DO tagged as MD on CNN

[DrJekyl]

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Did anybody else catch this? The other day on CNN, Anderson Cooper interviewed Dr. Steven Pitt. Dr. Pitt is a well known forensic psychiatrist who has worked on many famous cases. CNN labeled him as an MD, but he is actually a DO from Michigan. I'm not trying to make a big deal about this, but it would give the general public a better understanding of DOs if the media would stop mis-labeling them as MDs.

 

[Bacchus]

Did anybody else catch this? The other day on CNN, Anderson Cooper interviewed Dr. Steven Pitt. Dr. Pitt is a well known forensic psychologist who has worked on many famous cases. CNN labeled him as an MD, but he is actually a DO from Michigan. I'm not trying to make a big deal about this, but it would give the general public a better understanding of DOs if the media would stop mis-labeling them as MDs.

You could ignore it, or write CNN a polite letter explaining how you felt regarding the error. This will always happen (luckily not frequently) and you need to expect that. Regardless of his degree, he was featured because of his work, nothing else.

 

[jochi1543]

I saw "DO" interpreted as "Doctor of Orthopedics" before.

 

[Meatwad]

Since when are any medical doctors (DOs or MDs) forensic psychologists?

 

[InductionAgent]

That also happened with the DO who was on the cover of Newsweek a couple of years ago as a big war-hero-doctor. It's a missed opportunity for good DO publicity, but at the same time shows that nowadays we're judged more on the merits of our work, and that anything is possible.

 

[Meatwad]

Plus, this is better than when Britney Spears' psychiatrist was called out as a fake doctor by some idiot talking head on TV a few months ago.

 

[sexyman]

wasnt that Paris Hilton?

I would appreciate it though if when DOs are on the news for something good they stop putting MD after their name. Its actually starting to really piss me off to be honest. No wonder why no one knows what the hell a DO is.

 

[Meatwad]

wasnt that Paris Hilton?

I would appreciate it though if when DOs are on the news for something good they stop putting MD after their name. Its actually starting to really piss me off to be honest. No wonder why no one knows what the hell a DO is.

Yeah, actually, I think you're right. I mixed my bimbos up

 

[SugarBuster]

I wonder why the DO designation isn't DOM, doctor of osteopathic medicine. Podiatrists are DPMs and vets are DVMs. I don't necessarily care what the letters after my name are, as long as I'm a physician, but I think changing the name of the degree slightly might clear up a lot of confusion about the profession.

 

[Meatwad]

I don't see how DOM would be any more recognizable as a physician than DO. MDO I can see the argument... but DOM looks very silly, in my opinion. They aren't going to change the degree, because at this point, it would just confuse people even more.

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

I saw "DO" interpreted as "Doctor of Orthopedics" before.

In the UK it usually means "Diploma of Opthalmology", which is a qualification you obtain after your MBBS or "MD" degree.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

DOM already means dirty old man

 

[clc8503]

I wonder why the DO designation isn't DOM, doctor of osteopathic medicine. Podiatrists are DPMs and vets are DVMs. I don't necessarily care what the letters after my name are, as long as I'm a physician, but I think changing the name of the degree slightly might clear up a lot of confusion about the profession.

Yeah, and while their at it why don't they just change MD's to DAM (Doctor of Allopathic Medicine)? That would be about as silly as changing DO's to DOM, which would not help DO's be anymore recognized than they already are. I do see your point though. I think that the DO initials should be changed to something that resembles MD because DO's do offer the same services. That being said, why try to make the public think that they offer something completely different, by making their initials look nothing alike? (EX: MD= "Doctor of Medicine" which sounds like a doctor that practices a broad range of medicine. To the medically uneducated, "Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine" sounds like a doctoral degree that is strictly limited to Osteopathy or manipulation solely, kind of like Chiropractic medicine, which is a common misconception among the uneducated). Here's the way I see it, Since Osteopathic medicine has evolved over the years, shouldn't the initials evolve as well? The initials should allow the general public to know that they are seeing a licensed medical doctor that merely uses OMM as a tool to aid in traditional medicine, not as an only means of treating patients. There should still be a distinction. I'm not debating that in the least. However, if you ask your average wall-mart shopper, MD and DO sound about as different as apples and oranges and lets face it, your average wall-mart shopper also does not care enough to actually do their homework and see that MD does actually equal DO. That's why they should make they initials different without making them seem as opposite as daylight and dark. I think MD=MDO would raise fewer questions.

Sorry about the rant. I am just a strong supporter of Osteopathic Medicine and it really gets to me when I see DO's being discriminated against just because of their initials and not based on the way they practice medicine. If a MD improperly treats a patient, he or she is negligent. If a DO improperly treats a patient he or she is a witch doctor. It's really annoying.

 

[sexyman]

(EX: MD=: Medical Doctor"

Actually MD means doctor of medicine technically. And DO means Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Basically I agree with you though, why not MDO? Makes more sense to me as well.

 

[clc8503]

Actually MD means doctor of medicine technically. And DO means Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Basically I agree with you though, why not MDO? Makes more sense to me as well.

Thanks! The correction has been made.

 

[ina1220]

Basically I agree with you though, why not MDO? Makes more sense to me as well.

me three! perhaps we should start a petition...

(only half serious...)

 

[clc8503]

me three! perhaps we should start a petition...

(only half serious...)

Perhaps we should. (completely serious)

 

[spicedmanna]

Just to bring everyone up to speed, there have been a number of threads on the subject of changing designations (DO ---> MDO, etc.) and the denizens have always been divided, each presenting some salient points toward their cause. Check in the Osteo forum for the comprehensive arguments for each side. Also, DOM has already been taken; it is used to designate "doctor of oriental medicine."

Anyway, I think we should stick with DO, or change everything to MD, which will probably never happen, at least in my life time. I like the DO designation, anyway, so I'm in favor of keeping it. I chose this path. Changing our designation to some other designation variant probably won't make it easier for others to know what we are, in my humble opinion. People are confused enough as it is and we may confuse those who already know what a DO is, if our designation is changed. I think the best advertisement for us is through how we practice. People view us by our actions and what we represent day-to-day. I think the focus should be on that, rather than letters after a name. We need to worry less about our designation and more about self-improvement, working together to improve as a group, and good marketing. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[sexyman]

There really arent many people who know what a DO is....so we wouldnt be confusing many.

We need to worry less about our designation and more about self-improvement, working together to improve as a group, and good marketing.

^ DOs are accomplished and are already great physicians...

I am aware of all of the other threads, still think MDO would make it less confusing.

Agree to disagree haha

 

[spicedmanna]

There really arent many people who know what a DO is....so we wouldnt be confusing many.

The main thrust of my argument is that changing a name won't change recognition. People would then just not know what an "MDO" is.

^ DOs are accomplished and are already great physicians...

Yes, I'm well aware of that. However, there some things that can be improved in our education and in our marketing, etc. I won't itemize them, because that isn't the debate here. Anyway, we need to work together more as a group and stop alienating.

I am aware of all of the other threads, still think MDO would make it less confusing.

To you, maybe. However, it won't likely make a difference to the general public. We are still the minority and not well recognized. It's changing though... Give it some time.

 

[osli]

MDO does seem to make more sense. It follows the same naming pattern as MD, and also seems to capture the spirit of the DO profession better. i.e., MDO = MD + O.

 

[Meatwad]

I agree with manna; there is no point in changing it right now.

It took DOs 100+ years to get to where they are now, and they still don't have the greatest recognition. Imagine they change the degree to MDO now. Are you willing to wait another 100 years until that one has minimal recognition as well?

 

[mastamark]

That also happened with the DO who was on the cover of Newsweek a couple of years ago as a big war-hero-doctor. It's a missed opportunity for good DO publicity, but at the same time shows that nowadays we're judged more on the merits of our work, and that anything is possible.

Well Newsweek did the right thing and apologized for the misrepresentation. In all, many people are in the dark concerning Osteopathic medicine and the media is no exception. All we can hope is that less of these mistakes are made and that they openly correct them when they occur. I do believe the magazine was recovered and reissued online, so they tried.😳

 

[Meatwad]

DOM already means dirty old man

Well then my grandparents picked a good one when they decided to name my uncle Dominic. It all makes sense now...

 

[Tanner82]

I am aware of all of the other threads, still think MDO would make it less confusing.

I agree that the MDO tag would make it a little less confusing to the average person. Since they can associate MD with medical doctor. The DO tag may be confusing but it holds so much history.

It might be better if there were DA's (A for allopathic) and DO's or MDA's and MDO's. LOL, but realistically we are DO's to stay. We as future DO's should embrace the name and stop fighting it. In the larger scheme of things, you are a physician and who really cares that some people are ignorant about what it stands for? The medical community knows and your patients will know. However as the number of practicing DO's grows so will general recognition.

 

[mastamark]

Well then my grandparents picked a good one when they decided to name my uncle Dominic. It all makes sense now...

Meatwad I am sorry if I offend. You're really cool and all, but I gotta ask. What is your avatar? I mean it is a little bizzare.

Watch everyone jump in and reveal to me that it is some piece of pop culture that I managed to live 29 years without knowing about.

 

[Meatwad]

Meatwad I am sorry if I offend. You're really cool and all, but I gotta ask. What is your avatar? I mean it is a little bizzare.

Watch everyone jump in and reveal to me that it is some piece of pop culture that I managed to live 29 years without knowing about.

Well thank you for the compliment about being cool

As for my avatar, don't worry, it is far from being a recognizable piece of pop culture. It is a picture of Mr. Kanihara, the masochist Japanese gangster (yakuza) from the movie "Ichi the Killer" His face is all scarred up, slit up from cheek to cheek.

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

Excellent film, highly reccomended.

[/hijack]

 

[JaggerPlate]

I think people who want MDO are being a bit insecure about their title as a DO. Plus as far as it making more sense ... 'Medical Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine ???' I don't think that is any clearer. Don't be ashamed of your DO people, if it really bothers you, just put 'Dr. Ben Dover' on your scrubs instead of ' Ben Dover, DO.'

I know that it is important to be recognized and respected for something that you worked wayy hard for, but remeber that the main goal is to become a physician, no matter what!!

 

[ina1220]

I know that it is important to be recognized and respected for something that you worked wayy hard for, but remeber that the main goal is to become a physician, no matter what!!

👍 agreed

 

[cyclohexanol]

Changing the degree to MDO (or DOM) is ridiculous. The public and your patients still won't know what the hell it means anymore than they know what DO means (and in fact probably less).

If anything is going to change it should be to allow -everyone- who is licensed to practice medicine in this country to prepend or append MD to their earned degree (MBBS, DO, MBChB, MDCM, etc...) since "MD" is the lay equivalent to "medical doctor" in this country. This way nobody is being dishonest or shady with their earned credentials, and the public sees "MD" in that soup somewhere, so they are satisfied.

Any other option is tantamount to solving a "problem" with another problem and just creates more confusion.

Having said that... the initials really don't matter and this isn't a problem in the real world despite the occasional mis-citing of credentials by certain mainstream media outlets.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

On a related note, one of the DO residents at my hospital got a badge with "MD" after his name. It was a mistake, and he's got "DO" on his scrubs, but he is still waiting for them to give him another badge.

 

[Meatwad]

On a related note, one of the DO residents at my hospital got a badge with "MD" after his name. It was a mistake, and he's got "DO" on his scrubs, but he is still waiting for them to give him another badge.

Yeah, well that seems to happen a lot of places. Look at some of the schools these grads are from (NYCOM does not grant an MD, last time I checked):

http://www.northshorelij.com/body.cfm?id=4676&plinkID=22

According to this list, they are all MDs. I've always been interested in the legality of this; I'm assuming it's technically illegal for the hospital to list them all as DOs. However, I ran across an article on the AOA presidents' blog once about changing DO --> MDO/OMD/etc., and some guy commented saying in NY state, DOs can list themselves as MDs. I don't buy it, but now I'm not sure.

 

[JaggerPlate]

I believe we are all forgetting what happened in California a wayzzz back. They made all the DOs MDs and it turned out to be a crock of crap and was reversed. Once again though, I can't express the whole Dr. being >>>>>>> in importance when compared to MD or DO.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

There's a pretty good sushi place here in Austin called Uchi. I doubt they're related though.

 

[osli]

I think people who want MDO are being a bit insecure about their title as a DO.

I'm not insecure at all. I couldn't crap less about what letters are behind my name. If things go the way I hope they will, I'll be sitting in a dark room for much of my career and patients won't care if they do happen to see me, and people sure won't be looking me up in the yellow pages.

I simply think the chosen letters are confusing. Always have been. Either MDO or OMD would have been less confusing for the public. Quite frankly, I don't care if they change my degree to MD one day, or MDO, or ATMDwOMTt, or if they just leave it DO. It all means medical doctor.

But I think I can muse and "what if" without being insecure. 🙄

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Odb

 

[NewHope]

I know D.O.M as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine since I'm a licensed acupuncture. Although many times it's presented as O.M.D 🙄 talk about real confusion. But those of you who think that D.O.M is a good alternative to D.O.....yeah baby....... you'll be in some reeeeeeeeeally good company

http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Doctor+of+Oriental+Medicine

Acronym Definition
DOM Document Object Model
DOM 4-Methyl-2,5-Dimethoxyamphetamine (psychedelic drug; aka STP)
DOM Data Only Module (Nortel)
DOM Data Origin Level ? Manual Input
DOM Data Output Message
DOM Date of Manufacture
DOM Date Of Marriage (geneological term)
DOM day of month (US DoD)
DOM Days On Market (real estate term)
DOM Decimal Order of Magnitude
DOM Delete Operator Message (Netview command)
DOM Deo Optimo Maximo (Latin: To God, Best and Greatest)
DOM Departements d'Outremer (French: Overseas Counties)
DOM Départment d'Outre-Mer (French Overseas Department, similar to a territory)
DOM Department of Mysteries (Harry Potter)
DOM Department Operations Manual (California Department of Corrections)
DOM Departmental Operations Manager
DOM Description, Operation & Maintenance
DOM Digital Ohm Meter
DOM Digital Optical Module
DOM Digital Optical Monitoring
DOM Digital Output Module
DOM Director Of Maintenance
DOM Director of Marketing
DOM Director of Membership
DOM Director Of Naval Oceanography & Meteorology
DOM Directorate of Information Management (COE)
DOM Dirty Old Man
DOM Disaster Operations Manual (FEMA)
DOM Discrete Ordinate Method
DOM Disk on Module (Flash memory module)
DOM Dissolved Organic Matter
DOM Distributed Object Management
DOM Distributed Operations Master
DOM Doctor of Oriental Medicine
DOM Doctrine Organization Training
DOM Document Object Management
DOM Domenica (Italian: Saturday)
DOM Dominant/Dominatrix
DOM Domination
DOM Dominator (archetype in the game City of Villains)
DOM Dominica, Dominica - Melville Hal-Dom (Airport Code)
DOM Dominican Republic (ISO Country code)
DOM Dominion
DOM Domino Object Model (old definition)
DOM Dose Monitor
DOM Drawn Over Mandrel (metal-shaping process)
DOM Drawn Over Metal

 

[Tanner82]

However, I ran across an article on the AOA presidents' blog once about changing DO --> MDO/OMD/etc., and some guy commented saying in NY state, DOs can list themselves as MDs. I don't buy it, but now I'm not sure.

I think they are misreading the law there. Here's what they quoted...

Physician Licensure Requirements

1. Professional Education:
   1. Graduates of Registered or Accredited Medical Programs Satisfactory completion of a medical program registered by the New York State Education Department as licensure-qualifying* or accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and have received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathy, or the equivalent.
      *Does not include schools outside the U.S. that have received Department approval solely to contract for medical clinical experiences (clerkships) in New York State.
   2. Graduates of Non-accredited Medical Programs Satisfactory completion of the following:
      • A curriculum of not less than 32 months (4 academic years) in a medical program recognized as an acceptable educational program for physicians by the appropriate civil authorities of the country in which the school is located and receipt of the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathy, or the equivalent as determined by the Department. You must complete the final year of medical education at the school that awarded you the degree.
      • A satisfactory proficiency examination. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification will satisfy this requirement.

Basically all it says is you can be liscensed as a physician, says nothing about the degree designation. In fact there have been a number of cases where DO's wanted to use MD... http://www.mbp.state.md.us/forms/dr_designation.pdf

But really who cares. Many favor the: John Doe MD,DO designation but its really not that big of a deal. Your a licensed physician, equal, with every right that a MD has! I just don't see the big deal with all these people bringing up state court cases and whatnot. 😕

 

[Beau Geste]

If the DO is the DOM, does that make the nurse the SUB?

OMG, that was bad. But I couldn't resist!!!!!!

 

[cyclohexanol]

I believe we are all forgetting what happened in California a wayzzz back. They made all the DOs MDs and it turned out to be a crock of crap and was reversed. Once again though, I can't express the whole Dr. being >>>>>>> in importance when compared to MD or DO.

I'm agreeing with you about the insignificance of degree title (see previous post) but I think your 1962 merger facts are a little fuzzy.

The law itself was a crock of crap and it was indeed reversed 12 years later in 1974. That doesn't mean that the idea was and forever will be fudged. The law stripped the state osteopathic medical board from licensing new DOs in the state. This meant that:

1) DOs licensed prior to 1962 could either continue to practice as DOs, or switch to MD
2) The state could not license DOs after 1962 (DO graduates from other states were ineligible to practice in california)

Reason 2 was the most vital aspect of the successful repeal in 1974 because it constituted a civil rights infringement and violated both state and federal equal protection provisions.

Again, I refer to my original post regarding the whole issue, but the fact that the law didn't work doesn't mean the idea is forever doomed to failure. It could mean the law was poorly implemented.