do vs md...does it really matter?

[mommy2three]

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hello all,
i am considering a career as either a neonatologist or maternal fetal medicine specialist. i have found that there are currently practicing do's in both fields.
however, i wanted to get some input to those who were currently in residencies/fellowships as to if the do or md degree made a difference in residency or fellowship placement.
tia

 

[stephend7799]

makes no difference... if you can get into DO school. go. the only difference is some people will try to tell you there is a difference because of their insercurity,, but otherwise there is no difference..

 

[Dr Trek 1]

Duplicate post sorry.

 

[Dr Trek 1]

Agreed. No real difference. As long as you do well on COMLEX (you can also take the USMLE as a DO, and it will make you even more competitive) you will be at no disadvantage- I actually think DOs have a slight advantage, but that's a discussion for another day;-)

You may try posting in the Osteo. forum to get more input.

 

[GynoDino]

I don't think it is right to say that it doesn't matter. The numbers don't seem to suggest that that is true.

On the interview circuit I met tons of OB/Gyn faculty and never once met a DO Ob/Gyn. I'm certainly not disputing that they exist, but they sure are hard to find without specifically looking for them. DO's are 10% of the physicians in the US, so there must be SOME reason why there were 0% at the schools I visited. Is it just chance ? Do DO's avoid OB programs ? Or do OB programs avoid DO's ?

I don't think it was chance - my n was pretty large. Do DO's hate OB? Hardly - the substantial presence in this forum of DO applicants this past year argues against this. This leaves us with a dislike of OB for DO's, since I really don't think there is another alternative explanation for the numbers.

Perhaps there is a selection bias. I don't know how many OB's overall are DO's. I was lucky enough to interview at some top institutions, but it is possible that the lesser known hospitals have all the DOs. But if this is the case then it is still not right to say that it doesn't matter, since much of the training for OB subspecialties takes place at the larger, more renowned academic institutions, which are the ones who don't have DO's.

I don't want to speculate on reasons- I don't have an axe to grind. But I think a fair answer to the OP's question is that there is a disproportionate number of MD's at the academic training programs, relative to the size of the DO and MD populations.

 

[moviefreak]

It makes a difference. I have not met any Ob-gyn attending or resident in our women's hospital. I have met one Ob-gyn intern who is a DO but she is doing her residency in a community hospital. I've met a third year DO student who wants to do residency near her family but problem is the academic program close by will not even look at DO, her best bet is a community program. There is also an issue (which I don't know much) about the match process if you're considering an allopathic or osteopathic match. You probably should look into that.

 

[pruritis_ani]

The obvious answer is of course it makes a difference....some programs will always be less DO freindly than others, some more so. Does it make a BIG difference? I doubt it.

But, as to whether it will make a difference to you, that depends. If you want an ob/gyn spot at a good hospital, you will have no problems. If you are very interested in a specific program, better make sure that they are cool with DO's.

The reality is that no matter what choices we make, EVERYTHING makes a difference...ie, some places will prefer grads from big name schools, some need research, etc....so, of course the degree you have will matter. But, it is really not going to limit you in any practical way.

 

[Kadyra]

It depends on where you want to go in the country and what type of program you want. If you want California, the odds are against you if you're a DO just because it's so competitive. If you want Ivy, same deal. A lot of the university-affiliated residencies are like this, as well. I was also told that if you want to do a fellowship and you're a DO, you'd better come from an allopathic residency program, preferably a university-affiliated one.

So, does it matter? It depends on what you want to do. If you don't especially care where you do your residency and you want to be a generalist, no. If you feel like being a groundbreaker and being the first DO at a program without even any DO's on faculty, then you have your work cut out for you.

 

[community]

I am a DO student and was offered 19 interviews and went on 16. I would say 8 - 10 of the programs where I interviewed we University/Academic Programs and the rest were community programs. I only applied to allopathic programs in the East Coast. I guess I must also be the exception since I interviewed at an "IVY" program and had many "ACADEMIC" (rather than community) interviews. So what I am trying to say is that your success depends on you. If you put your mind to it, you will accomplish your goals. I met many MD students on the interview trail and got to know them well. There are actually MD students who didn't match, which was interesting to me. Also, keep in mind that DOs are a small percentage of the physician population and that not all will decide to go to OBGYN. Many MDs don't go in to it. So if you don't see them in your hospital, this reality may have something to do with it. I'm off to vacation (China-->for 2 weeks) so if you have any questions PM me and I will email you when I return.

 

[Flea girl]

I will agree with everyone that says it does matter. Granted depends on the location and the "BIG" ivy leagues places. I applied to 45 places and received 30 interview offers and went on 18 interviews(I only took COMLEX). Now most of my interviews were University-based or university-afillated, I think I interviewed at 2 programs maybe, that were not(purely community) and 2 were university-afillated. I did interview at some big name places but I think overall those places might still be a bit resistant to DOs, ie will interview but not rank high(my opinion only) but are starting to warm to the idea. I also think that if you are trying for West Coast that is a bit of an uphill climb, especially without USMLE. I think that you can get a fellowship as a DO but might have to work for it a bit harder.