D.O. questions

[zootsuit_man]

Hi everyone!

I am applying to D.O. schools (for the entering class of 2003) and I had some questions if someone could help the zoot man out?

1.) Do D.O. schools really need a recommendation from a D.O. doctor? I have a two letters of recommendations from doctors but their M.D.s I would feel sort of cheap to go find a D.O. just to get a letter of recommendation.

2.) What can people tell me about Mich St. and Midwestern D.O. schools (both good and bad)?

3.) How do u tell your family and friends about the difference between M.D. and D.O. schools? I usually tell people that D.O. take a more "holistic" approach to medicine. Is my definition of D.O. schools lacking?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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[ADR273]

Most, if not all DO schools require a letter of recommendation form a DO. I suggest you start to look for a DO to shadow!

MSU mainly takes Michigan residents-approximately 80% for a class size of roughly 125 students- I think

Good Luck with you applications.

 

[DocWagner]

No, DO's do not take a more holistic approach to medicine...they simply take an additional class in manual medicine. Perhaps they take a more "hands on" approach to physical diagnosis and perhaps treatment, but "holistic" is a media catchphrase which means absolutely ZERO...much like the term "organic".

DO's have traditionally been more primary care oriented, as the manual medicine classes tend to be an adjunct to primary care treatment. But you will obviously see DO's in every field.

Both Midwestern and MSU are excellent schools. Truth be known, in any region where there are MD programs, the DO programs are considered much like the "red headed stepchild". Kinda funny, but that is the truth. I went to KC, and there was UMKC and KU in our town, and we were always the "other medical school" despite our fantastic students and faculty.

 

[AYLC]

zootsuit_man:
Do a little search in this forum. These questions has been discussed before and there are some very good suggestions might be helpful to you.

 

[SoCal]

Here is an easy vague answer you can give...pay attention to the order. Say...MD's do the same thing we do, while we have some added training in OMM. This is vague, and does not really show your whole appreciation for osteopathy, but will be understandable to the lay person.

 

[Lisa_OSU]

As far as a letter of rec, don't feel bad about approaching a D.O. just to get a lette of rec. They all know you need a letter from a D.O. to apply to an osteopathic school, so most of them should be used to doing that for students. If you don't know any personally, maybe you have friends or family members whose doctor is a D.O., and you could make contact with that doc. You could shadow with them, or they may just want to schedule an interview with you and ask you for a C.V. (If possible, I think it would be better to spend a couple of afternoons shadowing them.)

If you absolutely don't know any D.O.'s, sometimes the schools will be able to suggest some names of people. Or perhaps your state's Osteopathic Association.

 

[DOtobe]

I can tell you that some schools (although not many) don't necessarily require a letter of recommendation from a DO, but they are highly recommended. You may be able to get into a school without a DO letter, but your chances of being accepted will be greatly increased if you have one.

Don't know anything about the DO schools you asked about. I have a friend who goes to MSU and she really likes it. That's all I know about it.

As for explaining what a DO is, I find that the easiest way to explain it (although I by no means agree with it) is DO = MD+chiropractor. It's a whole lot easier to say that to people who don't understand than to go into this whole spiel (sp?) of different philosophies, different practices, etc. This watered-down definition usually satisfies people who are wondering what a DO is.

 

[osteopeddoc]

HI zootsuit man.
BTW, what is a zoot suit? Can someone please fill me in??Ok, if I were you, I would go ahead and send in your applications w/o the letter from the DO, but state on your application that you will/are shadowing a DO (FInd one and shadow one ASAP). It will help u to know what DOs do. Then, when you have shadowed him for awhile, pop the question of the LOR. Send it in to the different schools. That way, you will have gotten experience, but not wasted time sending out your apps.
Michigan is a state focused school-thats why I didn't apply there. DOn't know much else.
The holisitc term is correct, but for most people, it sounds like witch craft. Back it up with examples of how most DOs look at symptoms to try to find a connection that relates to skeletalmuscular alignment after other possibilities are eliminated. They believe the bodies "form" is very significant in affecting function. the chiropractor definition is good, since chiropractic medicine is an offshoot of osteopathic medicine.
Try to go to a DO that specializes in OMM. That would be EXTREMELY helpful. then, you can feel cranial/cerebralspinal rhythms. Also, read osteopathic books. its amazing how much AT STIll did without the use of any drugs.This all will help you understand what osteopathy entails.