So I have received the secondary app for UNT and have started thinking about the essay. Basically, TX is a long shot for me as I am not a resident, but my husband has family there so I figured no harm in applying.
With that said, the essay prompt is something along the lines of "What does osteopathic medicine mean to you?" I would like to tell them the truth: osteopathic medicine means nothing to me. I am not fixated on my title and my desire to practice medicine is not predicated on what initials follow my name. I simply want to be a physician, and am willing to look at any avenue which will get me to that goal. I could certainly tone this down some but I was curious if you all thought this was a bad route to take?
Again, TX is such a long shot that I figured maybe an honest essay would catch someone's eye and they might consider giving me a shot. Thanks for the input!
I really have to agree with what everyone has said, but thought I would take the liberty on expounding on some of the principles of osteopathic medicine to help you with your prompt. The important thing to understand is that these principles do not necessarily reflect what only osteopathic physicians endorse and no one else. Rather, you can draw numerous connections in the allopathic philosophy (M.D.) thus exemplifying their similarities further.
Here are what I believe to be 10 contemporary osteopathic principles that help draw similarities to and a distinction from all forms of medicine, some of this information was taken from a book I read:
1. Osteopathic medicine is limited to the practice of rational medicine based on the medical sciences. As a system of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, osteopathic medicine is founded upon traditional medical values and fundamental medical sciences such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, etc. This scientific basis for medicine represents the fundamental principle on which all medical services are based, osteopathic or allopathic.
2. Osteopathic medicine treats the individual as a whole. It recognizes that all factors that concern health, including physiological, mental and emotional factors must be taken into consideration in the interest of providing high quality health care. Every ill person presents a unique problem that will require therapies that are specifically directed to the whole person.
3. Osteopathic medicine recognizes the bodys ability to be self-regulating and self-healing. Distinct in this respect to allopathic medicine (arguably), the role of the osteopathic practitioner is to understand, promote, and enhance the bodys natural capacity to overcome disease and maintain health. The bodys self-healing process espouses a philosophy of personal responsibility for health maintenance and endorses the idea of prevention as pinnacle in the maintenance of an individuals health.
4. Osteopathic medicine acknowledges the structure-function interrelationship. Osteopathic physicians are actually able to associate abnormalities in the structural system of the body with signs and symptoms of various diseases. Known as osteopathic lesions, disease is believed to be the result of anatomical abnormalities followed by physiologic discord. Somatic dysfunction is the term to define impaired or altered function of the musculoskeletal system and its components. This principle allows for a unique system of diagnosis and treatment through the application of osteopathic manipulative medicine. This training also gives D.O.s a better understanding of how an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another part of the body; therefore, D.O.s have a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage.
5. Osteopathic medicine endorses the use of manipulative treatment. OMT is the distinguishing hallmark of the osteopathic profession. The structural diagnosis and manipulative methods are used primarily to increase mobility and to reduce pain, often used in combination with other contemporary diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for the treatment of illness. D.O.s use their hands to diagnose injury and illness, giving special attention to the joints, bones, muscles, and nerves. Manipulations improve circulation, which in turn, creates a normal nerve and blood supply, enabling the body to heal itself.
6. Osteopathic medicine emphasizes a close and personal relationship between physician and patient. One of the most important osteopathic principles in my opinion, emphasizing the importance of a healthy personal relationship with your patient is necessary for providing high quality health care. In todays society I feel the interaction between patient and physician has become compromised. Osteopathic medicine believes that knowledge of a patients medical history, family situation, and general and physical idiosyncrasies, are necessary in the diagnosis and treatment of a patient.
7. Osteopathic medicine recognizes that health care requires intelligent collaboration between the lay public and practitioners is a principle not necessarily distinct to osteopathic medicine but is vitally important to the efficiency of the physician. Very similar to the close and personal relationship of physician and patient.
8. Osteopathic medicine relies upon a variety of medical services. In the interest of expressing the legitimacy of the profession, and viewing it no more an alternative form of medicine as much as allopathic medicine is, osteopathic medicine endorses a wide variety of health care services, ranging from osteopathic manipulative treatment to various surgical therapies. In addition to all the contemporary medical practices and philosophies harbored by an M.D., the osteopathic physician also emphasizes patient education as a part of the comprehensive treatment.
9. Osteopathic medicine emphasizes prevention. The overall goal of osteopathic medicine, as is the case with any for of medicine, is to restore and maintain good health, interfere with the progress of disease, and prevent complications to postpone death. The most effective means of accomplishing this goal as we have discussed all semester is by prevention.
10. Osteopathic medicine endorses the application of all services of modern scientific medicine that are needed to meet the needs of all people.
Obviously you can draw many similarities to osteopathic medicine with allopathic medicine, and to say osteopathic medicine emphasizes a close and personal relationship between physician and patient, for example, does not imply that allopathic physicians do not care about their patients. Again my intention is not to start a debate about D.O.s and any other health professional, but rather expound on some of their principles in an effort to help you identify with them in hopes of strengthening your essay.
Hope this helps, good luck!
