DO vs. MD

[medhope4]

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What is the actual difference between DO and MD in terms of the education your receive and the way you learn? Will I actually be learning anything different in a DO program?

I have heard, DO schools focus more on group work and they do more thing like presentations? Is this true? Id prefer to just go to class, take notes, do my labs, and take my exams lol.

 

[DrMaximus]

What is the actual difference between DO and MD in terms of the education your receive and the way you learn? Will I actually be learning anything different in a DO program?

I have heard, DO schools focus more on group work and they do more thing like presentations? Is this true? Id prefer to just go to class, take notes, do my labs, and take my exams lol.

Let the flames commence.

But seriously, I hope someone can fill you in and keep it civil. I would help but I honestly don't know yet.

 

[Sinfest]

 

[Wolverines83]

What is the actual difference between DO and MD in terms of the education your receive and the way you learn? Will I actually be learning anything different in a DO program?

I have heard, DO schools focus more on group work and they do more thing like presentations? Is this true? Id prefer to just go to class, take notes, do my labs, and take my exams lol.

Dude I'm kinda against the typical "do a damn search" response but did you even attempt to do one?

Here's a very simplified answer. You will learn the same stuff and not do any more presentations than an MD student. You have an additional class called OMM, that's the only difference. Med school is med school...

Do a search for any other info....there are literally decades worth of threads on this.

 

[Dr.Ray]

uh.. guess I'll bite.
(but OP, you should not make a post with such provocative title be more specific to what you are really asking)

From what I know:

Only significant difference in terms of medical school education would be OMM. In addition to basic science / clinical classes Osteopathic schools teach OMM in classroom settings and in labs.

"DO schools focus more on group work and they do more thing like presentations?"

Again, from my knowledge, this is false. The curriculum varies from school to school. Some school, whether it would be MD or DO, values group work and presentations more while others don't. So if you absolutely do not like such style, I suggest you learn about schools' curriculum before you apply.

 

[musclemilk619]

There's no difference besides the fact that DO schools teach OMM. As for the group and presentation aspect, it varies by school and program. Theres a reason why there are a few DO to MD transfers each year. First 2 years at any institution is very similar, just varies based on the school.

 

[bajastapler]

Here's a better question:

What's the difference between del taco and taco bell?

0.o

 

[costales]

We also have group field trips to the bar every other day. And open-book exams. And lots of time for WoW.

 

[medhope4]

Thank you for the responses. I probably could have done a search, but I am feeling a little lazy today.

I did not mean to provoke anyone here, I just wanted to get an unbiased opinion on this, and figured posting here would accomplish that, rather than posting in the MD forum. Maybe I should have asked this in the dental forum ? 😛


The reason I ask is because I'll probably have to choose between Carrib MD or US DO. I'm scoring in the 32-34 range in my MCAT, but my GPA is around 3. Hopefully I can even get into a DO program. I just wanted to find out a few differences. It definitely seems that US DO programs get you better residencies.

As far as OMM, what is that?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Consider a SMP, if you do well in one like Gtown you'll be able to get into a USMD school without much problem.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

There's no difference besides the fact that DO schools teach OMM. As for the group and presentation aspect, it varies by school and program. Theres a reason why there are a few DO to MD transfers each year. First 2 years at any institution is very similar, just varies based on the school.

Because generally you need to have a really good reason for transferring, like discrimination.

 

[NurWollen]

Here's a better question:

What's the difference between del taco and taco bell?

0.o

Del Taco is identical to Taco Bell, except they have additional menu items like french fries. They offer more comprehensive options and look at the whole person, and not just his stomach.

 

[Nymphicus]

Del Taco is identical to Taco Bell, except they have additional menu items like french fries. They offer more comprehensive options and look at the whole person, and not just his stomach.

👍

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Here's a better question:

What's the difference between del taco and taco bell?

0.o

Colon Cancer

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Thank you for the responses. I probably could have done a search, but I am feeling a little lazy today.

I did not mean to provoke anyone here, I just wanted to get an unbiased opinion on this, and figured posting here would accomplish that, rather than posting in the MD forum. Maybe I should have asked this in the dental forum ? 😛


The reason I ask is because I'll probably have to choose between Carrib MD or US DO. I'm scoring in the 32-34 range in my MCAT, but my GPA is around 3. Hopefully I can even get into a DO program. I just wanted to find out a few differences. It definitely seems that US DO programs get you better residencies.

As far as OMM, what is that?

you aren't provoking anyone. imagine going to see a movie and then going to a party, at which point you proceed to tell everyone at the party about it. then a group shows up and asks and you tell them. then another group asks. Then another group. And another group. Finally you scream to everyone in the party, "who hasn't heard my story yet?" 3 people raise their hand so you gather them up and say, "OK, here is the deal." Finally, when you are completing your last story, someone walks up and says, "hey have you seen this movie? what's it about?"

just go to the stickies at the top of this forum, read them all, and if you still have questions, come back to this thread. but not before then. fist pump!

 

[deleted103644]

OMM is pseudoscience, similar to what you'd get from a chiropractor.

That said, few DO students take it seriously.

In terms of training:

Most US MD programs > best DO programs > worst US MD programs >> worst DO programs.

Do not go to the Caribbean, it is no longer a valid option with increasing US MD spots and stagnant residency spots.

If you'd asked me 5 years ago, I would say the Caribbean was a better option, particularly SGU, but that is a very risky bet now.

There are a few very sketchy for profit education companies that have started DO schools since its easier to get accreditation, I'd also avoid them.

The DO/MD distinction should disappear (along with OMM), but there are several DO programs that would have trouble getting LCME accreditation.

 

[SLC]

OMM is pseudoscience, similar to what you'd get from a chiropractor.

That said, few DO students take it seriously.

.

In terms of training:

Most US MD programs > best DO programs > worst US MD programs >> worst DO programs.

🙄

Do not go to the Caribbean, it is no longer a valid option with increasing US MD spots and stagnant residency spots.

If you'd asked me 5 years ago, I would say the Caribbean was a better option, particularly SGU, but that is a very risky bet now.

.

There are a few very sketchy for profit education companies that have started DO schools since its easier to get accreditation, I'd also avoid them.

.

A few? There is one for profit school. You do realize that your "former better choices" Carribean schools are mostly for profit right?

The DO/MD distinction should disappear (along with OMM), but there are several DO programs that would have trouble getting LCME accreditation.

. Care to name names?

 

[deleted103644]

.

🙄


.

.

A few? There is one for profit school. You do realize that your "former better choices" Carribean schools are mostly for profit right?

. Care to name names?

Yup, the Caribbean schools are scams too, although SGU was a relatively fair one before. it probably still offers a decent education, but it doesn't matter if you don't match.

Didn't realize it was only one for profit DO school, but definitely avoid it then. Don't know enough to name names, but would definitely not want to go to a bottom tier DO program.

 

[SLC]

Didn't realize it was only one for profit DO school, but definitely avoid it then. Don't know enough to name names, but would definitely not want to go to a bottom tier DO program.

The bolded tells me all I need to know about your opinion. No offense but you should keep your ignorance to yourself. It's especially poor form to disguise it as expertise and then pass it along to others seeking advice.

The "low tier DO schools" still match all their grads into residency programs without trouble. They still become doctors earning the same pay and doing the same work as your "top tier MD programs". And their grads all become doctors. Even the one 'For Profit' school successfully matched its grads into residencies this year. Sure there may be a difference in fields low tier DO's can get into compared to MD's, but I've found that the largest portion of my class is extremely determined to do family medicine regardless of performance. It's just the personality that DO schools attract. Our match lists indicate that the commitment to primary care stays with our grads throughout their education too.

Since you can't name names, most likely because you're just parroting what you've heard others say, perhaps you can give specifics as to why low tier DO schools are far inferior to even low tier MD programs?

 

[deleted103644]

The bolded tells me all I need to know about your opinion. No offense but you should keep your ignorance to yourself. It's especially poor form to disguise it as expertise and then pass it along to others seeking advice.

I'm not very well-versed in the federal prison system either, but I can still safely say I don't want to be there.

I would probably rank DO programs above most federal prisons though. :-D

 

[medhope4]

Which DO schol is the for profit one?

 

[romanjetfighter]

Rocky Vista is the for profit one.

do schools may require an extra year for certain programs. for instance, EM or derm usually takes an extra year. so if youre thinking about an extra year of postbacc or clinical experience to do MD, you might NOT be losing a year after all. some states require an intern year or whatever to practice. i think PA is one of them.

matching ACGME programs can be tricky if you rank AOA programs cuz if u match em ur withdrawn from the MD residencies, which tend to be better. in fact, an article in the JAOA said DOs trained at ACGME residencies are better trained than ones at AOA. i'll give you the title if you want. its on my computer.

discrimination against DOs in ACGME residencies, sort of, like they only have 1 free spot out of 8, or you might have to submit class rank.

DO schools don't teach to the USMLE, and some give only 2--3 weeks of free time to study for it, and give little guidance and support. so you probably won't do as well. pass rates of the USMLE for DO students supports this, as well as some posters from UNECOM.

OMM takes 5-10 hours a week depending on school, has not been scientifically proven to help, because its hard to do scientific tests and do double blind tests, etc. craniosacral was disproven i think. but patients respond to touch positively anyways.

OMM used to be a distinguishing factor but harvard now has a class on OMM and 95% of graduates do not use OMM after graduation and the whole philosophy of holistic care is used at many, if not all, MD schools. there were a few articles in the JAOA about the need to keep DOs separate even when a lot of the education is the same and many DOs (up to 50%) are doing ACGME. it's all about sustaining the AOA and keeping DO relevant.

DO schools tend to rotate at community hospitals and not huge tertiary centers cuz they dont have an affiliated hospital and they are often in rural areas.

the interview process focuses on people who love the philosophy of DO and still. you will probably be asked to distinguish MD vs. DO philosophy and explain why you like DO philosophy over MD philosophy. whether you think this is because DO schools are trying to advance an agenda is up to you. at MD schools they probably wont ask you to do the same to DO Schools.

DO schools can be more expensive and graduates have more debt, about 190k vs. 150k. not a lot in the long run, but after interest, it's a lot. if a school is a good fit, though, DO or not, it may be worth the 40k. it's up to you to decide.

DO schools have grade replacement, MD schools do not.

DO schools don't pull in research money that much. that's probably why they're not ranked by NIH funding and you don't see "top 5" DO schools. this might pose as a problem because some residencies require and love to see research publications in your relevant field, and some DO schools may not have the infrastructure and the PIs to allow you to do great research.

DO schools are rapidly expanding in number. RVU, marian, etc.. MD schools are not. but class sizes are getting bigger, i think, for both degrees. not sure how this affects everything, but there is a physician shortage and especially a PCP shortage so DO schools are justified i think.

some previous posters said that the best DO programs > low tier MD programs. i'm not so sure. preclinical years are mostly up to the student, and 3rd and 4th years are better when you've got an affiliated hospital and established rotations. let the match lists for he past 5 years from tulane vs. pcom be evidence of this. btw, look at the match list for PNWU (DO) and Temple (MD) and tell me there isn't a huge difference and a pattern for who gets in where. temple is mid-tier, btw. i think 45-50th.

i'm a pre med but i do neurotic research and save threads where DO graduates from different schools like UNECOM or AZCOM talk about their 3rd and 4th years, and i read a lot of JAOA articles. and i talk to a lot of doctors.

but i have my own biases so take all the info with a grain of salt.

ultimately, youll be a great compassionate physician anywhere you go. that part is solely up to you and your determination. but how well trained and how broad your experiences are and how well prepared you are also depends on the training you get and who trains you. that will be affected by which school and what residency you choose.

also, you might pick a specialty based on how well you liked a rotation. if school X had a great EM rotation, for example, you might love EM and choose it. if you went to school Y and it had a bad EM rotation but a great OB GYN rotation, you might love OB GYN and choose that.

so many variables. such a complex decision.

it's shown people choose the default and the safest option when confronted with complex decisions. there was a TED talk on it. that's why I think a lot of people just pick MD. it's the default choice. but research it on your own, ignore "prestige" because it doesn't have one lick of a difference in how good you are as a doctor, and find a school that fits you best. a school that fits you means you're happy. and that's what's important. YOU'RE HAPPY.

 

[deleted357625]

not much difference

 

[thecgrblue]

Which DO schol is the for profit one?

Universidad De Los Studios Del Taco, its the only carib DO school. However, the perks are WORTH IT!

 

[dmplz707]

Rocky Vista is the for profit one.

do schools may require an extra year for certain programs. for instance, EM or derm usually takes an extra year. so if youre thinking about an extra year of postbacc or clinical experience to do MD, you might NOT be losing a year after all. some states require an intern year or whatever to practice. i think PA is one of them.

matching ACGME programs can be tricky if you rank AOA programs cuz if u match em ur withdrawn from the MD residencies, which tend to be better. in fact, an article in the JAOA said DOs trained at ACGME residencies are better trained than ones at AOA. i'll give you the title if you want. its on my computer.

discrimination against DOs in ACGME residencies, sort of, like they only have 1 free spot out of 8, or you might have to submit class rank.

DO schools don't teach to the USMLE, and some give only 2--3 weeks of free time to study for it, and give little guidance and support. so you probably won't do as well. pass rates of the USMLE for DO students supports this, as well as some posters from UNECOM.

OMM takes 5-10 hours a week depending on school, has not been scientifically proven to help, because its hard to do scientific tests and do double blind tests, etc. craniosacral was disproven i think. but patients respond to touch positively anyways.

OMM used to be a distinguishing factor but harvard now has a class on OMM and 95% of graduates do not use OMM after graduation and the whole philosophy of holistic care is used at many, if not all, MD schools. there were a few articles in the JAOA about the need to keep DOs separate even when a lot of the education is the same and many DOs (up to 50%) are doing ACGME. it's all about sustaining the AOA and keeping DO relevant.

DO schools tend to rotate at community hospitals and not huge tertiary centers cuz they dont have an affiliated hospital and they are often in rural areas.

the interview process focuses on people who love the philosophy of DO and still. you will probably be asked to distinguish MD vs. DO philosophy and explain why you like DO philosophy over MD philosophy. whether you think this is because DO schools are trying to advance an agenda is up to you. at MD schools they probably wont ask you to do the same to DO Schools.

DO schools can be more expensive and graduates have more debt, about 190k vs. 150k. not a lot in the long run, but after interest, it's a lot. if a school is a good fit, though, DO or not, it may be worth the 40k. it's up to you to decide.

DO schools have grade replacement, MD schools do not.

DO schools don't pull in research money that much. that's probably why they're not ranked by NIH funding and you don't see "top 5" DO schools. this might pose as a problem because some residencies require and love to see research publications in your relevant field, and some DO schools may not have the infrastructure and the PIs to allow you to do great research.

DO schools are rapidly expanding in number. RVU, marian, etc.. MD schools are not. but class sizes are getting bigger, i think, for both degrees. not sure how this affects everything, but there is a physician shortage and especially a PCP shortage so DO schools are justified i think.

some previous posters said that the best DO programs > low tier MD programs. i'm not so sure. preclinical years are mostly up to the student, and 3rd and 4th years are better when you've got an affiliated hospital and established rotations. let the match lists for he past 5 years from tulane vs. pcom be evidence of this. btw, look at the match list for PNWU (DO) and Temple (MD) and tell me there isn't a huge difference and a pattern for who gets in where. temple is mid-tier, btw. i think 45-50th.

i'm a pre med but i do neurotic research and save threads where DO graduates from different schools like UNECOM or AZCOM talk about their 3rd and 4th years, and i read a lot of JAOA articles. and i talk to a lot of doctors.

but i have my own biases so take all the info with a grain of salt.

ultimately, youll be a great compassionate physician anywhere you go. that part is solely up to you and your determination. but how well trained and how broad your experiences are and how well prepared you are also depends on the training you get and who trains you. that will be affected by which school and what residency you choose.

also, you might pick a specialty based on how well you liked a rotation. if school X had a great EM rotation, for example, you might love EM and choose it. if you went to school Y and it had a bad EM rotation but a great OB GYN rotation, you might love OB GYN and choose that.

so many variables. such a complex decision.

it's shown people choose the default and the safest option when confronted with complex decisions. there was a TED talk on it. that's why I think a lot of people just pick MD. it's the default choice. but research it on your own, ignore "prestige" because it doesn't have one lick of a difference in how good you are as a doctor, and find a school that fits you best. a school that fits you means you're happy. and that's what's important. YOU'RE HAPPY.

Could you please link the TED talk that you're referring to? I'm very interested in watching it thanks.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

[Sophocles]

I heard that MD students are way smarter than DO, is this true?😀




I don't think people can cry about trolling in a thread like this

 

[romanjetfighter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM

the ted talk

if you want start from 8 mins.

 

[costales]

I heard that MD students are way smarter than DO, is this true?😀

Which calls for another thread from a 2.0 GPA drug addict with a criminal record asking for advice from the DO folks as to whether he should deign to apply to any DO school..

 

[donkeykong1]

There seems to be some misinformation here. Check the bold.

Rocky Vista is the for profit one.

do schools may require an extra year for certain programs. for instance, EM or derm usually takes an extra year. so if youre thinking about an extra year of postbacc or clinical experience to do MD, you might NOT be losing a year after all. some states require an intern year or whatever to practice. i think PA is one of them. Although there ACGME EM
residencies that are 3 years in length, there are a large number of 4 year programs as well. The accreditation council overall is moving towards this direction. Also a few AOA derm programs are linked as well while others are dual FM/Derm residencies.

matching ACGME programs can be tricky if you rank AOA programs cuz if u match em ur withdrawn from the MD residencies, which tend to be better. in fact, an article in the JAOA said DOs trained at ACGME residencies are better trained than ones at AOA. i'll give you the title if you want. its on my computer. There are "good" ACGME/AOA residencies and there are "bad" ones. The same logic holds true for both GME opportunities.

discrimination against DOs in ACGME residencies, sort of, like they only have 1 free spot out of 8, or you might have to submit class rank. Not sure where this comes from since some schools MD or DO don't even rank.

DO schools don't teach to the USMLE, and some give only 2--3 weeks of free time to study for it, and give little guidance and support. so you probably won't do as well. pass rates of the USMLE for DO students supports this, as well as some posters from UNECOM. Our exam is called the COMLEX. A large number of ACGME programs accept the exam. Taking the USMLE is optional yet strongly recommended. Depending on the school you can get anywhere from 3-6 weeks for board study. Studying for the COMLEX usually translates into studying for the USMLE which is known to be a more straight forward exam.

OMM takes 5-10 hours a week depending on school, has not been scientifically proven to help, because its hard to do scientific tests and do double blind tests, etc. craniosacral was disproven i think. but patients respond to touch positively anyways. A good number of treatments which fall under the umbrella of manual medicine which includes physical therapy and other rehabilitative treatments/procedures are difficult to asses given our current understanding of the science behind them. Most students take OMM class lightly, and its usually the "easiest" portion of the COMLEX

OMM used to be a distinguishing factor but harvard now has a class on OMM and 95% of graduates do not use OMM after graduation and the whole philosophy of holistic care is used at many, if not all, MD schools. there were a few articles in the JAOA about the need to keep DOs separate even when a lot of the education is the same and many DOs (up to 50%) are doing ACGME. it's all about sustaining the AOA and keeping DO relevant.

DO schools tend to rotate at community hospitals and not huge tertiary centers cuz they dont have an affiliated hospital and they are often in rural areas. All DO schools have affiliated hospitals ranging from small 120 bed sites to large academic centers. A good number have a hospital on campus (OU, MSU, LECOM, OSU) yet some don't-this holds true for MD schools as well.

the interview process focuses on people who love the philosophy of DO and still. you will probably be asked to distinguish MD vs. DO philosophy and explain why you like DO philosophy over MD philosophy. whether you think this is because DO schools are trying to advance an agenda is up to you. at MD schools they probably wont ask you to do the same to DO Schools.

DO schools can be more expensive and graduates have more debt, about 190k vs. 150k. not a lot in the long run, but after interest, it's a lot. if a school is a good fit, though, DO or not, it may be worth the 40k. it's up to you to decide.

DO schools have grade replacement, MD schools do not.

DO schools don't pull in research money that much. that's probably why they're not ranked by NIH funding and you don't see "top 5" DO schools. this might pose as a problem because some residencies require and love to see research publications in your relevant field, and some DO schools may not have the infrastructure and the PIs to allow you to do great research. Some DO schools have more research onsite than others. The same holds true for MD schools.

DO schools are rapidly expanding in number. RVU, marian, etc.. MD schools are not. but class sizes are getting bigger, i think, for both degrees. not sure how this affects everything, but there is a physician shortage and especially a PCP shortage so DO schools are justified i think. MD schools are expanding (Cooper, TCMC (on probation)...other planned as welll.

some previous posters said that the best DO programs > low tier MD programs. i'm not so sure. preclinical years are mostly up to the student, and 3rd and 4th years are better when you've got an affiliated hospital and established rotations. let the match lists for he past 5 years from tulane vs. pcom be evidence of this. btw, look at the match list for PNWU (DO) and Temple (MD) and tell me there isn't a huge difference and a pattern for who gets in where. temple is mid-tier, btw. i think 45-50th. Haven't looked at PCOM/Tulane match comparisons, but I would assume they would be quite similar. PNWU just graduated its first class. Temple's been around for a while.

i'm a pre med but i do neurotic research and save threads where DO graduates from different schools like UNECOM or AZCOM talk about their 3rd and 4th years, and i read a lot of JAOA articles. and i talk to a lot of doctors.

but i have my own biases so take all the info with a grain of salt.

ultimately, youll be a great compassionate physician anywhere you go. that part is solely up to you and your determination. but how well trained and how broad your experiences are and how well prepared you are also depends on the training you get and who trains you. that will be affected by which school and what residency you choose.

also, you might pick a specialty based on how well you liked a rotation. if school X had a great EM rotation, for example, you might love EM and choose it. if you went to school Y and it had a bad EM rotation but a great OB GYN rotation, you might love OB GYN and choose that.

so many variables. such a complex decision.

it's shown people choose the default and the safest option when confronted with complex decisions. there was a TED talk on it. that's why I think a lot of people just pick MD. it's the default choice. but research it on your own, ignore "prestige" because it doesn't have one lick of a difference in how good you are as a doctor, and find a school that fits you best. a school that fits you means you're happy. and that's what's important. YOU'RE HAPPY.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

rocky vista is the for profit one.

Do schools may require an extra year for certain programs. For instance, em or derm usually takes an extra year. So if youre thinking about an extra year of postbacc or clinical experience to do md, you might not be losing a year after all. Some states require an intern year or whatever to practice. I think pa is one of them.
do em is 4 years, do derm can be an extra 3 years as many/some require a fm resident before. That being said acgme em is well within do reach.
matching acgme programs can be tricky if you rank aoa programs cuz if u match em ur withdrawn from the md residencies, which tend to be better. In fact, an article in the jaoa said dos trained at acgme residencies are better trained than ones at aoa. I'll give you the title if you want. Its on my computer.
iwell, two matches offers some protection. But you can always opt out of the aoa match.
discrimination against dos in acgme residencies, sort of, like they only have 1 free spot out of 8, or you might have to submit class rank.
only applies to some residencies and in regard to more highly ranked specialties
do schools don't teach to the usmle, and some give only 2--3 weeks of free time to study for it, and give little guidance and support. So you probably won't do as well. Pass rates of the usmle for do students supports this, as well as some posters from unecom.
most dos who take the usmle study for the usmle and then spend 2 days studying omm and take the comlex. The boards are all up to you.
omm takes 5-10 hours a week depending on school, has not been scientifically proven to help, because its hard to do scientific tests and do double blind tests, etc. Craniosacral was disproven i think. But patients respond to touch positively anyways.
2-8 a week from what i've seen, with schools like umdnj only doing about 2 hours.
omm used to be a distinguishing factor but harvard now has a class on omm and 95% of graduates do not use omm after graduation and the whole philosophy of holistic care is used at many, if not all, md schools. There were a few articles in the jaoa about the need to keep dos separate even when a lot of the education is the same and many dos (up to 50%) are doing acgme. It's all about sustaining the aoa and keeping do relevant.
eh.
do schools tend to rotate at community hospitals and not huge tertiary centers cuz they dont have an affiliated hospital and they are often in rural areas.
this is true, however the higher up do schools have better rotations.
the interview process focuses on people who love the philosophy of do and still. You will probably be asked to distinguish md vs. Do philosophy and explain why you like do philosophy over md philosophy. Whether you think this is because do schools are trying to advance an agenda is up to you. At md schools they probably wont ask you to do the same to do schools.
can be easily bull****ted, you can easily within a day before the interview figure out all of the answers to important questions and how to appear presentable.
do schools can be more expensive and graduates have more debt, about 190k vs. 150k. Not a lot in the long run, but after interest, it's a lot. If a school is a good fit, though, do or not, it may be worth the 40k. It's up to you to decide.
this is true, do schools are primarily private so they are expensive.
do schools have grade replacement, md schools do not.
true.
do schools don't pull in research money that much. That's probably why they're not ranked by nih funding and you don't see "top 5" do schools. This might pose as a problem because some residencies require and love to see research publications in your relevant field, and some do schools may not have the infrastructure and the pis to allow you to do great research.
the stronger do schools have research and can very easily send you to other schools where you can do research.
do schools are rapidly expanding in number. Rvu, marian, etc.. Md schools are not. But class sizes are getting bigger, i think, for both degrees. Not sure how this affects everything, but there is a physician shortage and especially a pcp shortage so do schools are justified i think.
md schools are also expanding.
some previous posters said that the best do programs > low tier md programs. I'm not so sure. Preclinical years are mostly up to the student, and 3rd and 4th years are better when you've got an affiliated hospital and established rotations. Let the match lists for he past 5 years from tulane vs. Pcom be evidence of this. Btw, look at the match list for pnwu (do) and temple (md) and tell me there isn't a huge difference and a pattern for who gets in where. Temple is mid-tier, btw. I think 45-50th.
the best do in quality of education will be equal to a low tier md, but the low tier md will still be significantly at an advantage in the match.
i'm a pre med but i do neurotic research and save threads where do graduates from different schools like unecom or azcom talk about their 3rd and 4th years, and i read a lot of jaoa articles. And i talk to a lot of doctors.
don't we all
but i have my own biases so take all the info with a grain of salt.

Ultimately, youll be a great compassionate physician anywhere you go. That part is solely up to you and your determination. But how well trained and how broad your experiences are and how well prepared you are also depends on the training you get and who trains you. That will be affected by which school and what residency you choose.
true
also, you might pick a specialty based on how well you liked a rotation. If school x had a great em rotation, for example, you might love em and choose it. If you went to school y and it had a bad em rotation but a great ob gyn rotation, you might love ob gyn and choose that.
true
so many variables. Such a complex decision.

It's shown people choose the default and the safest option when confronted with complex decisions. There was a ted talk on it. That's why i think a lot of people just pick md. It's the default choice. But research it on your own, ignore "prestige" because it doesn't have one lick of a difference in how good you are as a doctor, and find a school that fits you best. A school that fits you means you're happy. And that's what's important. You're happy.

yup

 

[deleted103644]

I'm not saying DO isn't a valid option, but if you have the choice of attending an established US MD program, you would do yourself a disservice getting a DO instead unless you are tied to a specific location and only interested in primary care.

 

[deleted357625]

all people who want primary care should apply D.O and all knowing or thinking of specializing should go M.D 😛

jk, but does sound logical

 

[donkeykong1]

I'm not saying DO isn't a valid option, but if you have the choice of attending an established US MD program, you would do yourself a disservice getting a DO instead unless you are tied to a specific location and only interested in primary care.

established yes. but disregarding any location issues if the MD school is relatively new, on probation, or has problems year 3 and 4, I'd take the established DO school.

 

[deleted103644]

established yes. but disregarding any location issues if the MD school is relatively new, on probation, or has problems year 3 and 4, I'd take the established DO school.

Of course (although some new MD programs are worth checking out).

Personally if I'd been looking that low on the totem pole I would have gone into a different career though, but I know some other people are MD (or DO) or bust.

 

[Dharma]

Here's your answer, from SDN founder, the famous Lee.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=133066

Next one of these dumb@$$ threads pop up, this should be the automatic response.

3 seconds to hit 9 keys. F'ing lazy, OP.

BTW Entourage sucked. Should have been titled Doucherage. No offense to the real person behind above avatar.

 

[deleted103644]

Here's your answer, from SDN founder, the famous Lee.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=133066

Next one of these dumb@$$ threads pop up, this should be the automatic response.

3 seconds to hit 9 keys. F'ing lazy, OP.

BTW Entourage sucked. Should have been titled Doucherage. No offense to the real person behind above avatar.

No worries, I created the avatar during the first season when it was good.

I haven't even bothered seeing the last couple of seasons, lost all interest. Still find this character funny though...

 

[donkeykong1]

Here's your answer, from SDN founder, the famous Lee.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=133066

Next one of these dumb@$$ threads pop up, this should be the automatic response.

3 seconds to hit 9 keys. F'ing lazy, OP.

BTW Entourage sucked. Should have been titled Doucherage. No offense to the real person behind above avatar.

no wayyyyy. Entourage rocked for a bro show. *spoiler alert* The ending where Ari leaves the company and Drama's little bro gets engaged with the reporter was awesome.

 

[deleted103644]

no wayyyyy. Entourage rocked for a bro show. *spoiler alert* The ending where Ari leaves the company and Drama's little bro gets engaged with the reporter was awesome.

Thanks for spoiling it. Jk

 

[MrNovember]

most us md programs > best do programs > worst us md programs >> worst do programs.

The do/md distinction should disappear (along with omm), but there are several do programs that would have trouble getting lcme accreditation.

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[deleted103644]

Mr. November, would you really pick a DO school over any of the MD programs ranked by US News (>80)? There are several not ranked that I would also pick first (e.g. any SUNY).

If you're comment was about the futility of MD vs DO threads I agree, but if you're actually suggesting anyone thinking of a non-primary care specialty should choose DO over a decent MD program, you should defend that.

 

[upright]

.

 

[thecgrblue]

 

[COMedic2Doc]

and OP, seriously next time at least look at the stickies, com'on man are you trying to get into Medical School or just going after some other program?

DO vs. MD has been heavily discussed in this forum and if you only spent a few hours in shadowing experience in an ER or something similar you'd see for yourself the answer....

Ok on to watching the rest of the thread unfold....

 

[deleted103644]

If it weren't for SDN, I would never have heard of the DO degree. It seems like every other post is making excuses for it. It'll get the job done, but it's not the same.

 

[COMedic2Doc]

If it weren't for SDN, I would never have heard of the DO degree. It seems like every other post is making excuses for it. It'll get the job done, but it's not the same.

Hmmm yep keep that thought with you, it will serve you well..... Actually not really, but hey if it makes you feel better then keep it.

 

[donkeykong1]

DO=MD in the real world. /END THREAD

Same rights to practice, same salary....

 

[ManBroDude]

The funniest part is that, YET AGAIN, these troll posts never fail to garner >50 replies. Ughhhhhh.

 

[COMedic2Doc]

The funniest part is that, YET AGAIN, these troll posts never fail to garner >50 replies. Ughhhhhh.

Almost there....... just need 2 more posts and we can keep the theory alive

 

[deleted103644]

Almost there....... just need 2 more posts and we can keep the theory alive

As long as we're obeying internet laws, is there DO porn yet?

 

[GvGKen]

Almost there....... just need 2 more posts and we can keep the theory alive

What's going on over here?

But seriously, I'm astounded that pre-med students don't have a grasp of Osteopathic medicine, its philosophy and inclusion of touch as a diagnostic and treatment instrument. I'm proud to become an osteopathic physician in the future, I applied only to D.O. schools; I've always wanted to be a D.O. I'm influenced by a quite a few circumstances that lead me to the DO path (parents both DOs, being born at an Osteopathic hospital, and living in Mid-Michigan), but pre-med students should do themselves a favor and research the options available to them.

...never hearing of DOs before. I guffaw at that.