I just do not see the advantages/disadvantages

[lrobin15]

You were given bad information. For DO schools you have the same requirements as MD schools, you MUST complete 90 hours of undergraduate work, 30 of which are upper division. You must also complete the pre-reqs.

The undergrad requirements (with the exception of a few Bachelor/grad combo schools) are the same. That rule is also more of a safety net for the few (very few) exceptions where people get in without 115+ credit hours.

I have been accepted at 3 schools, WVSOM, LECOM-Erie, LMU-DCOM all without a degree and with only 90 hrs. I am an older student, had very strong LORs, excellent EC, good gpa, and avg. MCAT. My advisor says I am only the 2nd person she has ever seen accepted early. It is possible! Good luck

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[RevGood]

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_education_in_the_United_States

Under the heading "intern:"

"Historically, post-graduate medical education began with a free-standing, one-year internship. Completion of this year continues to be the minimum training requirement for obtaining a general license to practice medicine in most states. However, because of the gradual lengthening of post-graduate medical education, and the decline of its use as the terminal stage in training, most new physicians complete the internship requirement as their first year of residency."

 

[Boxer1]

At this point, just focus on doing well in high school, taking college-prep classes ... and enjoying yourself responsibly.

To answer your questions ...

1. Your choice of college is dependant on your personal circumstsances. In general, admission committee at medical schools like to see that you can handle yourself in a rigorous academic environment. The perception is that a 4-year college is more rigorous than a 2-year community college. (while it may be true that your 2-year community college science classes are vigorous, it is hard for someone on an admission committee thousands of miles away to know that).

2. The rules about the need for a Bachelor degree is dependant on the school itself (and not MD versus DO). The vast majority of matriculating students will have at least a bachelor, and many will have Masters. It is the exceptional rare student that gets admitted without a bachelor (MD or DO school).

3. Whether you use OMM as a practicing neurologist is completely up to you. There is ongoing research right now on the effects of OMM on several neurological disorders. We'll see how these studies turn out.

4. That is true - you do a 1 year prelim medicine followed by a 3 year residency in neurology. Don't know enough about Neurology fellowships to comment on this aspect of training.

5. Five States specifically require you to complete an AOA-internship year. These states are PA, MI, WV, OK, FL.
Two approach with neurology ... do an AOA-approve internship in lieu of your 1 year prelim medicine year then jump into your ACGME (MD) neurology residency ... or do a AOA (DO) residency in neurology ... both methods will NOT add any additional time to your training

Good luck in high school ... go worry more about getting your driver license and less about practicing medicine ... worry more about PSAT and SAT instead of MCAT and COMLEX/USMLE

Cheers!!!

To the OP

The above is a good post. The only correction that I have is on point number 5. To enter an ACGME (MD) accredited Neurology residency you must do an ACGME accredited internship (the ABPN requires it)

I am a 4th year DO student and have matched into Neurology this year. Send me a PM if you have any other questions, as this thread has been thoroughly high-jacked.
Good Luck

 

[Doctor Bagel]

To the OP

The above is a good post. The only correction that I have is on point number 5. To enter an ACGME (MD) accredited Neurology residency you must do an ACGME accredited internship (the ABPN requires it)

So if you wanted to be in one of those 5 states with that stupid TRI requirement, would you have to do a TRI on top of an ACGME internship year? I've heard neurology is one of the harder ones to fit with the TRI requirement. Or can you get that section 42 or whatever approval?

 

[Jack Daniel]

So if you wanted to be in one of those 5 states with that stupid TRI requirement, would you have to do a TRI on top of an ACGME internship year? I've heard neurology is one of the harder ones to fit with the TRI requirement. Or can you get that section 42 or whatever approval?

In this case, I'd try and get approval of my first year through resolution 42.

 

[Boxer1]

So if you wanted to be in one of those 5 states with that stupid TRI requirement, would you have to do a TRI on top of an ACGME internship year? I've heard neurology is one of the harder ones to fit with the TRI requirement. Or can you get that section 42 or whatever approval?

The ABPN simply requires an ACGME internship that satisfies some general requirements. I can't seem to find the link with those requirements right now. Preliminary medicine years and transitional years will meet those requirements. I interviewed at a few prelim programs and found that the only challenge I might encounter in meeting the AOAs Resolution 42 requirements is the requirement of either a month of FP or a continuity clinic. If you're willing to do a month of your elective time in FP you should meet the requirements.

 

[jojocola]

I highly do not recommend you to consider a CSU. If you look at the people's resumes that had got in into a med school from a CSU, you will find that they had done some crazy s***, or are URM. As a CSU applicant you are looked upon as subpar, that is the truth.

 

[Jack Daniel]

I highly do not recommend you to consider a CSU. If you look at the people's resumes that had got in into a med school from a CSU, you will find that they had done some crazy s***, or are URM. As a CSU applicant you are looked upon as subpar, that is the truth.

CSU?
URM?

Anybody?

 

[Jack Daniel]

CSU?
URM?

Anybody?

Never mind.

CA State Univ, Underrepresented minority. At least, I guess that's what they are.

 

[Huntr]

Okay, so your father never got a Bachelor's and your father never did a residency. Pray tell, what did he do? Graduate from med school and simply hang shingles outside his basement to start recruiting patients?

Does anyone else find this incredibly hard to believe?

The fact of the matter is, 99.9% of the time, you won't be accepted to medical school without being on your way to a Bachelor's degree and I believe ALL U.S. medical schools (both MD and DO) require at least 90 undergraduate credits BEFORE you apply for medical schools. Occasionally, you might find one or two people who had 90 credits, applied, got accepted, then decided not to finish undergrad and were still admitted, but that's very, very rare. Most schools will revoke your acceptance unless you graduate before you matriculate, but either way, you WILL NOT be accepted to ANY U.S. medical school (either DO or MD) by only doing the pre-reqs and the MCAT. That's pharmacy school, not medical school.

Secondly, all fully LICENSED physicians are required to do a residency. For DO programs, if you plan to practice in one of five states (FL, PA, TX, and can't remember the others off-hand), you have to do a DO-approved internship. Many people get around this by doing an MD internship and submitting it for approval. In most cases, you will not spend any extra time going for neurology as a DO than you will as an MD.[/QUOTE

Exactly....

 

[t-funk]

Lots of things change over 30 years.

 

[lrobin15]

The fact of the matter is, 99.9% of the time, you won't be accepted to medical school without being on your way to a Bachelor's degree and I believe ALL U.S. medical schools (both MD and DO) require at least 90 undergraduate credits BEFORE you apply for medical schools. Occasionally, you might find one or two people who had 90 credits, applied, got accepted, then decided not to finish undergrad and were still admitted, but that's very, very rare. Most schools will revoke your acceptance unless you graduate before you matriculate, but either way, you WILL NOT be accepted to ANY U.S. medical school (either DO or MD) by only doing the pre-reqs and the MCAT. That's pharmacy school, not medical school.

[/QUOTE

Exactly....

This is not true. The minimum for matriculation at many, but not all, is 90 credit hours. You do not have to have this before you apply. Some schools do require a BS or BA. When I applied and interviewed, the interviewers knew that I would only have 90 hrs at matriculation. I then recieved 2 acceptence(s) that said I did not have to receive my undergraduate degree before matriculation but that I needed to maintain 90 hrs total. I also received 1 acceptence that was unconditional.

I will say that one reason I was successful (according to the interviewers) was because I took upper level science class, in addition to the prereqs.