How many people actually want to go to DO school?

[mr chievous]

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I'm not trying to sound rude, and I'm not trying to troll either, but it seems as if most of the people I know attending a DO school chose to do so only because they couldn't get into an MD school. A lot of people on the "What are my chances" page say "I don't have the stats for MD so I'm only applying DO." It's implied that they're only applying there because they feel as if their chances are slim at MD schools.

I'm not saying this is true for everyone, by any means. But isn't it possible that a large chunk of people at DO schools are only there because they couldn't get into an MD program? My friends (n=4) have all told me they would have taken the MD route if their stats had been high enough.

I'm really not trying to offend anyone. Sorry if it seems that way.

 

[theseeker4]

I'm not trying to sound rude, and I'm not trying to troll either, but it seems as if most of the people I know attending a DO school chose to do so only because they couldn't get into an MD school. A lot of people on the "What are my chances" page say "I don't have the stats for MD so I'm only applying DO." It's implied that they're only applying there because they feel as if there chances are slim at MD schools.

I'm not saying this is true for everyone, by any means. But isn't it possible that a large chunk of people at DO schools are only there because they couldn't get into an MD program? My friends (n=4) have all told me they would have taken the MD route if their stats had been high enough.

I'm really not trying to offend anyone. Sorry if it seems that way.

The only thing offensive about this post is how many times it has already been covered on this forum, and therefore the lack of necessity of you posting this thread. Search "MD vs DO" or simply "DO" and you will get a ton of threads that go over the arguments for and against attending DO school over, and over, and over again.

 

[mr chievous]

The only thing offensive about this post is how many times it has already been covered on this forum, and therefore the lack of necessity of you posting this thread. Search "MD vs DO" or simply "DO" and you will get a ton of threads that go over the arguments for and against attending DO school over, and over, and over again.

I don't understand SDN sometimes. You clearly have nothing constructive to say, so why bother posting? Is it really that hard to ignore this post? I figured by 29, you would be smarter than that.

And by the way, I did search MD vs DO. Most of what I saw were the differences between the two professions.

 

[thesauce]

MDs aren't much different. We all start off wanting to go to Harvard and have to settle for whatever acceptances we get.

 

[mr chievous]

MDs aren't much different. We all start off wanting to go to Harvard and have to settle for whatever acceptances we get.

I completely agree. I don't think there's a big difference at all. I just feel like not many people choose to go to DO school, that's all. They just don't have another option.

 

[theseeker4]

I don't understand SDN sometimes. You clearly have nothing constructive to say, so why bother posting? Is it really that hard to ignore this post? I figured by 29, you would be smarter than that.

And by the way, I did search MD vs DO. Most of what I saw were the differences between the two professions.

I love the irony of someone posting yet ANOTHER MD vs DO thread questioning MY intelligence...🙄

 

[BB8730]

I'm not trying to sound rude, and I'm not trying to troll either, but it seems as if most of the people I know attending a DO school chose to do so only because they couldn't get into an MD school. A lot of people on the "What are my chances" page say "I don't have the stats for MD so I'm only applying DO." It's implied that they're only applying there because they feel as if there chances are slim at MD schools.

I'm not saying this is true for everyone, by any means. But isn't it possible that a large chunk of people at DO schools are only there because they couldn't get into an MD program? My friends (n=4) have all told me they would have taken the MD route if their stats had been high enough.

I'm really not trying to offend anyone. Sorry if it seems that way.

Most of the physicians I shadowed, worked with, and became friends with were coincidentally DOs. The physician that knows me best and is writing my LOR is a DO. I also appreciate the osteopathic approaches to patient care and medical school admissions. I have underdog stats and I know that I stand a better chance of being accepted at a DO school, but I can quite honestly say that I think I would have applied DO regardless of my stats - mainly due to the DO influences in the last 5 years of my medical experiences.

 

[fingerscrossedd]

The only thing offensive about this post is how many times it has already been covered on this forum, and therefore the lack of necessity of you posting this thread. Search "MD vs DO" or simply "DO" and you will get a ton of threads that go over the arguments for and against attending DO school over, and over, and over again.

OP, this is a valid thread and you shouldn't ever hesitate about asking questions on SDN. To this guy^, it's overwhelmingly evident that SDN has tragically devolved into a collection of "omg this has already been asked a million times so go away or search or...just plain leave." With the mission of eliminating redundancy posed ostensibly as your purpose, do you find it hypocritical at all to consistently retort with "this has already been covered"? I would argue that THIS response has, too, been covered countless times. So how about this: if you think the posted question has already been covered, maybe, just maybe, choose not to respond to it. Who's forcing you to reply? Who made it your paralyzingly painful prerogative to just HAVE to respond to all redundant posts? Lay off. SDN is rapdily crumbling at the hands of members refusing to contribute anything significant to this forum. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll hold off - at the expense of being redundant.

 

[drizzt3117]

Most of the physicians I shadowed, worked with, and became friends with were coincidentally DOs. The physician that knows me best and is writing my LOR is a DO. I also appreciate the osteopathic approaches to patient care and medical school admissions. I have underdog stats and I know that I stand a better chance of being accepted at a DO school, but I can quite honestly say that I think I would have applied DO regardless of my stats - mainly due to the DO influences in the last 5 years of my medical experiences.

oh really? What's the osteopathic approach to paitent care, exactly?

 

[fingerscrossedd]

To answer your question/point: yes, people unquestionably apply/go D.O. because they couldn't (or thought they couldn't) get into M.D. programs. People also unquestionably go D.O. because they are genuinely interested in osteopathic medicine. The stats may be lower for D.O. programs, but there are also D.O. schools (MSU, CCOM, etc) that have higher matriculant stats than some M.D. schools. I think an applicant is fortunate to get into either program, because at the end of the day, he/she just found out that he/she is going to become a physician. There really is no significant difference between the two degrees - if you can stomach the stigma that you might encounter as a D.O., it's not an issue. Stigma abounds in every corner and avenue of life, and should never be grounds alone to disclude a potential road to actualizing your dream(s)

 

[illegallysmooth]

Some people do choose DO for the "osteopathic approach" but those are few and far between. Some people care more about attending a school they like in a location they like or being close to family - those people are more common. Some people want to be doctors and just don't give a ****.

 

[BB8730]

oh really? What's the osteopathic approach to paitent care, exactly?

Treating the patient as integrated biological, psychological, and social elements; the self-healing capabilities of the body, etc. I don't necessarily think these approaches are unique to osteopathic medicine: I just agree with them and I like that they are explicitly stated in osteopathic principles.

 

[drizzt3117]

Treating the patient as integrated biological, psychological, and social elements; the self-healing capabilities of the body, etc. I don't necessarily think these approaches are unique to osteopathic medicine: I just agree with them and I like that they are explicitly stated in osteopathic principles.

The biopsychosocial model is used in pretty much every form of medicine, except possibly ND. I can understand looking favorably on DO schools if you had DO role models but it seems foolhardy to turn down better opportunities over sophistry.

 

[MedBound1]

but there are also D.O. schools (MSU, CCOM, etc) that have higher matriculant stats than some M.D. schools.

Maybe one?

msu- 3.5/27
ccom - 3.56/28

I'm sure you can find exceptions where there is a couple MD schools that have lower stats for a given year. But nationwide, the average accepted MD matriculant has a 3.65/32 and MSU/CCOM are like the Harvard or WashU (3.9/37 averages) of DO schools.

I have nothing against DO but the stigma exists due to differences in admission difficulty. Probably less than 5% of DO students went DO because they just believe in holistic medicine. I have no problem with DO's competing for allopathic residencies and think they are equally qualified. It's the same reaction of going to Harvard vs. a state school for undergrad, state school student might be found to be the smarter and harder worker once you get going but first impression is 'Wow you went to Harvard??'.

 

[RedSox10]

DO schools only count the grades of a retaken class. So, with a C in Chem followed by a retaken A, a DO school would count that as a 4.0 and an MD would count it as a 3.0 (average of the two).

So, you CANNOT compare DO GPA with MD GPA. Even one C among a slew of A's can bring down a BCPM GPA alot.

Also, who knows how DO schools consider MCATS (it might also vary by school). Do they just take the highest subsection? Do they take averages? This also varies by MD school which makes it hard to compare MCATS of MD schools.

Maybe one?

msu- 3.5/27
ccom - 3.56/28

I'm sure you can find exceptions where there is a couple MD schools that have lower stats for a given year. But nationwide, the average accepted MD matriculant has a 3.65/32 and MSU/CCOM are like the Harvard or WashU (3.9/37 averages) of DO schools.

I have nothing against DO but the stigma exists due to differences in admission difficulty. Probably less than 5% of DO students went DO because they just believe in holistic medicine. I have no problem with DO's competing for allopathic residencies and think they are equally qualified. It's the same reaction of going to Harvard vs. a state school for undergrad, state school student might be found to be the smarter and harder worker once you get going but first impression is 'Wow you went to Harvard??'.

 

[thlaxer]

MDs aren't much different. We all start off wanting to go to Harvard and have to settle for whatever acceptances we get.

.

 

[drizzt3117]

Most pre-meds take the MCAT once and don't retake classes.

DO schools only count the grades of a retaken class. So, with a C in Chem followed by a retaken A, a DO school would count that as a 4.0 and an MD would count it as a 3.0 (average of the two).

So, you CANNOT compare DO GPA with MD GPA. Even one C among a slew of A's can bring down a BCPM GPA alot.

Also, who knows how DO schools consider MCATS (it might also vary by school). Do they just take the highest subsection? Do they take averages? This also varies by MD school which makes it hard to compare MCATS of MD schools.

 

[1289]

Most pre-meds take the MCAT once and don't retake classes.

👍

 

[BlueLabel]

I'm not trying to sound rude, and I'm not trying to troll either, but it seems as if most of the people I know attending a DO school chose to do so only because they couldn't get into an MD school. A lot of people on the "What are my chances" page say "I don't have the stats for MD so I'm only applying DO." It's implied that they're only applying there because they feel as if there chances are slim at MD schools.

I'm not saying this is true for everyone, by any means. But isn't it possible that a large chunk of people at DO schools are only there because they couldn't get into an MD program? My friends (n=4) have all told me they would have taken the MD route if their stats had been high enough.

I'm really not trying to offend anyone. Sorry if it seems that way.

Are you really that lacking in grace you don't understand how this question is inflammatory?

In other news, your new avatar isn't as cute as the bunny rabbit you matched with "miss chevious"

 

[Goblue89]

I do believe that people choose DO schools over MD schools. But I think this choice is more commonly based on location and not the differences (or lack thereof) between MD/DO. I think the best example of this would be CA applicants. Many will choose in state DO over out of state MD. In my opinion, this is why the DO schools in CA have the highest average MCAT. And I know for a fact that Touro-CA has a higher average MCAT score then some non-HBC MD schools.

 

[Fivo]

oh no

 

[UrshumMurshum]

The DO I shadowed is a preceptor for third year MD students. There really isn't any difference between DO and MD.

For people who cite residency difficulties remember DO students have their own residencies with the competitive residencies represented to even the score.

 

[WorldChanger36]

On my list of schools I am applying to I would select a DO school over an MD school. DMU, CCOM,PCOM and NYCOM are all schools that I would take over some of my MD choices. I know for a fact that what medical school you go to will not prevent you from getting into competitive residencies as long as you do very well in school, have great USMLE/COMLEX scores and go to school in the US. Each one of those schools I listed have excelent programs and would be enjoiable to attend. Now there are MD schools that I would rather go to above them that I have applied to such as SLU, UCF, FIU, FAU,UM, FSU, and UF. MD vs DO isn't a factor for me because I will do MD residencies and fellowships and that is where it matters.

 

[fingerscrossedd]

Maybe one?

I have nothing against DO but the stigma exists due to differences in admission difficulty. Probably less than 5% of DO students went DO because they just believe in holistic medicine. I have no problem with DO's competing for allopathic residencies and think they are equally qualified. It's the same reaction of going to Harvard vs. a state school for undergrad, state school student might be found to be the smarter and harder worker once you get going but first impression is 'Wow you went to Harvard??'.

That's absolutely true, and I'm not arguing against that at all - it is what it is, as they say. Look, the truth of the matter is, acing Orgo doesn't neccessarily mean you're going to be a great doctor, and for several schools, having grades below the A/A- threshold isn't looked upon favorably. I take issue with a statistics based argument because they can be easily manipulated. Yes, some people go DO because they couldn't/didn't/didn't think they would get in MD. But seriously, when you meet Bob at a friend's house and Bob says he's a surgeon/neurologist/any physician, isn't THAT, and not his medical school alma matter, the first impression? The problem with these institution-name-dropping arguments is that no one cares when you're fifty what school you went to; it's where you've worked, who you know, and how good you are. An orth. surgeon is an orth. surgeon - DO or MD.

 

[SLC]

I chose DO over MD (sort of).

I went to a state school with a decent (top 50) MD program, and I was told personally by the admissions director to apply because when we discussed my EC's and other aspects of my application he said I was exactly what they were looking for. He was a pulmonologist and I was working with him at the state health department on a new TB protocol for the free clinic I worked at and that's how we met.

Anyway:

I also met a ton of other MD's in my pre-medical career; attendings, residents, and students alike. Almost uniformly they told me to reconsider medicine, that I'd end up hating it and that it would be a mistake to attend. They said they wouldn't go if they could do things over. They told me I'd make better money in other careers etc. (As if I was motivated by money). It was a turnoff honestly.

I only met a handful of DO's as they are few and far between in my home area. But what struck me was that they all told me that they loved medicine, loved their jobs, and that they loved medical school and would do it again in a heart beat if they had a do-over in life. They seemed so positive about everything, and really encouraged me to go into medicine. They didn't push me to DO school, but they did give me the impression that there might be something about becoming a DO that would make me happier in the end. I mean if there's all this stigma, and DO's are apparently "second class" doctors; then why were these guys so happy while all the MD's seemed so miserable.

The final straw was my mentor (an MD), when learning that I planned to apply only to DO schools turned around at her desk and said "you'll be a better doctor". Apparently she went to Temple, and had a good friend from post-bacc. that went to PCOM. She says that to this day she's a bit envious of the training her friend got. It's probably all 6's at this point in their careers, but my mentor claims that her friend got a much stronger clinical education than she did.

Since being accepted to DO school, I've seen a lot. I've had MD residents (Neurology specifically) tell me that their DO counterparts were so much more ready for patient care than they were at the beginning of residency. "They had all these cool physical exam techniques that I never even learned" this one resident explained; which at this point I recognize to be OMT.

So I'm now entering my OMS2 year, and I have yet to experience even the slightest bit of regret for the decision to not even apply to my home state MD school, I couldn't imagine myself being happier. I'm not into OMT, but still, OMS1 was a blast; a challenge for sure, but still one of the best years I've had and the best year of schooling by a mile. I'm 99.99% sure I want to do something in the realm of Internal Medicine (either IM directly, or a Cards, Pulm, or Nephro fellowship) so I'm not overly concerned about matching in a good program. My classmates are awesome, so laid back, but so extremely sharp. My professors have this infectious optimism about the future and about our school, our first two classes matched very well (we even had an MD neurosurgery match in our first class). Everything is going to plan so far.

I couldn't even imagine going to MD at this point. Nothing against it, but the pretension and stress that I perceive in that realm doesn't appeal to me at all.

Obviously I'm a case of n=1, but I don't think I'm all that rare. Most medical students don't participate on this site, but in my school alone you'll likely find a significant portion who had MD stats but still held DO as their #1 choice.

 

[drizzt3117]

The DO I shadowed is a preceptor for third year MD students. There really isn't any difference between DO and MD.

For people who cite residency difficulties remember DO students have their own residencies with the competitive residencies represented to even the score.

Look at the number of spots. There's > 1000 spots for ACGME rads and 30 for AOA rads.

That's absolutely true, and I'm not arguing against that at all - it is what it is, as they say. Look, the truth of the matter is, acing Orgo doesn't neccessarily mean you're going to be a great doctor, and for several schools, having grades below the A/A- threshold isn't looked upon favorably. I take issue with a statistics based argument because they can be easily manipulated. Yes, some people go DO because they couldn't/didn't/didn't think they would get in MD. But seriously, when you meet Bob at a friend's house and Bob says he's a surgeon/neurologist/any physician, isn't THAT, and not his medical school alma matter, the first impression? The problem with these institution-name-dropping arguments is that no one cares when you're fifty what school you went to; it's where you've worked, who you know, and how good you are. An orth. surgeon is an orth. surgeon - DO or MD.

Oh really? Look at the stats for the surgical specalties.

 

[SLC]

Look at the number of spots. There's > 1000 spots for ACGME rads and 30 for AOA rads.



Oh really? Look at the stats for the surgical specalties.

These threads really get this dude going I've noticed. Anytime anyone says they prefer DO over MD it's like he has a small aneurysm rupture or something.

Face it drizzt3117, some people want to be DO's, DO's are cool. Not everyone is motivated by prestige, and getting the most competitive residency (both field and location). Some just want to be physicians and get on with their lives, they've had good DO mentors, or even (gasp) think the osteopathic philosophy, or OMT are particularly cool. These things happen from time to time, you should learn to live with it.

Most still want to be MD's though, so I suspect you'll be OK in the end.

 

[drizzt3117]

These threads really get this dude going I've noticed. Anytime anyone says they prefer DO over MD it's like he has a small aneurysm rupture or something.

Face it drizzt3117, some people want to be DO's, DO's are cool. Not everyone is motivated by prestige, and getting the most competitive residency (both field and location). Some just want to be physicians and get on with their lives, they've had good DO mentors, or even (gasp) think the osteopathic philosophy, or OMT are particularly cool. These things happen from time to time, you should learn to live with it.

Most still want to be MD's though, so I suspect you'll be OK in the end.

Sure, and most do it b/c they can't get into MD schools, just saying.

The reason I comment on these threads is to try to combat the spread of bad information.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Since being accepted to DO school, I've seen a lot. I've had MD residents (Neurology specifically) tell me that their DO counterparts were so much more ready for patient care than they were at the beginning of residency. "They had all these cool physical exam techniques that I never even learned" this one resident explained; which at this point I recognize to be OMT.

lol

 

[SLC]

lol

I know right? Who knew.

I'm sure you are certain that that pseudoscience can't possibly be useful in the diagnosis neuro-muscular issues right? I mean, OMT is nothing but glorified back-rubs and crystal healing right?

Check out things like the adson test, and the costoclavicular compression test. These are elements of OMT that are particularly useful for neurologists. There are probably others that I haven't been taught yet, but these are a few that spring to mind. And this comes from a DO student who pretty much despises OMT.

Gimmme a break.

 

[MedBound1]

I only met a handful of DO's as they are few and far between in my home area. But what struck me was that they all told me that they loved medicine, loved their jobs, and that they loved medical school and would do it again in a heart beat if they had a do-over in life. They seemed so positive about everything, and really encouraged me to go into medicine. They didn't push me to DO school, but they did give me the impression that there might be something about becoming a DO that would make me happier in the end. I mean if there's all this stigma, and DO's are apparently "second class" doctors; then why were these guys so happy while all the MD's seemed so miserable.

If DO's have the exact same jobs in the end, why would they love their jobs any more than an MD doing the same thing??

This is definitely one of those n=1 responses. "they loved medicine, loved their jobs".. that is all based on their experiences beyond medical school and all proponents of DO say "it's the same thing, compete for the same residencies, become the same doctor".

We're not comparing how happy they are in the end... that is such a subjective topic.

 

[drizzt3117]

well they do give pretty good massages and back adjustments.

I know right? Who knew.

I'm sure you are certain that that pseudoscience can't possibly be useful in the diagnosis neuro-muscular issues right? I mean, OMT is nothing but glorified back-rubs and crystal healing right?

Check out things like the adson test, and the costoclavicular compression test. These are elements of OMT that are particularly useful for neurologists. There are probably others that I haven't been taught yet, but these are a few that spring to mind. And this comes from a DO student who pretty much despises OMT.

Gimmme a break.

 

[SLC]

If DO's have the exact same jobs in the end, why would they love their jobs any more than an MD doing the same thing??

This is definitely one of those n=1 responses. "they loved medicine, loved their jobs".. that is all based on their experiences beyond medical school and all proponents of DO say "it's the same thing, compete for the same residencies, become the same doctor".

We're not comparing how happy they are in the end... that is such a subjective topic.

I didn't say it wasn't subjective (though I didn't say it was either I suppose), I just said that it was a major influence in my decision making process.

And it's been pretty consistent so far, even among the MD's and DO's on faculty at school.

 

[MedBound1]

well they do give pretty good massages and back adjustments.

For the record, I don't agree with this response or any other that is seemingly just bashing DO's. I have several friends in DO programs and know multiple DO docs that love their jobs and I am a big proponent of the programs. My response earlier was just to say that to say there is 0 stigma at all (whether it was created through media, tv, admissions standards, residency preference etc.) is pretty naive.

 

[fingerscrossedd]

Look at the number of spots. There's > 1000 spots for ACGME rads and 30 for AOA rads.



Oh really? Look at the stats for the surgical specalties.

Oh man....it's people like this (stat-driven, aggressively-defensive) that make me question the future of healthcare. How many MD students vs DO students are there? Hell, I don't know, but I think that might have something to do with the increased ACGME spots vs AOA spots. I'll wait right here while you race around calculating percentage probabilities to validate your beliefs.

 

[drizzt3117]

Oh man....it's people like this (stat-driven, aggressively-defensive) that make me question the future of healthcare. How many MD students vs DO students are there? Hell, I don't know, but I think that might have something to do with the increased ACGME spots vs AOA spots. I'll wait right here while you race around calculating percentage probabilities to validate your beliefs.

yeah cuz there's obviously 30 times more MD students than DO... how's the M part of BCPM working out for you?

 

[darkjedi]

OP, this is a valid thread and you shouldn't ever hesitate about asking questions on SDN. To this guy^, it's overwhelmingly evident that SDN has tragically devolved into a collection of "omg this has already been asked a million times so go away or search or...just plain leave." With the mission of eliminating redundancy posed ostensibly as your purpose, do you find it hypocritical at all to consistently retort with "this has already been covered"? I would argue that THIS response has, too, been covered countless times. So how about this: if you think the posted question has already been covered, maybe, just maybe, choose not to respond to it. Who's forcing you to reply? Who made it your paralyzingly painful prerogative to just HAVE to respond to all redundant posts? Lay off. SDN is rapdily crumbling at the hands of members refusing to contribute anything significant to this forum. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll hold off - at the expense of being redundant.

I have to say that generally agree with this sentiment about forum boards in general. It takes maybe an extra 30 seconds to helpfully link to old posts. Some people who are new just don't know what to search for, and a veteran of the boards should be using his recall memory of reposts to help out instead of just shooing new people away. We were all new to some board at some point or another. Also what's the help if every search pops up with only people saying "this has been answered before, go search." God knows it's happened to me plenty of times.

 

[Ost3oclast]

Who cares?

 

[thesauce]

On my list of schools I am applying to I would select a DO school over an MD school. DMU, CCOM,PCOM and NYCOM are all schools that I would take over some of my MD choices. I know for a fact that what medical school you go to will not prevent you from getting into competitive residencies as long as you do very well in school, have great USMLE/COMLEX scores and go to school in the US. Each one of those schools I listed have excelent programs and would be enjoiable to attend. Now there are MD schools that I would rather go to above them that I have applied to such as SLU, UCF, FIU, FAU,UM, FSU, and UF. MD vs DO isn't a factor for me because I will do MD residencies and fellowships and that is where it matters.

This is a major reason that it SHOULD be a factor. MDs have an advantage over DOs in the MD match. On top of that, you will almost certainly need to take USMLE step 1 on top of your DO step exams in order to be competitive.

 

[bassvp]

Interesting observation about DO's possibly being happier. If this hypothesis were true, it'd be awfully hard to pinpoint the cause of this. I think it may more logically fall to the type of person that may matriculate to a DO school (less agressive? satisfied with being a physician regardless of letters behind name? more grateful for the opportunity to be a physician?) rather than OMM providing them extra satisfaction in life or possibly there is an intangible X-factor in the education that allows one to be more humanistic and less competitive/stressed.

 

[RedSox10]

Most pre-meds take the MCAT once and don't retake classes.

First, I took the MCAT only ONCE and never re-took any classes.

However, I have many friends who are at DO schools now who did.

Also, since you are a resident now, things have changed, especially since the test is no longer paper. It is also given more often than it was in the past so you can feasibly take it two times in one application cycle.

I was on the AAMC site recently and saw that about 40% take the test at least twice, just FYI.

 

[MedBound1]

Taking the MCAT more than once is pretty common, even for people that score well on it, because it's all about how you performed compared to your practice tests (what you think you can achieve).

Re-taking classes is not so common.. first it just takes going back to school, second it doesn't help with MD applications. Most of my friends with original intentions to do MD who didn't make it went to PA, Nursing, PT, or Podiatry instead of trying DO. I honestly think most pre-meds are under-educated about DO.. and I think it would be more competitive if they were. I think this largely rests on pre-med advisers to get students (especially ones with more average stats) more exposure to DO in undergrad. I'm sure at least some of those friends of mine would've chosen DO instead, but they didn't even know it existed or what it was. At first impression, I think it being described as holistic medicine scares some people away.

 

[hiyaman]

DOs are probably sexier.

 

[SLC]

...At first impression, I think it being described as holistic medicine scares some people away.

This is probably true. I often have to educate people about what a DO really is. Just yesterday, my best friend from highschool told me his boss's girlfriend was in Portland at a DO school. There are none in Portland. He said that when his boss described what she was doing it sounded a lot like the "type of doctor I'm studying to be". Turns out she is in an ND program.

Lots of people hear holistic and think herbs.

 

[kpcrew]

OP, this is a valid thread and you shouldn't ever hesitate about asking questions on SDN. To this guy^, it's overwhelmingly evident that SDN has tragically devolved into a collection of "omg this has already been asked a million times so go away or search or...just plain leave." With the mission of eliminating redundancy posed ostensibly as your purpose, do you find it hypocritical at all to consistently retort with "this has already been covered"? I would argue that THIS response has, too, been covered countless times. So how about this: if you think the posted question has already been covered, maybe, just maybe, choose not to respond to it. Who's forcing you to reply? Who made it your paralyzingly painful prerogative to just HAVE to respond to all redundant posts? Lay off. SDN is rapdily crumbling at the hands of members refusing to contribute anything significant to this forum. There's a lot more I could say, but I'll hold off - at the expense of being redundant.

looool

 

[MiracleforMD]

I haven't read a lot of the posts in this thread because I despise many of the posters in it, but I think OP's question is valid. I have met some docs who are DOs that think OMT is bull****, are very smart, and were definitely capable of getting into an allopathic school. So I think it is fair to ask how many are out there that are legitimately interested. And I'm not counting the trolls on SDN who had a 24 MCAT, got into DO school, and have now made it their mission to defend it when we all know they would have sucked monkey dick to get into an allopathic school.

 

[deleted398564]

.

 

[thesauce]

I haven't read a lot of the posts in this thread because I despise many of the posters in it, but I think OP's question is valid. I have met some docs who are DOs that think OMT is bull****, are very smart, and were definitely capable of getting into an allopathic school. So I think it is fair to ask how many are out there that are legitimately interested. And I'm not counting the trolls on SDN who had a 24 MCAT, got into DO school, and have now made it their mission to defend it when we all know they would have sucked monkey dick to get into an allopathic school.

LOL. The thread was worth it just for this...

 

[bkprodigy]

That's absolutely true, and I'm not arguing against that at all - it is what it is, as they say. Look, the truth of the matter is, acing Orgo doesn't neccessarily mean you're going to be a great doctor, and for several schools, having grades below the A/A- threshold isn't looked upon favorably. I take issue with a statistics based argument because they can be easily manipulated. Yes, some people go DO because they couldn't/didn't/didn't think they would get in MD. But seriously, when you meet Bob at a friend's house and Bob says he's a surgeon/neurologist/any physician, isn't THAT, and not his medical school alma matter, the first impression? The problem with these institution-name-dropping arguments is that no one cares when you're fifty what school you went to; it's where you've worked, who you know, and how good you are. An orth. surgeon is an orth. surgeon - DO or MD.

You are right. Orthopod is an orthopod regardless DO or MD. But what you don't get is how much harder for a DO to match into ortho program than an MD counterpart.

 

[StephenMaturin]

I know for a fact that what medical school you go to will not prevent you from getting into competitive residencies as long as you do very well in school, have great USMLE/COMLEX scores and go to school in the US..... MD vs DO isn't a factor for me because I will do MD residencies and fellowships and that is where it matters.

My god, this is just painful to read.

First, you say "do very well in school and have great USMLE scores". This is hard to do. Very hard. Everyone in med school is very smart and works very hard. This is going to blow your mind, but it is very possible that you might not be able to score higher than the 80th or 75th or 50th percentile in the USMLE no matter how hard you work.

Second, you say "what medical school you go to will not prevent you from getting into competitive residencies". No one is saying it is impossible to get into the residency you want from a DO school. They are saying it is harder to get into the residency you want from a DO school. "Competitive residencies" are by definition hard to get. You need good scores, good research, good clinical grades, and good connections.

Medical school is hard. It's extremely humbling. Everyone here is competent and ambitious and hardworking. Why are you going to make it harder on yourself to get where you want to be in life?

SDN is a great resource and was so, so helpful to me when I was applying to medical school. The one area where I am afraid it does a disservice to people is in minimizing the struggles you will face if you have grand residency plans and want to go the DO route. I don't know exactly how much harder it will make it for you, but why make it any harder on yourself unless you have a good reason?