How do I answer a secondary asking why DO? What's an acceptable answer?

[LuluLovesMe]

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I looked through the school's website as well as AACOM's website and they both seemed to say the same things about osteopathic medicine:

1.) Focus on preventative medicine and community health. Gee don't MD's know this is really important as well?

2.) Taking a holistic approach to treatment. What does this even mean? Don't all physicians just choose the best treatment for a given circumstance based on the information they have?

3.) Integrating the patient into the health care process as a partner. I work at a large hospital and see little of this being done by MDs or DOs.


So what is an acceptable answer really? Should I just treat this question the same as "why medicine"? Or do I need to address something specifically DO related?

Should I say I am interested in learning OMM? Or something else mentioned in the points above?

If I were to tell the truth it would be "I'm applying DO because my goal is to become a physician and I don't care about the letters after my name. I also don't care much about OMM."

 

[ChrisMack390]

Are you interested in primary care?

 

[LuluLovesMe]

I am very interested in psychiatry and internal medicine. Zero interest in family medicine. Does that count as interest in primary care?

 

[ChrisMack390]

I was going to suggest that you could answer by discussing how DO schools produce many primary care docs. I suppose you could still try to do that.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Personally I think this is something that you need to come up with on your own. Any answer you get from here is a lie because it isn't your own. Find your own way to put a spin on why you want to go DO. Your actual reasons (as stated above) are common for a lot of DO applicants, find a way to spin that into something interesting.

Ps. I would advise not saying you don't want to learn OMM 😀

 

[DrMikeP]

I looked through the school's website as well as AACOM's website and they both seemed to say the same things about osteopathic medicine:

1.) Focus on preventative medicine and community health. Gee don't MD's know this is really important as well?

2.) Taking a holistic approach to treatment. What does this even mean? Don't all physicians just choose the best treatment for a given circumstance based on the information they have?

3.) Integrating the patient into the health care process as a partner. I work at a large hospital and see little of this being done by MDs or DOs.


So what is an acceptable answer really? Should I just treat this question the same as "why medicine"? Or do I need to address something specifically DO related?

Should I say I am interested in learning OMM? Or something else mentioned in the points above?

If I were to tell the truth it would be "I'm applying DO because my goal is to become a physician and I don't care about the letters after my name. I also don't care much about OMM."

So if you don't care then why not become a psych NP or PA. Cheaper, easier, etc and you can do many things a DO psych doc would do. Most docs I work with that just wanted to be physicians to be physicians aren't very happy. Shadow some DOs and see if that is for you and if you can't figure out from your heart then maybe you shouldn't become a DO and save the spot for someone passionate about it. If you can effectively argue why I'm wrong then that is you answer. Best of luck

 

[deleted407021]

Those are all decent reasons, and I can personally draw an interest related connection between OMM and Aikido.

I work in primary care, so I'm drawn to schools with such an emphasis.

Idk, these and -- to an extent -- the bullet points you listed are my reasons.

Don't overthink it. If you have good reasoning behind your answer, I think you're in the clear.

 

[NonTrad16]

I found the DO philosophy to mirror a lot of the family medicine philosophy, which makes sense if they seek to fill a primary care role. That works for me since I have interests in FM as well as rehabilitation (PM&R) which is well suited to DO. I think psych could be considered primary care, but saying IM with the exclusion of FM makes you sound like you're aiming for a fellowship, at which point I don't think it "counts" for primary care. If you compare the mission/goals for orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, or neurologists I don't think you'll see as much about preventative medicine, or the generality or practice compared to General IM, FM, etc.

Regardless, you'd need to identify how it fits you. I ain't getting no love from DO so far, but I'd definitely avoid "I just want to be a physician" when they ask "why DO?".

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Say that you wanted the MD, but unfortunately aren't having any luck this point in the cycle and now DO is a very appealing option. Your goal is "medical school" and "to become a physician".

Being that it is that time of the cycle, many DO programs probably have their pick of the litter when the MD folks who expected some interviews but are now flocking to the DO bandwagon.

It's like that super hot chick who is a cheerleader who turns you down when you ask her out, and then you decide to go for the cute, nerdy girl who like totally has a crush on you.. like omg. But then she turns you down because like she finds like someone who truly saw her for her. Lolz.

Honesty is always the best policy.

There are DEFINITELY gonna be more threads similar to this.

Best real honest answer...

Go SHADOW a DO first so you actually have that firsthand experience to judge for yourself whether or not DO is truly any different than MD. Use the tenets and underlying principles and see if they apply to you in anyway shape or form.

and maaayyybbeeee... you should have applied earlier... but too late for that.

Hopefully this cycle brings you much success.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Say that you wanted the MD, but unfortunately aren't having any luck this point in the cycle and now DO is a very appealing option. Your goal is "medical school" and "to become a physician".

Of all of the things you could say, this may be the single worst one.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I looked through the school's website as well as AACOM's website and they both seemed to say the same things about osteopathic medicine:

1.) Focus on preventative medicine and community health. Gee don't MD's know this is really important as well?

2.) Taking a holistic approach to treatment. What does this even mean? Don't all physicians just choose the best treatment for a given circumstance based on the information they have?

3.) Integrating the patient into the health care process as a partner. I work at a large hospital and see little of this being done by MDs or DOs.


So what is an acceptable answer really? Should I just treat this question the same as "why medicine"? Or do I need to address something specifically DO related?

Should I say I am interested in learning OMM? Or something else mentioned in the points above?

If I were to tell the truth it would be "I'm applying DO because my goal is to become a physician and I don't care about the letters after my name. I also don't care much about OMM."

I looked through the school's website as well as AACOM's website and they both seemed to say the same things about osteopathic medicine:

1.) Focus on preventative medicine and community health. Gee don't MD's know this is really important as well?

2.) Taking a holistic approach to treatment. What does this even mean? Don't all physicians just choose the best treatment for a given circumstance based on the information they have?

3.) Integrating the patient into the health care process as a partner. I work at a large hospital and see little of this being done by MDs or DOs.


So what is an acceptable answer really? Should I just treat this question the same as "why medicine"? Or do I need to address something specifically DO related?

Should I say I am interested in learning OMM? Or something else mentioned in the points above?

If I were to tell the truth it would be "I'm applying DO because my goal is to become a physician and I don't care about the letters after my name. I also don't care much about OMM."

I would mention how you like the biomechanical approach to medicine. Talk about DOs you shadowed mention their approach to medicine and how you think being a DO improves patient care. Difference between a doc with textbook knowledge and a good doctor.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

So if you don't care then why not become a psych NP or PA. Cheaper, easier, etc and you can do many things a DO psych doc would do. Most docs I work with that just wanted to be physicians to be physicians aren't very happy. Shadow some DOs and see if that is for you and if you can't figure out from your heart then maybe you shouldn't become a DO and save the spot for someone passionate about it. If you can effectively argue why I'm wrong then that is you answer. Best of luck

My answer to this question would be the se as my answer to why MD. I want autonomy and the ability to apply my knowledge of the human body to make life changing decisions for my patients. I don't want to have to pass along interesting, acute or complex cases to doctors simply because I don't have the proper training to handle them. This doesn't really address why DO instead of MD though which is where I am stuck.

I also don't know if the question is why DO instead of MD or why DO instead of PA/NP.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

Personally I think this is something that you need to come up with on your own. Any answer you get from here is a lie because it isn't your own. Find your own way to put a spin on why you want to go DO. Your actual reasons (as stated above) are common for a lot of DO applicants, find a way to spin that into something interesting.

Ps. I would advise not saying you don't want to learn OMM 😀

Should I mention I do like OMM? Will it look bad if I neglect mentioning anything about OMM at all?

 

[Medschoolornah]

Bone magic has always appealed to me.

 

[DrMikeP]

My answer to this question would be the se as my answer to why MD. I want autonomy and the ability to apply my knowledge of the human body to make life changing decisions for my patients. I don't want to have to pass along interesting, acute or complex cases to doctors simply because I don't have the proper training to handle them. This doesn't really address why DO instead of MD though which is where I am stuck.

I also don't know if the question is why DO instead of MD or why DO instead of PA/NP.

What they ask can vary. Then perhaps shadow all of the above. Im not hearing you in your heart know and that will come through in interviews. You're getting closer with the helping your patients with life changing decisions. Of all of the adcoms I know they enjoy those who really have a basis or example to pull from as to why they want what they want vs omm sounds neat.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

Listen, your best bet is to answer exactly how you stated in your original post. Tell them you just want to become a physician, because if you lie just to sound appealing to the school then you are setting yourself up for embarrassment and/or failure. You shouldn't have to consult others as to what to say for the "why D.O.?" Question. One of the main reasons schools ask this questions it to weed out those who are applying just to have a fall back option. I'm not sure how I feel about your "autonomy" answer, either, because as a doctor you really don't have autonomy, you are dependent on so many team players and the patients for sure, but in the end, the only important autonomy is the patient's. Also, the D.O. Philosophy wasn't established around primary care, it is meant to take into account all possibilities and use a patient centered approach to help alleviate any problems and prevent future issues. The key component to osteopathy is the patient centered approach and preventative medicine. If you are going to apply D.O. then I highly recommend you shadow a few osteopathic physicians in order to catch up on the contemporary practices of osteopathy. You will easily condem your application if you go in and completely butcher this portion of the interview and try to cut edges just to get by, especially when talking with some very experienced and honorable school representatives and doctors.

 

[mathnerd88]

I never get asked this question at my interviews, because it has already been stated in my secondaries. If asked, just repeat what you have written in your secondaries in a more conversational way.

It isn't that difficult at all. I used my shadowing experiences with a DO as a reason why I wanted to become a DO. I also said I was interested in primary care, and osteopathic schools specifically train for good primary care physicians. I mentioned how OMM is another good tool to alleviate some pain symptoms patients had and extra expensive tests aren't needed in some cases.

That's really the only discerning difference between MD and DO nowadays. MD's are also leaning towards holistic care and patient-centered in their care, so honestly, talking about it is just fodder when they ask why specifically DO over MD.

Also, I've never encountered a question where they ask why DO and not NP/PA. (If they did, I would probably talk about research opportunities for physicians that are unavailable to NP/PA's.) Don't think too much, and don't talk too much that leads to more questions from them. I've interviewed so far at 5 schools and got accepted to all 5. Keep everything short and sweet, and say what you want in a clear, concise manner. Also, try to connect with them.

Most of all, be able to think on your feet. Some interviewers are tougher than others, and some like to see how you are able to answer a question that you haven't prepared for (such as why DO over NP/PA that you presented.) I've been asked questions that I had no idea what the answer was, but I was able to talk through with the interviewer how I would approach this problem presented and slowly come up with a solution. You don't necessarily need to come up with an answer right away.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

There are no right or wrong answers in interviews, for the most part, they are mainly looking for HOW you answer and how you approach the issue and solve the problem. I was asked hypothetical questions that I couldn't have answers to for another 5 years and they asked just to see if I could put myself in a situation I have never been in and come up with a logical answer.

 

[darknecrosforte]

-_- man... only a few differences, huh?

It is a prevention-focused philosophy of medicine that uses manual diagnostics to investigate how the patient played a role in their own dysfunction. Using a combination of extra musculoskeletal knowledge and biomechanics, a DO is better able to deal with the current trends of medicine (being fat, sitting all day, back pain, chronic conditions). They are also better equipped to educate young people who haven't developed these habits that will eventually get them hooked on opiods at the pain clinic in a few decades. Add some self-study on exercise and you'll have someone who can do more than patch up a person who's going to come back in a few months anyways.

Personally, I like how DO philosophy ascribes more moral agency in the patient in healing themselves. I get annoyed when non-medical folk around me think that being a doctor is only valuable if you are a pill-prescriber or flesh cutter.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

-_- man... only a few differences, huh?

It is a prevention-focused philosophy of medicine that uses manual diagnostics to investigate how the patient played a role in their own dysfunction. Using a combination of extra musculoskeletal knowledge and biomechanics, a DO is better able to deal with the current trends of medicine (being fat, sitting all day, back pain, chronic conditions). They are also better equipped to educate young people who haven't developed these habits that will eventually get them hooked on opiods at the pain clinic in a few decades. Add some self-study on exercise and you'll have someone who can do more than patch up a person who's going to come back in a few months anyways.

Personally, I like how DO philosophy ascribes more moral agency in the patient in healing themselves. I get annoyed when non-medical folk around me think that being a doctor is only valuable if you are a pill-prescriber or flesh cutter.

Sort of in the same scenario I had a woman say, " D.O.s can't operate though, can they?"
I was just like not againnnn. Haha

 

[darknecrosforte]

Sort of in the same scenario I had a woman say, " D.O.s can't operate though, can they?"
I was just like not againnnn. Haha

I'm just going to tell them to get on the table as I pull out my scalpel...

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

I looked through the school's website as well as AACOM's website and they both seemed to say the same things about osteopathic medicine:

1.) Focus on preventative medicine and community health. Gee don't MD's know this is really important as well?

2.) Taking a holistic approach to treatment. What does this even mean? Don't all physicians just choose the best treatment for a given circumstance based on the information they have?

3.) Integrating the patient into the health care process as a partner. I work at a large hospital and see little of this being done by MDs or DOs.


So what is an acceptable answer really? Should I just treat this question the same as "why medicine"? Or do I need to address something specifically DO related?

Should I say I am interested in learning OMM? Or something else mentioned in the points above?

If I were to tell the truth it would be "I'm applying DO because my goal is to become a physician and I don't care about the letters after my name. I also don't care much about OMM."

you could talk about mind + body + spirit

 

[OrdinaryDO]

Honestly,ball the information you need to know is in a short book called "The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine In America" believe me, you will love it.

 

[kinzav]

Safest answer is probably "I like OMM because it gives more options to help, like this one patient I saw...". Another good one is something like "the hands on approach DOs use in OMM is something that will help me with my physical exam skills and understanding of the musculoskeletal system so I can more accurately/comprehensively help future patients...". One I've thought about was "being in a primary care focused environment will make me a more well rounded physician no matter the path I go into, and having a sound foundation will help my patients better...it's good to keep my perspective broad, like in primary care, so I'm more prepared for a wide range of things...", but I never really fleshed out the idea. I don't think it's safe to say you just want to go to medical school and DO school is a medical school. If you really can't think of anything, defaulting to "all my experiences in the DO field have been positive and though I'm not as well versed in it as I hope to be at the end of my next four years, I'm eager to learn more..." Is better than saying I just want to go to medical school.

Honestly, the real things I personally like about DO schools, is they let in more second chance people, which makes the environment more comfortable for me, less gunner-y but that really depends on your incoming class. I like that there are a group of people who really like OMM and can treat me if I'm sore. I think in general, DOs and primary care folk are nicer. All the other stuff seems irrelevant to me. No, I don't think we are more prevention focused than MDs. OMM is good to add on to your regular visits for billing, but anything that's severe enough should be seeing a surgeon or physical therapy. No, I don't think a DO is actually more versed in the musculoskeletal system than an MD, holding enthusiasm for anatomy constant, you'll get the same proficiency out of both degrees IMHO.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

You will easily find your own understanding of what about OMT attracts you if you spend a few hours shadowing a DO in your local clinic/hospital. Its not helpful to spout a canned response on your secondary or in your interview when you are expected to elaborate with passion why they should be convinced you aren't just another student who considers DO school a pale backup to MD school. I know it sounds cheesy but dig deep and answer this question yourself.