DO Letter of Rec?

[neuronick]

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So I’ve been busily filling out the AACOM apps and trying to get a good personal statement down. I’ve got mediocre MCATs (28) and a undergrad GPA of 3.3. I went to graduate school and will be receiving a MS in neurobiology this fall (GPA 3.5, 1 publication, teaching awards etc). My question is do I absolutely need a letter of rec from a DO. That is should I have been shadowing a DO all this time to ask him/her for her recommendation. I have shadowed a few MDs in the past, and was actually encouraged to pursue a DO by an family member who is an MD. While filling out my apps however, I saw the "how did you hear about DO school?" question. I have read several school web pages and have looked up as much as I could about osteopathic medicine, but how much will it hurt me not to have any experience with a DO?

Thanks for any help

 

[Vince]

Surely your family member who is an MD knows a DO somewhere that you can shadow. My family doctor was an MD and he knew a DO and called over to his office to ask if I could shadow him. I spent about 5 hours with the DO, and he wrote me a fantastic letter. Likely the DO will sit down with you and chat and get a fairly good idea about your character.

Worst case scenario...read up on osteopathic medicine and then look up DO's in your phone book and see if you can shadow one. If you show sincere interest, or seem like you show sincere interest, you'll probably not have a problem.

Good Luck.

 

[SOUNDMAN]

Worst case scenario...read up on osteopathic medicine and then look up DO's in your phone book and see if you can shadow one. If you show sincere interest, or seem like you show sincere interest, you'll probably not have a problem.

Good Luck.

I plan on applying without a specific DO letter of recommendation. During PA school I did a rotation with a DO pediatrician, but I've noticed that many of the recommendations can be from MD or DO. I unfortunately don't have very many DO's around my neck of the woods, but plenty of MD's I work with. I think the key is to have a strong letter of recommendation from an MD/DO.

 

[duqdoc184]

It also depends on which schools you plan on applying to. I know some (LECOM for ex) require that you have a letter from a DO but others only reccomend that you have one.

 

[dr.z]

You should do a search on which schools require DO letters here since it has been discussed over and over. You can also look at AACOM web site where they list schools and requirements for application.