DO vs. Caribbean

[jammin06]

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Anyone know which is better?

 

[Doctor Bagel]

don't feed the trolls. if, by any chance, you're not a troll, do a search. this has been discussed ad nauseam.

 

[bkpa2med]

definately DO.

 

[glp]

j/k, i dont think your trolling and the search function sucks. i would def go the DO route and never consider the caribbean but carib is prob easier to get into.

 

[cfdavid]

Since I've seen you in the no MD interview thread, I think you're not a troll.

The simple answer, in my opinion, is DO for sure. Then again, I'm not going to slam caribbean either since I'm sure you can get a decent education there.

I'm from Michigan, and MSU COM is a great school. I know many DO's (lots of DO's in MI) and they've been top notch in my book. I have a buddy that's an MD and one that's a DO (personal friends that is).

I may be facing a decision of out of state MD, versus in state DO. I seriously think I'll do in state DO if that happens. But that's just me.

 

[Nate]

Apples or oranges?

 

[DD214_DOC]

I believe it really depends on what you want. Most DO schools and the noteworthy, "Big 3" Caribbean schools (AUC, SGU, and Ross) share very similar residency placements each year. It's hard to say where and if you will receive different treatment because you are a DO or an IMG, but it does happen to BOTH.

DO schools tend to have more of a primary care focus and, as a result, center their training and education on this. Some DO schools have 20 weeks of required FP rotations, whereas the Carib and MD have 6 I believe. The extra 14 weeks of FP come from your elective rotations, which reduces your ability to do rotations in specialty programs that you are interested in and, as a result, may limit your options for residency in a favorable specialty and location. This depends upon the DO school though, as not all require so many weeks of FP. For example, WVSOM only allows for 12 total weeks of electives due to the extra FP requirement, whereas AUC allows 26 weeks of elective rotations.

So it's really up to you I guess. Good luck.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

okay, maybe i was a bit harsh, but i don't think the search function sucks as much as you all are claiming. i just did a search for "caribbean" and came up with at least three relevant links. if you look in the re-applicant forum, you'll also come across a thread that got seriously nasty about this exact topic. the search function isn't the most spectacular thing over, but i don't believe the op tried it before posting, and this is a super-sensitive topic that usually turns into a flame-war.

to the op, i'm sorry you have no interviews. if you're interested in the osteopathic philosophy, then definitely apply to osteopathic schools. personally, i'd rather go to a do school than a caribbean school, but you can get some great residencies from caribbean schools, too. if you're interested in the caribbean possibility, check out www.valuemd.com.

 

[cfdavid]

I believe it really depends on what you want. Most DO schools and the noteworthy, "Big 3" Caribbean schools (AUC, SGU, and Ross) share very similar residency placements each year. It's hard to say where and if you will receive different treatment because you are a DO or an IMG, but it does happen to BOTH.

.

Maybe it's because I'm not in the traditional pre-med scene, and have been out in the workforce for the past 8 years, but I can't believe how many pre-meds get so hung up on things that really don't matter all that much.

Do you think that people sit around and whisper "ssshh, there he goes. did you know that guy is a DO???" Or "oh my god. can you believe that chick went to the CARIB for med school!? 😱

Performance and how you conduct yourself is what will define you as a professional. Where you went to med school (barring the Ivy's and top, top tier med schools), has about as much bearing on your future as where you did undergrad. Don't kid yourself either. Nobody really gives a sh..t

 

[goldfish85]

I believe it really depends on what you want. Most DO schools and the noteworthy, "Big 3" Caribbean schools (AUC, SGU, and Ross) share very similar residency placements each year. It's hard to say where and if you will receive different treatment because you are a DO or an IMG, but it does happen to BOTH.

DO schools tend to have more of a primary care focus and, as a result, center their training and education on this. Some DO schools have 20 weeks of required FP rotations, whereas the Carib and MD have 6 I believe. The extra 14 weeks of FP come from your elective rotations, which reduces your ability to do rotations in specialty programs that you are interested in and, as a result, may limit your options for residency in a favorable specialty and location. This depends upon the DO school though, as not all require so many weeks of FP. For example, WVSOM only allows for 12 total weeks of electives due to the extra FP requirement, whereas AUC allows 26 weeks of elective rotations.

So it's really up to you I guess. Good luck.

I fully agree.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Performance and how you conduct yourself is what will define you as a professional. Where you went to med school (barring the Ivy's and top, top tier med schools), has about as much bearing on your future as where you did undergrad. Don't kid yourself either. Nobody really gives a sh..t

I agree with you that the individual is more responsible for his success or failure than the school, but school unfortunately does matter depending upon what residency programs you intend to apply to, which is the point that I stress -- some don't care, some do, and it's unfortunate that some do.

The cause may not, as you suggest, be directly related to the actual school. Carib students tend to have lower USMLE averages than US students, possibly due to their bad habits carrying over from undergrad; I suspect the successful students from the Carib were just slackers in undergrad.

DO students may have trouble not because they are DOs, but because the school they attended may not have prepared them as well for non-primary care residency programs. Also, many DO schools tend to have a lower USMLE first-time pass rates and I believe lower averages.

Thus, it may indeed be less a factor of the school and more of the type of person coming from a school.

*shrug* All I can tell you is that even if I graduate last in my class from the Caribbean and end up in rural primary care, I will still be happy that I have the opporuntity to live my life doing something meaningful for other people.

 

[Taus]

There are a few threads from the last couple months that went about 5-6 pages deep if I remember correctly. I'm not trying to be a d**k and say do a search, but you will find very good, detailed responses to your exact question if you do. Good luck.

 

[cfdavid]

I agree with you that the individual is more responsible for his success or failure than the school, but school unfortunately does matter depending upon what residency programs you intend to apply to, which is the point that I stress -- some don't care, some do, and it's unfortunate that some do.

The cause may not, as you suggest, be directly related to the actual school. Carib students tend to have lower USMLE averages than US students, possibly due to their bad habits carrying over from undergrad; I suspect the successful students from the Carib were just slackers in undergrad.

DO students may have trouble not because they are DOs, but because the school they attended may not have prepared them as well for non-primary care residency programs. Also, many DO schools tend to have a lower USMLE first-time pass rates and I believe lower averages.

Thus, it may indeed be less a factor of the school and more of the type of person coming from a school.

*shrug* All I can tell you is that even if I graduate last in my class from the Caribbean and end up in rural primary care, I will still be happy that I have the opporuntity to live my life doing something meaningful for other people.

Hey, you'll probably make more cash doing rural care anyway. lol

I'll agree that many DO schools are primary care oriented, but that doesn't mean that one can't specialize (as you know). Personally, if I want to pursue a competitive specialty, I'll make sure to do well in school, do well on the boards, and do whatever it takes to make it happen.

I just feel that there's a lot of personal responsibility in obtaining one's goals.

I'm sure you can relate to this. But, I feel that if I want to do anesthesia as a DO, I'm gonna (I need to get in somewhere first!) do whatever it takes. If I need to take a residency somewhere that nobody else wants, so be it. If it comes to that, oh well. I just think there's a lot of room out there.

It's too easy to get hung up as pre-meds (not you specifically, but all of us perhaps) on things that are so "external". We can get all hung up on the competition and in the moment. But, when you have a family, and are practicing in your area of interest (hopefully), nobody really cares where you went to school, what your grades were, or where you did your residency. And perhaps being away from the whole pre-med scene helps keep that in perspective.

Sure, Harvard will produce more surgeons than MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. But, I know a fair amount of specialists that came out of MSUCOM that are doing very well in some competitive specialties.

Here's an example. Go to www.goheartcare.com (you can see some of the physician profiles. These guys are invasive cardiologists (all DO's). And they're not as uncommon as many tend to think.

The point I'm making is that, do you think these guys give a sh..t about some pre-med that thinks DO's aren't as good, or whatever? It's probably a joke to them, if it even crosses their mind at all. In other words, how seriously do you think Dr. Milford here is going to take anybody that says anything "derogatory" about DO's. He'd probably laugh.

Ofcourse there are examples like this all over the place (as well as exceptions to every rule), but it keeps things in perspective. Again, I think we, ourselves, are our biggest limiting factors.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Anyone know which is better?

DO's are better then MD's, foreign or domestic. Ask any member of the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Indians, or Arizona Cardinals.

 

[cfdavid]

DO's are better then MD's, foreign or domestic. Ask any member of the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Indians, or Arizona Cardinals.

Hey, shouldn't you be studying

 

[USArmyDoc]

You would think anyone with a brain would realize that ANY American education would be valued over a foreign taught physician. However, I guess all of us don't have brains! 😉

 

[goldfish85]

You would think anyone with a brain would realize that ANY American education would be valued over a foreign taught physician. However, I guess all of us don't have brains! 😉

i hope that was sarcasm.... otherwise 👎

 

[CCEMTP2DOC]

Hey, you'll probably make more cash doing rural care anyway. lol

I'll agree that many DO schools are primary care oriented, but that doesn't mean that one can't specialize (as you know). Personally, if I want to pursue a competitive specialty, I'll make sure to do well in school, do well on the boards, and do whatever it takes to make it happen.

I just feel that there's a lot of personal responsibility in obtaining one's goals.

I'm sure you can relate to this. But, I feel that if I want to do anesthesia as a DO, I'm gonna (I need to get in somewhere first!) do whatever it takes. If I need to take a residency somewhere that nobody else wants, so be it. If it comes to that, oh well. I just think there's a lot of room out there.

It's too easy to get hung up as pre-meds (not you specifically, but all of us perhaps) on things that are so "external". We can get all hung up on the competition and in the moment. But, when you have a family, and are practicing in your area of interest (hopefully), nobody really cares where you went to school, what your grades were, or where you did your residency. And perhaps being away from the whole pre-med scene helps keep that in perspective.

Sure, Harvard will produce more surgeons than MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. But, I know a fair amount of specialists that came out of MSUCOM that are doing very well in some competitive specialties.

Here's an example. Go to www.goheartcare.com (you can see some of the physician profiles. These guys are invasive cardiologists (all DO's). And they're not as uncommon as many tend to think.

The point I'm making is that, do you think these guys give a sh..t about some pre-med that thinks DO's aren't as good, or whatever? It's probably a joke to them, if it even crosses their mind at all. In other words, how seriously do you think Dr. Milford here is going to take anybody that says anything "derogatory" about DO's. He'd probably laugh.

Ofcourse there are examples like this all over the place (as well as exceptions to every rule), but it keeps things in perspective. Again, I think we, ourselves, are our biggest limiting factors.

Right on neighbor. One must be the catalyst in his/her own achievement of their goals. MD/DO? Who cares. I just want to be a doctor,plain and simple. When I apply ,i will apply to 3 allopathic schools, and many osteopathic schools. If you want to specialize in something, work hard. Hey Cf didn't know if you saw that we are neighbors. I am at 21 and fairchild/gratiot and my wife taught at Lutheran High North. Good luck to everyone in this wonderful process.

 

[USArmyDoc]

i hope that was sarcasm.... otherwise 👎

Umm....No, it wasn't sarcasm. I'll reiterate what I said. I would rather have my physician American trained as opposed to being trained in the Carribean, whether they be a DO or MD. With that being said, I am sure a lot of the physicians trained overseas are great.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Umm....No, it wasn't sarcasm. I'll reiterate what I said. I would rather have my physician American trained as opposed to being trained in the Carribean, whether they be a DO or MD. With that being said, I am sure a lot of the physicians trained overseas are great.

Most Carib grads are trained in the U.S.; only their basic sciences are done in the Caribbean. Clinicals and residency are both done in the U.S.

Does it really matter where someone reads their pre-clinical books at?

 

[OSUdoc08]

Hey, shouldn't you be studying

Yeah, I did during the Falcons-Eagles game. I'm a good multi-tasker.

I'd like to thank the Falcons for helping the Cowboys out.

 

[sunnyjohn]

Sweet Mary, Joseph and the saints! This nonsense again!

If you are qualified enough and LUCKY enough for a DO school to offer you position, TAKE IT!
DO= DOCTOR.

If you want to go to the Caribbean, GO!

While most agree it would be easier to stay in the US and go DO, good doctors have come from both routes.

Good luck. If this topic is any example, you are gonna need it.

EDIT: GO COWBOYS! GO STEELERS! GO NAVY! GO HUSKERS!

 

[OSUdoc08]

Sweet Mary, Joseph and the saints! This nonsense again!

If you are qualified enough and LUCKY enough for a DO school to offer you position, TAKE IT!
DO= DOCTOR.

If you want to go to the Caribbean, GO!

While most agree it would be easier to stay in the US and go DO, good doctors have come from both routes.

Good luck. If this topic is any example, you are gonna need it.

Why would you WANT to leave the US just for school, to have to go through all of this red tape to reenter the US?

 

[sunnyjohn]

Why would you WANT to leave the US just for school, to have to go through all of this red tape to reenter the US?

Actually I'm trying to thin the application pool. Call me selfish.

 

[USArmyDoc]

Most Carib grads are trained in the U.S.; only their basic sciences are done in the Caribbean. Clinicals and residency are both done in the U.S.

Does it really matter where someone reads their pre-clinical books at?

True.....very good point

 

[cfdavid]

Right on neighbor. One must be the catalyst in his/her own achievement of their goals. MD/DO? Who cares. I just want to be a doctor,plain and simple. When I apply ,i will apply to 3 allopathic schools, and many osteopathic schools. If you want to specialize in something, work hard. Hey Cf didn't know if you saw that we are neighbors. I am at 21 and fairchild/gratiot and my wife taught at Lutheran High North. Good luck to everyone in this wonderful process.

Yeah, I remember from the other post. That's really close man. I'm at 23 mile, just west of North Avenue. How's everything coming bro?

 

[D.O. Guy]

It's kinda like asking which way to kill yourself, slit your wrists or jump off a building. It's all about personal perference because in the end both will put you six feet under.

 

[Shinken]

It's kinda like asking which way to kill yourself, slit your wrists or jump off a building. It's all about personal perference because in the end both will put you six feet under.

Yeah, but isn't jumping off buildings more prestigious (since many people can see you) whereas cutting your wrists is less public so you'll have to explain more? 😀

 

[D.O. Guy]

Yeah, but isn't jumping off buildings more prestigious (since many people can see you) whereas cutting your wrists is less public so you'll have to explain more? 😀

Jumping off the building is definitely more prestigious...slitting the wrists is for more of the angsty/artsy types