Choosing DO right off the bat?

[j814wong]

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Did any of you, upon learning about a DO and what a DO education encompasses without knowing your MCAT score, decide that you wanted to go to DO Medical School over an MD Medical School? If so, why?

Or simply put, how many people actually applied and went to a DO school not as a last resort to not being accepted into an MD school?

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[GUH]

I didn't try applying to MD after learning about DO.

My science GPA was rather low without grade replacement and I figured it would be a pain in the butt to fill out another set of applications that would likely yield no results when I could go DO, have a better chance, and still be a good physician. Also I heard that there is less gunning among DO students, especially if you're interested in primary care, which I am. I like other things about DO schools but those two (grade replacement and less cut-throat behavior) were the main ones that initially grabbed my attention.

inb4 "GUH's MCAT must've sucked". I did better than most MD matriculants so that wasn't a factor.

 

[DolFAN]

I didn't know I was going to apply DO till I began to work with them in the ER. After working in healthcare for some time I realized that no one cared if you were DO/MD. My favorite physician to work with and the guy I aspire to be like is a DO. That's why I decided to apply DO.

 

[darklabel]

Grade replacement, the fact that my school is in an area I want to practice in and the fact that DO = MD is something that got me into the idea of DO. Granted, I'm still trying MD regardless.

 

[MedPR]

Did any of you, upon learning about a DO and what a DO education encompasses without knowing your MCAT score, decide that you wanted to go to DO Medical School over an MD Medical School? If so, why?

Or simply put, how many people actually applied and went to a DO school not as a last resort to not being accepted into an MD school?

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[j814wong]

Uh what?

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[NeuroLAX]

Uh what?

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Waiting for something that hopefully never comes.

 

[MedPR]

Waiting for something that hopefully never comes.

You know it's coming.

 

[NeuroLAX]

You know it's coming.

It's SDN, which means it is inevitable. Le sigh.

 

[darklabel]

Well you are the one who gave me hope for MD 😍

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

Did any of you, upon learning about a DO and what a DO education encompasses without knowing your MCAT score, decide that you wanted to go to DO Medical School over an MD Medical School? If so, why?

Or simply put, how many people actually applied and went to a DO school not as a last resort to not being accepted into an MD school?

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Look, you are going to find people in any class that would choose DO over MD no matter what. Maybe they know a DO in their past they really like, maybe they have been treated by OMM and found it fascinating, or maybe they are A.T. Still's great great great great grandchild. But they are the minority. Some would chose a DO school over MD due to location. This makes up a good chuck. More then I expected before attending, actually.

However, the majority probably really just want to be physicians first and foremost. The fact is that less doors are closed to you as an MD then as a DO. Most would probably hve chosen MD if it had been offered. It doesn't diminish the value of the education just because its not your first choice. Its still a viable avenue to achieve your dream. SDN puts way too much into MD vs DO.

Yes I know I responded to an MD vs DO thread. But I am bored with immunology and so I indulged.

 

[MedPR]

Uh what?

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Use the search function. You'll see this topic has been covered about a million times here on SDN. You'll also see what threads like these turn into.

It's SDN, which means it is inevitable. Le sigh.

But it's got a better chance of survival here in pre-osteo compared to pre-allo.

Well you are the one who gave me hope for MD 😍

👍👍

 

[as1212559]

The overwhelming majority of students at my future DO school are probably there because it is in-state and public. This is not a bad thing, just an indication that location does play a big role at some schools.

 

[IslandStyle808]

You know it's coming.

It's SDN, which means it is inevitable. Le sigh.

Well you are the one who gave me hope for MD 😍

Let me be the first to do this...


























Wait I think I just added fuel to the flame....

 

[MedPR]

The overwhelming majority of students at my future DO school are probably there because it is in-state and public. This is not a bad thing, just an indication that location does play a big role at some schools.

I predict this will be the beginning.

 

[NeuroLAX]

I predict this will be the beginning.

Nah, the JRF on that post was like a 1 on a 10-point scale.

JRF = Jimmie Rustling Factor, where 0 = no jimmies rustled and 10 = catastrophic jimmie rustling.

 

[MedPR]

Nah, the JRF on that post was like a 1 on a 10-point scale.

JRF = Jimmie Rustling Factor, where 0 = no jimmies rustled and 10 = catastrophic jimmie rustling.

Yea, low JRF, but it is a perfect transition for someone (unwittingly or not) to ask about public MD schools in the same state.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

i knew i wanted to go to DMU before I knew there was a difference between osteopathic and allopathic.

 

[SLC]

I wanted to go to my state MD school more than anything until I found out about the school I'm currently at. It just so happens that it's DO which got me researching what DO was all about. I liked what I heard/read so that's the direction I took.

If my current school awarded the MD I'd have been working on an MD right now though; because more than anything else, I really like the mission and curriculum at my school.

For me MD vs DO is good for entertainment value on SDN, but that's about it.

I predict the usual suspects will be along fairly soon. These threads is like a tractor beam to those with fragile egos (on both sides of the argument).

 

[Ost3oclast]

You know it's coming.

Soon gentlemen. Soon. I give it until tomorrow some time to morph into a beast.

 

[abolt18]

I'll give it to you straight. After a dismal first year and realizing what I wanted to do I figured med school was a long shot but I'd go for it. As soon as I learned about DO I thought OMM would be awesome to learn and simply being realistic with my goals and my grades, I set my sights to apply only DO. Did a few things to make me stand out for DO schools (like starting a pre-soma chapter at my school) and I applied only to DO schools. I did well on the MCAT but only spent 9 days really cramming for it (lots of practice tests) right before. If I was applying MD I would have had to put in a lot more effort and would have retaken after getting a 28, which I didn't want to do while doing school and work full time and trying to spend time with my pregnant (at that time) wife. I also didn't do one bit of research.

Basically, if I hadn't screwed up that first year I probably would've applied MD also, but instead I went where I knew I'd be more successful. Could I have gotten into MD this year? Maybe, but I really don't care at all and I'll never look back and say "oh what if I'd applied to MD schools also."

 

[DrBumblebee]

My story: being a non-trad, career-changer applicant, I've come to realize that I could attend to a US-DO school to become a successful, US physician trained on my homeland. By that choice, I was literally saved from falling into the Caribbean med school representatives' trap, and throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars away in exchange of the "hope" of coming back to the US soil and working as a primary care physician, one day.

Seriously, I've come to understand that many of the "DO vs MD" threads opened regularly, and the flame wars following thereafter, must have been either originated or supported by the Caribbean med school representatives on SDN.

Their intention clearly is to discredit the US-DO schools in the hopes of selling their golden keys to the after-life of having the MD after your name and becoming a "hopeful" physician in the US, one day.

I wish the government gives this "MD vs. DO" title confusion an end, and unifies both degrees under one name asap; MD, Dr., etc., I don't care.

 

[JGimpel]

My story: being a non-trad, career-changer applicant, I've come to realize that I could attend to a US-DO school to become a successful, US physician trained on my homeland. By that choice, I was literally saved from falling into the Caribbean med school representatives' trap, and throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars away in exchange of the "hope" of coming back to the US soil and working as a primary care physician, one day.

Seriously, I've come to understand that many of the "DO vs MD" threads opened regularly, and the flame wars following thereafter, must have been either originated or supported by the Caribbean med school representatives on SDN.

This is good detective work on behalf of DrBumblebee and genius on the part of the Caribbean schools! I bet students are forced to post these petty arguments while calling up Alumni for money or answering inbound calls from anxious pre-meds wanting to be sold the dream.👍

 

[Xlorgguss]

When I first started looking at SDN I looked through the osteopathic forum and really liked the ideas and the sort of community. I have to say I was more disappointed after learning that OMM wasn't as popular as I had hoped. I thought it sounded really awesome and was bummed that many students find it boring and a crock. After reading about some of the stigmas and difficulties landing specific specialties I was bummed as well. But I will be thrilled if I go MD or DO. Medical school is medical school.

 

[DrBumblebee]

When I first started looking at SDN I looked through the osteopathic forum and really liked the ideas and the sort of community. I have to say I was more disappointed after learning that OMM wasn't as popular as I had hoped. I thought it sounded really awesome and was bummed that many students find it boring and a crock. After reading about some of the stigmas and difficulties landing specific specialties I was bummed as well. But I will be thrilled if I go MD or DO. Medical school is medical school.

Really?! So, how do you feel when you've read some didn't like to study biochem or gross anatomy much at the US-DO or US-MD schools? Are you gonna be bummed again?

There are only many specialties after med school to choose among, which would fit to the type of physician profile you have. Some would love OMM while some doesn't, which is quite normal. Some would love medicine while some would fall in love with surgery, too. It depends on the personality.

I'd love to learn any piece of applicable technique and information that is available on earth to heal my patients. So, I'll definitely embrace OMM and make the best use out of it. It would only make me more versatile as a future physician, not less.

US-DO or US-MD, both are gonna give the same quality of medical education as well as the opportunity to land a suitable specialty you'd deserve. It should be only the Caribbean med schools for you to criticize and to have reservations against.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

Soon gentlemen. Soon. I give it until tomorrow some time to morph into a beast.

 

[Ost3oclast]

Lol something like that. Actually though, looks like I was wrong.

 

[calvinhobbes]

I think I fit your description pretty well. While in undergrad and maintaining a high honors GPA, I learned about osteopathic medicine and formed a DO club long before taking the MCAT. I'm now a third-year DO student and don't regret a thing.

If I end up doing something like family medicine or psychiatry, I'm sure I'll be posting something similar someday, like, "I scored over a standard deviation above average on COMLEX and chose to do psychiatry."

Do what you want to do. Forget everyone else.

This. 👍 🙂

 

[j814wong]

Thanks for all the great posts, information, and personal, experiences anyone. I'm also interested in DO based on what I've read of it. Of course, I wouldn't really mind going to DO or MD as long as the school's curriculum fits me well.

Can a moderator close this thread before it turns ugly?

 

[Xlorgguss]

Really?! So, how do you feel when you've read some didn't like to study biochem or gross anatomy much at the US-DO or US-MD schools? Are you gonna be bummed again?

There are only many specialties after med school to choose among, which would fit to the type of physician profile you have. Some would love OMM while some doesn't, which is quite normal. Some would love medicine while some would fall in love with surgery, too. It depends on the personality.

I'd love to learn any piece of applicable technique and information that is available on earth to heal my patients. So, I'll definitely embrace OMM and make the best use out of it. It would only make me more versatile as a future physician, not less.

US-DO or US-MD, both are gonna give the same quality of medical education as well as the opportunity to land a suitable specialty you'd deserve. It should be only the Caribbean med schools for you to criticize and to have reservations against.

I just meant with threads trying to figure out the least amount of OMM time possible for schools it was a little unnerving. I for one would be very enthusiastic to learn some OMM techniques. Let's be honest how many pre-meds have any exposure to these techniques or first hand experience so that they could make a judgement like that? Does not loving OMM make you a "bad DO" of course not! It's just something that is specific to osteopathic medicine and I think it can be a valuable tool for certain fields.

And I was agreeing that medical school is medical school. 🙄 Some subspecialties can be more difficult to match as a DO since the AOA doesn't have the same number of programs and not every AAMC program is DO friendly. That's all I was making a comment on. Not the education itself.

 

[Back 5]

DO vs MD is virtually meaningless for me. I just want to be accepted somewhere. Presently I am acutely aware of the stigma and limitations with various degrees within healthcare and in an ideal world I would like to attend MD because it removes any and all "barriers" for future placement. On the other hand, I have been outright told not to apply to my state MD school because of my non-trad background, so there's that 😍 I have, however, been given very positive feedback from the DO schools I have contacted, given my background, so DO schools will be the vast majority of my application pool 😀

At the end of the day, it's going to be my hard work and perseverance that makes the difference, not the DO vs MD.

 

[DrBumblebee]

I just meant with threads trying to figure out the least amount of OMM time possible for schools it was a little unnerving. I for one would be very enthusiastic to learn some OMM techniques. Let's be honest how many pre-meds have any exposure to these techniques or first hand experience so that they could make a judgement like that? Does not loving OMM make you a "bad DO" of course not! It's just something that is specific to osteopathic medicine and I think it can be a valuable tool for certain fields.

And I was agreeing that medical school is medical school. 🙄 Some subspecialties can be more difficult to match as a DO since the AOA doesn't have the same number of programs and not every AAMC program is DO friendly. That's all I was making a comment on. Not the education itself.

It seems like you're very well misinformed. Come 2015, all residency programs to apply would be under ACGME umbrella. Thus, any US-DO or US-MD graduate would be able to apply to any programs. There won't be any AOA sponsored residency programs, at all.

Therefore, if you get an acceptance from a US-DO or US-MD school, then you should assume yourself very lucky.

They're gonna be only the Caribbean med school graduates who would regret much about their lack of judgement and/or misfaith back at then by not attending to a US-DO med school.

 

[cliquesh]

It seems like you're very well misinformed. Come 2015, all residency programs to apply would be under ACGME umbrella. Thus, any US-DO or US-MD graduate would be able to apply to any programs. There won't be any AOA sponsored residency programs, at all.

Therefore, if you get an acceptance from a US-DO or US-MD school, then you should assume yourself very lucky.

They're gonna be only the Caribbean med school graduates who would regret much about their lack of judgement and/or misfaith back at then by not attending to a US-DO med school.

Just because they are merging the GME accreditation bodies doesn't mean it will be any better than it is now. Specific programs and specialities that currently do not interview DOs will continue to not interview DOs after the merger.

If they were merging the medical school accreditation bodies then things would be different.

 

[MedPR]

It seems like you're very well misinformed. Come 2015, all residency programs to apply would be under ACGME umbrella. Thus, any US-DO or US-MD graduate would be able to apply to any programs. There won't be any AOA sponsored residency programs, at all.

Therefore, if you get an acceptance from a US-DO or US-MD school, then you should assume yourself very lucky.

They're gonna be only the Caribbean med school graduates who would regret much about their lack of judgement and/or misfaith back at then by not attending to a US-DO med school.

Right, except the anti-DO ACGME PDs will still snub DOs as they did pre-merger. There was never a regulation that banned ACGME programs from taking DOs. There are just people who don't like DOs and the merger doesn't change that.

 

[SLC]

Just because they are merging the accreditation bodies doesn't mean it will be any better than it is now. Specific programs and specialities that currently do not interview DOs will continue to not interview DOs after the merger.

This, at least for a while anyway.

But fortunately for us, that cuts both ways I'm sure.

So the way I see it, the only thing this merger accomplished initially is to preserve our theoretical eligibility for ACGME fellowships (which was in jeopardy before the announcement of the merger), and to give us all the ability to say we trained in an ACGME post doctoral program (yippee) 🙄

 

[Brumz]

I am hoping to get accepted into a DO program.
I did undergrad with no intentions of med school. People from my hillbilly family just don't do that kind of thing.
It wasn't until after I graduated, and realized that I had a GPA that would qualify that I decided to give it a shot.

Grade Replacement really helps, as I had some terrible grades from like 10 years ago when I first went to college.

MD isn't an option for me, but I'm going to do my best to get into DO.
If not, then probably Podiatry.

 

[Skeeks]

I knew from the beginning that I would apply to both DO and MD schools. I will attend either one depending on which schools I am accepted into, and from that list which I like the most. I dont care about anything else except becoming a doctor, and I know that reguardless of possible limitations from my future med school (because every school will have some limitation) I can do whatever I want in medicine so long as I work for it.

 

[DrBumblebee]

Just because they are merging the GME accreditation bodies doesn't mean it will be any better than it is now. Specific programs and specialities that currently do not interview DOs will continue to not interview DOs after the merger.

If they were merging the medical school accreditation bodies then things would be different.

Things are being changed for a reason. I'm pretty sure everything would be quite different than they used to be. Just bare with everyone and see. Only those, who will be graduating until 2015, might feel the pain both ways. Then on, things would be so much different. I guess there're some strong governmental motivation to this change.

 

[MedPR]

Things are being changed for a reason. I'm pretty sure everything would be quite different than they used to be. Just bare with everyone and see. Only those, who will be graduating until 2015, might feel the pain both ways. Then on, things would be so much different. I guess there're some strong governmental motivation to this change.

It's great that you're hopeful, but you're being way too naive.

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[DrBowtie]

Things are being changed for a reason. I'm pretty sure everything would be quite different than they used to be. Just bare with everyone and see. Only those, who will be graduating until 2015, might feel the pain both ways. Then on, things would be so much different. I guess there're some strong governmental motivation to this change.

To use your own language, "It seems like you're very well misinformed. "

 

[DrBumblebee]

It's great that you're hopeful, but you're being way too naive.

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Yes, I'm really hopeful in the way the unification of residency programs go. I'm expecting much bigger and better changes in the near future that will benefit all US physicians in large.

You told you had applied to US-DO schools at first, with the hopes of being accepted by at least one of them. Then, although having lower scores, your URM status had helped you to get acceptance to US-MD schools, as well. Then, all of a sudden, you turned out to be fighting ungracefully against the US-DO schools and students at countless threads. Why? What's your benefit from this attitude?

 

[MedPR]

Yes, I'm really hopeful in the way the unification of residency programs go. I'm expecting much bigger and better changes in the near future that will benefit all US physicians in large.

You told you had applied to US-DO schools at first, with the hopes of being accepted by at least one of them. Then, although having lower scores, your URM status had helped you to get acceptance to US-MD schools, as well. Then, all of a sudden, you turned out to be fighting ungracefully against the US-DO schools and students at countless threads. Why? What's your benefit from this attitude?

I'm not fighting against DO. I'm being realistic about what the merger means and doesn't mean. I've said from day one that DO=MD except when it comes to matching.

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[09128734]

It's great that you're hopeful, but you're being way too naive.

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oh, i do remember that not too long ago in the cycle you were a "hopeful DO". you know, i was just wondering what your "realistic view" on the topic would have been if you were accepted DO and had no MD's acceptances 🙄

 

[MedPR]

oh, i do remember that not too long ago in the cycle you were a "hopeful DO". you know, i was just wondering what your "realistic view" on the topic would have been if you were accepted DO and had no MD's acceptances 🙄

Go back and read my posts. I have been saying the same stuff since before I got accepted to MD.

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[MedPR]

oh, i do remember that not too long ago in the cycle you were a "hopeful DO". you know, i was just wondering what your "realistic view" on the topic would have been if you were accepted DO and had no MD's acceptances 🙄

A change in accreditation doesn't affect anyone's opinion of DOs.

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[GopherMD]

A change in accreditation doesn't affect anyone's opinion of DOs.

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The only different I've noticed with MedPR is the rapidly rising post count 😉