DO and RD?

[olivia9486@gmailcom]

First off, a little on my background. I graduated with my BS in Dietetics this past May and am currently in a combined Masters program and dietetic internship, so when I graduate I will have my MS in Human Nutrition and Registered Dietitian credential. I graduated undergrad with a 3.8 gpa overall (science GPA is a little low...3.3 or so) and so far have a 4.0 in grad school, and have a huge research project coming up along with 1600 hours of patient care. I have been leaning more and more towards going to medical school...but I still want to utilize my nutrition background. I'm very interested in becoming a DO since they focus more on the whole person and use nutrition more than an MD would (correct me if I'm wrong). I shadowed a DO for quite a while and loved how he would almost always use nutrition with his patients as means of treatment. Would it be possible/worthwhile to pursue DO? I would want to specialize in something that uses nutrition more (so not anesthesiology or anything like that...but more along the lines of internal med or family practice). I have most of my experience in the clinical side of nutrition (worked in hospitals + doctors offices). Would love some input!

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[OrdinaryDO]

A few things to touch on here. You have a degree in Dietetics and are in a MS program for Human Nutrition. However, you have to take an exam to receive your RD, do you plan on doing this, and if so..why? Also, Never EVER say that you want to go to osteopathic medical school because they treat "the whole person," not only is this annoying, but it implies MDs don't treat the whole person (they do), and if that isn't enough then I can't tell you how many times I have heard from medical professionals and even 2 separate ADCOMs members that it is probably the most generic answer they receive from every generic candidate interviewing for a DO spot. Nowadays, the only difference between an MD and a DO curriculum wise is the fact that DOs have an OMM lab and MD students do not. Treating "the whole body" is something that is specific to the physician, not the type of medical degree. DO schools sometimes do emphasize preventative care more than their counterparts, but that is becoming less and less true as time goes on. Find another reason why you want to become a DO, but other than that I think you are solid.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

correct me if I'm wrong

You're wrong

 

[olivia9486@gmailcom]

You're wrong

Excellent input, thanks.

 

[olivia9486@gmailcom]

A few things to touch on here. You have a degree in Dietetics and are in a MS program for Human Nutrition. However, you have to take an exam to receive your RD, do you plan on doing this, and if so..why? Also, Never EVER say that you want to go to osteopathic medical school because they treat "the whole person," not only is this annoying, but it implies MDs don't treat the whole person (they do), and if that isn't enough then I can't tell you how many times I have heard from medical professionals and even 2 separate ADCOMs members that it is probably the most generic answer they receive from every generic candidate interviewing for a DO spot. Nowadays, the only difference between an MD and a DO curriculum wise is the fact that DOs have an OMM lab and MD students do not. Treating "the whole body" is something that is specific to the physician, not the type of medical degree. DO schools sometimes do emphasize preventative care more than their counterparts, but that is becoming less and less true as time goes on. Find another reason why you want to become a DO, but other than that I think you are solid.

Thank you! I understand that MDs treat the whole person too...I just meant that its more of a holistic approach with a DO. And yes, I will take the RD exam, I want to have that specialized knowledge that other DO's typically wouldn't have in that area.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

Thank you! I understand that MDs treat the whole person too...I just meant that its more of a holistic approach with a DO. And yes, I will take the RD exam, I want to have that specialized knowledge that other DO's typically wouldn't have in that area.

Even so, holistic is a part of the Osteopathic philosophy, but it's not substantial in comparison to MDs. Also, if you are in a field where dietetics is a useful resource, then the odds are you will know enough information from medical school alone. However, it doesn't mean that the degree isn't useful, but I don't think it's a major benefit and I do think that most physicians will have that knowledge.

 

[Rekt]

Thank you! I understand that MDs treat the whole person too...I just meant that its more of a holistic approach with a DO. And yes, I will take the RD exam, I want to have that specialized knowledge that other DO's typically wouldn't have in that area.

OrdinaryDO is being too nice. All of the tenets of osteopathy are completely ******ed. DO is absolutely not different from an MD at all, besides that DOs learn OMM, which is a another topic itself that is completely ridiculous and is largely equivalent to homeopathy and chiropractory. We learn all the exact same things and we use all the same resources for studying to pass our exams. Save yourself from agony and deep debt and apply to MD schools with your stats thus far. As for your question, yes you could incorporate nutrition easily, but make sure you want to go through 4 more years of graduate school plus at least 3 years of residency.