Do you tell your friends you got accepted to an "osteopathic" med school

[acesup123]

When you tell your non pre-med friends you got accepted to med school, do you tell them that it's an osteopathic med school? I just tell them med school since they won't know WTF I'm talking about if I tell them osteopathic med school.

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[jayzbel2]

I would tell them. And then explain exactly what osteopathy is and why I decided to go in that direction. Its a big accomplishment, congrats.

 

[SML67]

By now most of my close friends know that I have only applied to osteopathic schools. Regardless, when I tell someone, I say that I got into med school(after all, DO schools are schools of medicine), and when they ask what school, I just say "Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, NYC." They just smile, nod, and we move on. If they ask anymore questions, I just give a brief explanation of what osteopathic medicine is...

 

[DrMom]

It's medical school.

Calling it Osteopathic school makes it sound like its not standard medicine to most people. If you want to promote osteopathic medicine (which is only different by including OMM), then after you tell people about going to medical school you can explain about OMM or give a little bit of the history.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

It's medical school.

Calling it Osteopathic school makes it sound like its not standard medicine to most people. If you want to promote osteopathic medicine (which is only different by including OMM), then after you tell people about going to medical school you can explain about OMM or give a little bit of the history.

^This. If you got into an allopathic school would you say "I got into an allopathic school."?

 

[Tekar]

It's medical school.

Calling it Osteopathic school makes it sound like its not standard medicine to most people. If you want to promote osteopathic medicine (which is only different by including OMM), then after you tell people about going to medical school you can explain about OMM or give a little bit of the history.

This again...only I would add take pride in the fact you are going to an osteopathic medical school. If you can't take pride in what you're doing, you're going to diminish your achievement and make it easier for those who don't understand to bash you.

You had better want to be at an osteopathic medical school if you're going there.

 

[TILalot]

I tell my friends & family the same thing (TUCOM, yay!!!). Only time is if they look up the school and ask what Osteopathic Medicine is and then I have a convo sort of like:
Them: "oh....so you're not going to be an MD then?"
Me: No I'll be a D.O. - Difference is OMM. *EXPLAIN OMM* and then how everything else is the same
Them: But you're still not an MD right?
Me: Right
Them:

By now most of my close friends know that I have only applied to osteopathic schools. Regardless, when I tell someone, I say that I got into med school(after all, DO schools are schools of medicine), and when they ask what school, I just say "Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine." They just smile, nod, and we move on. If they ask anymore questions, they just explain what osteopathic medicine is...

 

[Longshanks]

It's medical school.

Calling it Osteopathic school makes it sound like its not standard medicine to most people. If you want to promote osteopathic medicine (which is only different by including OMM), then after you tell people about going to medical school you can explain about OMM or give a little bit of the history.

This.

I say I've been accepted into medical school if they ask. Naturally, they will ask where, so I say the name and pretty much every osteopathic medical school has "osteopathic medicine" in the name, so I quickly explain (if I have the time or they ask me) how DO and MD practice the same and have the same legal rights in the US, and how DO does have a rich history and has been a uniquely American experience in providing and improving health care, especially in reaching out to underserved areas. I'll add in how OMM is another treatment modality and is really the main practical distinction between the two degrees. Typically then you get the usual, "well what will be specializing in/studying?" question. So I briefly describe that its a broad general education and specializing is during residency training.

I think you should be proud that will be attending an osteopathic medical school, as still there are far more who will never be accepted into a DO or MD medical school, so you have made a significant accomplishment in your career. Also, you shouldn't be afraid to present or explain what DO is and to be a strong representation of the profession, as down the road you may have to explain it to someone. Whether you become a DO or an MD you should be proud and be able to represent the medical profession well - it will be important to answer and explain clearly questions asked to you.

 

[PlayUltimate15]

This question is mainly a complicated one for me because michigan state has both an osteopathic and an allopathic school. I have been accepted to the DO program and was recently waitlisted at the MD program. Conversations go something like this:

Them: Congrats on med school! Do you know where you are going?
Me: Michigan State, but I was also just waitlisted at... Michigan State.
Them: Whaaaa?
Me: Well see, MSU has 2 medical schools...

And then I explain the difference. I will be proud to be a Spartan and the DO program seems like a great fit for me.

 

[JaggerPlate]

From my experience ... the less explanation you provide, the happier everyone ends up. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't take the opportunity to explain DOs/Osteo Med when you have the chance, but most of the time people ask about 'what you're up to' in small talk, and really don't care to listen/understand/comprehend the fine details between an MD and DO. What's even funnier is that 99% of the convos I have go like this:

Rando: Oh so you're in med school, where do you go?
Me: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (clearly the Osteo Med in the title)
Rando: Oh, that's great.

People don't notice because they are just making small talk. Also, because KCOM is so old/has so much alumni I've actually gotten this reply a lot too:

'OH, Kirksville ... my ______'s doc went to Kirksville ... he/she's a great doc.' I've actually been shocked how many people know about KCOM and just remember the 'Kirksville' part of it and make some sort of association.

 

[acesup123]

From my experience ... the less explanation you provide, the happier everyone ends up. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't take the opportunity to explain DOs/Osteo Med when you have the chance, but most of the time people ask about 'what you're up to' in small talk, and really don't care to listen/understand/comprehend the fine details between an MD and DO.

This is what I got when I told some people as well. I am proud to get in an osteopathic school but I just don't feel like explaining the MD,DO difference to everyone I tell, just lazy I guess.

 

[mashmetoo]

I just say "med school". If somehow, they ever did find out it was an Osteopathic med school, and ask what is Osteopathic medicine, I'd say "Osteopathic medicine is the study of snails and their mating habits".

 

[JaggerPlate]

Just as a general aside too ... keep in mind that you are 100% attending medical school. There is nothing incorrect or misleading in that statement. If you want to explain that there are two slightly different 'types' of medical school in the US and you're attending osteopathic medical school as opposed to allopathic medical school, then that's fine, but saying 'medical school' is 100% accurate in my book.

 

[UBCvan]

so I think people in naturopathic and podiatry medical school can also refer to it as "I'm going to medical school"

that's valid too.

my mom the other day had an appointment at the podiatry doctors office. she thought that he's an specialist like something beyond family medicine... I kind of didn't wanna explain but had to say that he's not an specialist like you think...

 

[aspiringOSTEO]

1

 

[MightyMoose]

so I think people in naturopathic and podiatry medical school can also refer to it as "I'm going to medical school"

that's valid too.

my mom the other day had an appointment at the podiatry doctors office. she thought that he's an specialist like something beyond family medicine... I kind of didn't wanna explain but had to say that he's not an specialist like you think...

Why you gotta hate on the Pods? If you are down with legs and feet, more power to you.


At any rate, I had already explained what a DO is to my family and friends (I love to talk, so I'm sure they heard more than they wanted to), so now when I get an acceptance they just ask if it is MD or DO. They also gauge me on excitement level, if I'm pumped for a school, they can tell, and to be honest, I think that's all they really care about.

 

[JaggerPlate]

so I think people in naturopathic and podiatry medical school can also refer to it as "I'm going to medical school"

that's valid too.

Will they be certified physicians with unrestricted licenses to practice medicine, surgery, and prescribe in all 50 states in the union after graduating?? Oh, no? Well ... guess not then.

 

[UBCvan]

Why you gotta hate on the Pods? If you are down with legs and feet, more power to you.

who said I hate on them?

 

[drctother]

Why you gotta hate on the Pods? If you are down with legs and feet, more power to you.

who said I hate on them?

Not to derail this thread, but what you dont know MightyMoose is that UBCVan is Canadian, as am i. Keep in mind Pods most likely are not treated the same, nor do they have the same "power" or respect in health care that they might have in the US. I mean we dont even have Osteopathic Medical schools, hence why we are coming down to US. Also we only have MD schools, which are way too competitive (3.8+, 34MCAT averages)

 

[patel2]

definitely not (if I go to osteopathic school next year). In the same way that as a doctor I wouldn't introduce myself as an "osteopathic" physician. I personally get super bored when my engineering friends start going on about the different types of people working in their field and what each job title means, and I'm sure most people outside of medicine feel the same way...they'd zone out if you started giving a history of A.T. Still and OMM. I go to med school at X...Boom.

 

[ccc2009]

definitely not (if i go to osteopathic school next year). In the same way that as a doctor i wouldn't introduce myself as an "osteopathic" physician. I personally get super bored when my engineering friends start going on about the different types of people working in their field and what each job title means, and i'm sure most people outside of medicine feel the same way...they'd zone out if you started giving a history of a.t. Still and omm. I go to med school at x...boom.

+1

 

[patel2]

This again...only I would add take pride in the fact you are going to an osteopathic medical school. If you can't take pride in what you're doing, you're going to diminish your achievement and make it easier for those who don't understand to bash you.

You had better want to be at an osteopathic medical school if you're going there.

Sure, but that statement could just well have read "You had better want to be at X medical school if you're going there." The osteopathic versus allopathic is irrelevant in the equation to many people that don't care much about OMM, or to those who don't see any differences in approach taken by osteopathic versus allopathic physicians. They just want to be a doctor, and attending an osteopathic school is one of two routes to get to that position. I don't think a person needs a philosophical inclination to the principles of "osteopathic" medicine to be there.

 

[Longshanks]

I just say "med school". If somehow, they ever did find out it was an Osteopathic med school, and ask what is Osteopathic medicine, I'd say "Osteopathic medicine is the study of snails and their mating habits".

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[Temporal]

From my experience ... the less explanation you provide, the happier everyone ends up. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't take the opportunity to explain DOs/Osteo Med when you have the chance, but most of the time people ask about 'what you're up to' in small talk, and really don't care to listen/understand/comprehend the fine details between an MD and DO.


Totally agree. Although I do feel very proud that I got myself into an osteopathic medical school, it's just that sometimes I feel the more you try to explain the minor differences between the two, the worse it becomes. 🙁 In a few instances, I think the whole good effort got backfired and probably gave them the impression that there is big difference between the two degrees, especially for people who have no idea what a DO is.

 

[PED05]

I used to explain the whole DO thing, but after explaining it 100 times and going into detail I just say med school.