DO transfer to MD (and vice-versa)

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my main question is, is it possible? (after year 1 because the curricula for both allopathic and osteopathic are the same--basic science)

and 2, if you were to do that, would it be looked down upon at the interview (for switching schools, because there is little difference between the fields, in terms of practice and whatnot)

 

[HoodyHoo]

my main question is, is it possible? (after year 1 because the curricula for both allopathic and osteopathic are the same--basic science)

and 2, if you were to do that, would it be looked down upon at the interview (for switching schools, because there is little difference between the fields, in terms of practice and whatnot)

First off it is near impossible to go from DO to MD after your first year. Most MD schools will ONLY except from other MD schools.

As far as going DO to DO, it is more likely. However, it is still VERY HARD to do and you are almost 100% likely to start over your first year.

The best time to transfer is after second year. That way, you don't have to start over and you don't have to lose a year of your life for no reason.

 

[OSUdoc08]

my main question is, is it possible? (after year 1 because the curricula for both allopathic and osteopathic are the same--basic science)

and 2, if you were to do that, would it be looked down upon at the interview (for switching schools, because there is little difference between the fields, in terms of practice and whatnot)

OMM isn't offered at MD schools, and that is one thought.

You'd also need a REALLY good reason for doing it.

But it is possible.

 

[nev]

I've heard that the University of North Texas does that.

 

[dr.z]

You can transfer from MD to DO.

 

[stoic]

it can happen, but you need a good good good reason like marriage or being close to a dying relative or something like that.

 

[cubs3canes]

I DID IT. I made the transfer for personal reasons, so if you want to know more, I woul dbe more comfortable discussing it over PM.

 

[docbill]

I DID IT. I made the transfer for personal reasons, so if you want to know more, I woul dbe more comfortable discussing it over PM.

cubs3canes... good for you. Did you have a good reason or just jumping ship.

Do you advice someone who has not yet started DO school to go in with the plan to transfer to an MD school? Basically intentionally taking someone else's spot, just so they can change half way through.

To OP, I would advice to take the extra year and retake your MCAT, do better and improve your application and apply next year. Don't bother applying to DO school if you are just going to jump ship half way. OMT is something you will have to learn and you will be miserable learning OPP and risk not getting accepted transfer anywhere.

 

[docbill]

Also just in case someone else wants to know more.

Do a little search on the bottom of the page. This issue has been discuss to death and the advice given then is still valid today.

But please if you are new to the site do searches first before you putting any threads about DO vs. MD.... What is a DO? What is OMM or OMT? Can you transfer to MD school etc....?

 

[BlondeCookie]

Why would anyone want to transfer from MD to DO? I can understand if a person wants to get out of DO school to get into an MD school, but not the other way around.

Going from MD school to DO school sounds pretty ridiculous to me. I mean, yeah DOs are getting more respect nowadays, but still. The general public, some are still in the dark ages. So, why bother putting yourself at a disadvantage when you get out of med school? You can still learn manipulation techniques without having to go to DO school.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Going from MD school to DO school sounds pretty ridiculous to me. I mean, yeah DOs are getting more respect nowadays, but still. The general public, some are still in the dark ages. So, why bother putting yourself at a disadvantage when you get out of med school? You can still learn manipulation techniques without having to go to DO school.

Just remember, that is your own opinion.

There are no disadvantages for being a DO, except the stigma which obviously you possess. Don't bring the "DO's can't get into specialties" into this either. Automatically not as many DO's will be in specialties because .... BIG surprise, there aren't as many DO schools as there are MD schools so the numbers automatically aren't in the favor. There are DO residencies and Allo residencies. They get the SAME training, just DO's are based more on FM which doesn't make you a worse doctor than an MD *doh, I hate grammar this early in the morning*. If you have the boards and grades you can get into ANY residency. 🙄 If anything my opinion is that DO's have to "work" harder at times (USMLE and COMLEX) but honestly, I think its ironic that people criticize DO's for the lowers grades and scores, yet these people overcome MORE than their MD counterparts just to supposedly "prove" themselves in this world.

Don't turn this into another bashing thread.
We are all doctors whether some people like it or not. (kinda like how some people are still racists - just saw an example of that on "Untold Stories of the ER" marathon last weekend) Become educated about the actual differences in education. 👍 (you'll see very few!)

As for the OP - I haven't seeing transfering first hand but have heard it in various institutions. As everyone states, mostly for personal/family reasons.

Thanks.

 

[docbill]

Why would anyone want to transfer from MD to DO? I can understand if a person wants to get out of DO school to get into an MD school, but not the other way around.

Going from MD school to DO school sounds pretty ridiculous to me. I mean, yeah DOs are getting more respect nowadays, but still. The general public, some are still in the dark ages. So, why bother putting yourself at a disadvantage when you get out of med school? You can still learn manipulation techniques without having to go to DO school.

Even though there is some truth to what you are saying. Believe it or not you are contributing to that belief.

I am going into DO prof and I am not concerned about these stereotypes. There are a number of us.. fairly liberal people. Willing to become DOs and work closely and improving the relationship with MDs. After all.. we are both members of the same profession. One way we will do it is by working hard and proving to you and others.. that we are equal... and because we are underdogs.. maybe some of us DOs may upstage you. It is natural competitive response.

Littered among all these MD vs. DO threads. There are a few MDs that will come on here and say. I have worked with DOs and I found them down to earth and excellent physicians. That voice will grow and this negative stereotype will not disapear.. but deminish.

Now I will try not to answer any more nonsense threads.

 

[HoodyHoo]

Why would anyone want to transfer from MD to DO? I can understand if a person wants to get out of DO school to get into an MD school, but not the other way around.

Going from MD school to DO school sounds pretty ridiculous to me. I mean, yeah DOs are getting more respect nowadays, but still. The general public, some are still in the dark ages. So, why bother putting yourself at a disadvantage when you get out of med school? You can still learn manipulation techniques without having to go to DO school.

why would you want to transfer DO to MD?? that's sooooooooo ridiculous. you obviously don't realize that we are way more attractive than our MD counterparts. why would you ever want to leave the beautiful, liberal, down-to-earth people? I also heard DO's have nicer breasts and bigger......u know.

does this sound ridiculous??? well, read your post again and it sounds just as ridiculous. People with attitudes like you are people that are going to get burned in rotations and residency by DO's like me 😡 😡 😎 😎 😎

 

[cubs3canes]

why would you want to transfer DO to MD?? that's sooooooooo ridiculous. you obviously don't realize that we are way more attractive than our MD counterparts. why would you ever want to leave the beautiful, liberal, down-to-earth people? I also heard DO's have nicer breasts and bigger......u know.

does this sound ridiculous??? well, read your post again and it sounds just as ridiculous. People with attitudes like you are people that are going to get burned in rotations and residency by DO's like me 😡 😡 😎 😎 😎

I have meet 4 poeple that have transferred from DO to MD including myself. Not a single one of them did it to become an MD. They all had personal reasons and needed to move to an area that did not have a MD school. Just be careful on your judgement HoodyHoo.

Transferring is very difficult especially if you are going through a hardship that is really affecting your education. The MD schools are gracious to accept the DO students that NEED to transfer.

I loved my DO school. I loved my friends. However, circumstances and family comes first...so I transferred. Now I love my MD school. I love where I live and I love the fact that the stressors on my education are gone.

Do not worry everyone. MD schools only grant interviews to DO transfers that have very legitimate reasons for transferring. I have never heard of a DO transfer to MD for non-personal reasons.

Good luck to everyone in school. Just study, do not worry about this crap.

 

[HoodyHoo]

I have meet 4 poeple that have transferred from DO to MD including myself. Not a single one of them did it to become an MD. They all had personal reasons and needed to move to an area that did not have a MD school. Just be careful on your judgement HoodyHoo.

Transferring is very difficult especially if you are going through a hardship that is really affecting your education. The MD schools are gracious to accept the DO students that NEED to transfer.

I loved my DO school. I loved my friends. However, circumstances and family comes first...so I transferred. Now I love my MD school. I love where I live and I love the fact that the stressors on my education are gone.

Do not worry everyone. MD schools only grant interviews to DO transfers that have very legitimate reasons for transferring. I have never heard of a DO transfer to MD for non-personal reasons.

Good luck to everyone in school. Just study, do not worry about this crap.

uh?? obviously you didn't catch my sarcasm. I was just trying to prove a point to BlondeCookieMonster who made a very annoying comment. Obviously there are people who want to transfer DO to MD for many reasons, personal or not. I was joking, if I were serious, i would be calling myself an a$$hole.

it's hard not to worry about this crap sometimes but i guess people that are ignorant and still have a bias towards DO's are most likely always gonna be that way. For example, my old boss told me most DO's don't know what they are doing, and then he proceeded to tell me that his top IM resident was a DO. I was like, wtf dude?? I told him also how my brother is chief resident in psychiatry at WashU, one of the best schools in the country, and he's a DO.

whatever though, didn't mean to offend you.

 

[BlondeCookie]

Just remember, that is your own opinion.

There are no disadvantages for being a DO, except the stigma which obviously you possess. Don't bring the "DO's can't get into specialties" into this either. Automatically not as many DO's will be in specialties because .... BIG surprise, there aren't as many DO schools as there are MD schools so the numbers automatically aren't in the favor. There are DO residencies and Allo residencies. They get the SAME training, just DO's are based more on FM which doesn't make you a worse doctor than an MD *doh, I hate grammar this early in the morning*. If you have the boards and grades you can get into ANY residency. 🙄 If anything my opinion is that DO's have to "work" harder at times (USMLE and COMLEX) but honestly, I think its ironic that people criticize DO's for the lowers grades and scores, yet these people overcome MORE than their MD counterparts just to supposedly "prove" themselves in this world.

Don't turn this into another bashing thread.
We are all doctors whether some people like it or not. (kinda like how some people are still racists - just saw an example of that on "Untold Stories of the ER" marathon last weekend) Become educated about the actual differences in education. 👍 (you'll see very few!)

As for the OP - I haven't seeing transfering first hand but have heard it in various institutions. As everyone states, mostly for personal/family reasons.

Thanks.

Hey. I have nothing against DOs. My last dentist was a DO and a very good one. So, whatever else you read into my post that I didn't like DOs. You're wrong. I was just stating that the stigma does exist. Granted, the DO movement has made lots of strides in the past, but there are those still out there (not me) that believe that DOs are inferior. So, I was only saying that if you are already in MD school, it doesn't make sense to go DO. That's all.

Also, DOs don't necessarily have to work harder for a Residency Spot. The argument could be made that they have the additional advantage in applying for a DO residency position, in addition to the Match that MDs use. So, in essence DOs have 2 methods in which to obtain a residency. MDs only have one method.

 

[DOtobe]

A DO dentist? 😕

 

[mshheaddoc]

Hey. I have nothing against DOs. My last dentist was a DO and a very good one. So, whatever else you read into my post that I didn't like DOs. You're wrong. I was just stating that the stigma does exist. Granted, the DO movement has made lots of strides in the past, but there are those still out there (not me) that believe that DOs are inferior. So, I was only saying that if you are already in MD school, it doesn't make sense to go DO. That's all.

Again, I just said personal opinion. Again, you have a stigma stating that if you are in an MD school, there should be no reason to transfer to a DO school. That is a stigma implied in my view. I dont want a bashing thread, everyone has different perspectives.

Also, DOs don't necessarily have to work harder for a Residency Spot. The argument could be made that they have the additional advantage in applying for a DO residency position, in addition to the Match that MDs use. So, in essence DOs have 2 methods in which to obtain a residency. MDs only have one method.

i kept my comments to myself about the DO dentist (as they don't exsist to my knowledge). But as for the residencies, there are VERY few DO residencies compared to MD's and many of them are localized. I see no advantage in that regard. Especially in subspecialities.


If you are offended, I don't know what to say. Even though it wasn't just myself who thought you were flaming. But now I think we need a definition clarification of what exactly a DO is. 😕 That to me just shows ignorance. Again, I'm just calling them how I see it.

 

[BlondeCookie]

Again, I just said personal opinion. Again, you have a stigma stating that if you are in an MD school, there should be no reason to transfer to a DO school. That is a stigma implied in my view. I dont want a bashing thread, everyone has different perspectives.


i kept my comments to myself about the DO dentist (as they don't exsist to my knowledge). But as for the residencies, there are VERY few DO residencies compared to MD's and many of them are localized. I see no advantage in that regard. Especially in subspecialities.


If you are offended, I don't know what to say. Even though it wasn't just myself who thought you were flaming. But now I think we need a definition clarification of what exactly a DO is. 😕 That to me just shows ignorance. Again, I'm just calling them how I see it.

OK, then I must be mistaken about my last dentist being a DO. I actually thought that he was a DO. In any case, I don't have any stigma whatsoever against DOs. I know that they can make fine physicians. I am only acknowledging, as many of you have done before, that there are still people in society that think that DOs are inferior and that if you are already in MD school, then just stay. Learn manipulation techniques if you want.

I do, however, think that many of you guys are quite defensive and overly-so as seen by your negative and anticipatory remarks in this thread.

 

[Doctor G]

OK, then I must be mistaken about my last dentist being a DO. I actually thought that he was a DO.

Hey, are you a med school matriculant or someone who is about to apply to osteopathic med school? If you were about to apply, please know what exactly a D.O. is before they reject you. If you were a matriculant, then you should know better that D.O.'s cannot be dentists. If you leave a mistake uncorrected and just make the best of it, you won't succeed. Why do you want to make yourself sound so lame and uninformed?

 

[BlondeCookie]

Hey, are you a med school matriculant or someone who is about to apply to osteopathic med school? If you were about to apply, please know what exactly a D.O. is before they reject you. If you were a matriculant, then you should know better that D.O.'s cannot be dentists. If you leave a mistake uncorrected and just make the best of it, you won't succeed. Why do you want to make yourself sound so lame and uninformed?

Arrogant jerk.

 

[stoic]

Hey, are you a med school matriculant or someone who is about to apply to osteopathic med school? If you were about to apply, please know what exactly a D.O. is before they reject you. If you were a matriculant, then you should know better that D.O.'s cannot be dentists. If you leave a mistake uncorrected and just make the best of it, you won't succeed. Why do you want to make yourself sound so lame and uninformed?

she's a troll. just ignore.

 

[DrDad]

she's a troll. just ignore.

is that not just the truth

 

[espbeliever]

i think its possible that the dentist was a DO isnt it? I mean i thought i had read somewhere that sometimes doctors can work under a dentist for a while and then set up a dentistry practice. i know ive atleast read about something like that before... not that ive actually seen one myself however.

 

[espbeliever]

OMM isn't offered at MD schools, and that is one thought.

You'd also need a REALLY good reason for doing it.

But it is possible.

i thought i had heard of one or two schools that were doing OMM, and some that were offereing as CME ? ex. Harvard ??

 

[Doctor G]

she's a troll. just ignore.

So a troll = a faker?

 

[Doctor G]

Arrogant jerk.

Why are you not answering my questions? I wasn't being arrogant at all, and other posters here would support my claim. Please do not use wrong adjective to describe people, that only would make you look more funny.

 

[espbeliever]

So a troll = a faker?

not exactly. troll is someone who just tries to cause trouble and spark arguements. ( FIRESTARTER )

 

[Dentalist]

lol very funny

i think its possible that the dentist was a DO isnt it? I mean i thought i had read somewhere that sometimes doctors can work under a dentist for a while and then set up a dentistry practice. i know ive atleast read about something like that before... not that ive actually seen one myself however.

 

[docbill]

lol very funny

YOU GUYS
GIVE IT A BREAK.
SHE MADE A MITAKE.

DON'T BE SO DEFENSIVE!!!

 

[mshheaddoc]

OK, then I must be mistaken about my last dentist being a DO. I actually thought that he was a DO. In any case, I don't have any stigma whatsoever against DOs. I know that they can make fine physicians. I am only acknowledging, as many of you have done before, that there are still people in society that think that DOs are inferior and that if you are already in MD school, then just stay. Learn manipulation techniques if you want.

I do, however, think that many of you guys are quite defensive and overly-so as seen by your negative and anticipatory remarks in this thread.

me thinks you took my comments too much to heart. I wasn't trying to be super critical. And when someones states "anticipatory" remarks, what else were you expecting then?

 

[LSU-Tech]

Hey. I have nothing against DOs. My last dentist was a DO and a very good one. So, whatever else you read into my post that I didn't like DOs. You're wrong. I was just stating that the stigma does exist. Granted, the DO movement has made lots of strides in the past, but there are those still out there (not me) that believe that DOs are inferior. So, I was only saying that if you are already in MD school, it doesn't make sense to go DO. That's all.

Also, DOs don't necessarily have to work harder for a Residency Spot. The argument could be made that they have the additional advantage in applying for a DO residency position, in addition to the Match that MDs use. So, in essence DOs have 2 methods in which to obtain a residency. MDs only have one method.

I think your confusing DDS (Doctor Dental Surgeon) with DO (Doctor of Osteopathic medicine)

 

[ryan483]

When I attended the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Primary Care Scholars' Program last year, I met an MD/DDS who had started out as a dentist, decided it wasn't the right career path for him, and then became an MD. He now specializes in Internal Medicine. So it is possible to do that. It's just a roundabout way of getting where YOU want to be in life.

 

[espbeliever]

i want my mommy.... anyone wanna be my mommy for the night? 😎 😴

 

[Mikhail]

I think to be an oral surgeon, one needs to go to dental school first, and then to medical school for 3 years. I met a resident a few months ago who was an oral surgeon. He has both MD, DDS.

When I attended the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine Primary Care Scholars' Program last year, I met an MD/DDS who had started out as a dentist, decided it wasn't the right career path for him, and then became an MD. He now specializes in Internal Medicine. So it is possible to do that. It's just a roundabout way of getting where YOU want to be in life.