help: osteopathic licensing question

[Hedwig]

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Here's a question for you:

Say you want to practice in one of those states that require an osteopathic internship. Could you skip the osteopathic internship and go straight into an allopathic GME program after graduation and then, assuming you've taken steps 1 and 2 of the USMLE, get a license to practice (allopathic) medicine as opposed to the osteopathic license, thus avioding the osteopathic internship requirement?

 

[pags]

Nope. Also, I've been told that New York might be the 6th state to do this.

 

[jdaasbo]

The NY thing is news to me. Where and from whom did you hear this.

As I see it, the "magic five states" thing is going the way of the DoDo bird.

 

[pags]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by jdaasbo:
•The NY thing is news to me. Where and from whom did you hear this.

As I see it, the "magic five states" thing is going the way of the DoDo bird.•••••An osteopathic PD on Long Island, NY. I was suprised too.

 

[denise]

I have a question also;
you do an internship, you complete an MD residency. . . do you still take the DO boards along with the MD boards after you are done. I heard it is your option about the DO boards?? Just wondering, this is going to come up in my life sooner than later. 😕

 

[drusso]

There is no reason to be "double boarded" by both the AOA and the ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties). In order to practice medicine in the five required states you need to have completed an osteopathic internship or have your ACGME PGY 1 year approved by the AOA. This requires meeting some special requirements and jumping through some hoops. The osteopathic route to medical licensure involves completing all three steps of the COMLEX. You can indeed complete all three steps of the USMLE, but this would be redundant. Some DO students take steps I and II and of the USMLE for residency application purposes and a small minority finish out the sequence---even though it is redundant, it can't hurt. Doing an AOA internship or having your PGY 1 year AOA-approved might open up some options for you down the road...you never know if the perfect your perfect job might come open in one of those states. Others just say "screw it" and avoid those states altogether.

 

[Billie]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by pags:
•Nope. Also, I've been told that New York might be the 6th state to do this.•••••I have heard this too, though I think where I first heard it was on this board! 🙂

 

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The Osteopathic rotating Internship is not something that you should consider "avoiding" especially if you're in a state with extensive opportunity to complete such an Internship, i.e., New York with its NYCOMEC affiliates, or Ohio, or Michigan, etc. I regard the Internship as a fulfilling "requirement" especially if you live on the East coast.

The only significant setback is if you complete the Osteopathic Internship year and DO NOT get this year approved as your PGY-1 year when applying for a subsequent Allopathic Residency program--you'd essentially be working an extra year (yes, you'll probably gain more experience as a hospitalist while doing it) longer than Allopathic Residents in the same Specialty for approx. $35,000 salary. Sometimes having to do two PGY-1 years is more than most students want to handle.

Good luck.

P.S. I think the 5 states alluded to are Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.