Fam med rotation with DO?

[Enzyme100]

Hey yall, long time lurker here.
3rd year US IMG. Just finishing Surgery rotation.
My school has me scheduled to do my Family Medicine rotation with a DO.

I guess my question is: Is this legit? Has anyone (MD) done a rotation with a DO?
Not looking down on DOs or anything, b/c I'm just an IMG. Just concerned about running into ACGME problems down the road.

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[BigSib]

Will not be a problem. If you showed up and only learned of the DO thing afterward you probably wouldn't have ever noticed.

 

[TypeADissection]

Nah
- Rosa Parks

 

[QueenJames]

He's a licensed physician. He practices family med. He's most likely passed his specialty boards to do so.

If your caribbean program or foreign program paid him $$$ to take you guys on (since we all know Caribbean programs rake that dough in from many students who shouldn't even be in med school to begin with... but I digress...)... then yes...

He is legit.

As long as you pass your shelf, then you should be alright.

 

[Coupd'Cat]

tis legit

 

[Enzyme100]

I don't know if that matters for LORs or whatever if you're applying to ACGME residencies.

Thanks everyone! Yeah this was really my only concern about it. As I will more than likely be primary care. I don't know how it would look for me to turn in a LOR from a DO. I realize there is very little difference in MD & DO, so I don't really need an explanation on that. Hell I've let PAs and NPs treat me in the primary care setting before. I'm sure I could learn a ton from any of those guys.

What do you guys think about a LOR from a DO?

 

[jrlob91]

How is this really a question in 2017?! Of course it doesn’t matter. You should know this, since you are in medical school. The amount of ignorance displayed here is ridiculous.

 

[Enzyme100]

How is this really a question in 2017?! Of course it doesn’t matter. You should know this, since you are in medical school. The amount of ignorance displayed here is ridiculous.

Ok once again, I'm not badmouthing DOs... smh
I know that they can take the Comlex or Steps and compete in the match with everyone else.

Yes I am a little ignorant on this as I'm only an MS3 and only done 1 rotation so far (Surgery).

 

[smq123]

Thanks everyone! Yeah this was really my only concern about it. As I will more than likely be primary care. I don't know how it would look for me to turn in a LOR from a DO. I realize there is very little difference in MD & DO, so I don't really need an explanation on that. Hell I've let PAs and NPs treat me in the primary care setting before. I'm sure I could learn a ton from any of those guys.

What do you guys think about a LOR from a DO?

If you're applying in family medicine, and have an LOR from a DO, it's fine. No one will care.

If you're applying to anything else, you won't want a letter from a family medicine physician anyway, DO or MD.

It's the specialty that matters, not the letters after the person's name. As long as they're a physician (and not an NP or a PA), then you can get an LOR from them.

 

[Enzyme100]

If you're applying in family medicine, and have an LOR from a DO, it's fine. No one will care.

If you're applying to anything else, you won't want a letter from a family medicine physician anyway, DO or MD.

It's the specialty that matters, not the letters after the person's name. As long as they're a physician (and not an NP or a PA), then you can get an LOR from them.

Thanks man!

 

[surfguy84]

Ok once again, I'm not badmouthing DOs... smh
I know that they can take the Comlex or Steps and compete in the match with everyone else.

Yes I am a little ignorant on this as I'm only an MS3 and only done 1 rotation so far (Surgery).

To be fair, he didn't say you were bad mouthing DOs. He called you ignorant. Which your original post seems to indicate.

 

[smq123]

To be fair, he didn't say you were bad mouthing DOs. He called you ignorant. Which your original post seems to indicate.

Come on, be nice. He didn't know something, so he came here and asked. Until you go through the process on both sides (both as an applicant and as an interviewer), there's a lot that you don't know.

 

[JustPlainBill]

Ok once again, I'm not badmouthing DOs... smh
I know that they can take the Comlex or Steps and compete in the match with everyone else.

Yes I am a little ignorant on this as I'm only an MS3 and only done 1 rotation so far (Surgery).

Well, as a DO myself, I think you should know there are some areas of our training that may not be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer, such as -- some of our classes require us to meet after 10pm in the forest, drink mead and dance around a campfire naked while throwing leaves and/or cats in the air all the while chanting Chapman's points locations. At certain times during our training, we are required to lie supine while one of our colleagues massages our head to ensure proper brain mass and electrical function (this is called Cranial by the cognoscenti). We also tend to cook up concoctions and inject them into unsuspecting patients with no scientific evidence behind them at all -- this is known as "The Shot" -- usually some variant of steroids and B12 +/- anything else that we can get into a syringe.....We also tend to use goofy language and notation only taught to initiates -- like "NSxRy" or "nutated/counternutated"......

Seriously -- letter from a DO in FM won't matter one iota....enjoy your rotations...

 

[EmilKraepelin55]

Well, as a DO myself, I think you should know there are some areas of our training that may not be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer, such as -- some of our classes require use to meet after 10pm in the forest, drink mead and dance around a campfire naked while throwing leaves and/or cats in the air all the while chanting Chapman's points locations. At certain times during our training, we are required to lie supine while one of our colleagues massages our head to ensure proper brain mass and electrical function (this is called Cranial by the cognoscenti). We also tend to cook up concoctions and inject them into unsuspecting patients with no scientific evidence behind them at all -- this is known as "The Shot" -- usually some variant of steroids and B12 +/- anything else that we can get into a syringe.....We also tend to use goofy language and notation only taught to initiates -- like "NSxRy" or "nutated/counternutated"......

Seriously -- letter from a DO in FM won't matter one iota....enjoy your rotations...

"The Shot" sounds kind of like that "Jesus Juice" this ND was selling to unsuspecting buyers down here in OK. It purportedly cures everything!

 

[Enzyme100]

Well, as a DO myself, I think you should know there are some areas of our training that may not be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer, such as -- some of our classes require use to meet after 10pm in the forest, drink mead and dance around a campfire naked while throwing leaves and/or cats in the air all the while chanting Chapman's points locations. At certain times during our training, we are required to lie supine while one of our colleagues massages our head to ensure proper brain mass and electrical function (this is called Cranial by the cognoscenti). We also tend to cook up concoctions and inject them into unsuspecting patients with no scientific evidence behind them at all -- this is known as "The Shot" -- usually some variant of steroids and B12 +/- anything else that we can get into a syringe.....We also tend to use goofy language and notation only taught to initiates -- like "NSxRy" or "nutated/counternutated"

Dang Bill, sorry to trigger you.
I kinda almost knew the DOs would be offended and take it personal. I guess it's just a sign of the times.
#triggered #imoffended

Anyway, this FM rotation blows. 79 yo DO who doesn't use EMR. Everything on paper charts scattered throughout the outpatient clinic.
He basically just has students come through to do vitals and fill out everything in these paper charts. Then goes in and sees the pt for like 3 min without us and walks back to his office. Doesn't even really speak to us. Just pulled us all aside twice to lecture us on making sure we fill out the Super Bill properly so that he gets paid. Also stopped to tell me that I need to use a black pen. Which I had. But apparently he wanted a thick black pen, almost like a fine point marker.
4 weeks left. Definitely not getting a letter from this dude

 

[JustPlainBill]

Dang Bill, sorry to trigger you.
I kinda almost knew the DOs would be offended and take it personal. I guess it's just a sign of the times.
#triggered #imoffended

Anyway, this FM rotation blows. 79 yo DO who doesn't use EMR. Everything on paper charts scattered throughout the outpatient clinic.
He basically just has students come through to do vitals and fill out everything in these paper charts. Then goes in and sees the pt for like 3 min without us and walks back to his office. Doesn't even really speak to us. Just pulled us all aside twice to lecture us on making sure we fill out the Super Bill properly so that he gets paid. Also stopped to tell me that I need to use a black pen. Which I had. But apparently he wanted a thick black pen, almost like a fine point marker.
4 weeks left. Definitely not getting a letter from this dude

Trust me....it takes a metric crapton more than the comment you made to "trigger" me. When you've lived through your bed being blown off a wall when 175,000 gallons of JP4 went up, your perspective on what's important changes.....I quit taking some if my more "committed" DO colleagues too seriously. I guess my attempt at tongue in cheek sarcastic humor was lost on you....but no worries...

Agree. That rotation does sound crappy....almost like my ortho rotation where the attending was only concerned about how to shelter his business from Obamacare.....

 

[Menander's Bust]

DOs in practice 99% of the time are exactly the same as MDs. The pediatrician I worked with was a DO, truly inspiring person, probably the best preceptor I’ve ever had. It’s just like MDs, there’s good ones and bad ones. Once they make it and have practice experience they’re essentially no different from an MD. Very very very very few DOs do physical manipulation or anything different from what MDs do. If you talk to DO students, for most it’s just something they put up with during school to get a residency. They like that they feel more comfortable examining patients in general but cranial manipulation? They know that’s BS. They just grin and bear it bc they have to.

And btw doing about 8 different EMRs now throughout med school, paper charts are better in many respects. They’re more efficient, and more honest bc you only typically write what you actually did whereas most EMR notes are 50% bs, with things copied and pasted in for billing purposes, meaningful use, or to avoid litigation.

 

[Bacchus]

Well, as a DO myself, I think you should know there are some areas of our training that may not be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer, such as -- some of our classes require use to meet after 10pm in the forest, drink mead and dance around a campfire naked while throwing leaves and/or cats in the air all the while chanting Chapman's points locations. At certain times during our training, we are required to lie supine while one of our colleagues massages our head to ensure proper brain mass and electrical function (this is called Cranial by the cognoscenti). We also tend to cook up concoctions and inject them into unsuspecting patients with no scientific evidence behind them at all -- this is known as "The Shot" -- usually some variant of steroids and B12 +/- anything else that we can get into a syringe.....We also tend to use goofy language and notation only taught to initiates -- like "NSxRy" or "nutated/counternutated"......

Seriously -- letter from a DO in FM won't matter one iota....enjoy your rotations...

I picked my handle for obvious reasons.

 

[SLC]

Dang Bill, sorry to trigger you.
I kinda almost knew the DOs would be offended and take it personal. I guess it's just a sign of the times.
#triggered #imoffended

Anyway, this FM rotation blows. 79 yo DO who doesn't use EMR. Everything on paper charts scattered throughout the outpatient clinic.
He basically just has students come through to do vitals and fill out everything in these paper charts. Then goes in and sees the pt for like 3 min without us and walks back to his office. Doesn't even really speak to us. Just pulled us all aside twice to lecture us on making sure we fill out the Super Bill properly so that he gets paid. Also stopped to tell me that I need to use a black pen. Which I had. But apparently he wanted a thick black pen, almost like a fine point marker.
4 weeks left. Definitely not getting a letter from this dude

You shouldn’t be getting LOR’s from community preceptors anyway. Didn’t anyone at your school tell you this?

Sincerely
SLC, DO

 

[jrlob91]

You shouldn’t be getting LOR’s from community preceptors anyway. Didn’t anyone at your school tell you this?

Sincerely
SLC, DO

I got all my LORs from community preceptors and had multiple ACGME PDs comment on the strength of them.

 

[smq123]

Yeah, I was going to say...I'm just starting to get my letters around for my application, and I was told that for FM, the important thing is that the writers know me well and can comment on the strength of my clinical work, not that it's somebody with a big name at an academic center. This came from our school's general career advisor as well as some of the FM faculty in my home program who have been advising me. Is this not the case?

No, all you need are LORs from someone in the field, who can comment on your clinical skills. That's all. They don't need to be the editor of the AFP journal or anything crazy.

 

[hallowmann]

Thanks everyone! Yeah this was really my only concern about it. As I will more than likely be primary care. I don't know how it would look for me to turn in a LOR from a DO. I realize there is very little difference in MD & DO, so I don't really need an explanation on that. Hell I've let PAs and NPs treat me in the primary care setting before. I'm sure I could learn a ton from any of those guys.

What do you guys think about a LOR from a DO?

DOs make up a descent chunk of FM programs and practitioners. There's nothing wrong with getting a DO letter.

Ok once again, I'm not badmouthing DOs... smh
I know that they can take the Comlex or Steps and compete in the match with everyone else.

Yes I am a little ignorant on this as I'm only an MS3 and only done 1 rotation so far (Surgery).

To clarify, DOs have to take the COMLEX. They can opt to also take the Steps in order to be compared equally to MDs. At least half of DOs go the extra mile to take (and pay for) two exams after second year.