DC to MD

[gmara2044]

Hello all....I'm looking for info/advice on the Caribbean Med School option. I'm currently a chiropractic student, will be graduating in Dec. '06 I am not attending one of the "subluxation-based" quackary mills, however I am still aware of the stigma that will be attached to my DC degree. When I was young and naive I thought a Dr is a Dr is a Dr; obviously reality has finally set in. I'm planning on taking the MCAT's in Jan and will repeat in April if necessary. I do have a BS (undergrad GPA 3.3), DC GPA will be around 3.6. I have completed a 16-week musculoskeletal preceptorship through a hospital and am currently completing a 16-week internship in a pain management clinic. I offer this information only to show that my training/philosopy is based on integrated care and manual medicine and not "traditional chiropractic."
I do love manual medicine, I'm just a little nervice about the future of chiropractic. My interest would be to place in a decent PM&R residency after Med School. What are the chances of a Caribbean School providing this opportunity? Does anyone know how my chiropractic training will be viewed both stateside and internationally?
Thank you for your help...

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[erichaj]

I don't know what classes you have to take in chiropractic school but if your undergrad gpa is 3.3 in science then you should be ok in caribean school.

PM&R is very possible. I knew about 3 chiropractors who went to medical school.

You might want to try a DO program before caribean.

 

[SabaMed]

We have a couple DC's in my class and I might be able to put you in touch with them directly. Private message me. I know they are doing very well and had it a little easier than most of us because alot of the material is repeated which is a huge advantage.

 

[MDstudent101]

Like I heard somewhere, a DC wanted an MD degree, he went to med school got his MD degree and came back to one of his freinds that was a DO. And the DO told him "now you are almost a DO"!!!...lol

If you have the philosophy as you said "manual medicine" then go DO. But if you just want to be an MD then go MD. Ive heard of DC's going to med school and doing excelent because some of the curriculum is repeated...

So good luck in you're desicion just dn't make one you'll regret..... 😉

 

[utorontograd]

If you go to htpp:www.valuemd.com > Medical University of the Americas - Nevis > look for a guy named drjohnwebb. He's a chiropractor heading to MUA N in May. Ask him directly. He's a great guy and he's always very informed on these things.

I hope he doesn't mind me posting this.

 

[cooldreams]

Like I heard somewhere, a DC wanted an MD degree, he went to med school got his MD degree and came back to one of his freinds that was a DO. And the DO told him "now you are almost a DO"!!!...lol

If you have the philosophy as you said "manual medicine" then go DO. But if you just want to be an MD then go MD. Ive heard of DC's going to med school and doing excelent because some of the curriculum is repeated...

So good luck in you're desicion just dn't make one you'll regret..... 😉

most DOs would take offense to someone saying that DC + MD = DO (or close to it) .... DO philosophy is different, and the OMM is different...

 

[awdc]

I can relate to your situation. I practiced chiropractic for less than a year before entering med school. Currently, a 4th year student from a Caribbean med school (Ross University) doing rotations in NYC. At Ross, there was always at least a few DC's in each class and in general, we did well. Ross seems to like chiropractors, stateside med schools less so. Although, DO med schools are more receptive to DC's. If my friend agrees to it, I can also put you in touch with a former DC in DO school. Just PM me.

PM&R seems to be getting a little more competitive but is still very doable coming from any one of the well-known Caribbean med schools. My recommendation is keep your options open; you might find something else you like even more. Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns.

 

[Terpskins99]

Hello all....I'm looking for info/advice on the Caribbean Med School option. I'm currently a chiropractic student, will be graduating in Dec. '06 I am not attending one of the "subluxation-based" quackary mills, however I am still aware of the stigma that will be attached to my DC degree. When I was young and naive I thought a Dr is a Dr is a Dr; obviously reality has finally set in. I'm planning on taking the MCAT's in Jan and will repeat in April if necessary. I do have a BS (undergrad GPA 3.3), DC GPA will be around 3.6. I have completed a 16-week musculoskeletal preceptorship through a hospital and am currently completing a 16-week internship in a pain management clinic. I offer this information only to show that my training/philosopy is based on integrated care and manual medicine and not "traditional chiropractic."
I do love manual medicine, I'm just a little nervice about the future of chiropractic. My interest would be to place in a decent PM&R residency after Med School. What are the chances of a Caribbean School providing this opportunity? Does anyone know how my chiropractic training will be viewed both stateside and internationally?
Thank you for your help...

Not to discourage you from picking the Caribbeans (particularly Ross or St. Georges)... but I think you'd really fit in well at a DO program. One of the best students in my class is a former chiropractor (practiced over 10 years). He chose to go to med school because he wanted to pursue cancer research and therapy. And I personally think its a lot more convenient to stay in the states for medical school as opposed to flying all the way out there.

As for whether or not DO's would take offense to people calling DC+MD = DO... *shrug* who knows? What I do know is that the techniques are largely the same. Even the terminology for the techniques are identical (HVLA this, muscle energy that, texas twist, kirskville crunch, rays of the sun... etc, etc). Frankly, I don't understand why any DO would get so uptight admitting that OMM = chiropractics. So what. That doesn't make it any less relevant a treatment. At least the public understands "chiropractics".

Outside of the difference in titles ("DO" vs "MD")... is there any real reason why you're looking to venture so far away for school? MCATs? Even if you wanted to go to St. Georges, you'd need a recent MCAT score.

 

[stephew]

it wont be a problem if you get an MD degree. I had a pal who did the same thing at sgu.

Anyway I also strongly disagree with the DO vs IMG debate that claims one is patently better than the other. Some DO schools are better than some IMGs schools and vice versa (in terms of both quality and opportunity for the student) . Be ware of anyone who feels vehemently strong about one versus the other.

Note you will not be able to transfer credit- at least not in any honorable school. the reaosn is your tranfer credits wont count in the states for licensure and you're new MD degree would account for nothing.

Hello all....I'm looking for info/advice on the Caribbean Med School option. I'm currently a chiropractic student, will be graduating in Dec. '06 I am not attending one of the "subluxation-based" quackary mills, however I am still aware of the stigma that will be attached to my DC degree. When I was young and naive I thought a Dr is a Dr is a Dr; obviously reality has finally set in. I'm planning on taking the MCAT's in Jan and will repeat in April if necessary. I do have a BS (undergrad GPA 3.3), DC GPA will be around 3.6. I have completed a 16-week musculoskeletal preceptorship through a hospital and am currently completing a 16-week internship in a pain management clinic. I offer this information only to show that my training/philosopy is based on integrated care and manual medicine and not "traditional chiropractic."
I do love manual medicine, I'm just a little nervice about the future of chiropractic. My interest would be to place in a decent PM&R residency after Med School. What are the chances of a Caribbean School providing this opportunity? Does anyone know how my chiropractic training will be viewed both stateside and internationally?
Thank you for your help...

 

[stephew]

the "youre almost a DO" and the DC + MD = DO are clever comments. Their purpose is to serve to make people feel superior just so they can feel good about themselves,. People who feel they really need an MD and not a DO degree to be a real doctor are the flip side of this. They are more concerned with "being" a doc than with actually doing doctoring.

In medicine you see feeble attempts at one-ups-manship all the time; surgeons spouting that no one else is a real doctor; radiologists thinking they're intellectually superior than the surgical apes. Yet they both rely on each other and kick and whine if the other isnt there when they need them.


Do yourself a favor and dont get sucked up in the personal politics of insecurity. Figure out which decent schools will look at you (DO or IMG) , then figure out which ones suit you as well as which field in medicine. Let fools wind themselves up and don't you get too terribly caught up in it. Being happy with your chosen path way will shrink the background noise to barely audible.

Like I heard somewhere, a DC wanted an MD degree, he went to med school got his MD degree and came back to one of his freinds that was a DO. And the DO told him "now you are almost a DO"!!!...lol

If you have the philosophy as you said "manual medicine" then go DO. But if you just want to be an MD then go MD. Ive heard of DC's going to med school and doing excelent because some of the curriculum is repeated...

So good luck in you're desicion just dn't make one you'll regret..... 😉

 

[Doc-Hollywood]

Hello all....I'm looking for info/advice on the Caribbean Med School option. I'm currently a chiropractic student, will be graduating in Dec. '06 I am not attending one of the "subluxation-based" quackary mills, however I am still aware of the stigma that will be attached to my DC degree. When I was young and naive I thought a Dr is a Dr is a Dr; obviously reality has finally set in. I'm planning on taking the MCAT's in Jan and will repeat in April if necessary. I do have a BS (undergrad GPA 3.3), DC GPA will be around 3.6. I have completed a 16-week musculoskeletal preceptorship through a hospital and am currently completing a 16-week internship in a pain management clinic. I offer this information only to show that my training/philosopy is based on integrated care and manual medicine and not "traditional chiropractic."
I do love manual medicine, I'm just a little nervice about the future of chiropractic. My interest would be to place in a decent PM&R residency after Med School. What are the chances of a Caribbean School providing this opportunity? Does anyone know how my chiropractic training will be viewed both stateside and internationally?
Thank you for your help...

My roomate in medical school was a DC.
No stigma ( or very little ) at all during your education. No worries mate.
Remember, you are a medical student, studying medicine.

Nowadays, having any additional training can only help you especially these days when so many patients are seeking alternate therapies in addition to conventional ones.
I'm not sure how the DC aspect is received/treated in the PM&R community ( you should pose this question on the PM&R forum )
I know of plenty of caribbean grads doing PM&R though

Lots of chiros that became MD's via the caribbean.
One rule : DO NOT attend any offshore school that gives you advanced standing, or you WILL NEVER work as an MD in the United States.
try Saba, AUC, Ross, St Georges first and if you can't get into one of those perhaps you should reevaluate your choice of career.
You could always go DO if you can get admitted and want to avoid the risk of Dengue fever

 

[stephew]

pretty good overall advice.

Lots of chiros that became MD's via the caribbean.
One rule : DO NOT attend any offshore school that gives you advanced standing, or you WILL NEVER work as an MD in the United States.
try Saba, AUC, Ross, St Georges first and if you can't get into one of those perhaps you should reevaluate your choice of career.
You could always go DO if you can get admitted and want to avoid the risk of Dengue fever

 

[Taus]

I have nothing at all against the legit carib schools...but if you think you want to incorporate manual medicine in a PM&R practice then the DO option might really be a good idea. While there are some fields that DO's dont match into so well and some that are relatively on equal footing, PM&R is arguably the most DO-heavy/friendly field of them all. The musculoskeletal/holistic/kinetic chain focus of PM&R aligns very well w/ the DO education. It has actually been kind of funny to read some of the intros to PM&R texts and listen to lectures...they sound very much like the Osteopathic Practice and Principles lectures that we get.

Just food for thought..... again...please nobody take any of this the wrong way as I am not bashing Carib schools at all

 

[chirodoc]

Glad to see you are moving on. Regardless of the reasons I can tell you it ISN'T what schools tell you it's like in the real world. D.C.'s are tolerated (legally) but not accepted (legitimately) because of many reasons: facts, stigma, incompetence and outright prejudice and unless you want a lifetime of struggle...move on and don't look back after you get out.

As far as medical school goes, I (and many others) have looked at every possible avenue to transition from chiropractic to something else and medical school (if you can do it) is the best route. You still run into problems (not near as many) as a D.O. with ignorance amongst the masses. Not a big issue but still there. D.O. schools are more accepting of your prior education as valuable than most medical schools. However, if you are from a Texas school (I only mention it b/c you stated 'hospital' rounds which TCC does) then I would say stay in Texas-if that's where you're from. At any rate the medical schools in whatever state you're in probably have a mandatory percentage of in-state matriculants and that gives you an edge if you get some real decent MCAT's. Besides it's always cheaper in a state school and your grades are competitive.

Like a lot of these others posters have said going carib only puts another stigma on you and more hurdles for you to have to jump over later in your education/residency etc. If you are competitive in your undergrad and MCAT I don't see the reason to go to the caribbean...it's more expensive and perhaps even more difficult b/c of the 'short man's' syndrome some of the legit carib schools have trying to prove themselves.

As far as needing other D.C.'s input...ehh, with your grades as long as you can get a decent MCAT they really don't have anything special to tell you over what any other med school student has to say. The D.C. background is a footnote on your application not a ticket in. That's hard to swallow considering most people have NO CLUE what you have gone through to get your D.C. but that's the reality out here. The D.C. degree gets you squat and a nickel. No advance standing although you may qualify to test out of basics like anatomy (some med schools pale in comparison in this area from what I've seen) but that is pretty much it...everything else the med schools would expect you to take unless you have some real expertise in another subject area-but I wouldn't count on it.

Overall, from what I've seen/heard/read, your D.C. background will help you get through med school easier everywhere but it won't get you in med school easier anywhere. It's a long road but you can do it.

The tendancy is to run to an easy "out" program somewhere so naturally the caribbean school topic comes up. However, I doubt seriously if that's easier and should only be an option if all else fails stateside b/c you are just trading one set of issues for another. Check out stateside schools more in depth...you probably have a very good chance. Don't approx. half the applicants get accepted (by number) in stateside schools anyway? If you've got decent grades, chiro program behind you, decent MCATs(study hard) and are halfway personable you can get in a state school if you plan accordingly.

Good luck and I admire you for pushing on further. It will be worth it later. 🙂

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

My roomate in medical school was a DC.
No stigma ( or very little ) at all during your education. No worries mate.
Remember, you are a medical student, studying medicine.

Nowadays, having any additional training can only help you especially these days when so many patients are seeking alternate therapies in addition to conventional ones.
I'm not sure how the DC aspect is received/treated in the PM&R community ( you should pose this question on the PM&R forum )
I know of plenty of caribbean grads doing PM&R though

Lots of chiros that became MD's via the caribbean.
One rule : DO NOT attend any offshore school that gives you advanced standing, or you WILL NEVER work as an MD in the United States.
try Saba, AUC, Ross, St Georges first and if you can't get into one of those perhaps you should reevaluate your choice of career.
You could always go DO if you can get admitted and want to avoid the risk of Dengue fever

...............................

 

[oldpro]

..................
One rule : DO NOT attend any offshore school that gives you advanced standing, or you WILL NEVER work as an MD in the United States.
try Saba, AUC, Ross, St Georges first and if you can't get into one of those perhaps you should reevaluate your choice of career.
You could always go DO if you can get admitted and want to avoid the risk of Dengue fever

Hey I go to a good legit school too, it's not limited to what you posted, Man I hate these know it all's here. AUC was left out of the "big 4 "you mentioned, MUA NEVIS is a legit school owned by the owners of SABA, St. James ( nonprofit), AUA there's nothing wrong with these schools just do not have California approval yet ( and we all know the world revolves around California ........not). Give advice but GOOD advice

 

[sbturnisback]

If you love medicine and want to be an MD, you should follow your heart. If you can do it at an American school, do so. If not, you may want to look at SGU, SABA, Ross, AUC, or European schools first. If not these schools, then you may have to look at AUA, MUA, etc. Go where you have to go, but do not give up on your dream. There are a lot of people who will tell you what you can and cannot do. Do not listen to them. You know what you can do. You decide your fate, no one else. Just because so and so has a better track record than you, yet did not get this or that residency, specialty or whatever, does not mean that you will not get it. There are too many factors involved to determine who will do what and when. Timing may be different, states may be different, programs may have changed, laws may have changed no one knows for sure. Just start to follow your dream, work hard, stay with it, and deal with each obstacle as it comes. The journey is long, but you will make it. If you love medicine, you will find a way. Others have, and so can you. Best wishes! I look forward to working with you one day as a fellow doctor. I believe in you. You will be great! I have no doubt!🙂

 

[bookite]

I am a DC who went back to medical school. Im currently in clinical rotations and love it. Chiro school helped me with the basic science classes but I still had to work hard because the game changes. In Chiro school you didn't have to work hard because there is no residency, we were all self employed so no one looked at grades or board scores. In med school it's all about grades and scores so your a competitive applicant for residency. if you have questions pm me.

 

[dc2md]

I'm a former National Chiropractic grad who decided to go to Saba. I'm now interviewing for a PM&R residency. A little quick advice...GO D.O.

Go to the PM&R forum and look at who went to which PM&R residency for the last match. Look at the number of DO's compared to the number of caribbean grads. Ross and St. George have quite a few in PM&R residency but those aren't the best residencies and are almost all in New York. The D.O. students went all over the country and at some of the best PM&R residency spots.
Advice: keep studying for the MCAT and do the best possible (one or two points make a HUGE difference). Apply to the DO schools that have the most PM&R residents. If that fails, go to Ross or SGU. Oh, and kick ass on the step 1 boards. That also makes a HUGE difference in the number of interviews you'll get.

GOOD LUCK

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

I'm a former National Chiropractic grad who decided to go to Saba. I'm now interviewing for a PM&R residency. A little quick advice...GO D.O.

Go to the PM&R forum and look at who went to which PM&R residency for the last match. Look at the number of DO's compared to the number of caribbean grads. Ross and St. George have quite a few in PM&R residency but those aren't the best residencies and are almost all in New York. The D.O. students went all over the country and at some of the best PM&R residency spots.
Advice: keep studying for the MCAT and do the best possible (one or two points make a HUGE difference). Apply to the DO schools that have the most PM&R residents. If that fails, go to Ross or SGU. Oh, and kick ass on the step 1 boards. That also makes a HUGE difference in the number of interviews you'll get.

GOOD LUCK

PM&R is prolly the only residency where a DO is at a better advantage than a caribbean graduate MD.

 

[Taus]

PM&R is prolly the only residency where a DO is at a better advantage than a caribbean graduate MD.

there's also that thing called the DO-match... might have u guys beat there..😀 (note the friendly/joking tone of voice in my post...)

 

[iwilldlvr]

Check out this link:
http://www.uhsa.ag/pstudent/dc/
This school lets you get your MD from DC in 27 months without interrupting your life here. Might be worth checking into. Click on the FAQs on the left side. It would save you the expense of applying to DO or MD schools in the states (and the 4 years involved plus residency) or moving to the carribean for school.

 

[gtleeee]

PM&R is prolly the only residency where a DO is at a better advantage than a caribbean graduate MD.

Keep on repeating that over over as a sort of mantra or something Patel. After 2 or 3 weeks you may even believe it yourself. After that you can use the same technique to convince yourself that the world is flat and that the Holocaust never occurred.)



Gtleeee

 

[asif7083]

PM&R is prolly the only residency where a DO is at a better advantage than a caribbean graduate MD.

I disagree because of the obvious reason.
FMG= Leftovers (most of the time)

Convince me otherwise bro.

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Keep on repeating that over over as a sort of mantra or something Patel. After 2 or 3 weeks you may even believe it yourself. After that you can use the same technique to convince yourself that the world is flat and that the Holocaust never occurred.)



Gtleeee

thanks very much for the enthusiastic encouragement! The truth always wins...