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DPT vs DO isnt really a good comparison to be making. DO schools have essentially the same curriculum as MD with the addition of OMM. And at my school OMM is a super minor part of the curriculum (1.5 hrs a week) vs 20+ of typical med school classes. Its not like we really focus on anatomy or the musculoskeletal system. Perhaps a very slight amount more than an MD school...but it is essentially the same.
The argument should be DPT vs physician. And FYI there are many specialties where your schedule is very controllable. EM is one of them...and thats why it is so attractive to me. Shift work....work as little or as much as you want. Most EM docs are hourly paid at like 150+/hr in some areas of the country. Look at that money making potential if you wanted to work a ton while you are young and then cut back on your hours once you are financially stable....or want to start a small business...which is what I am shooting for.
The argument should be DPT vs physician. And FYI there are many specialties where your schedule is very controllable. EM is one of them...and thats why it is so attractive to me. Shift work....work as little or as much as you want. Most EM docs are hourly paid at like 150+/hr in some areas of the country. Look at that money making potential if you wanted to work a ton while you are young and then cut back on your hours once you are financially stable....or want to start a small business...which is what I am shooting for.
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I think becoming a DO would be better because you have the option of doing an OMM fellowship or PM&R if you want to focus on that while leaving the door open for other kinds of medicine. OMM and PM&R will probably require up to 50 hours a week of work, if not less. At that point most of the issue is how much you want to earn.
would you compare MD vs. DPT?
It's exactly the same as comparing DO vs. DPT.
As an MD, you can be a Internal Medicine doc...as a DO, you can do the same... Would you rather be an internal med physician or a PT?
As an MD, you can be a Neurosurgeon, as a DO, you can do the same... Would you rather be a neurosurg or a PT?
and so on and so forth with every medical speciality.
That's what is comes down to...the rest is literally just letters after your name...
It's exactly the same as comparing DO vs. DPT.
As an MD, you can be a Internal Medicine doc...as a DO, you can do the same... Would you rather be an internal med physician or a PT?
As an MD, you can be a Neurosurgeon, as a DO, you can do the same... Would you rather be a neurosurg or a PT?
and so on and so forth with every medical speciality.
That's what is comes down to...the rest is literally just letters after your name...
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It's not because there's no OMM residency programs for MD.
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Like anyone outside of a few crazies actually wants to do an OMM program. The OP does not strike me as such a character.
OP: do you want to learn medicine with a broad spectrum of things or do you want to basically work with middle aged men and women who have bad backs from desk jobs?
Not that it really matters, since all the OMM residencies are not filled anyway by just the DOs, however MD's can do OMM/NMM by doing electives and certifications. Not exactly the same as a regular DO doing OMM since this is the only residency that is exclusive to DO. But there are no residencies that are exclusive to MD (except for PM&R which is very DO friendly)
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There are PM&R/Family Med/every other specialty under the sun-subforums on this website, so take some time to read this. But for PM&R, this one thread should answer all your questions.
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To contract an STD or not, that is the question.
Wow, you're awfully decisive! 😀
In all seriousness, this is a difficult question to answer because there are a lot of variables involved. Not all specialties and locations have their physicians sacrificing all of their personal life for the work. Of course, you need to be prepared for the idea that you might not get into a less demanding specialty, or that the area you settle down in might be very demanding regardless of specialty.
On the other hand, if you don't go into medicine, how much will it matter to you? Some people can give up on medicine and not be too fazed by it - they'll admit that they were pre-meds at one point, but gave up on it for various reasons that they're happy with. Other people become very bitter and seem to develop something of an inferiority complex toward anyone in or pursuing medicine. Obviously you'd want to avoid the latter situation, although that alone isn't a good enough reason to keep pushing for medicine.
It's too bad that we can't live life backwards. As young people, we're often inclined to put our careers above other elements in our life. I've heard quite a few older people say that the job ultimately wasn't so important, and that the important things in life were the people, their families. Or perhaps it's just a case of "the grass is greener" and those people already had fulfilling careers?
My advice for you would be to keep working with the plan of going for medical school. When you do your volunteering and/or shadowing, do it with the goal of finding out more about the lifestyle and work demands of the people there. Bearing in mind that what you see won't necessarily be true for everyone (or even most) in that position, figure out if it's something you could see in your life, or if you foresee it making you miserable.
It's commendable that you're asking these questions now, though. Since you're putting a lot of thought into it, I'm sure that you'll ultimately arrive at a decision that is right for you.
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[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoqDYcCDOTg&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
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It IS true about ER docs. Did you read my post? How type A are you? I would never be able to be a DPT or midlevel because I would always feel inferior and I know many people going into med school are like this.
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Depends on the ER doc. My mother-in-law has worked ER's for 20+ years. Early on she worked crazy hours, including at least one hospital about 10yrs back that still did 24hr shifts. However, she is nearly 60 now, works 2-3 12hr/shifts a week and makes a comfortable living.
She has also been toying with opening an urgent care where she would work days and have a couple of NP's or PA's do most of the work.
OP: ultimately, Willen is right what do you want to do? I'm a non-trad and if I don't get into medical school I'll go back to my well paying but unfulfilling career; not be a PA (or DPT). This whole journey has been about being a physician. What is yours about?
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Some decisions in life can't be made without FULLY exploring both options before coming to a decision 😀
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As a PM&R physician you would make bigger decisions or help your patients make bigger decisions about their lives than you would as a PT. And you would be relating to many more areas of their lives, referring them for speech therapy, etc. It's more rewarding, and you can do everything a PT could and more.
DO would better satisfy your love of anatomy.
DO would better satisfy your love of anatomy.
