DO vs MD residencies

[2001Hopeful]

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I'm very interested in Osteopathy and OMM. my questions are:
1)what are the advantages of doing an DO residency vs MD residency?
2)Why do some DO students prefer MD residencies over DO residencies?
3)Would it be easier for a DO to match in the DO Match or for a MD to match in a MD match for highly competative fields such as ENT, derm, radiology, hemo/onc, etc...
4)If you are a 4th year DO students, please let me know if most of your classmates who choose highly competitive residencies have obtained it or not.

I have intereste in general internal medicine and may also be interested in a fellowship in heme/onc. Do DOs have any edge if they choose to go to heme/onc since there are many new and complementary approaches to cancer treatment and DOs generally may be more receptive to alternative/complementary medical care.

 

[turtleboard]

1) Advantages of DO over an MD residency.

The one distinct advantage is that the DO can stick to his osteopathic roots and learn a lot of the OMM in a postgraduate setting. Many DOs who opt out of the DO residency prorgams also lose a lot of the OMM they learned as "undergraduates." Other advantages are in the fact that a) your training may be shorter if you're in a state that requires DOs to do an osteopathic rotating internship (five states in total) and b) to be a member of the faculty at any DO school, I believe you will have had to have completed a DO residency.

2) DO students preferring MD residencies.

Quite simply there are more MD programs, and arguably, the MD programs are usually situated at more choice locations/more prestigious institutions. It does well for one's career to have trained at a well-known academic medical center rather than an obscure community hospital. Unfortunately many DO programs aren't too big on academics relative to MD programs.

3) DOs and MDs matching to highly competitive programs.

I don't know for sure, but my best guess would be that it's more difficult for a DO to match to those highly competitive residencies because there are relatively fewer in number compared to MD programs. Hem/Onc isn't really a tough fellowship to get.

4) Not an MS4 in DO school. Sorry.

Since you want to get into Hem/Onc, I'd say you have an excellent chance at doing that through both the MD and DO routes. I'd go with the MD route in Internal Medicine just so that I can have a better chance at matching a good Hem/Onc fellowship at a good hospital. As for all the alternative/complementary care stuff, I'm not sure. The director of our Hem/Onc block, who's an MD, told us about alternative cares but said that there have been far-reaching advances in chemotherapy for patients with certain CAs, so those complementary/alternative therapies may fall by the wayside.


W.


Good luck.

 

[Master Bastion]

Dang Turtleboard, as a MD student, you know more about the "goings on" of the osteopathic profession than most of the DO students. I bestow on you an honorary DO degree.

 

[Leotigers]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by turtleboard:
1) Advantages of DO over an MD residency.

The one distinct advantage is that the DO can stick to his osteopathic roots and learn a lot of the OMM in a postgraduate setting. Many DOs who opt out of the DO residency prorgams also lose a lot of the OMM they learned as "undergraduates." Other advantages are in the fact that a) your training may be shorter if you're in a state that requires DOs to do an osteopathic rotating internship (five states in total) and b) to be a member of the faculty at any DO school, I believe you will have had to have completed a DO residency.

2) DO students preferring MD residencies.

Quite simply there are more MD programs, and arguably, the MD programs are usually situated at more choice locations/more prestigious institutions. It does well for one's career to have trained at a well-known academic medical center rather than an obscure community hospital. Unfortunately many DO programs aren't too big on academics relative to MD programs.

3) DOs and MDs matching to highly competitive programs.

I don't know for sure, but my best guess would be that it's more difficult for a DO to match to those highly competitive residencies because there are relatively fewer in number compared to MD programs. Hem/Onc isn't really a tough fellowship to get.

4) Not an MS4 in DO school. Sorry.

Since you want to get into Hem/Onc, I'd say you have an excellent chance at doing that through both the MD and DO routes. I'd go with the MD route in Internal Medicine just so that I can have a better chance at matching a good Hem/Onc fellowship at a good hospital. As for all the alternative/complementary care stuff, I'm not sure. The director of our Hem/Onc block, who's an MD, told us about alternative cares but said that there have been far-reaching advances in chemotherapy for patients with certain CAs, so those complementary/alternative therapies may fall by the wayside.


W.


Good luck.•

Tim has provided a lot of good information. I would add that the DO residencies in competitive areas are few in number but that match occurs about 5-6 weeks BEFORE the NRMP (MD) match. This allows time for you to scramble, not match, and jump into the MD match (assuming you applied and interviewed). The NMS (DO) match is probably just as hard to get although connections get you much further in the DO match than the MD match.

Since the NRMP match has not occured, I can't answer how our class did yet. Most entered the NRMP match. The ones who went through the NMS match, matched in Orthopedic Surgery and General Surgery, and Emergency Medicine. They had no problems at all matching at all. They weren't the 'gunners' of our class either.

Tim is right, IM is not very competitive to find a spot in. Heme/Onc is not a tough fellowship to obtain either. As a US grad you will find an IM and Heme/Onc fellowship easily so I wouldn't stress. I would do a NRMP IM residency myself, just because it isn't tough to match into and there may be a Heme/Onc fellowship in the same institution as the IM residency. Good luck.

-leo

 

[turtleboard]

Master,

Well, thanks!

W., D.O. [hon.]

 

[Rusty]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by turtleboard:
1) Advantages of DO over an MD residency.

The one distinct advantage is that the DO can stick to his osteopathic roots and learn a lot of the OMM in a postgraduate setting.•

Other than FP residencies and OMM fellowships, very few DO residency programs have an OMM component.

 

[MTY]

what does NRMP stand for?

 

[Rusty]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by MTY:
what does NRMP stand for?•

National Residency Matching Program

 

[turtleboard]

Really? I remember reading that in osteopathic residencies, DO residents were required to do a full "osteopathic assessment" of the patient as routine as the standard physical exam.

NRMP = MD match.

W.

 

[Dr. P]

In an "osteopathically ideal world" that is true. However, unless it is an osteopathic family practice program that makes a point of teaching OMT, or, an OMT residency, the programs usually parallel the allopathic programs. However, there is a concerted effort by the DO accrediting bodies to change that and have the local colleges provided the OMT component of hte residency training- one of the reasons all AOA residencies now have to belong to an OPTI (Osteopathic Post-Graduate Training Institution) Consortium.

By the way, I had no idea you were an MD! Impressive knowledge about our little neck of the woods! Honorary D.O. was well-bestowed!

Patrick, D.O.

 

[turtleboard]

Dr. P,

Gevitz's book is chock-full of information.



------------------
Tim Wu.

 

[Toran]

Any recommendations for the OMT residencies?

I am interested in research in OMT, so I was thinking FP or some PM or PM&R.

What do you think?

Toran

 

[spunkydoc]

1)what are the advantages of doing an DO residency vs MD residency?

the answer to this question depends mostly on your choice of residency i suppose as well as your long term goals..if you aim to become faculty at a DO school, a DO residency will be required at SOME DO schools. however, in my opinion, there are few advantages to doing a DO vs MD residency.

2)Why do some DO students prefer MD residencies over DO residencies?

quite frankly because for the most part they are better...this is not to say that residents in strictly DO programs are purely trained across the board...however, the allopathic world provides much stricter guidelines for approval of residency programs..therefore, allopathic programs tend to be thought out much better, right down to the call room in which you will sleep! furthermore, there is generally much more stability within allopathic residencies--by stability, i am talking about financial as well as academic. the majority of DO residencies are still contained w/in community hospitals which are concentrated in a specific geographic area--mainly the midwest..there are huge advantages to training in a university based/affiliated hospital --think of the resources..however, some would argue that the small community hospital offers equal pathology, smaller volume, better faculty:resident ratios..having had to make the decision myself about DO vs MD residencies, i can tell you that i myself grew very tired of the disorganization found in the DO world..minor benefits become big issues when you are talking about your major career training..do they offer a book stipend? give you a few white coats? do they pay for your boards? do you get meals on call at least? right now you might say you can do without these ammenities, but trust me, you need them ALL..

3)Would it be easier for a DO to match in the DO Match or for a MD to match in a MD match for highly competative fields such as ENT, derm, radiology, hemo/onc, etc...

at the chicago school, our class did very well in the MD match..however, a large proportion went into IM and FM, two specialties which are not as competative..we did however match well for ENT and rads..i doubt that the sucess of our students was contingent upon being a DO or out school...as a DO , one still finds sideways glances when interviewing at some of the more competative allopathic programs..however, nothing is impossible..if your goal is to practice medicine, and you only get into a DO school, you can still achieve a competative allopathic residency--you may just have to work a bit harder to slog thru the annoying politics of the letters after your name..

things like derm and rads are competative in both matches..

4)If you are a 4th year DO students, please let me know if most of your classmates who choose highly competitive residencies have obtained it or not.

see above

 

[Hope2001]

Spunkydoc, thanks for your reply.
You mentioned that there are people at your school who matched into competative ones like derm, rad, IM. Did they people who got derm, and rad at DO or MD residency?

 

[spunkydoc]

hope-
to my knowledge no one matched derm, but we did match at least 3 or 4 to rads/rad onc in the md world..most folks in my class did not participate in the DO match.