Difference between D.O and M.D

[booboo]

hey guys. i am really confused about D.O and M.D. how are they different from each other? thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mateodaspy]

hey guys. i am really confused about D.O and M.D. how are they different from each other? thanks

Five points on the MCAT.

 

[abcxyz0123]

Five points on the MCAT.

haha

 

[booboo]

huh? no really..that just confused me more..its almost 12 AM and i am really sleep..i have a chem midterm tomorrow..and your reply just confused more more..thanks for replying though.

 

[booboo]

haha

how is that funny..i dont get it..

 

[AStudent]

 

[Mateodaspy]

how is that funny..i dont get it..

D.O.=someone who couldn't get into medical school for whatever reason (e.g. low MCAT scores)

 

[Mateodaspy]

lol, i like

 

[booboo]

thanks for replying

oh forgot to add.. you guys are very helpful..i mean damn i was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lost and now everything is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo clear..seriously thanks alot man...really appreciate it. great help..you ever need any help..just PM...thanks again ...

 

[PhotoMD]

thanks for replying

oh forgot to add.. you guys are very helpful..i mean damn i was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lost and now everything is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo clear..seriously thanks alot man...really appreciate it. great help..you ever need any help..just PM...thanks again ...

Whatever trolly mctrollerson. Do a google search.

 

[8744]

MDs are real doctors. DOs are not.


Glad I could help.

 

[SitraAchra]

muahahahah what a delight.

 

[PhotoMD]

(Insert comment about how DOs can do MD residencies, etc. etc.)

 

[xadmin]

D.O = 3rd class doctor
M.D = 1st class doctor

Hope that helps.

 

[NotShorty]

I suck. I'm a piece of crap. I'll never be a real doctor.

For more info, see AStudent's post above.

NS

p.s. My MCAT score sucked. I wish I could be a real doctor, but I can't. I have small testicles and low self-esteem. I think that OMT is total B.S. and I'm only going to hurt patients by using it. The Loch Ness Monster speaks to me, and George W. Bush is a true American hero. Should I say more? I'm tweaked-out on cocaine to compensate for my inability to study, so I can't sleep:

sar·casm Pronunciation Key (särkzm) n.

A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.
A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.
The use of sarcasm. See Synonyms at wit1.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Late Latin sarcasmus, from Greek sarkasmos, from sarkazein, to bite the lips in rage, from sarx, sark-, flesh.]

sarcasm

n : witty language used to convey insults or scorn; "he used sarcasm to upset his opponent"; "irony is wasted on the stupid"; "Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own"--Johathan Swift [syn: irony, satire, caustic remark]

 

[LVDoc]

I'm guessing this is a parody of the other locked thread? How nice...

 

[Medikit]

Just read the DO FAQ in pre-osteo

 

[UT_mikie]

I know the diff between a DO and MD but what the F--- is a troll? And why are you calling this guy Trolly McTroll?

 

[CharlieVN]

Someone who lives under bridges and types on SDN

 

[Zomo33]

DO is better than MD by far. They learn an extra OMM class. MD is not as great as DO. that's why it's so hard to get in a DO school becuase there's so few. There's like 100 MD schools? DO only has 22. so it's way harder to become a DO. u have more prestige as a D.O. because you are the elite and there's less.

 

[Ypo.]

hey guys. i am really confused about D.O and M.D. how are they different from each other? thanks

I'm sorry to see that your original question still hasn't been answered. Often times people aren't very helpful around here.

In answer to your question-DOs take classes in OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine-which is like manual adjustments of the body, as well as massage and a lot of techniques that I don't really understand) during their first two years of medical school in addition to all the classes that MDs take. They are fully licensed to practice in the same sense that MDs are licensed to practice. They get equal pay. The DO schools are slightly less competetive to get into than MD schools-it is true the average MCAT is several points lower for DO schools, with the GPA being one to two points lower. Plus they tend to look at other aspects of your application (ECs) and not just write you off if your grades aren't perfect the way MD schools can (and often do).

Also, going to a DO school may make it harder to get into some competetive residencies. This is because the osteopathic residencies are fewer in number and quality than MD residencies. Many DOs end up taking both the USMLE and the COMLEX (MD and DO boards, respectively) so they can apply through both the allo and osteo match. Of course, if you are smart enough to get into a competetive residency, then you you won't have any problem wowing the powers that be with your awesome board scores.

Hope this answered your question.

 

[JAMMAN]

DO is better than MD by far. They learn an extra OMM class. MD is not as great as DO. that's why it's so hard to get in a DO school becuase there's so few. There's like 100 MD schools? DO only has 22. so it's way harder to become a DO. u have more prestige as a D.O. because you are the elite and there's less.

The truth is DO schools are filled with people who either were rejected from MD schools or realized that they couldn't compete with other MD applicants.


$.02

 

[Ypo.]

Haha. Are you for real? DO you really believe what you just wrote? The truth is DO schools are filled with people who either were rejected from MD schools or realized that they couldn't compete with other MD applicants.


$.02

Would it be possible to step down from your pedestal and develop a little maturity? I mean, this is so predictable for the pre-allo forum. Don't you realize that there are probably higher beings looking down at 'you' and realizing how pathetic 'you' are? At the very least, you should show a little humility.

my $.02

 

[JAMMAN]

The DO schools are slightly less competetive to get into than MD schools-it is true the average MCAT is several points lower for DO schools, with the GPA being one to two points lower. Plus they tend to look at other aspects of your application (ECs) and not just write you off if your grades aren't perfect the way MD schools can (and often do).

'Slightly' less competitive? If you consider the fact that all of the competition went to an MD school, then they aren't that competitive at all.

MD schools do look at 'other aspects of your application' when deciding who gets in and they don't 'write you off" just because your grades aren't perfect. These are both common misconceptions stated by those who fail to gain entrance into a US allopathic program.

Would it be possible to step down from your pedestal and develop a little maturity? I mean, this is so predictable for the pre-allo forum. Don't you realize that there are probably higher beings looking down at 'you' and realizing how pathetic 'you' are? At the very least, you should show a little humility.

my $.02

Like it or not...the truth of the matter is that my statement is correct.

 

[Ypo.]

'Slightly' less competitive? If you consider the fact that all of the competition went to an MD school, then they aren't that competitive at all.

MD schools do look at 'other aspects of your application' when deciding who gets in and they don't 'write you off" just because your grades aren't perfect. These are both common misconceptions stated by those who fail to gain entrance into a US allopathic program.





Like it or not...the truth of the matter is that my statement is correct.

A typical response.

I applied to both DO and MD schools and got accepted to both DO and MD schools. MD schools often don't even glance at your ECs when deciding who to give interviews, if your grades aren't up to their standards-they are much more likely to write you off for lower than average grades than are DO schools.

I am sorry for your naivete.

 

[janis]

It is true that it is easier to get into Osteopathic Schools than Allopathic. The differences, as I understand them, go back to philosophical worldviews about medicine.You can easily find this out on the internet, I won't waste space here. Now, however, I think the two have gotten very similiar. There is more prestige in being an MD, it certainly appears to be that way in the mind of some of the arrogant posters.

My husband has been practising medicine for 25 years, some very excellent doctors he knows are DOs (and he didn't even realize it). And he has known some really lousy MDs. He is an MD. The key is to try to get an allopathic residency. Then you are free to excell at what you do. If my son or daughter did not have the grades or MCAT for the overly competitive arena of allopathic medical schools, I would promote their efforts to go to D.O. school (or Europe or the Carribbean for that matter). In the end everyone will still call you doctor and you can be compassionate and respected. It all has to do with the type of person that you are. Some of the best test-takers and book smart people make really lousy doctors. We have seen many fall on their face. And I can tell you, the worst characteristic of a doctor (oh, you will find this out) is arrogance.
So, do not give up your dream to be a healer if you get shut out by American Allopathic Schools. There are other ways to learn to care for people and whether you are an M.D. physician or a D.O. physician in the same hospital, the pay will be the same.

 

[JAMMAN]

MD schools often don't even glance at your ECs when deciding who to give interviews, if your grades aren't up to their standards-they are much more likely to write you off for lower than average grades than are DO schools.

ECs are considered when granting interviews. If your ECs cannot compensate for a lower GPA, then you don't get an interview. So, get your grades up to their standards, accept the facts or stop making excuses.

 

[Ypo.]

ECs are considered when granting interviews. If your ECs cannot compensate for a lower GPA, then you don't get an interview. So, get your grades up to their standards, accept the facts or stop making excuses.

Have 'you' been accepted yet? If so, then I marvel at your 'pre-allo' necessity to stomp on others egos to bolster your own.

Read a little more slowly>>>I have been accepted to both MD and DO schools.* Therefore I am probably in a better position than you to comment both on the DO and the MD application procedure.

Your application goes through a screening process before they send you a secondary application. It is common fact that many MD schools do not look at your application in depth if your GPA and MCAT do not meet a minimum cutoff point. In contrast, DO schools will often interview those with more clinical/volunteer experience 'before' an applicant with higher grades and less clinical experience. This happened to me-one of my friends and I applied to the same DO schools at the same time-I had higher GPA and MCAT-he was interviewed first because he has had years of experience as a paramedic. What I'm saying is that MD schools make grades their first priority. This is not necessarily true for DO schools-while DO schools realize that it is necessary for an applicant to be competent in the sciences, they also realize it is not the most important criteria for becoming a good doctor.

Ask around. You'll learn.

 

[Ypo.]

It is true that it is easier to get into Osteopathic Schools than Allopathic. The differences, as I understand them, go back to philosophical worldviews about medicine.You can easily find this out on the internet, I won't waste space here. Now, however, I think the two have gotten very similiar. There is more prestige in being an MD, it certainly appears to be that way in the mind of some of the arrogant posters.

My husband has been practising medicine for 25 years, some very excellent doctors he knows are DOs (and he didn't even realize it). And he has known some really lousy MDs. He is an MD. The key is to try to get an allopathic residency. Then you are free to excell at what you do. If my son or daughter did not have the grades or MCAT for the overly competitive arena of allopathic medical schools, I would promote their efforts to go to D.O. school (or Europe or the Carribbean for that matter). In the end everyone will still call you doctor and you can be compassionate and respected. It all has to do with the type of person that you are. Some of the best test-takers and book smart people make really lousy doctors. We have seen many fall on their face. And I can tell you, the worst characteristic of a doctor (oh, you will find this out) is arrogance.
So, do not give up your dream to be a healer if you get shut out by American Allopathic Schools. There are other ways to learn to care for people and whether you are an M.D. physician or a D.O. physician in the same hospital, the pay will be the same.

Thanks for the insightful post.

 

[drguy22]

i dunno if the OP is a troll or not...but i want to marry his avtar! ASH rocks!

 

[OSUdoc08]

hey guys. i am really confused about D.O and M.D. how are they different from each other? thanks

It probably would not be a good idea to take advice from pre-medical students on this forum, as they likely don't know their knee from their elbow in regards to how things work in real life.

I was accepted to D.O. schools and M.D. schools. For all of you who said that D.O.'s are people who cannot get into M.D. schools, your arguments have been silenced.

M.D.'s and D.O.'s are the only 2 types of physicians in the U.S., but with different philosophies of teaching. M.D.'s have a more systems-based and disease-based approach, whereas D.O.'s take a more holistic approach. The training is exactly the same, and both are eligible for the same residiencies, licensure, and jobs.

The exception is that D.O.'s learn some techniques that appear to be a mixture of techniques used by physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors, but with more advanced training and more versatility than these professions. As a result, the D.O.'s have their own unique residency programs that incorporate this additional "tool" in a physician's belt.

You will find D.O.'s teaching at M.D. schools, as chief residents at M.D. residencies, and as chief of staff at mixed hospitals.

The misconception about D.O.'s on this forum seems to air mostly from the pre-allopathic forum, which mostly consists of people who have never actually been in the medical profession, and are ignorant of reality.

I hope this helps.

Additionaly, some of the schools national ranked above most M.D. schools, such as in Texas and Oklahoma state actually are more difficult to get into than many M.D. schools. In fact, the school is Texas is much harder to get into than many of the M.D. schools in that state.

 

[lfesiam]

Look what I found on the web, i'm shock at this, is this true???:

Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are the legal equivalents and, in most cases, are the professional equivalents of medical doctors. Although most DOs offer competent care, the percentage involved in dubious practices appears to be higher than that of medical doctors. For this reason, before deciding whether to use the services of a DO it is useful to understand osteopathy's history and the practical significance of its philosophy.

Andrew Taylor Still, MD (1828-1917) originally expressed the principles of osteopathy in 1874, when medical science was in its infancy. A medical doctor, Still believed that diseases were caused by mechanical interference with nerve and blood supply and were curable by manipulation of "deranged, displaced bones, nerves, muscles -- removing all obstructions -- thereby setting the machinery of life moving." His autobiography states that he could "shake a child and stop scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria, and cure whooping cough in three days by a wring of its neck." [1]

Still was antagonistic toward the drug practices of his day and regarded surgery as a last resort. Rejected as a cultist by organized medicine, he founded the first osteopathic medical school in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1892.

As medical science developed, osteopathy gradually incorporated all its theories and practices [2]. Today, except for additional emphasis on musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, the scope of osteopathy is identical to that of medicine. The percentage of practitioners who use osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and the extent to which they use it have been falling steadily.

Osteopathy Today
There are 20 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine and about 44,000 osteopathic practitioners in the United States [3]. Admission to osteopathic school requires three years of preprofessional college work, but almost all of those enrolled have a baccalaureate or higher degree. The doctor of osteopathy (DO) degree requires more than 5,000 hours of training over four academic years. The faculties of osteopathic colleges are about evenly divided between doctors of osteopathy and holders of PhD degrees, with a few medical doctors at some colleges. Graduation is followed by a one-year rotating internship at an approved teaching hospital. Specialization requires two to six additional years of residency training, depending on the specialty. A majority of osteopaths enter family practice.

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) recognizes more than 60 specialties and subspecialties. AOA membership is required for specialty certification, which forces some practitioners to belong to the AOA even though they do not approve of the organization's policies. Since 1985, osteopathic physicians have been able to obtain residency training at medical hospitals, and the majority have done so. Since 1993, DOs who completed osteopathic residencies have also been eligible to join the American Academy of Family Practice, which had previously been restricted to MDs or DOs with training at accredited medical residencies [3].

Osteopathic physicians are licensed to practice in all states. The admission standards and educational quality are a bit lower at osteopathic schools than they are at medical schools. I say this because the required and average grade-point averages (GPAs) and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores of students entering osteopathic schools are lower than those of entering medical students [4,5] -- and the average number of full-time faculty members is nearly ten times as high at medical schools (714 vs. 73 in 1994) [5]. In addition, osteopathic schools generate relatively little research, and some have difficulty in attracting enough patients to provide the depth of experience available at medical schools [6]. However, as with medical graduates, the quality of individual graduates depends on how bright they are, how hard they work, and what training they get after graduation. Those who diligently apply themselves can emerge as competent.

In January 1995, a one-page questionnaire was mailed to 2,000 randomly selected osteopathic family physicians who were members of the American College of Osteopathic Physicians. About half returned usable responses. Of these, 6.2% said they treated more than half of their patients with OMT, 39.6% said they used it on 25% or fewer of their patients, and 32.1% said they used OMT on fewer than 5% of their patients. The study also found that the more recent the date of graduation from osteopathic school, the lower the reported use [7].

The percentages of DOs involved in chelation therapy, clinical ecology, orthomolecular therapy, homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine, and several other dubious practices appear to be higher among osteopaths than among medical doctors. I have concluded this by inspecting the membership directories of groups that promote these practices and/or by comparing the relative percentages of MDs and DOs. listed in the Alternative Medicine Yellow Pages [4] and HealthWorld Online's Professional Referral Network. The most widespread dubious treatment among DOs appears to be cranial therapy, an osteopathic offshoot described below.

AOA Hype

Many observers believe that osteopathy and medicine should merge. But osteopathic organizations prefer to retain a separate identity and have exaggerated the minor differences between osteopathy and medicine in their marketing. According to a 1987 AOA brochure, for example: (a) osteopathy is the only branch of mainstream medicine that follows the Hippocratic approach, (b) the body's musculoskeletal system is central to the patient's well-being, and (c) OMT is a proven technique for many hands-on diagnoses and often can provide an alternative to drugs and surgery [9]. A 1991 brochure falsely claimed that OMT encourages the body's natural tendency toward good health and that combining it with all other medical procedures enables DOs to provide "the most comprehensive treatment available." [10] Such statements are consistent with a 1992 AOA resolution that defines osteopathy as:

A system of medical care with a philosophy that combines the needs of the patient with current practice of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics and emphasis on the interrelationships between structure and function and an appreciation of the body's ability to heal itself [11].

A 1994 AOA resolution describes osteopathy as "a complete system of health care and as such is much more holistic than medicine in the classic sense." [11].

The American Osteopathic Association's web site glorifies Andrew Still and asserts that osteopathic medicine has a unique philosophy of care because "DOs take a whole-person approach to care and don't just focus on a diseased or injured part." I consider it outrageous to imply that osteopathic physicians are the only ones who regard their patients as individuals or who provide comprehensive care or pay attention to disease prevention. Another AOA web document states:

Osteopathic physicians frequently assess impaired mobility of the musculoskeletal system as that system encompasses the entire body and is intimately related to the organ systems and to the nervous system. Using anatomical relationships between the musculoskeletal and these organ systems, osteopathic physicians diagnose and treat all organ systems [12].

This statement strikes me as the same sort of baloney chiropractors use to suggest that somehow their attention to the spine will have positive effects on all body processes. Spinal manipulation may produce pain relief in properly selected cases of low back pain [13]. However, OMT has no proven effect on people's general health.

RESOLVED, that pending the results of thorough, properly controlled studies, the American Osteopathic Association does not endorse chelation therapy as useful for other than its currently approved and medically accepted uses. Adopted 1985, revised and reaffirmed, 1990, 1995 [11].

The 1998 member referral list of the American College for Advancement of Medicine (ACAM) , the principal group promoting chelation therapy, identifies about 400 MD members and 121 DO members who list chelation therapy as a specialty. These numbers strongly suggest that the percentage of osteopathic physicians doing chelation therapy is about four or five times as high as the percentage of medical doctors doing it. Curiously, Ronald A. Esper, DO, of Erie, Pennsylvania, who was AOA's president in 1998, is an ACAM member and does chelation therapy.

The Bottom Line
I believe that the American Osteopathic Association is acting improperly by exaggerating the value of manipulative therapy and by failing to denounce cranial therapy. If you wish to select an osteopathic physician as your primary-care provider, your best bet is to seek one who: (a) has undergone residency training at a medical hospital; (b) does not assert that osteopaths have a unique philosophy or that manipulation offers general health benefits; (c) either does not use manipulation or uses it primarily to treat back pain; and (d) does not practice cranial therapy.


Stephen Barrett, M.D.

 

[JAMMAN]

Look what I found on the web, i'm shock at this, is this true???

Yes, it is true.

 

[Vitruvian Man]

I was accepted to D.O. schools and M.D. schools. For all of you who said that D.O.'s are people who cannot get into M.D. schools, your arguments have been silenced.

if you got accepted to both MD and DO, then perhaps you were MD caliber to begin with. i've applied to MD schools for three years, got one interview the first year, and nothing the next two. i applied to DO schools this year, and got into 3 of them no sweat. try to find someone who applied to both and got into 3 MD schools but got not even an interview from any DO schools, and you'd be hard pressed. i'm not saying MDs are better than DOs. i think they're fairly equal when you get to the actual practice of medicine, but you're mistaken if you believe that their admissions standards are equal. most DOs are people who couldn't get into MD schools.

 

[frank51]

Yes, it is true.

Yes, it’s true because it’s written by some M.D, who happens to be biased against D.Os. The facts are that D.Os go through the exact same curriculum as M.Ds with the addition of OMT, the intensity/difficulty/course load at an average D.O school is comparable to that of an average M.D school, and D.Os have the same income, so get over it.

 

[stinkycheese]

It probably would not be a good idea to take advice from pre-medical students on this forum, as they likely don't know their knee from their elbow in regards to how things work in real life.

Yah cuz we din't lurn that cuz we dont take OMT cuz pre-allo peeple r stoopid!!!!!!!1111!!!

You know what I hate about so many posts here from osteos? I hate that they feel they can insult allos freely and expect no backlash. When Allo people insult DO's, they get called ignorant and arrogant. And yet, these same people who cry foul when anyone makes the slightest negative comment about DO's are spouting off bs about allopathic students all the time. Is it any wonder why both sides have so much hostility towards each other?

I also don't understand why whenever someone brings up the simple fact that DO schools have lower average GPA's and MCAT's than allo schools, they are attacked. It's the truth!!! If it makes you feel badly about where you go to school, then that is your problem -- no one is saying that it means DO training is of a lesser quality, just that admissions credentials are generally different for the two sets of schools.

Get over it! And remember that if pre-allo students frequented the osteo and pre-osteo forums and spouted off about how pre-osteo's don't know "their knee from their elbow", there would be some sweet Hell to pay.

 

[fun8stuff]

hey guys. i am really confused about D.O and M.D. how are they different from each other? thanks

ignore the lame posters. there is no practical differeces, accept it is historically been easier to get accepted to DO schools. but the end results are the same. as others have said- check out the osteo and preosteo forums...

 

[drguy22]

http://www.capital.edu/acad/as/bio/Programs/Preprofessional/allopathic_medicine.htm


http://www.capital.edu/acad/as/bio/Programs/Preprofessional/osteopathic_physician.htm

DO and MD in the end will be ABOUT be the same...

 

[Ypo.]

ther?

I also don't understand why whenever someone brings up the simple fact that DO schools have lower average GPA's and MCAT's than allo schools, they are attacked. It's the truth!!! If it makes you feel badly about where you go to school, then that is your problem -- no one is saying that it means DO training is of a lesser quality, just that admissions credentials are generally different for the two sets of schools.

No one was offended by the fact that MCAT and GPA averages are lower at DO schools.

Reread the first page of this thread-you will see that several posters did make some rude comments about the osteopathic profession. I'm just saying that stating facts is one thing, but saying that DOs are 3rd rate doctors is another.

 

[EvoDevo]

Closing.