Do DO's think they are legitimate or not?

[Static Line]

Recently we have had a rash of undercover DO vs. MD threads. They come in titles like “which DO school trains people like MDs?” or “DO Hours and Differences” under the auspices of being a real question blah blah blah etc, etc …

To my astonishment serious debate has erupted on these forums in an attempt to defend osteopaths in these threads. This leads me to my next thought for discussion. I don’t feel a need to defend DO’s or this medical degree or my decision to go to an osteopathic medical school, especially to a bunch of pre-meds who don’t know $hit, and many of whom who will try over and over again to get in somewhere but they never do. They never get to become what I get to become, only I get it with different initials at the end of my name. True, it doesn’t sound as cool as MD but it still pays the same.

I’m even amazed at how giddy we get on here when someone mentions DO’s briefly on TV, like on the Soprano’s. Why? I for one don’t need the World’s or Hollywood’s accolades.

This is not a political monologue nor do I wish for it to turn into a political debate. I am only mentioning the following to make my point. In 1994 the Republicans won control of congress after 40 years of being the minority political party but they never seemed to get it in their minds that they were the ones in control, now the majority party. For many years afterward the still always acted like the minority party and never really asserted their control over congress. Listening to Rush Limbaugh after they won people would call his show in complete amazement when someone in Hollywood would say something nice about Republicans and total anger when someone in Hollywood would say something bad of Republicans. It was like supporters of Repubs needed the accolades of Hollywood to legitimize their party or their control of congress. I am not sure what it was.

I feel like this is where this forum is sometimes. When you earn the DO degree you will be a physician. Having worked EMS for may years with both DOs and MDs both staffing they ER where I came from there was no difference in either one. At least to the lay people (all non physicians). If there was ever any dissention among the two types it was never public and to this day that ED is half DO half MD and they have good working relationships with each other. In fact, I was congratulated by both MDs and the DOs when I left for school and it didn’t matter to any of them where I was going. Actually it mattered a little to a few of the MDs, one who was my medical director, and told me it was a bad idea to consider Caribbean schools. In the real world they don’t care. As long as you are a competent physician and get along with your colleagues then you will be fine.

I think there should be less feeding the Trolls when they post their idiotic MD vs DO Qs. Let them starve. And stop feeling like you have to defend the DO degree at every turn.

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[Bacchus]

Well said. As a pre-med I originally had the DO/MD divide in my mind. Ever since shadowing a DO, talking to DO students, and reading posts on this forum it has been erradicated. You are a lifesaver, a disease preventer, a man with the most prestigious job in the world. DO/MD means nothing to me anymore. I agree with you 100%.

 

[notaroche]

The only reference to osteopathy on the Sopranos was a negative one, unless I'm missing another reference (and I haven't seen the new season, so don't blow it). Jackie says something to the effect that he couldn't even get into an osteopathic school.

 

[spicedmanna]

Point taken. I responded because I dislike gross misinformation. But at the end, you are right, it doesn't matter; it is better to let trolls fester in their own waste.

 

[DragonWell]

The only reference to osteopathy on the Sopranos was a negative one, unless I'm missing another reference (and I haven't seen the new season, so don't blow it). Jackie says something to the effect that he couldn't even get into an osteopathic school.

1)who cares
2)whether it's negative or not depends on how you look at it - what he said showed DO schools do maintain at least a certain standard
3)even if you choose to look at it negatively, it's not really an unrealistic statement - average stats are lower at DO schools
4)if you think these points are worthy of serious debate, refer to 1

 

[cheezer]

OP-I understand where you're coming from...some people (eg. me) just wanted to clear out the last remaining specks of doubt, however silly they may seem.

notaroche-actually, Tony does make mention of osteopaths in the new season and its done positively imo. Not that a reference in the Sopranos should matter in any way shape or form...

 

[dr.kicia]

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Recently we have had a rash of undercover DO vs. MD threads. They come in titles like “which DO school trains people like MDs?” or “DO Hours and Differences” under the auspices of being a real question blah blah blah etc, etc …

To my astonishment serious debate has erupted on these forums in an attempt to defend osteopaths in these threads. This leads me to my next thought for discussion. I don’t feel a need to defend DO’s or this medical degree or my decision to go to an osteopathic medical school, especially to a bunch of pre-meds who don’t know $hit, and many of whom who will try over and over again to get in somewhere but they never do. They never get to become what I get to become, only I get it with different initials at the end of my name. True, it doesn’t sound as cool as MD but it still pays the same.

I’m even amazed at how giddy we get on here when someone mentions DO’s briefly on TV, like on the Soprano’s. Why? I for one don’t need the World’s or Hollywood’s accolades.

This is not a political monologue nor do I wish for it to turn into a political debate. I am only mentioning the following to make my point. In 1994 the Republicans won control of congress after 40 years of being the minority political party but they never seemed to get it in their minds that they were the ones in control, now the majority party. For many years afterward the still always acted like the minority party and never really asserted their control over congress. Listening to Rush Limbaugh after they won people would call his show in complete amazement when someone in Hollywood would say something nice about Republicans and total anger when someone in Hollywood would say something bad of Republicans. It was like supporters of Repubs needed the accolades of Hollywood to legitimize their party or their control of congress. I am not sure what it was.

I feel like this is where this forum is sometimes. When you earn the DO degree you will be a physician. Having worked EMS for may years with both DOs and MDs both staffing they ER where I came from there was no difference in either one. At least to the lay people (all non physicians). If there was ever any dissention among the two types it was never public and to this day that ED is half DO half MD and they have good working relationships with each other. In fact, I was congratulated by both MDs and the DOs when I left for school and it didn’t matter to any of them where I was going. Actually it mattered a little to a few of the MDs, one who was my medical director, and told me it was a bad idea to consider Caribbean schools. In the real world they don’t care. As long as you are a competent physician and get along with your colleagues then you will be fine.

I think there should be less feeding the Trolls when they post their idiotic MD vs DO Qs. Let them starve. And stop feeling like you have to defend the DO degree at every turn.

You officially have my respect. Well said.

 

[DocBR]

Very well said. As far as your title "Do DO's think they are legitimate or not?" - I have never met a single DO that would question the quality of their practice... Like you said, those that question it are premeds who don't know $hit.

 

[Fermata]

Sticky this please.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN.

 

[Vix206]

The only reference to osteopathy on the Sopranos was a negative one, unless I'm missing another reference (and I haven't seen the new season, so don't blow it). Jackie says something to the effect that he couldn't even get into an osteopathic school.

well, then that's jackie's problem. from how he ended up, he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box anyways.

 

[Lfribble]

Escellent points.

 

[almo88]

Recently we have had a rash of undercover DO vs. MD threads. They come in titles like “which DO school trains people like MDs?” or “DO Hours and Differences” under the auspices of being a real question blah blah blah etc, etc …

To my astonishment serious debate has erupted on these forums in an attempt to defend osteopaths in these threads. This leads me to my next thought for discussion. I don’t feel a need to defend DO’s or this medical degree or my decision to go to an osteopathic medical school, especially to a bunch of pre-meds who don’t know $hit, and many of whom who will try over and over again to get in somewhere but they never do. They never get to become what I get to become, only I get it with different initials at the end of my name. True, it doesn’t sound as cool as MD but it still pays the same.

I’m even amazed at how giddy we get on here when someone mentions DO’s briefly on TV, like on the Soprano’s. Why? I for one don’t need the World’s or Hollywood’s accolades.

This is not a political monologue nor do I wish for it to turn into a political debate. I am only mentioning the following to make my point. In 1994 the Republicans won control of congress after 40 years of being the minority political party but they never seemed to get it in their minds that they were the ones in control, now the majority party. For many years afterward the still always acted like the minority party and never really asserted their control over congress. Listening to Rush Limbaugh after they won people would call his show in complete amazement when someone in Hollywood would say something nice about Republicans and total anger when someone in Hollywood would say something bad of Republicans. It was like supporters of Repubs needed the accolades of Hollywood to legitimize their party or their control of congress. I am not sure what it was.

I feel like this is where this forum is sometimes. When you earn the DO degree you will be a physician. Having worked EMS for may years with both DOs and MDs both staffing they ER where I came from there was no difference in either one. At least to the lay people (all non physicians). If there was ever any dissention among the two types it was never public and to this day that ED is half DO half MD and they have good working relationships with each other. In fact, I was congratulated by both MDs and the DOs when I left for school and it didn’t matter to any of them where I was going. Actually it mattered a little to a few of the MDs, one who was my medical director, and told me it was a bad idea to consider Caribbean schools. In the real world they don’t care. As long as you are a competent physician and get along with your colleagues then you will be fine.

I think there should be less feeding the Trolls when they post their idiotic MD vs DO Qs. Let them starve. And stop feeling like you have to defend the DO degree at every turn.

 

[adismo]

DO vs MD is for people who debate MB vs BMW, but can afford neither

my DO degree never marred my performance during surgeries with MD program directors, during my DO internship, during countless hours of H&P's, during codes, while serving as a GMO in Iraq.

what matters is your knowledge base, efficiency, and level of confidence, and in this day and age its on you, not your degree. as*s-clowns can be had in both MD or DO versions, but most commonly they are of the pre-med variety.

 

[spicedmanna]

DO vs MD is for people who debate MB vs BMW, but can afford neither

D*mn, son, that's a clear classic quote there.

 

[Beau Geste]

DO vs MD is for people who debate MB vs BMW, but can afford neither

my DO degree never marred my performance during surgeries with MD program directors, during my DO internship, during countless hours of H&P's, during codes, while serving as a GMO in Iraq.

what matters is your knowledge base, efficiency, and level of confidence, and in this day and age its on you, not your degree. as*s-clowns can be had in both MD or DO versions, but most commonly they are of the pre-med variety.

 

[gtleeee]

Recently we have had a rash of undercover DO vs. MD threads. They come in titles like "which DO school trains people like MDs?" or "DO Hours and Differences" under the auspices of being a real question blah blah blah etc, etc …

To my astonishment serious debate has erupted on these forums in an attempt to defend osteopaths in these threads. This leads me to my next thought for discussion. I don't feel a need to defend DO's or this medical degree or my decision to go to an osteopathic medical school, especially to a bunch of pre-meds who don't know $hit, and many of whom who will try over and over again to get in somewhere but they never do. They never get to become what I get to become, only I get it with different initials at the end of my name. True, it doesn't sound as cool as MD but it still pays the same.

I'm even amazed at how giddy we get on here when someone mentions DO's briefly on TV, like on the Soprano's. Why? I for one don't need the World's or Hollywood's accolades.

This is not a political monologue nor do I wish for it to turn into a political debate. I am only mentioning the following to make my point. In 1994 the Republicans won control of congress after 40 years of being the minority political party but they never seemed to get it in their minds that they were the ones in control, now the majority party. For many years afterward the still always acted like the minority party and never really asserted their control over congress. Listening to Rush Limbaugh after they won people would call his show in complete amazement when someone in Hollywood would say something nice about Republicans and total anger when someone in Hollywood would say something bad of Republicans. It was like supporters of Repubs needed the accolades of Hollywood to legitimize their party or their control of congress. I am not sure what it was.

I feel like this is where this forum is sometimes. When you earn the DO degree you will be a physician. Having worked EMS for may years with both DOs and MDs both staffing they ER where I came from there was no difference in either one. At least to the lay people (all non physicians). If there was ever any dissention among the two types it was never public and to this day that ED is half DO half MD and they have good working relationships with each other. In fact, I was congratulated by both MDs and the DOs when I left for school and it didn't matter to any of them where I was going. Actually it mattered a little to a few of the MDs, one who was my medical director, and told me it was a bad idea to consider Caribbean schools. In the real world they don't care. As long as you are a competent physician and get along with your colleagues then you will be fine.

I think there should be less feeding the Trolls when they post their idiotic MD vs DO Qs. Let them starve. And stop feeling like you have to defend the DO degree at every turn.

An excellent post. It could not have been said better. An Osteopathic medical school has given me the gateway to 23 years of medical practice in emergency medicine. If school is included I am coming up in a few years on 3 decades of fascinating and extroidinary experiences in a myriad of circumstances and locations (including 3 years of challenging service as an Army GMO.) The "pre-meds" who would question the worth of the D.O. degree are like frogs croaking at the bottom of a well. Most will never practice medicine with either an M.D. or D.O. degree. One can only hope that they enjoy a few minutes of satisfaction in denigrating a degree that has enabled D.O.s to practice medicine with a license of unlimited scope for over a century. Most of them should be so lucky. Somehow the image of half hidden and furtive jackels hissing and growling in the bush as Lions placidly stride by seems appropriate.)

 

[adismo]

An excellent post. It could not have been said better. An Osteopathic medical school has given me the gateway to 23 years of medical practice in emergency medicine. If school is included I am coming up in a few years on 3 decades of fascinating and extroidinarily experiences in a myriad of circumstances and locations (including 3 years of challenging service as an Army GMO.) The "pre-meds" who would question the worth of the D.O. degree are like frogs croaking at the bottom of a well. Most will never practice medicine with either an M.D. or D.O. degree. One can only hope that they enjoy a few minutes of satisfaction in denigrating a degree that has enabled D.O.s to practice medicine with a license of unlimited scope for over a Century. Most of them should be so lucky. Somehow the image of half hidden and furtive jackels hissing and growling in the bush as Lions placidly stride by seems appropriate.)

GT,

excellent post. great to hear about your experiences. did your GMO experience aid in choosing your specialty?

 

[gtleeee]

GT,

excellent post. great to hear about your experiences. did your GMO experience aid in choosing your specialty?

Thanks and yes it did. Working as a GMO at Fort Knox E.R. (Ireland Army Hospital) in 1988 was when I really became sold on Emergency Medicine as a career.

 

[FizbanZymogen]

As someone going into the military medical system which has its fair share of D.O.'s I am more than happy to work with any competent physician, D.O. or M.D. I was very pleased and honored to get acceptances at D.O.'s schools and found many of them to be more admirable than some M.D. schools I interviewed at. I chose M.D. because I wanted to go to USUHS and I honestly have no interest in OMM. No one will or should question you're degree but we should judge eachother by our skills, attributes, attitudes and abilities.

 

[godsfshrmn]

OK? My thread was not intended for debate. It was intended for me and others to learn more about the two types of doctors. I think you should take a step back before you start accusing others of something they did not intend.

 

[MaximusD]

OK? My thread was not intended for debate. It was intended for me and others to learn more about the two types of doctors. I think you should take a step back before you start accusing others of something they did not intend.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[cliche]

 

[McDoctor]

1)who cares
2)whether it's negative or not depends on how you look at it - what he said showed DO schools do maintain at least a certain standard
3)even if you choose to look at it negatively, it's not really an unrealistic statement - average stats are lower at DO schools
4)if you think these points are worthy of serious debate, refer to 1

Way to miss the point.

 

[DragonWell]

Way to miss the point.

I get his/her point, I just didn't feel the need to comment on anything but this part.

 

[tcamdg]

"Is there any financial disadvantage to being a DO v. MD" and "are DOs at a disadvantage, professionally" (even "can DOs do surgery and prescribe drugs"—I get the "is that like a chiropractor" all the time) are legitimate questions for someone who has never heard of osteopathic medicine before and is now investigating a career as a DO, and as such I hope we continue to respond to them seriously and without derision.

Please don't assume someone's trolling if they're trying to figure everything that differentiates (or does not differentiate) a DO from an MD. Like it or not, plenty of people don't know the first thing about osteopathic medicine. Better to patiently educate than develop a reputation for being arrogant and unapproachable...

But I agree, don't feed the trolls. Maybe we should compile a list of DO v. MD FAQs and simply refer some of these questions to that.

 

[DragonWell]

But I agree, don't feed the trolls. Maybe we should compile a list of DO v. MD FAQs and simply refer some of these questions to that.

You mean like the FAQ at the top of the page that says "Please Read First" or any of the other stickied MD/DO threads?

I agree that the FAQ could be fleshed out a bit with some more specific Q&As, however, in many cases the answers to basic questions are just a google away. The key is making the effort to do it vs. just posting a thread and expecting others to do the work for you. It is usually obvious from the sophistication of the question if someone has done enough basic research to ask an intelligent question.

 

[tcamdg]

You mean like the FAQ at the top of the page that says "Please Read First" or any of the other stickied MD/DO threads?

Yes, but one titled "DO v. MD FAQ" or similar.

I agree that a person may not have done even basic research (google searches) before asking their questions. But in the interests of good PR, we shouldn't assume that they will. If this is the first place they've come to find out about osteopathic medicine, we have an unique opportunity to educate them without the vitriol, bias, or other misinformation found via google (results #1 and #2 for the inexact phrase "osteopathic v allopathic"):

1. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=540449
2. http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/osteo.html

 

[scpod]

If this is the first place they've come to find out about osteopathic medicine, we have an unique opportunity to educate them without the vitriol, bias, or other misinformation found via google...[/URL]

Yes, but this is SDN, not the world of puppydogs, lollypops, and all things generous. All the basic questions are answered in the sticky thread titled MD vs. DO Threads .

The problem is that there are not enough knowledgeable people here on a regular basis with the patience to answer the same question 436,723 times per year. The longer you are here, the more tired you get of answering the same question over and over and over and over again. That's what the FAQs and the search function are for.

Besides, if you think that they are going to not get misinformation here, then you are in for a great big surprise. Many of the people answering these questions really have no idea what they are talking about. A legitimate question gets asked and 40 premeds, who have no knowledge on the subject, will answer it as if they are the world's greatest authority. One person who has been through it and exerienced it will reply and he or she will be totally ignored, or worse.

Probably the only good place to get good, solid information right now is in the FAQs because someone who cares took the time to put that information in there. Read anything else with a grain of salt.

 

[Dr JPH]

Besides, if you think that they are going to not get misinformation here, then you are in for a great big surprise. Many of the people answering these questions really have no idea what they are talking about. A legitimate question gets asked and 40 premeds, who have no knowledge on the subject, will answer it as if they are the world's greatest authority. One person who has been through it and exerienced it will reply and he or she will be totally ignored, or worse.

Your comments are similar to those of the smartest person I have ever known.

Good post.

 

[wasvsdal]

yeah i agree. i have a 2.33 Science, 3.0 overall GPA and ive been answering questions on how to get into med school haha

 

[Dr JPH]

yeah i agree. i have a 2.33 Science, 3.0 overall GPA and ive been answering questions on how to get into med school haha

 

[Krazykritter]

yeah i agree. i have a 2.33 Science, 3.0 overall GPA and ive been answering questions on how to get into med school haha

I honestly don't mean to be insulting at all, but in all honesty, do you ever wonder how/if you are going to make it through the M1 & M2 years that are heavily oriented towards the basic sciences?? You pretty much get once chance to pass classes in med school.

Why is med school going to be any different than undergrad (performance wise)?

If you thinking I am being condescending, I'm not intending to be. As an interviewer for my school, I have asked these same questions to many students w/ a significantly greater GPA so I'm just curious.

 

[Dr JPH]

I honestly don't mean to be insulting at all, but in all honesty, do you ever wonder how/if you are going to make it through the M1 & M2 years that are heavily oriented towards the basic sciences?? You pretty much get once chance to pass classes in med school.

Why is med school going to be any different than undergrad (performance wise)?

If you thinking I am being condescending, I'm not intending to be. As an interviewer for my school, I have asked these same questions to many students w/ a significantly greater GPA so I'm just curious.

Search some of his other posts.

Trust me, you dont have to worry about this guy becoming a doctor.

 

[Krazykritter]

Search some of his other posts.

Trust me, you dont have to worry about this guy becoming a doctor.

LMAO.