out of" some some first year work.

A couple of side notes. I bagen medical school at 29. I did not have children (still don't) or a wife (do now). I was far from the oldest in my class. Three other students who quickly come to mind are a 50+ yo retired preacher looking for an MD in FP before beginning mission work, a 55+ yo retired lab tachnician and instructor in the Navy working toward her MD/PhD, and a 60+ yo former submarine nuclear safety officer retired from the Navy as a commander. He already had a PhD in industrial engineering and was married to a professor in linguistics at a local University. His goal was to enter and complete medical school before his step-daughter (he has a two year lead). And I wouldn't "count out" allopathic institutions.

Here is the secret to admissions: PERSISTENCE!!! Not scores, not intellect, not looks, not grades, and not LORs. After assuring a baseline mental capacity, medical colleges want to know that you can finish what you start. Your DC, if properly framed, will be a HUGE assest! Demonstrate, through your personal statement and letters of rec that you have started finished chiropractic training, built a sucessful business, and maintain outside intrests. Focus not on chiropractic itself, but rather your ability to succeed, with chiropractic as the backdrop. In this way you accomplish three things: 1. You "prove" your ability to succeed - even if the adcom doesn't "like" chiropractic, they can not argue with your ability to start and run a heallth related business. 2. By not focusing on chiropractic itself, you "diffuse" any discussions/arguements as to its validity, thus demonstrating, gently, your acknowledgement of the inherent differences. 3. By mentioning, but not focusing on chiropractic, you afford yourself the "bump" that those on the adcom who view chiropractic positively are likely to give you. In my opinion if you throw a wide enough net in applications, you should have no problem getting in.

- H

 

[wallerdc]

Fair enough. I know we both respect each others positions in this matter. And I think you would agree with me that there is not enough standardization in chiropractic education for other institutions (read allo- or osteopathic medical schools) to make "across the board" deferrals of coursework. I do think most schools would allow you to "challenge" or "test out" some some first year work.

A couple of side notes. I bagen medical school at 29. I did not have children (still don't) or a wife (do now). I was far from the oldest in my class. Three other students who quickly come to mind are a 50+ yo retired preacher looking for an MD in FP before beginning mission work, a 55+ yo retired lab tachnician and instructor in the Navy working toward her MD/PhD, and a 60+ yo former submarine nuclear safety officer retired from the navy as a commander. He already had a PhD in industrial engineering and was married to a professor in linguistics at a local University. His goal was to enter and complete medical school before his step-daughter (he has a two year lead). And I wouldn't "count out" allopathic institutions.

Here is the secret to admissions: PERSISTENCE!!! Not scores, not intellect, not looks, not grades, and not LORs. Medical colleges want to know that you can finish what you start. If you throw a wide enough net in applications, you should have no problem getting in.

- H

Thank You

 

[BackTalk]

Fair enough. I know we both respect each others' positions in this matter. And I think you would agree with me that there is not enough standardization in chiropractic education for other institutions (read allo- or osteopathic medical schools) to make "across the board" deferrals of coursework. I do think most schools would allow you to "challenge" or "test out of" some some first year work.

Great! Again, I know the chiropractic community unfortunately has no standardization. That's true. Beyond that there are chiropractors who follow a more medical approach to care. I'm not entirely sure on the "test out" situation, that's why I said "some" schools may allow that.

A couple of side notes. I bagen medical school at 29. I did not have children (still don't) or a wife (do now). I was far from the oldest in my class. Three other students who quickly come to mind are a 50+ yo retired preacher looking for an MD in FP before beginning mission work, a 55+ yo retired lab tachnician and instructor in the Navy working toward her MD/PhD, and a 60+ yo former submarine nuclear safety officer retired from the Navy as a commander. He already had a PhD in industrial engineering and was married to a professor in linguistics at a local University. His goal was to enter and complete medical school before his step-daughter (he has a two year lead). And I wouldn't "count out" allopathic institutions.

Hey, you're never too old go back to school. I saw a program on the learning channel a while back about a guy who was in his late forties who was in medical school. I can't remember what the program was called but it was very interesting. Anyone here watch "Residents" TLC?

 

[docbill]

There was one DC interviewing at UNECOM this monday...
I gave him the link for this site and hopefuly he will sign on and give you some pointers.

 

[Robz]

There is a DC in my class and he is a pretty cool guy. I would think he has a slight advantage in some of the OMT and osteopathic classes due to the NMS that he knows.

 

[WillowRose]

ockhamsRzr, "34 and two babies"...great for you! I thought about medical school and the one of the things that holds me back is I'm 36 with two babies....not to mention all the debt from chiropractic school, homes, boat, cars, business etc. You never know, I may go for it someday. Right now I would hate to miss much of my kids growing up. MD program would take a lot away from them. Hey, maybe I can go the Caribbean route hehe...

Ok, first of all, mister...I just turned 32 and have two babies. I'm a month into DO school. Not only do I have debt from a master's degree, but I have a house, cars, and two internationally-adopted kids who are also mortgaged! This is why we have scholarships and loan forgiveness programs!

I am gonna be so far in debt.......how sad that my net worth will increase just by dying!

Back to the OP, if you haven't realized by now...there are plenty of non-traditional students around, especially in DO school. I am one of the oldest students in my class, but not the oldest. The oldest member of our class is about 9 or 10 years older than me. I've got babies that I don't even live with right now. If this is really what you want to do and your family is supportive, you will rise to the occasion.

Good luck to you.

Willow

 

[Tofurkey]

I have a J.D. and am 27 and am currently applying to med schools. I took a year of post-bacc work full-time, which just ended this August. Then I just took the August MCAT as well. I'm married, no babies yet, but unfortunately adcoms don't look highly upon the J.D. I'm sure the D.C. would be another story, but they hate lawyers.

-T

 

[group_theory]

I have a J.D. ... unfortunately adcoms don't look highly upon the J.D. I'm sure the D.C. would be another story, but they hate lawyers.

-T

Will you use your JD for good or for evil?


(good or evil is defined by me and me alone. And what is good or evil. Well, to quote Potter Stewart, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material ? but I know it when I see it.")

 

[docbill]

That is a stong statement... I thought in Law you are tought to have proof and reference your statement.

NSUCOM is working on getting a Joint JD/DO degree... hence.. they must look negatively on that.. YES.

Also someone posted earlier about PCOM making adjustments for a student to do his JD at Rugers at the same time as finishing his DO... More proof of how much they hate lawyers becoming DO!!!!

You can be like me ... and have a degree in Basket Waving and a minor in flirtation, but yet.. if you make a good story. And you are willing to work hard. They should be very comfortable with accepting me.

Being different has always been the rules the DO school go by... so I would stop making assumptions.

 

[Echiro98]

BackTalk, thanks for for the two cents. I went to Texas Chiropractic College.

I graduated from TCC in 1998 and I'm now applying to osteopathic and medical schools. I'm forty with six kids. I had six kids from 2 to 9 during chiro school and managed to graduate magna cum laude in 10 tri's! So I have NO doubt that I can manage med school. My kids are 11 to 20 now!
But I wish I had done it six years ago, right out of TCC. Go NOW! Oh yes, I had to take the MCAT and No, I can't have advanced standing, here or in reputable caribbean schools.

 

[Geronimo]

Since I am a chiropractor I'll add a little to the discussion.

That is good to know. Sources are usually more accurate than those in other professions. Stereotypes can be pervasive in our country, or for that matter, any country.

Geronimo, I think your friend is blowin smoke. Everyone takes the MCAT. Are you sure that your friend is not talking about a Caribbean medical school? I believe a DC degree gets advanced standing at those schools.

I would have to agree with you after last night. In a polite and tactful manner, I asked Dr. Hutton which schools he had received such offers from. He replied, ?I think it was a school in Lansford, England and the University of Queensland, Australia.? I asked about the Caribbean schools and he said he thought he had received stuff from them as well. He touted it as if getting an M.D. was no big deal.

Also, I know of no state that allows a DC to write prescriptions, maybe for PT or something like that, but not prescription medication. I practice in Illinois and I can tell you it is probably the most liberal state to practice for a chiropractor.

I suppose I?m going to have to research this some more. I asked about writing prescriptions and he said ?you know, TN is the most backwoods part of our country when it comes to treating patients as an D.C. (To which I pondered why he is here then.) but in places like IL, I could get you antibiotics or a referral to another physician on your insurance or whatever you needed. Either he is stubborn, prideful, or I suppose he could just be ignorant of the actual laws. Maybe he?s just been told this. His wife was standing right beside him (she?s also a DC) and didn?t correct a word he said. She does tend to be the quiet type though.

Backtalk, thanks for your input. I am accepted at both MD and DO schools but am currently leaning towards an MD school, much to the chagrin of Dr. Hutton. His humble opinion is the DO?s are more well-rounded in their approach to human health. What is your opinion?

Well, I'm not sure how to take this, but the kind of doctor does matter. A MD or a DO, having graduated from an accredited medical school, passed the appropriate exams, and completed the necessary residency training has rights and responsibilities very different from other types of doctor.

FoughtFyr, I will try and assume that I have a misconception of your tone. I fear that you are forgetting that premeds are real people too and if we have a little misinformation about a subject, you can?t wait to correct us with a heavy hand. If you want to understand what I meant when I said ?the kind of doctor you are is way more important than the letters behind your name. There are crapload M.D.s who I wouldn?t trust my dog with and then there are M.D.?s who deserve 5 times what I pay them? I will gladly elaborate.

My grandfather died in the 70?s b/c a chiropractor failed to realize (after 11 months of treatment) that he had back cancer. My aunt has been scarred for life b/c her surgeon was high on crack during her TKR. Doctors of any sort who are drug addicts, alcoholics, etc.. or even just think that they can?t make mistakes are dangerous and I honestly wouldn?t trust my dog with them.

There is great merit in a doctor (MD or DO) who has completed med school, passed boards, etc? One would like to think that it is a full proof system, but it isn?t. There is no such thing as a full proof system. I think the perfect world would have doctors who are interested in helping people and not so focused on the letters at the end of the name, even DC's. More importantly is what they are doing with those letters (or the training that entitled them to those letters). Are they abusing them or truly using them to help others?

Physicians are given such incredible knowledge and power. Wielding it, one must take on a tremendous sense of responsibility and caution, always remembering to first,"do no harm."

 

[BackTalk]

Geronimo, I'm not sure what to think about this guy. As a DC there is no pharmacy that will honor a script written by a DC. Maybe he has a MD that he works with in town where he can send people if he thinks the patient needs an antibiotic. Maybe that is what he meant.

As far as a referral to a physician, there is no state that prohibits or limits a chiropractor from referring to a medical physician. Any DC in any state could refer the patient to a MD regardless of insurance coverage. The guy needs to feel important. I think he is just talking out his ass.

After I graduated DC school I too received a lot of the post cards from medical schools outside of the US.

My grandfather died in the 70?s b/c a chiropractor failed to realize (after 11 months of treatment) that he had back cancer.

Sorry to hear that. I can't imagine treating someone for that long when obviously they were probably getting worse. After a week or two the DC should have noticed that the patient wasn't responding and referred him. Back then we didn't have MRI. Not sure about CT. Also, I'm not sure if a DC had authority to order blood work or advanced imaging like they do today. Back then medical doctors and hospitals wanted nothing to do with DC's. I think back then a MD wouldn't see a patient if they we referred by a DC. Anyway, chiropractic school has come a long way since the 70's. A few months ago, I had a patient who had "back cancer". He had a spinal tumor that the MRI I ordered missed by two centimeters. Another MRI was ordered and confirmed the tumor. Many times, many conditions can mimic back pain. Being in practice is what helps. We unfortunately lack a residency so we do not see these things until they wander into our offices. We do see some in internship but that is only a year long with no rotations through various types of specialties like MD/DO have. The more you see the better you get at recognizing it.

 

[FoughtFyr]

FoughtFyr, I will try and assume that I have a misconception of your tone. I fear that you are forgetting that premeds are real people too and if we have a little misinformation about a subject, you can?t wait to correct us with a heavy hand. If you want to understand what I meant when I said ?the kind of doctor you are is way more important than the letters behind your name. There are crapload M.D.s who I wouldn?t trust my dog with and then there are M.D.?s who deserve 5 times what I pay them? I will gladly elaborate.

Nope. I was responding to your quote "I?m sure the island schools would love to suck away some of his Chiro money just so he can add an M.D. Which, an M.D. really doesn?t mean anything anymore."

An M.D. (or a D.O.) means quite a lot. And there is a significant difference between these doctorates and others, including the D.C. I am certainly not saying that all M.D./D.O.s are good and all others are bad. Nor am I saying that M.D.s or D.O.s are infallable or otherwise superhuman. But, if you are about to go through the training, you should realize the degree "means something".

And that was not even close to heavy handed.

There is great merit in a doctor (MD or DO) who has completed med school, passed boards, etc? One would like to think that it is a full proof system, but it isn?t. There is no such thing as a full proof system. I think the perfect world would have doctors who are interested in helping people and not so focused on the letters at the end of the name, even DC's. More importantly is what they are doing with those letters (or the training that entitled them to those letters). Are they abusing them or truly using them to help others?

Ah, idealism and youth. How I miss them both.

- H

 

[FoughtFyr]

I suppose I?m going to have to research this some more. I asked about writing prescriptions and he said ?you know, TN is the most backwoods part of our country when it comes to treating patients as an D.C. (To which I pondered why he is here then.) but in places like IL, I could get you antibiotics or a referral to another physician on your insurance or whatever you needed. Either he is stubborn, prideful, or I suppose he could just be ignorant of the actual laws. Maybe he?s just been told this. His wife was standing right beside him (she?s also a DC) and didn?t correct a word he said. She does tend to be the quiet type though.

First of all, while I may disagree with BackTalk on occasion, he does practice chiropractic in Illinois. I think he probably knows what he is talking about. Personally, I hold both an undergraduate degree in health policy and an MPH both from the University of Illinois. So let me reinforce BackTalk - chiropractors can not prescribe in Illinois (or any other state). Do whatever research you would like. I will make it easy on you. Most of chiropractic is based on maximizing health without the use of drugs. The state practice laws governing chiropractic do not allow prescriptions, but more importantly, the DEA does not. As BackTalk has pointed out on other threads, most chiropractors don't want to. For a dated, but relevant discussion on this point see:http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/1994/mar/mar1994e.htm .

- H

 

[medic170]

DC's can not prescribe medications in any state at any time for any reason!

 

[BMW19]

By the way don't count on having your good GPA in chiro school count too much. They are not counted in your AACOMAS GPA at all. It is considered professional coursework, which gets looked at but not counted. A lot of people have the misconception that if they had a 3.5 in professional school it will get them into med school. Take it from someone who knows. I think the only post-grad GPA that counts is Pharmacy but I could be wrong. Kind of unfair I think. I am only mentioning it because someone stated that a professional GPA got their friend in ( combined with other factors).

BMW-

 

[Echiro98]

By the way don't count on having your good GPA in chiro school count too much. They are not counted in your AACOMAS GPA at all. It is considered professional coursework, which gets looked at but not counted. A lot of people have the misconception that if they had a 3.5 in professional school it will get them into med school. Take it from someone who knows. I think the only post-grad GPA that counts is Pharmacy but I could be wrong. Kind of unfair I think. I am only mentioning it because someone stated that a professional GPA got their friend in ( combined with other factors).

BMW-

The graduate GPA IS counted on the AMCAS (MD) application. It reads Undergrad GPA and then directly below is the Grad GPA. With my grad bio, chem, and physics, my science GPA is 3.81 and overall GPA is 3.79. The grad GPA may not matter on AACOMAS but it sure matters on the AMCAS.

 

[docbill]

GRADUATE GPA is counted on the AACOMAS application. Otherwise I would not be here. Professional degrees are not counted.

 

[BMW19]

Docbill,

I was referring to chiropractic GPA from chiro school. That is considered professional coursework and is not counting for anything except maybe a kudos for getting a professional degree. Graduate GPA, such as getting a Master's Degree may very well be counted. That is not what we were discussing though.

BMW-

 

[roqlizard]

Hey man, Go for it! I'm a MSII at DMU and we have/had a husband wife pair that were both practicing D.C.'s in our class. I'm pretty sure they are close to 50 years old. I give them major props for giving it a go! Experience is always positive on an application. If you can demonstrate through either your MCAT or GPA that you can handle the academic load you should be alright.

 

[Quakkilla]

......So here I am now; I wonder if Im to old to even consider this, I would be 30 when I started (Fall 2006)..........

I am an older premed myself, i am currently 25, also a nontrad (RN). This is what my all wise grandfather told me when i was doing the toss up between CRNA school or med shcool. "If you go to CRNA school you will get out a few years earlier, and if you go to med school you will be getting out at thirty. Well son you are going to be thirty anyway you look at it, might as well be doing what you want (in the best southern, rocking chair accent)"

That is all it took for me, and here i am applying to school. If this is what you want to do go for it. Don't turn aournd at 40 and say i should have.

 

[vtdo07]

In response to WallerDC's original post I would like to chime in on a few things which I think may seem to be missing in the replies and might be helpful.
I am currently a third year DO student and my classmates come from a varying range of backgrounds. My oldest classmate I believe is in their mid to late forties at this time.
I noticed you mentioned that your wife is an MD, but I am not sure from your posts how many DO's you interact with on a daily basis. The reason being that many DO schools are now making it mandatory (or preffered) that you have a recommendation from a DO. I think most people probably just assume that this would not be a problem for you based on your background, but just in case you may want to get this detail out of the way before you apply. Interaction with a practicing DO seems to be a big thing when interviewing/applying (this info comes from my own personal experience, friends which are DOs, and a family member which is part of the dept. of admissions for a DO school). The DO community is extremely closeknit as compared with our MD counterparts, so who you know/worked with can do wonders to get you over the hump.
As far as the issue of your age, when applying to Osteopathic schools this is for the most part a non-issue as already stated by previous posts. The Osteopathic candidate comes from varied backgrounds and hold graduate/professional degrees across the board so there is definitely no need for concern in this department. However age does begin to make a difference once you begin applying for residencies. People may be quick to chime in and disagree, however I have first hand knowledge from more than a few individuals about age bias, be it a DO or MD residency program. This shouldn't be an area of concern for you because you are only 28, however the point being if you are going to do it, do it sooner than later unless you are interested in a primary care practice. The more competative specialities, i.e. Derm, Ortho, etc..., age may become an issue. All this being said, I just wanted to give you a little food for thought if you have any hesitancy going forward. I don't want this to come off as sounding negative in any way, but I only want to caution you to some of the negatives of applying as an older candidate.

Best of Luck...............