Explaining DO degree to laymen and women

[docdoc121]

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When those outside of healthcare (and sometimes, inside) ask you, "What's a DO?" or something similar, what response do you give them?

I think I'm going with, "In additional to a traditional medical curriculum, DOs are trained to diagnose and treat with their hands. Some DOs use this manual therapy and others do not depending on their specialty, proficiency with the techniques, and interest in using the techniques." I think the response is concise and to the point.

I mean, I could always add "DO schools tend to take a more holistic approach to patient care, as well as emphasize primary care and serving in rural/inner city areas" and so on, but I'd rather not include this type of jargon.

Thoughts?

 

[J-Rad]

Quickest: "There are two recognized medical degrees conferred in the US. The more common MD and, accounting for ~6% of the US-trained physician population, the DO degree. If a physician trains in another country, you may see them sporting the MBBS or MBBch degree, which is more common out of the States". The rest of the conversation is as time and interest allows. But that's a pretty satisfactory response for most. But this has been a relatively infrequent question for me both in and out of the hospital.

 

[ChrisKnight]

The real quickest:

DO = doctor, MD = doctor.

The end.

 

[st2205]

Thus far I haven't had any problems explaining that a DO is a physician who is first and foremost an osteopath who practices holistically, mostly without drugs and surgery, by fixing subluxations and restoring the body's natural healing ability.

 

[sylvanthus]

Thus far I haven't had any problems explaining that a DO is a physician who is first and foremost an osteopath who practices holistically, mostly without drugs and surgery, by fixing subluxations and restoring the body's natural healing ability.

Wow.....

 

[GoLytely]

 

[PaMed22]

How about...like an MD but better?

 

[just one]

Thus far I haven't had any problems explaining that a DO is a physician who is first and foremost an osteopath who practices holistically, mostly without drugs and surgery, by fixing subluxations and restoring the body's natural healing ability.

But is that a true statement? Would a DO surgeon practice mainly without surgery? Are there many DOs that practice mostly without drugs? Not that I have talked too. For the record I am very pro DO.

 

[p30doc]

But is that a true statement?

no it is not

 

[scudrunner]

Thus far I haven't had any problems explaining that a DO is a physician who is first and foremost an osteopath who practices holistically, mostly without drugs and surgery, by fixing subluxations and restoring the body's natural healing ability.

HAHAHAHAHAHA


Thanks for that, I needed a good laugh.

 

[cyclohexanol]

Quickest: "There are two recognized medical degrees conferred in the US. The more common MD and, accounting for ~6% of the US-trained physician population, the DO degree. If a physician trains in another country, you may see them sporting the MBBS or MBBch degree, which is more common out of the States". The rest of the conversation is as time and interest allows. But that's a pretty satisfactory response for most. But this has been a relatively infrequent question for me both in and out of the hospital.

+1

This is also what I've told the few patients who have asked.

 

[st2205]

+1

This is also what I've told the few patients who have asked.

But that is only a watered-down, politically correct version.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Uhhh is everyone else ignoring the fact that the title of this thread is "how to explain to laymen AND women?"

ROFL.


You tell them you're a lightning bone setter ...


In all seriousness though OP, I liked your reply.

 

[MedicineMan99]

The real quickest:

DO = doctor, MD = doctor.

The end.

I'd be careful with this. There are DCs calling themselves "chiropractic physicians". Also, a PhD = doctor 😉

I like to emphasize that there are two types of physicians in the US that are fully licensed for all scopes of medical practice, the MD and the DO.

I often tell people the truth, that the main difference between an MD and DO is DOs receive training in osteopathic manipulation which MDs do not receive. But trying to explain what OMT is without making it sound like chiropractics or PT is another challenge😉

 

[The Poet Sings]

Uhhh is everyone else ignoring the fact that the title of this thread is "how to explain to laymen AND women?"

ROFL.


You tell them you're a lightning bone setter ...


In all seriousness though OP, I liked your reply.

i noticed that too, but assumed the best and thought it was like their version of saying "laypeople" or "laymen and laywomen". because i don't tolerate people talking smack about women!😡

but uh... that aside... the quick and dirty version i tell people is that a DO can do everything an MD can, and that i'll receive training in the manipulation of the musculoskeletal system that an MD won't. so that DO=MD+OMM. if there is time, and they don't look too bored, then i can go into the history of the degrees and such. but generally just saying that there is a bit of extra training is all they need to hear (and look! osteo means bone so wow i just taught them something too lol).

the op's version sounds very eloquent and all, but i have a feeling that being more colloquial might be better. and please don't say what jagger told you to say... and don't tell them about our witchcraft either. us lightnin bone setters don't want people to find out we're just witch doctors in disguise...

 

[Neuron14]

i noticed that too, but assumed the best and thought it was like their version of saying "laypeople" or "laymen and laywomen". because i don't tolerate people talking smack about women!😡

but uh... that aside... the quick and dirty version i tell people is that a DO can do everything an MD can, and that i'll receive training in the manipulation of the musculoskeletal system that an MD won't. so that DO=MD+OMM. if there is time, and they don't look too bored, then i can go into the history of the degrees and such. but generally just saying that there is a bit of extra training is all they need to hear (and look! osteo means bone so wow i just taught them something too lol).

the op's version sounds very eloquent and all, but i have a feeling that being more colloquial might be better. and please don't say what jagger told you to say... and don't tell them about our witchcraft either. us lightnin bone setters don't want people to find out we're just witch doctors in disguise...

👍

 

[docdoc121]

Sorry! Laymen and LAYwomen! No disrespect was intended towards women. To tell you guys (and girls) the truth, I love women. 😍

 

[Bacchus]

Why would a medical student have to explain this? Better yet, how would a medical student not know how to explain this? This may be historical...the first time this question was asked on Osteo and not pre-Osteo.

 

[The Poet Sings]

Why would a medical student have to explain this? Better yet, how would a medical student not know how to explain this? This may be historical...the first time this question was asked on Osteo and not pre-Osteo.

i think they made it pretty clear in their first post, that they are wondering what to say to people who ask... i imagine someone could ask "what's new in life" and it would inevitably turn to what school docdoc is going to/just graduated from, which leads to "the poet's shack of osteo med" to which they ask "what on earth is osteo med?!?" docdoc just wants an idea of what others have been telling people.

 

[Gabby]

But is that a true statement? Would a DO surgeon practice mainly without surgery? Are there many DOs that practice mostly without drugs? Not that I have talked too. For the record I am very pro DO.

I'm pretty sure the poster was being sarcastic.

 

[BobBarker]

Just say it means "Doctor of" and then ending is whatever the doctor chooses to specialize in, as in doctor of radiology or doctor of family medicine. I've actually used this on more than o e occasion.

 

[Doctor Bob]

What is a DO? It's an MD plus a chiropractor with the schooling to know which to use when.

 

[JustPlainBill]

I've done the following -

Ask if they're familiar with chiropractic - if so, I explain the D.D. Palmer followed A.T. Still around for a month, took about 1/4 of the techniques and 'founded' chiropractic (can you tell I despise most chiropractors) - I then tell them we are regular doctors who also have a manipulative medicine component in our training that includes all of the chiropractic techniques plus an entire spectrum of other manipulative medicine techniques that are much gentler than the standard HVLA fare.

 

[singinfifi]

a DO is a physician who is first and foremost an osteopath who practices holistically, mostly without drugs and surgery, by fixing subluxations and restoring the body's natural healing ability.

THEN WHY THE #$%#@ DID I LEARN ALL THAT PHARM!?

DANG IT!

You mean I could have just gone though the last two years and step I by just saying "I'm an osteopath, I don't need this"?.

Crap.

Seriously though:

What is a DO? It's an MD plus a chiropractor with the schooling to know which to use when.

is the best explanation I've ever heard. The only thing I might add is "and, because they went to MEDICAL SCHOOL incorporates medicine and actual medical knowledge into their treatments, even when using the more "chiropractic" inclined modalities"

 

[MSmentor018]

I often tell people the truth, that the main difference between an MD and DO is DOs receive training in osteopathic manipulation which MDs do not receive. But trying to explain what OMT is without making it sound like chiropractics or PT is another challenge😉

i usually just say, I can do everything an MD can do.....and crack your back

 

[daveyjwin]

I generally say that 50-100 years ago there were some wacky differences, but nowadays they are practically the same. Sometimes I compare it to dentists' (DDS vs DMD) degrees. If they seem like skeptics, I include something along the lines of "we get do the same job and get paid the same" and that generally shuts them up.

 

[bioman2006]

.

 

[peterish]

My response:

"It's a medical degree just like the M.D. degree, and both are exactly the same, except D.O's actually learn MORE. In addition to prescribing drugs & surgery, which are the only routes available to an M.D., us D.O.'s have the extra option to use physical manipulative treatments. These treatments can have extraordinary benefits to patients. Of course, if that doesn't work, or if we choose not to employ it, we can always prescribe or goto surgery like in orthodox medicine".

90% of the people who hear that usually give me a big "Ohhhhhhhh I see" while nodding, with some constructive follow-up questions. I think I'll stick with it for now.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

I usually say something along the lines of this:

"There are two degrees that allow you to practice medicine in the US: the MD degree and the DO degree. DOs are able to do absolutely everything MDs can do - including prescribe drugs and do surgery - but they have some additional training in a style of manipulative medicine that is somewhat similar to what chiropractors use".

If the discussion continues, then I generally stress the fact that DOs are fully the equivalent of MDs in the eyes of the law and point out that "one of your docs in the past was likely a DO, and you may not have even known it".

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I tell them that its just like an MD, except we learn some manual therapy. If they ask what kind of manual therapy, I tell them that the girl in the massage parlor in Thailand is usually a DO, and that's the kind of manual therapy.

 

[DeadCactus]

If it was me I would just say:

"It's the same as an MD. For historical and political reasons, the degree has a different name."

But if you feel you need a paragraph to explain yourself, don't let me stop you...

 

[nlax30]

I tell them that its just like an MD, except we learn some manual therapy. If they ask what kind of manual therapy, I tell them that the girl in the massage parlor in Thailand is usually a DO, and that's the kind of manual therapy.

I need to start adding "happy ending" to the end of my assessment and plans...

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

Truthfully, I don't bother anymore as a resident. When I roll into the the ER to consult on a fracture, no one cares. My hospital has both MD and DO ortho residents and very often the patients will ask for us by "Id rather have one of the DO ortho guys because Ive heard they are the best"

 

[JaggerPlate]

I thought of a ploy recently ... let me know what you think:

Okay, so whenever there is a group of people around and they are discussing something (anything really), singular individuals in the group will always agree or claim they possess the same knowledge simply because they don't want to feel like the odd man out. Example:

(General consensus of the group): " The new ___ CD is sick, don't you love ___ song."

You: (knowing full well you haven't heard this song, but definitely don't want to feel weird when everyone else is raving about it) "yeah" (or a simple, nod).

Okay, so what if pre-osteo, osteo, etc, just turned it around on people in the same manner:

Random person: "Oh, so you're going to medical school. Are you looking forward to being an MD?"

Osteo student" "Well actually, I'm attending an Osteopathic medical school, so I'll be a DO."

Random person: "What's a DO?"

Osteo student: "Huh? What do you mean? You've never heard of a DO before? ? Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine?? Really? Wow."

Random person: "OH, OH you said D-OH. DO. Of course, of course. I'm sorry I thought you eh, yeah. Good talking to you."

Now this person scrambles home to google "DO" just like the person in the CD conversation goes to youtube the second they get home.

Now, of course the person technically then learns what a DO does, and may even use this approach in the future (wanting to feel like the cool one instead of the misinformed one in the first convo), but I can see how it would be less effective. Just saying ... if you ever get burned out on saying: "Well you see, DOs are fully licensed ..." could be worth a try??

 

[HoboCommander]

If it was me I would just say:

"It's the same as an MD. For historical and political reasons, the degree has a different name."

And what if they then ask you "what's an MD?"

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Whenever I've been asked my canned response is "An osteopathic physician is a doctor. They may practice anywhere from neurosurg to family practice. DOs receive the same training as MDs and receive additional training in manipulation and manual medicine."

 

[rkaz]

I had this happen to me the other day. I was eating at an Indian restaurant with my parents in which my parents happen to know the owners. The owner's wife was serving us, and my parents were chatting with her. I told her which school I was going to, and told her that her (pre-med) daughter could get any application advice she needed from me as I had gone through the cycle. Her response was "no, I think my daughter would rather go to medical school rather than D.O." I told her that D.O. programs were medical school. My parents (both MDs) also were quick to jump in, saying that D.O. programs were every bit as equal as M.D. programs. (Over the last year, they had visited me a number of times, and always had fun flipping through my classnotes to see what I was learning - and they have always been highly impressed.) I think it made the woman a bit more open to the idea of D.O. and she said she'd tell her daughter to consider D.O. as well.

Yes, sometimes people have misconceptions about the D.O. degree. But it really isn't such a big deal. It's more of a pre-med concern, I think. (And to any pre-med reading this... my advice still stands. If you get into an osteopathic school, just DO it. Don't let any hesitation about the initials stop you from becoming a medical student.)