DOs and allopathic residencies

[LuchoLiu]

Hello! I have a question for those of you that have contemplated allopathic residencies. Maybe the answer has been posted already somewhere, but there are so many threads it's hard to go through all of them. Anyway, here it goes: Suppose I go to DO school and decide to do an allopathic residency in combined medicine & pediatrics.

(1) Do I have to take the USMLE steps 1 & 2 to apply to the allopathic residency or is it optional?

(2) Do I have to complete the osteopathic rotating internship before applying to the allopathic residency?

(3) On a somewhat related note, if I decide to complete my residency on an osteopathic program instead of an allopathic, ACGME-approved program, is that a disadvantage when seeking employment in clinics or hospitals that are mainly allopathic?

Thanks for your help in answering those questions.

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[bobo]

1.) No, the USMLE is not required. You will hear many different reasons both ways on whether or not to take it. The general consensus is that it is a good idea to take it if u are applying to more "competitive" residencies. One poster has suggested taking that the COMLEX only is good for fp/peds/im, which sounds like good advice. I am unsure about med/peds since it seems like there aren't a whole lot of spots. I know that one of the first year med-peds residents at MUSC (Charleston, SC) is a DO who went to UHS.

2.) The osteopathic rotating internship is required if you want to practice in one of "the 5 states" Fl, WV, MI, PA, somewhere else and maybe NY in the future or - I think - if u want to be a professor at a DO school. there are many potential permutations, such as the resident in an ACGME program in MI that wants to moonlight.

3.) "Maybe" but probably not. I think the better the pedigree, the better the job offers.

Hope this helps

bobo