DO's doing MD residencies.. is it harder?

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Ahmed786

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Note: This is NOT a DO vs MD thread!! I believe they are the same in the hospital so that is not my issue or question here lets not make it an MD vs DO thread.

I understand there will be a difference of opinion on this, lets not flame the other just give your respective opinion and why you believe it that way.

I ask this question because after med school I am hoping to end up on the East or West coast of the country and there are not as many DOs or DO residencies in those areas compared to where I am (the midwest) so 90% chance I am probably going to end up doing an MD residency. My thing is, will a DO have a slightly more difficult time in securing that spot (especailly since it is on the coasts where there are less DOs) in the MD residency or will the MD and DO be viewed pretty much the same assuming both kill the USMLEs since they are both board certified.

By coast I mean NYC, DC, Boston, LA, Miami, San Fran, San Diego etc
 
Ahmed786 said:
Note: This is NOT a DO vs MD thread!! I believe they are the same in the hospital so that is not my issue or question here lets not make it an MD vs DO thread.

I understand there will be a difference of opinion on this, lets not flame the other just give your respective opinion and why you believe it that way.

I ask this question because after med school I am hoping to end up on the East or West coast of the country and there are not as many DOs or DO residencies in those areas compared to where I am (the midwest) so 90% chance I am probably going to end up doing an MD residency. My thing is, will a DO have a slightly more difficult time in securing that spot (especailly since it is on the coasts where there are less DOs) in the MD residency or will the MD and DO be viewed pretty much the same assuming both kill the USMLEs since they are both board certified.

By coast I mean NYC, DC, Boston, LA, Miami, San Fran, San Diego etc
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The NYC metro area has a fair amount of DO residency programs, and there seem to be more and more programs popping up every year - NYCOM's net is pretty far-reaching these days (hence why I chose it)

And to answer the question: it depends on the specialty, but sometimes it's harder as a DO.
 
Yes, it is often harder for DO's to "compete" in the allo match, and it may become even harder as more MD schools open up, but only time will tell. However, just like any question, the answer is "it depends." Each program director has their own criteria for selecting candidates. Some are vehemently anti-DO and some like them better than MDs. The best thing you can do is select your specialty, work hard, apply broadly, and hope for the best. Good luck!
 
thesauce said:
Yes, it is often harder for DO's to "compete" in the allo match, and it may become even harder as more MD schools open up, but only time will tell. However, just like any question, the answer is "it depends." Each program director has their own criteria for selecting candidates. Some are vehemently anti-DO and some like them better than MDs. The best thing you can do is select your specialty, work hard, apply broadly, and hope for the best. Good luck!
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I think you're exaggerating using the word "often." It depends on the specialty. Competitive specialties are often harder for a DO, but non-competitive specialties shouldn't be with good board scores.
 
What the above posters have said is true. The more competitive, the more it will matter. I wanted to give my take on locations since I have lived in most the places below. This is in no way a mathematically accurate model (but rather, based on my experience).

I will say this. A lot of DO schools emphasis primary care and rural communities. A greater percentage of DOs can be found in rural areas relative to urban areas. Also, it's much, much more common to find DOs in the midwest states (such as Kansas, Iowa etc.).

NYC: Lots of DOs in NYC relatively speaking (probably because NYCOM).
DC: I've across relatively few at the hospitals in DC.
Boston: Very few DOs. Rather rare to come across them (probably because of the large number of MD programs in the area).
LA: Not too common in my experience.
Miami: Very few DOs in Miami; lots in the state of Florida though.
San Fran: In SF proper, virtually none. In the Bay Area there are a handful (mostly grads of Touro and a few from Western/PCOM).
San Diego: I've come quite a few DOs in San Diego (mostly from Western).
 
EmersonAnne said:
I think you're exaggerating using the word "often." It depends on the specialty. Competitive specialties are often harder for a DO, but non-competitive specialties shouldn't be with good board scores.
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I'm not sure what's more funny: the fact that you're so sensitive that you took offense to one subjective word in my post (my definition of "often" is likely different from yours) or the fact that you're telling me about the match even though I've been through it and you're at least 2 years away.

And no, it doesn't depend on the specialty, it depends on the program director and faculty. Some are more DO friendly than others.
 
thesauce said:
And no, it doesn't depend on the specialty, it depends on the program director and faculty. Some are more DO friendly than others.
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Things that matter:


  • Connections
  • Board scores / academic performance
  • Personal qualities / personality
These will all be important in the match, likely more than MD/DO.
 
thesauce said:
I'm not sure what's more funny: the fact that you're so sensitive that you took offense to one subjective word in my post (my definition of "often" is likely different from yours)
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It wasn't sensitivity. I was merely clearing up a misconception that it's "often" harder for DOs. Often means frequently. I don't agree that it's frequently harder for DOs to get an MD residency. In the competitive specialties, of course, but in FM or IM? Come on.

or the fact that you're telling me about the match even though I've been through it and you're at least 2 years away.
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So because I haven't been through the match, I don't get to have an opinion on it? FYI, your experience is YOUR experience. It doesn't mean that only you have all the answers. My father happens to be a DO. My uncle happens to be a DO. Two cousins happen to be DOs. My brother happens to be a DO. I've watched all of them (with the exception of my father since it was when I was 3 years old) go through the match. I have a little insight as well.

And no, it doesn't depend on the specialty, it depends on the program director and faculty. Some are more DO friendly than others.
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The question was simple -- DOs doing MD residencies...is it harder? You're going to tell me it doesn't depend on the specialty? LOL, okay.
 
If a DO wants to apply to an allo residency, they will have to take both Complex and Step 1 which is a huge pain, though the test are pretty similar. I also believe that the DO match is done before the MD match, and if a DO gets a DO spot, they are required to remove themselves from the MD match. But a DO can just not apply to the DO match and only apply to the MD one.
 
shiftingmirage said:
If a DO wants to apply to an allo residency, they will have to take both Complex and Step 1 which is a huge pain, though the test are pretty similar. I also believe that the DO match is done before the MD match, and if a DO gets a DO spot, they are required to remove themselves from the MD match. But a DO can just not apply to the DO match and only apply to the MD one.
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USMLE isn't required for all residencies.
 
EmersonAnne said:
It wasn't sensitivity. I was merely clearing up a misconception that it's "often" harder for DOs. Often means frequently. I don't agree that it's frequently harder for DOs to get an MD residency. In the competitive specialties, of course, but in FM or IM? Come on.
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"Frequently" is a more subjective term than "often." We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

EmersonAnne said:
So because I haven't been through the match, I don't get to have an opinion on it? FYI, your experience is YOUR experience. It doesn't mean that only you have all the answers. My father happens to be a DO. My uncle happens to be a DO. Two cousins happen to be DOs. My brother happens to be a DO. I've watched all of them (with the exception of my father since it was when I was 3 years old) go through the match. I have a little insight as well.
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I'm not going to touch this or it'll turn into a DO vs. MD flamewar. Yes, you can have an opinion on the match. No, you can't flippantly negate the importance of a matching experience when discussing the match. This is like a pre-med giving advice to a med student about medical school. It just doesn't make sense. You'll see when you get to it.

EmersonAnne said:
The question was simple -- DOs doing MD residencies...is it harder? You're going to tell me it doesn't depend on the specialty? LOL, okay.
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Unless "specialty" is the name of a person who selects residency candidates, you're dead wrong. Is it harder for a DO to match in some specialties than others? Absolutely. But there's a huge difference between causation and correlation. The program directors make the decisions. Tell me: if it's dependent on specialty, why do some competitive specialty programs consistently take DOs and others do not? If it depends on the specialty, that wouldn't happen. Hmmm.....
 
From anyone with knowledge in the specialty...how do DO's compare to MD's matching into emergency medicine?...also how do DO em residencies compare to the MD residencies? just wondering, please no throat cutting or death threats
 
EMS5 said:
From anyone with knowledge in the specialty...how do DO's compare to MD's matching into emergency medicine?...also how do DO em residencies compare to the MD residencies? just wondering, please no throat cutting or death threats
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A lot of the northeast EM residencies are dually accredited. DOs are rampant in EM, especially in DO popular areas.
 
EMS5 said:
From anyone with knowledge in the specialty...how do DO's compare to MD's matching into emergency medicine?...also how do DO em residencies compare to the MD residencies? just wondering, please no throat cutting or death threats
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I'll look for a reference, but I somewhere I saw that for EM the magic number was ranking 10 programs. And that every app that ranked 10 or more got into an EM program. I'm not sure if that is just MD students, or the MD match or MD and DO match. I'll see if I can find it...
 
Bacchus said:
A lot of the northeast EM residencies are dually accredited. DOs are rampant in EM, especially in DO popular areas.
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That's good to hear, there's a lot of good programs up here. I have noticed quite a few DO's in EM locally, about 7 out of 20 total, but wasn't sure if this was just a local coincidence or becoming more of a national trend.
 
EMS5 said:
From anyone with knowledge in the specialty...how do DO's compare to MD's matching into emergency medicine?...also how do DO em residencies compare to the MD residencies? just wondering, please no throat cutting or death threats
Click to expand...
There are many DO's in EM, ACGME residencies included.
 
Just DO whatever the MD tells you to do.
 
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