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- May 29, 2004
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For those of you who are medical students or just graduated from medical school (both osteopaths and allopaths), I really need your advice.
I want to become a physician who considers mind, body, and spirit when treating patients. I understand that osteopathic schools take this holistic approach, and I have been seriously considering whether I want to become an osteopathic physician. I have read extensively on the philosophy behind osteopathy, and it resonates well with my beliefs in medicine.
However, I am concerned about the education of osteopathic schools. In particular, I am uncertain as to how much the osteopathic education is geared towards fulfilling this holistic philosophy, because most people say that D.O.'s and M.D.'s are the same anyway, except that D.O.'s use the osteopathic manipulation technique (OMT). In fact, some osteopathic students on SDN have expressed dissatisfaction because their basic sciences education is not well-centered on the holistic approach, and instead, they just learn OMT as an extra technique. So, is the philosophy behind D.O. schools distinct from M.D. schools solely because of this technique, instead of integrating it in the whole curriculum? And in the classroom, are osteopathic students learning the same way and same things as allopathic ones?
My other concern about attending D.O. schools is that I feel I most likely will have to take both the COMLEX AND USLME when applying to allopathic residency programs (since the D.O. residencies are few, and they may not provide as well qualified medical training as allopathic ones, as commented by osteopathic students on SDN), and I want to avoid that situation because I feel that taking one set of Boards is enough. Also, I've heard that it may be more difficult for D.O.'s to get into certain allopathic residencies when compared to M.D. students. Second, I feel like the education in an allopathic school would be more competitive, because the students seem more qualified in terms of their intellectual abilities (as evidenced from higher MCAT scores and GPA). I want to be in a competitive environment because I feel it would challenge me and raise my standards for learning. (Granted, I know this may be a judgmental statement, so if anyone feels differently, I welcome your comments.)
Thus, by attending an allopathic school, I feel I may receive a better education, but the downside is, I may not be trained in the holistic way I want to practice medicine.
So, that being said, here are my questions for you:
1) For those of you who attended or are attending allopathic schools:
A. Do you feel that your basic sciences education involved any holistic approach? Or was the philosophy behind your education strictly "treat the disease" instead of "treat the patient"?
B. During your four years, were you aware of any opportunities for exploring medicine in a holistic manner? E.g., Can you complete certain fellowships, certification, or extra training in alternative medicine techniques or OMT?
2) For those of you who attended or are attending osteopathic schools:
A. How did your science classes incorporate the holistic philosophy in its curriculum?
B. How do you feel about the effectiveness of OMT?
C. Do you feel that your school was competitive, or did it seem laid-back?
My goal is to become a physician who ensures the well-being of his/her patients, and I feel that practicing medicine in a holistic manner is the best way. I know that once you receive your degree, you are ultimately responsible for your further education, so I feel that even if I do become an M.D., I can pursue a holistic approach by educating myself in other areas (like alternative medicine and OMT). Meanwhile, I am concerned about applying to D.O. schools because of certain issues, such as taking two sets of Boards, having increased difficulty of acceptance into residency programs, and not being educated in a challenging and competitive environment.
I am young and I am Pre-Med, so I welcome any advice, criticism, or comments from you older and wiser people. Thanks so much for reading all of this.
I want to become a physician who considers mind, body, and spirit when treating patients. I understand that osteopathic schools take this holistic approach, and I have been seriously considering whether I want to become an osteopathic physician. I have read extensively on the philosophy behind osteopathy, and it resonates well with my beliefs in medicine.
However, I am concerned about the education of osteopathic schools. In particular, I am uncertain as to how much the osteopathic education is geared towards fulfilling this holistic philosophy, because most people say that D.O.'s and M.D.'s are the same anyway, except that D.O.'s use the osteopathic manipulation technique (OMT). In fact, some osteopathic students on SDN have expressed dissatisfaction because their basic sciences education is not well-centered on the holistic approach, and instead, they just learn OMT as an extra technique. So, is the philosophy behind D.O. schools distinct from M.D. schools solely because of this technique, instead of integrating it in the whole curriculum? And in the classroom, are osteopathic students learning the same way and same things as allopathic ones?
My other concern about attending D.O. schools is that I feel I most likely will have to take both the COMLEX AND USLME when applying to allopathic residency programs (since the D.O. residencies are few, and they may not provide as well qualified medical training as allopathic ones, as commented by osteopathic students on SDN), and I want to avoid that situation because I feel that taking one set of Boards is enough. Also, I've heard that it may be more difficult for D.O.'s to get into certain allopathic residencies when compared to M.D. students. Second, I feel like the education in an allopathic school would be more competitive, because the students seem more qualified in terms of their intellectual abilities (as evidenced from higher MCAT scores and GPA). I want to be in a competitive environment because I feel it would challenge me and raise my standards for learning. (Granted, I know this may be a judgmental statement, so if anyone feels differently, I welcome your comments.)
Thus, by attending an allopathic school, I feel I may receive a better education, but the downside is, I may not be trained in the holistic way I want to practice medicine.
So, that being said, here are my questions for you:
1) For those of you who attended or are attending allopathic schools:
A. Do you feel that your basic sciences education involved any holistic approach? Or was the philosophy behind your education strictly "treat the disease" instead of "treat the patient"?
B. During your four years, were you aware of any opportunities for exploring medicine in a holistic manner? E.g., Can you complete certain fellowships, certification, or extra training in alternative medicine techniques or OMT?
2) For those of you who attended or are attending osteopathic schools:
A. How did your science classes incorporate the holistic philosophy in its curriculum?
B. How do you feel about the effectiveness of OMT?
C. Do you feel that your school was competitive, or did it seem laid-back?
My goal is to become a physician who ensures the well-being of his/her patients, and I feel that practicing medicine in a holistic manner is the best way. I know that once you receive your degree, you are ultimately responsible for your further education, so I feel that even if I do become an M.D., I can pursue a holistic approach by educating myself in other areas (like alternative medicine and OMT). Meanwhile, I am concerned about applying to D.O. schools because of certain issues, such as taking two sets of Boards, having increased difficulty of acceptance into residency programs, and not being educated in a challenging and competitive environment.
I am young and I am Pre-Med, so I welcome any advice, criticism, or comments from you older and wiser people. Thanks so much for reading all of this.
