Hey gang. For those of you having trouble explaining what a D.O. is, here's my tactic that I use with certain populations... I call it the "Have you lived under a rock?" explanation:
In our country, medical knowledge is prized. Seriously, recall how evertime you got a cough your Aunt Betty would call you up and tell you what Dr. Kildare would do (often involving whiskey, yak hair, and some long-banned laxative). When lay persons possess medical knowledge, it makes them feel special. When they don't possess it, it makes them feel... well, stupid. So here's what I do.
Ignoramous: "What the heck is a D.O. anyway? Are you a real doctor?"
Gregory: "You haven't heard of D.O.s?"
Ignoramous: "Well, I've heard something like..."
Gregory: (Interrupting) "Seriously... you don't know ANYTHING about D.O.s?"
Ignoramous: "Well, I ... uh..."
Gregory: (Interrupting again) "You seem to know a lot about medical matters and I must say that I'm a bit suprised that you are not familiar with osteopathic medicine."
Ignoramous: "I, uh... well, you see..."
Gregory: (Interrupting again) "We've been around for over 120 years, we're not exactly new on the scene. Have you been living under a rock? I'm really surprised that you aren't familiar with us."
Ignoramous: "Oh, I see... Yeah, I knew D.O.s were real doctors, yeah... I knew that... ..."
Gregory: (Interrupting yet again) "It suprises me sometimes how even well read persons like yourself aren't familiar with something as simple as the definition of a physician."
Ignoramous: "No, seriously, I knew that... of course, D.O.s have been around forever... they can do everything, yeah..."
Gregory: "Now drop you pants and cough."
So anyways... I use this from time to time, and it works exceptionally well. The difference between using this and the "I'm just as good as an MD" tactic is that my strategy requires an ounce of confidence, whereas comparing yourself to an MD all the time makes it sound like you're insecure.
In the real world, nobody cares whether you are an M.D., D.O., M.B.B.S., or D.M. They just want you to get them well again... (or sue you).
Gregory Gulick, MS-IV
NSU-COM