Hey all...some major D.O. questions...

[mizzoudude]

I do not mean to starts an M.D. vs. D.O. fight, but I am very curious.

I have been doing a lot of research on M.D. vs. D.O. pros and cons. I did not do so well at my undergrad institution due to a number of reasons (not pertinent) and ended up with a 3.2 and a 27. I have some questions however. Thanks in advance.

-I want to go somewhere where there is nice weather (why I moved from Missouri to New Orleans). Do I have a shot at TUCOM-CA with my stats? I am thinking about attending the masters program at Tulane (already accepted)...but may just retake some classes that I did bad in during undergrad as they are replaced on D.O. applications and applying to D.O. schools. Do I have a shot? Is it too late to apply now? Anyone going/accepted to TUCOM-CA...if you don't mind...I would love to see stats. Thanks.

-I know that residency positions are harder to come by as a D.O. but if I work hard to do well on the USMLE, do research, and also get great LOR's...is it possible to get an M.D. residency say in eye surgery, general surgery, etc?

-I am working at Tulane Hospital Center and was looking at the physician board and did not see a single D.O. listed...all were M.D.s...so if I become a D.O. will I have to practice at a smaller hospital? Will the opportunities be more available at less prestigious places? Also what about the pay range? Do osteopaths make about the same as allopaths? I am just curious...

Sorry if these are dumb questions...I did try my best to do the research on the forums, but couldn't get specific answers. I am just very curious and wanting badly to become a physician...D.O. or M.D. Thanks all for the help.

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[mizzoudude]

bump

 

[Elmer]

I do not mean to starts an M.D. vs. D.O. fight, but I am very curious.

I have been doing a lot of research on M.D. vs. D.O. pros and cons. I did not do so well at my undergrad institution due to a number of reasons (not pertinent) and ended up with a 3.2 and a 27. I have some questions however. Thanks in advance.

-I want to go somewhere where there is nice weather (why I moved from Missouri to New Orleans). Do I have a shot at TUCOM-CA with my stats? I am thinking about attending the masters program at Tulane (already accepted)...but may just retake some classes that I did bad in during undergrad as they are replaced on D.O. applications and applying to D.O. schools. Do I have a shot? Is it too late to apply now? Anyone going/accepted to TUCOM-CA...if you don't mind...I would love to see stats. Thanks.

-I know that residency positions are harder to come by as a D.O. but if I work hard to do well on the USMLE, do research, and also get great LOR's...is it possible to get an M.D. residency say in eye surgery, general surgery, etc?

-I am working at Tulane Hospital Center and was looking at the physician board and did not see a single D.O. listed...all were M.D.s...so if I become a D.O. will I have to practice at a smaller hospital? Will the opportunities be more available at less prestigious places? Also what about the pay range? Do osteopaths make about the same as allopaths? I am just curious...

Sorry if these are dumb questions...I did try my best to do the research on the forums, but couldn't get specific answers. I am just very curious and wanting badly to become a physician...D.O. or M.D. Thanks all for the help.

1. You have a chance, but why limit yourself to TUCOM CA only? If you like New Orleans weather, there are plenty of DO school locations you should like if warm weather is the determining factor LECOM-FL, PCOM-GA, AZCOM, TOURO-NV, COMP, TCOM....

2. Yes it is possible.

3. I think Louisiana does not have many DOs, but I know for a fact that DOs are accepted for residency spots at LSU-NO.

 

[mizzoudude]

Elmer,

Thanks a lot for the info man. I am looking at TUCOM-CA as a girl I enjoy very much (don't want to say the big "L" word) is going to go to school in California. I want to stay close to her and possibly make something happen. And I hear the weather is awesome?

Also, another question...if I apply next year (2006) for the 2007 class...when will I know if I am accepted or rejected. For M.D. schools I know that the wait can be until the beginning of 2007. I am not familiar with the D.O. application process and want to know when decisions are usually mailed out. I am planning to finish a masters program and applying in 2006 for both M.D. and D.O. I am asking because...what if a D.O. acceptance comes early (say in Nov or Dec of 2006) and I have to commit with a $2K deposit (such as TUCOM-CA) and then later on in early 2007 an M.D. offer comes along and I want to do that more than the D.O. offer? Thanks for the information.

SDN is priceless...I wish I would have known about it a long time ago. Oh well...no time to regret...time to focus and work hard (no time to miss my girl and be home sick either).

 

[Taus]

I do not mean to starts an M.D. vs. D.O. fight, but I am very curious.

I have been doing a lot of research on M.D. vs. D.O. pros and cons. I did not do so well at my undergrad institution due to a number of reasons (not pertinent) and ended up with a 3.2 and a 27. I have some questions however. Thanks in advance.

-I want to go somewhere where there is nice weather (why I moved from Missouri to New Orleans). Do I have a shot at TUCOM-CA with my stats? I am thinking about attending the masters program at Tulane (already accepted)...but may just retake some classes that I did bad in during undergrad as they are replaced on D.O. applications and applying to D.O. schools. Do I have a shot? Is it too late to apply now? Anyone going/accepted to TUCOM-CA...if you don't mind...I would love to see stats. Thanks.

-I know that residency positions are harder to come by as a D.O. but if I work hard to do well on the USMLE, do research, and also get great LOR's...is it possible to get an M.D. residency say in eye surgery, general surgery, etc?

-I am working at Tulane Hospital Center and was looking at the physician board and did not see a single D.O. listed...all were M.D.s...so if I become a D.O. will I have to practice at a smaller hospital? Will the opportunities be more available at less prestigious places? Also what about the pay range? Do osteopaths make about the same as allopaths? I am just curious...

Sorry if these are dumb questions...I did try my best to do the research on the forums, but couldn't get specific answers. I am just very curious and wanting badly to become a physician...D.O. or M.D. Thanks all for the help.

1. It is not too late at all to apply now for next year. Most people do not submit the AACOMAS application form right at the beginning of the process, regardless of what you read on SDN. Granted, your chances are better when you get your application in early and this is why many well-informed people on SDN do so. Keep in mind that many people take the August MCAT and cannot have their application completed until at least mid-October. My primary and secondary applications were not completed until early December of last year and I still recieved interviews at every school I applied to. My stats were also similar to yours (3.4, 28). I will be attending PCOM this fall.

2. I agree that some very prestigious MD residencies may be a little tougher to get into, but that does not mean it is impossible at all. Do very well on your COMLEX and USMLE, be solid in your LOR's and grades and you should be all set. Keep in mind that the residencies that you are considering to be tough to enter are also tough for the MD's trying to enter them.

3. The lack of DO's in that hospital seems to be purely based on location. If you look on the AOA website you can find the stats on practicing DO's in each region. I'd wager that there aren't very many in the area if there aren't in that hospital. I'm on Long Island and I've yet to see a hospital around here without a decent amount of DO's in it.

4. Also, the pay is the exact same because you are doing the same job. When you are a doctor your job description is, for example, Plastic Surgeon, Pediatrician, or Internist, etc; not DO or MD.

5. Decisions for admission are mailed out at roughly the same times for either schools, allopathic or osteopathic.
Hope this helps...

 

[mizzoudude]

Taus,

That was major major help man. Thank you so much. So you don't think that it is too late do you? I mean...I have yet to shadow a D.O. but I am sure I can do that within 3-4 weeks and get a solid LOR from him/her.

Thanks for all the info and any other info would be much appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[OSUdoc08]

1. You have a chance, but why limit yourself to TUCOM CA only? If you like New Orleans weather, there are plenty of DO school locations you should like if warm weather is the determining factor LECOM-FL, PCOM-GA, AZCOM, TOURO-NV, COMP, TCOM....

2. Yes it is possible.

3. I think Louisiana does not have many DOs, but I know for a fact that DOs are accepted for residency spots at LSU-NO.

The chief resident for the LSU-New Orleans emergency medicine program is a DO, and a friend of mine.

 

[Taus]

I had ZERO clinical experience at the time of my application. When asked about it on secondaries, put that I would be shadowing a DO during the winter break of last year, which I did. However, I was fortunate that one of my best friends fathers is a DO and wrote me a letter prior to applying. ( I realize that not many people will be in this situation). So shadow this DO asap and try to get a letter. In the mean time, get the rest of your app ready.

Keep in mind that I had vast community service and philanthropy experience and a host of other strong EC's (fraternity president, eagle scout, various other leadership positions in clubs etc...). I'm just pointing that out to show that having a well-rounded application helped a lot in my case.

I did not read SDN last year and did not know how vital it was to get my apps in early. I started collecting my letters of rec. in September and luckily had my app complete in December. The only thing that will hurt you applying this year is the money you have to spend on applying. You won't know if you can get in right now until you apply. Good luck.

 

[TRAUMEDDR]

About obtaining a residency for surgery. I think that the surgical field is still more conservative toward DO than other medical fields. Generally most allopathic programs will only accept you if u are outstanding. And I mean outstanding, especially for opthalmology (spelling?) and other extremely competitive fields. There are many DOs that do make it into these programs but it is rare. Look to be at the top of ur class with great board scores. I know that DOs have their own surgery residencies also. I'm not sure if they are very competitive or not. Someone else can tell u that.
I think if u work extremely hard u'll be able to be a great eye surgeon regardless if ur DO or MD. But at the time being, allopathic programs will look at MD surgery candidates before DO (if both have similar qualifications).

 

[Monty Python]

3. I think Louisiana does not have many DOs, but I know for a fact that DOs are accepted for residency spots at LSU-NO.

Regarding DOs in Louisiana:

I was born and raised in New Orleans. I worked at Tulane Med Ctr before anesthesia school across the street at LSU/Charity Hospital.

While I was an RN at Tulane, there were several DOs in various residency programs, especially anesthesia.

While I was an anesthesia student at LSU/Charity, I knew several DOs in various LSU residency programs as well.

 

[beastmaster]

-I know that residency positions are harder to come by as a D.O. but if I work hard to do well on the USMLE, do research, and also get great LOR's...is it possible to get an M.D. residency say in eye surgery, general surgery, etc?

I recommend that you check the surgical residency forum here. This topic is discussed in great depth by DOs who have been through the grinder and other residents who have studied the statistics.

If you want a rough summary, instead of spending several hours reading as I did yesterday, here it is. General surgery is within the reach of DOs, HOWEVER your stats need to be spectacular. Positions at academic university facilities (upenn, hopkins, etc) will take perhaps a handful of DOs, if any at all. Plastic surgery was discussed and deemed impossible for DOs (this was agreed upon even by the disagreeable). Overall, there appears to be heavy anti-DO bias in surgery. Heavy bias also existed for DOs in allopathic general surgery who wanted subspecialties/fellowships.

Again, don't ask me follow-ups on this, I'm only summarizing what I read yesterday.

 

[Dies Irae]

Plastic surgery was discussed and deemed impossible for DOs (this was agreed upon even by the disagreeable).

There is at least one: http://www.drroche.com/

 

[DrBowtie]

He did an osteo ENT not integrated plastics as they were referring to.

 

[group_theory]

Integrated Plastic Surgery ACGME-residency is almost impossible as a DO. As an MD, it's extremely difficult.

If you pursue the DO route but want to be a board-certified plastic surgeon, then you will have to utilize the DO Plastic Surgery residency, which I think there are only 2 in the country (I know PCOM has a plastic surgery residency, but I forget where the other one is located - maybe chicago).

But again, in the DO world, there are limited spots (for PCOM, it's 3 per year) so it's very difficult. Most applicants applying are either finishing up their either their general surgery residency or ENT residency.

 

[hylacinerea]

Plastic surgery was discussed and deemed impossible for DOs (this was agreed upon even by the disagreeable).

The DO on my interview committee at DMU is a plastic surgeon.

 

[beastmaster]

There is at least one: http://www.drroche.com/

He's not a board certified plastic surgeon.

The DO on my interview committee at DMU is a plastic surgeon

The residencies are apparently changing the programs, making them integrated. Someone said that not one DO has yet matched integrated plastics, and I dont think anyone disagreed with that.