DO stigma in South Asian families?

[AlongWay]

First let me say that I'm on academic probation. I am nowhere near competitive for DO schools right now. I understand that its going to take a few years for me to finally get myself straight with good grades in addition to a good MCAT score.

Negative stigma is the last thing that I should be concerned about. However, my chances for DO are far better than my chances at MD, bleak as it maybe. Im ethnically South Asian and all of our family friends are in MD schools. I have never really met a South Asian DO, so I'm not asking out of ignorance, but rather to gain knowledge as to what being a South Asian DO is like.

Is there any difference in the way they are looked at by their family and friends just because their a DO? Are the considered "inferior" in their own culture compared to MDs? There doesn't seem to be too many South Asian DOs out there which is why I'm asking.

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[Ravizzle]

Dude like half the carib is full of south Asians. DO>>>>>>IMG MDs

Also, the nature of south Asians is always to compare ppl. So yeah they might think down on you or say u couldn't get into md school in US just like they say about fam that went to Caribbean. But at the end of the day it matters how much you care what others say.

Personally only ppl i care about is my parents, and they support me fully, so i couldn't give a damn what others think.

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[FrkyBgStok]

Haha. Ask your family. How are we going to know how your family looks at DOs?

 

[docmayer]

Sorry, I had to lol.

 

[Miss Terious]

Mine think that DO's are the same as ND's. Even sent my mom several articles discussing what a DO is and why its the same as MD. She used the same argument everytime, "If I have the option to go to a DO or an MD, why would I pick the DO?"

It baffles my mind why they are so stubborn about it.

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[rafman]

I'm south Asian as well, and I almost ended up going DO. If you're open with your parents, tell them everything about being a DO and clear up the misconceptions, then there shouldnt be any problem. Tell them that DOs are equivalent in terms of scope and what they can do.Besides all they'll care about is the fact that you'll be going to medical school. There are quite a few south asians in DO school that I know of, esp in TCOM. Brown people are very judgmental, don't let that stop you from achieving your dream. Ps a lot of the carribean med school students are south asian and as mentioned DO >>>> IMG. I think at Ross the white coat ceremony is referred to as " the march of the Patels".

 

[Miss Terious]

I'm south Asian as well, and I almost ended up going DO. If you're open with your parents, tell them everything about being a DO and clear up the misconceptions, then there shouldnt be any problem. Tell them that DOs are equivalent in terms of scope and what they can do.Besides all they'll care about is the fact that you'll be going to medical school. There are quite a few south asians in DO school that I know of, esp in TCOM. Brown people are very judgmental, don't let that stop you from achieving your dream. Ps a lot of the carribean med school students are south asian and as mentioned DO >>>> IMG. I think at Ross the white coat ceremony is referred to as " the march of the Patels".

HAHAHHAHAA that made my day

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[munchymanRX]

First let me say that I'm on academic probation. I am nowhere near competitive for DO schools right now. I understand that its going to take a few years for me to finally get myself straight with good grades in addition to a good MCAT score.

Negative stigma is the last thing that I should be concerned about. However, my chances for DO are far better than my chances at MD, bleak as it maybe. Im ethnically South Asian and all of our family friends are in MD schools. I have never really met a South Asian DO, so I'm not asking out of ignorance, but rather to gain knowledge as to what being a South Asian DO is like.

Is there any difference in the way they are looked at by their family and friends just because their a DO? Are the considered "inferior" in their own culture compared to MDs? There doesn't seem to be too many South Asian DOs out there which is why I'm asking.

There are plenty of South asian DOs at my school, lemme tell you. I think it's more a lack of understanding than a legitimate reflection on the "inferiority" of the degree.

East Asian culture is very similar, and in my experience if they (family) haven't heard of it, it MUST be inferior, simply for the reason that none of their friends seem to be talking about it/know what it is. There's always that nagging worry among asian parents that taking a path that's unfamiliar or that few others in their social circle seem to be taking puts the child (and by extension the family) at a disadvantage-whether that's in terms of "face"/prestige or finances is very dependent on the family. Often it's both. I hate it too, but where are their medical degrees, hm?

At the end of the day you still get to be a doctor, and you're not significantly limited in the specialties you can choose from. Do DO schools breed a lot of PCPs? Sure, but if you don't want to do primary care you can't blame the school for that. It's up to you to get the grades and board scores you need to do what you want.

"Judge not lest ye be judged", although I'm not sure how well that'd go over with asian parents =P.

 

[desiallstar]

LOL @ March of the patels, totally made my day! But yes I too am expecting the herd of questions regarding the DO route from family and friends.

 

[oms2]

i've been told by an asian friend that the brand name fetish/fixation is one of the things that distinguish fresh off the boat asian immigrants from the established asian-americans. the recent folks firmly believe in the superiority of everything ivy league and the hierarchy of prestige and status and reflected glory. the irony is this is america - the land founded on the egalitarian tradition.

 

[Goro]

All I can tell you is that a lot of my students are South Asian, and they do fine. One was valedectorian a number of years ago. You might want to contact the AOA to see if there are any South Asian DOs near you.

First let me say that I'm on academic probation. I am nowhere near competitive for DO schools right now. I understand that its going to take a few years for me to finally get myself straight with good grades in addition to a good MCAT score.

Negative stigma is the last thing that I should be concerned about. However, my chances for DO are far better than my chances at MD, bleak as it maybe. Im ethnically South Asian and all of our family friends are in MD schools. I have never really met a South Asian DO, so I'm not asking out of ignorance, but rather to gain knowledge as to what being a South Asian DO is like.

Is there any difference in the way they are looked at by their family and friends just because their a DO? Are the considered "inferior" in their own culture compared to MDs? There doesn't seem to be too many South Asian DOs out there which is why I'm asking.

 

[HalfListic]

Can I also add to the discussion by saying, Don't be afraid to be a pioneer.

Im sure it will be tough if there really is this stigma in your family and friends, but be the one to show them the truth. Its maybe just my opinion, but if I were you, I would research Osteopathic Medicine, and what it is today. Form your own opinions on it. Do you have any unfounded prejudices? You might...which is ok. But, you'll feel and perform better if you can address them before you apply.

There were days were applying DO was an afterthought, when it was younger...but those days are almost over

 

[MedPR]

There's 1 reason to not go DO and 1 reason only. That reason = lack of opportunities (relative to MD) for specialization.

 

[Cytology]

Sorry, I had to lol.

MD? You no go MD, PhD?

General surgery? You no go neurosurgery?

Just had to.

 

[physcigirl27]

I'm south asian and planning on going DO. I'm not really very cmpetitive either (had only 1 interview and still on the WL...doing a post-bacc) and it took a LOT of convincing. My parents didn't get it. And to make matters worse: EVERYONE in our community goes to India/Pak for med school or SGU. So my parents were confused as to why I wasn't going that route. Of course, aunties/uncles that sent their kids to those schools abroad defended them to death (I had one uncle pull out his laptop and argue that the DO school I was WL at wasn't even accredited vs his daughter's random no-name Indian med school).

What helped change my parents' perspective was the fact that a lot of our doctors are now DO, a fact that my parents didn't even know until I brought it up. Now they don't care. But it took some time.

Best of luck!

 

[Ravizzle]

I'm south asian and planning on going DO. I'm not really very cmpetitive either (had only 1 interview and still on the WL...doing a post-bacc) and it took a LOT of convincing. My parents didn't get it. And to make matters worse: EVERYONE in our community goes to India/Pak for med school or SGU. So my parents were confused as to why I wasn't going that route. Of course, aunties/uncles that sent their kids to those schools abroad defended them to death (I had one uncle pull out his laptop and argue that the DO school I was WL at wasn't even accredited vs his daughter's random no-name Indian med school).

What helped change my parents' perspective was the fact that a lot of our doctors are now DO, a fact that my parents didn't even know until I brought it up. Now they don't care. But it took some time.

Best of luck!

DO schools need to start advertising on the Indian channels man. Jk Lol

I swear like every commercial break on the Indian channels had an ad for some carib med school advertising no MCAT, low tuition, rotations in us. This has super brainwashed Indians that carib is a very favorable route, when in fact it should be held as a backup option and there is really only like 3-4 "legit" schools.

Main thing is you have to think if you are ok with being a DO. As a DO u are a minority in the medical community, and so there will be ppl that will think u inferior, or treat u different. Same thing as being brown, ppl treat u different (why am i always "randomly" selected at airport?). You can't be insecure, if u are a DO, be proud to say u are a DO.




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[whatbout2morrow]

South Asian here. A distant cousin of mine went to NYCOM. But I guess he figured it would be best if he avoided trying to explain the whole osteopathic thing. As far as anyone in the family was concerned, he went to medical school in Long Island and is now a cardiologist.

 

[qwerty2012]

MD? You no go MD, PhD?

General surgery? You no go neurosurgery?

Just had to.

What is even more funny is people trying to over-doing the stereotypes. Now that is funny.

 

[deadman]

South Asian here. A distant cousin of mine went to NYCOM. But I guess he figured it would be best if he avoided trying to explain the whole osteopathic thing. As far as anyone in the family was concerned, he went to medical school in Long Island and is now a cardiologist.

This is exactly my approach. There are far more important things that south asian parents/uncles dont understand, why waste time trying to explain the whole DO thing, its honestly a waste of time. Tell them you go to medical school and move on.

Once your done with school/residency and driving your beemer around, raking in the cash, lets be honest, thats all they care about.

Enjoy your life and stop worrying about what other people think

 

[coolingglasses]

Like I said in your WAMC thread, it depends on each person's family. Mine are loaded with allied/other health professions and are familiar with the DO profession, so they are fine with my decision to focus all my efforts on getting into a DO school. If they aren't familiar, educate them. I already have to do it with my non-science friends!

 

[235788]

hmmm, this thread is interesting.

I would assume the asians would appreciate DO's a bit more.

 

[FutureDoctorrrr]

MD? You no go MD, PhD?

General surgery? You no go neurosurgery?

Just had to.

Neurosurgery? Y U no go RadOnc?

Sorry, just had to do it

 

[Yonko Shanks]

 

[aspDO]

LMAO

 

[aspDO]

Hey, I don't wanna hijack the thread, but honest to God, why Indian applicants refer them as "south Asian?" Don't you guys feel proud of being an Asian Indian!

They also name themselves as "off-shore teams" when they work in IT or high-tech field.

C'mon, yo!

 

[MedicinaeDoctor]

Hey, I don't wanna hijack the thread, but honest to God, why Indian applicants refer them as "south Asian?" Don't you guys feel proud of being an Asian Indian!

They also name themselves as "off-shore teams" when they work in IT or high-tech field.

C'mon, yo!

what are you even saying?

 

[aspDO]

what are you even saying?

Read it loud until you get it.

 

[Iliketoytles]

Hey, I don't wanna hijack the thread, but honest to God, why Indian applicants refer them as "south Asian?" Don't you guys feel proud of being an Asian Indian!

They also name themselves as "off-shore teams" when they work in IT or high-tech field.

C'mon, yo!

Because not all south asians are indian...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia

"According to the United Nations geoscheme,[2] Southern Asia comprises the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Burma and Tibet are also sometimes included in the region."

 

[hoose]

I had to deal with this quite a bit going through undergrad. It took a while for my parents to get over the misconceptions. But two things really helped them understand why it was a good route. One was that a close family friend was an Opthamologist and a DO and most importantly indian so that they could see a successful indian DO. Second, they were reasonable and understood the horror stories from the Caribbean outweighed the great success stories. At this point, I'll be a second year at an osteopathic school and my parents have really accepted it because they are seeing how well I'm doing on national shelf exams which are compared to MD students, which is a nice indication I will do well on board exams.

Do I regret not being able to go MD? Yes, especially when I go home and see the judging parents who love asking passive-aggressive questions. But I know that if I continue working hard on this route and become a surgeon or an opthamologist or w/e else people will refer to me as "that Dr. Patel is a surgeon" not he's just a DO.

 

[Iliketoytles]

I had to deal with this quite a bit going through undergrad. It took a while for my parents to get over the misconceptions. But two things really helped them understand why it was a good route. One was that a close family friend was an Opthamologist and a DO and most importantly indian so that they could see a successful indian DO. Second, they were reasonable and understood the horror stories from the Caribbean outweighed the great success stories. At this point, I'll be a second year at an osteopathic school and my parents have really accepted it because they are seeing how well I'm doing on national shelf exams which are compared to MD students, which is a nice indication I will do well on board exams.

Do I regret not being able to go MD? Yes, especially when I go home and see the judging parents who love asking passive-aggressive questions. But I know that if I continue working hard on this route and become a surgeon or an opthamologist or w/e else people will refer to me as "that Dr. Patel is a surgeon" not he's just a DO.

This thread is getting out of hand.

 

[FutureDoctorrrr]

I had to deal with this quite a bit going through undergrad. It took a while for my parents to get over the misconceptions. But two things really helped them understand why it was a good route. One was that a close family friend was an Opthamologist and a DO and most importantly indian so that they could see a successful indian DO. Second, they were reasonable and understood the horror stories from the Caribbean outweighed the great success stories. At this point, I'll be a second year at an osteopathic school and my parents have really accepted it because they are seeing how well I'm doing on national shelf exams which are compared to MD students, which is a nice indication I will do well on board exams.

Do I regret not being able to go MD? Yes, especially when I go home and see the judging parents who love asking passive-aggressive questions. But I know that if I continue working hard on this route and become a surgeon or an opthamologist or w/e else people will refer to me as "that Dr. Patel is a surgeon" not he's just a DO.

Wow...you had to try that hard with your parents...every time I got that passive-aggressive s***, I just told my family members that I will become a janitor after finishing my DO degree..and that it (being a janitor) had been my lifelong dream...

 

[aspDO]

Because not all south asians are indian...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia

"According to the United Nations geoscheme,[2] Southern Asia comprises the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Burma and Tibet are also sometimes included in the region."

Dude/dudette, read my post and only then make excerpts from Prof.wikipedia. I'm asking why Indians' calling themselves as South Asian here in SDN after someone mentioned Ross' graduation ceremony as the "march of Patels". If South Asia is a united country (like European Union, or United States, or United Kingdom), than okay. I'd like to know person's country of origin. Capiche?

Anyway.. swayed too much out of topic. Peace.

 

[Iliketoytles]

Dude/dudette, read my post and only then make excerpts from Prof.wikipedia. I'm asking why Indians' calling themselves as South Asian here in SDN after someone mentioned Ross' graduation ceremony as the "march of Patels". If South Asia is a united country (like European Union, or United States, or United Kingdom), than okay. I'd like to know person's country of origin. Capiche?

Anyway.. swayed too much out of topic. Peace.

Because south asians fall in the same category... and south asians have the familial problem, whether they are from afghanistan or india. Pretty sure that's why the OP was addressing all south asians...

Relax dude/dudette. You don't have to know a person's country of origin unless you buy them dinner first.

 

[MedicinaeDoctor]

Dude/dudette, read my post and only then make excerpts from Prof.wikipedia. I'm asking why Indians' calling themselves as South Asian here in SDN after someone mentioned Ross' graduation ceremony as the "march of Patels". If South Asia is a united country (like European Union, or United States, or United Kingdom), than okay. I'd like to know person's country of origin. Capiche?

Anyway.. swayed too much out of topic. Peace.

indians refer to themselves as south asian (on sdn and just about everywhere else) in the same way that cambodians refer to themselves as southeast asian or saudi arabians refer to themselves as middle eastern, etc. is that really that tough to grasp?

and what? the EU is a united country now?

anyway, what's wrong with saying you're south asian? or for that matter, what's wrong with saying that you're central american, or eastern european, or southeast asian, or middle easterner, or whatever else?

 

[Ravizzle]

Ok to clarify the confusion i will specify. I'm brown. Mocha frappuccino colored to be exact.

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[HalfListic]

I had to deal with this quite a bit going through undergrad. It took a while for my parents to get over the misconceptions. But two things really helped them understand why it was a good route. One was that a close family friend was an Opthamologist and a DO and most importantly indian so that they could see a successful indian DO. Second, they were reasonable and understood the horror stories from the Caribbean outweighed the great success stories. At this point, I'll be a second year at an osteopathic school and my parents have really accepted it because they are seeing how well I'm doing on national shelf exams which are compared to MD students, which is a nice indication I will do well on board exams.

Do I regret not being able to go MD? Yes, especially when I go home and see the judging parents who love asking passive-aggressive questions. But I know that if I continue working hard on this route and become a surgeon or an opthamologist or w/e else people will refer to me as "that Dr. Patel is a surgeon" not he's just a DO.

Listen...this response really shows how little you know about DOs and how you might also have some trouble with it. This is not an insult to you...This is an invitation to really research Osteopathic medicine and then make a decision.

Anyone who wants an MD, go get it. Take an SMP...if it takes a couple years, big deal. This is the rest of your life we are talking about.

Now, if you like Osteopathic medicine, like I do and like so many others here do...come join the family. It has a wonderful future and many great and unique opportunities.

But, honestly, this thread may have lost its foothold in productivity a while back... and Ravizzle is just making me thirsty

 

[Ravizzle]

Listen...this response really shows how little you know about DOs and how you might also have some trouble with it. This is not an insult to you...This is an invitation to really research Osteopathic medicine and then make a decision.

Anyone who wants an MD, go get it. Take an SMP...if it takes a couple years, big deal. This is the rest of your life we are talking about.

Now, if you like Osteopathic medicine, like I do and like so many others here do...come join the family. It has a wonderful future and many great and unique opportunities.

But, honestly, this thread may have lost its foothold in productivity a while back... and Ravizzle is just making me thirsty

+1 don't be a "wanna be MD". You will always think yourself inferior and never be confident.

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[Cytology]

Listen...this response really shows how little you know about DOs and how you might also have some trouble with it. This is not an insult to you...This is an invitation to really research Osteopathic medicine and then make a decision.

Anyone who wants an MD, go get it. Take an SMP...if it takes a couple years, big deal. This is the rest of your life we are talking about.

Now, if you like Osteopathic medicine, like I do and like so many others here do...come join the family. It has a wonderful future and many great and unique opportunities.

But, honestly, this thread may have lost its foothold in productivity a while back... and Ravizzle is just making me thirsty

I'm southeast Asian but born and raised in the US and my parents came here way before they were in high school. They no longer speak their native language. I have never experienced anything like this. I just can't comprehend it. I know experiences mentioned here aren't limited to asians.

My advice is just stop caring....just try not to give a F$294@. It might be hard but try.

Be the baddest SOB that ever lived...

 

[tenndoc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFZrzg62Zj0

 

[munchymanRX]

Listen...this response really shows how little you know about DOs and how you might also have some trouble with it. This is not an insult to you...This is an invitation to really research Osteopathic medicine and then make a decision.

Anyone who wants an MD, go get it. Take an SMP...if it takes a couple years, big deal. This is the rest of your life we are talking about.

Now, if you like Osteopathic medicine, like I do and like so many others here do...come join the family. It has a wonderful future and many great and unique opportunities.

But, honestly, this thread may have lost its foothold in productivity a while back... and Ravizzle is just making me thirsty

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Oh yeah

 

[Miss Terious]

Mental image of koolaid guy screaming OH YEAH and destroying someone's house. Ah childhood

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[aspDO]

i'm southeast asian but born and raised in the us and my parents came here way before they were in high school. They no longer speak their native language. I have never experienced anything like this. I just can't comprehend it. i know experiences mentioned here aren't limited to asians.

my advice is just stop caring....just try not to give a f$294@. It might be hard but try.

Be the baddest sob that ever lived...

+1

 

[COMedic2Doc]

+1

Listen...this response really shows how little you know about DOs and how you might also have some trouble with it. This is not an insult to you...This is an invitation to really research Osteopathic medicine and then make a decision.

Anyone who wants an MD, go get it. Take an SMP...if it takes a couple years, big deal. This is the rest of your life we are talking about.

Now, if you like Osteopathic medicine, like I do and like so many others here do...come join the family. It has a wonderful future and many great and unique opportunities.

But, honestly, this thread may have lost its foothold in productivity a while back... and Ravizzle is just making me thirsty

South Asian here. A distant cousin of mine went to NYCOM. But I guess he figured it would be best if he avoided trying to explain the whole osteopathic thing. As far as anyone in the family was concerned, he went to medical school in Long Island and is now a cardiologist.

+1 to all of these comments. I married into a South Asian family, have several South Asian friends, and none of them have any ill will toward my pursuing DO instead of MD if that's what ends up happening. DO is not the same as ND, and as most of the rest of the world is learning this many Americans are also learning this as well. I would never let any one else's ideals, stigmas, etc get in your way of pursuing medicine. Even if you end up a family practitioner in the end, you are still a Doctor and still highly regarded throughout the medical community. However, if you're an absolute idiot toward your patients and colleagues, then you'll have an issue because you're an idiot not because you're a DO.

 

[aspDO]

indians refer to themselves as south asian (on sdn and just about everywhere else) in the same way that cambodians refer to themselves as southeast asian or saudi arabians refer to themselves as middle eastern, etc. is that really that tough to grasp?

and what? the EU is a united country now?

anyway, what's wrong with saying you're south asian? or for that matter, what's wrong with saying that you're central american, or eastern european, or southeast asian, or middle easterner, or whatever else?

Yeah, but why? Make your people proud by saying you're from Hindustan(India). Let others call themselves South Asian, whatever that means.

And yes, EU is a united country. You become a European Union citizen, can work and travel freely in any "state" of this country, the same like in the United States. They even have their own money, called Euro.

 

[aspDO]

+1 to all of these comments. I married into a south asian family, have several south asian friends, and none of them have any ill will toward my pursuing do instead of md if that's what ends up happening. Do is not the same as nd, and as most of the rest of the world is learning this many americans are also learning this as well. I would never let any one else's ideals, stigmas, etc get in your way of pursuing medicine. Even if you end up a family practitioner in the end, you are still a doctor and still highly regarded throughout the medical community. however, if you're an absolute idiot toward your patients and colleagues, then you'll have an issue because you're an idiot not because you're a do.

+1

 

[Ravizzle]

Yeah, but why? Make your people proud by saying you're from Hindustan(India). Let others call themselves South Asian, whatever that means.

And yes, EU is a united country. You become a European Union citizen, can work and travel freely in any "state" of this country, the same like in the United States. They even have their own money, called Euro.

Should we also include our caste and religion too?

come on man, think about it, how different is a Pakistani person from an Indian? They the same! No need to create divides, us brown ppl need to stay unified and be above all these divisions.

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[aspDO]

Should we also include our caste and religion too?

come on man, think about it, how different is a Pakistani person from an Indian? They the same! No need to create divides, us brown ppl need to stay unified and be above all these divisions.

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Okay then.

 

[Iliketoytles]

Part of me also feels that referring to each other as South Asian avoids the stigma that some specific south asian countries have. I obviously think the stigma is nonsense, but I can see why some people don't want to associate themselves with their country (this also holds true outside the south asian community). This has nothing to do with them not being "proud" of where they're from, and more to do with the ignorance of the people around them.

This really shouldn't even be an issue.

Should we also include our caste and religion too?

Dalit ---> URM status

 

[Cytology]

I'm southeast Asian but born and raised in the US and my parents came here way before they were in high school. They no longer speak their native language. I have never experienced anything like this. I just can't comprehend it. I know experiences mentioned here aren't limited to asians.

My advice is just stop caring....just try not to give a F$294@. It might be hard but try.

Be the baddest SOB that ever lived...

Or the female equivalent....