I thought I wanted to be a DO

[AltonBrown]

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Hey! I'm probably going to get a slap on the wrist for posting in here because I'm only a naive pre-med but I wanted some input from actual physicians. I've recently been accepted to both an MD and DO program. The DO school is in my home state (and a better school than the MD, in my opinion), will save me tons of money and is close to my family, friends and fiance. I was really really excited to start!

Until I found SDN

Is the rampant DO discrimination seen on this website what it's really like to be a DO? I'm hoping it's just a pre-med phenomenon, but am I right?

Thoughts?

 

[bkpa2med]

If you got accepted to a DO program that means that you've shadowed one. What's the problem? Also, I don't think anyone will answer your question.

 

[Saladin MD]

Hey! I'm probably going to get a slap on the wrist for posting in here because I'm only a naive pre-med but I wanted some input from actual physicians. I've recently been accepted to both an MD and DO program. The DO school is in my home state (and a better school than the MD, in my opinion), will save me tons of money and is close to my family, friends and fiance. I was really really excited to start!

Until I found SDN

Is the rampant DO discrimination seen on this website what it's really like to be a DO? I'm hoping it's just a pre-med phenomenon, but am I right?

Thoughts?

I went to a foreign medical school (the top medical school in my native country) for personal reasons, even though I know I could've gotten into a US med school if I had tried. I chose to go overseas for a variety of reasons, but now I am filled with regret. I grossly underestimated the IMG stigma. However, my situation might not be similar to yours, since I admit I was horribly unaware of the medical field when I made that decision years ago.

Whatever decision you make, just make sure you don't come to regret it later on. Think long and hard on it. I keep hitting myself for making that fateful decision. But alas, that is life.

I guess my post is not very helpful, but you can kind of see what I'm hinting at.

 

[Shinken]

Thoughts?

Don't go to the DO school, go to the MD school.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Its a pre-med thing.

Physicians confident in their own skills and busy enough don't pay attention to where their colleagues went to medical school, let alone the letters behind their name. All they care about is doing their job and that their colleagues do the same.

There are still some pockets of stigma however, generally from patients in areas not familiar with DOs. I'll have patients make uninformed comments on occasion (despite the fact that we have a DO school in town) and I'll gently remind them that my partner is a DO and that we are equally trained and qualified.

Stop reading the Pre-Allo forums and pick the school that's the best choice for YOU.

 

[SoCuteMD]

The bias exists, justified or not. That being said, most DOs are happy with where they match, as are most MDs. Once you are done with residency, it doesn't matter at all. The true limitation will be any desire you might have to enter an ultra-competitive specialty. This much more difficult from a DO school - even though they do have their own residency programs.

 

[Saladin MD]

One last thing: I don't think SDN represents the real world. Don't get me wrong: SDN is great, but like almost all online forums, you've got bashing going on, which people are less likely to do in real life.

 

[Shinken]

Its a pre-med thing.

Exactly.

However, the OP is already been swayed by anonymous posts in the internet. Perhaps he should reconsider going to a DO school even when it's the best fit for him.

The last thing I want to see is yet another "I want an MDO degree!" osteopathic graduate.

For the record, for those who don't know, I'm a DO (and would do it again in a heartbeat).

 

[Winged Scapula]

The bias exists, justified or not. That being said, most DOs are happy with where they match, as are most MDs. Once you are done with residency, it doesn't matter at all. The true limitation will be any desire you might have to enter an ultra-competitive specialty. This much more difficult from a DO school - even though they do have their own residency programs.

Good point that I neglected to include.

There are some pockets of bias within the medical profession, especially some of the competitive surgical fields, where programs reportedly like to boast that they've never accepted a DO.🙄

Most of us realize this is ridiculous and has absolutely no bearing on how kind of physician you'll be. But in terms of limiting choices, it is true that this can be the case with the osteopathic degree and some uber competitive specialties.

 

[peppy]

To the extent that DO discrimination exists, I think it is much less of an issue in places that have well-respected DO schools in the area. Most DO discrimination in based on not being familiar with DOs. If you intend to put down roots there in the area where the DO school is, I don't think you will have much of an issue.

If you want to do a specialty like Radiation Oncology, being a DO will be a disadvantage because there are no DO residencies in the field and the MD residencies thta exist for that field are so selective they would consider even a small detail like being a DO good enough reason to reject someone. On the other hand, it's my perception that DOs actually have an advantage in some specialties like Emergency Medicine (a field where there are numerous high quality osteopathic residencies - plus DO-friendly allopathic residencies on top of that) and possibly PM&R (a field where DOs are abundant and well-respected for their musculoskeletal knowledge).
Good luck making your choice.

 

[Winged Scapula]

If you want to do a specialty like Radiation Oncology, being a DO will be a disadvantage because there are no DO residencies in the field and the MD residencies thta exist for that field are so selective they would consider even a small detail like being a DO good enough reason to reject someone.

Interesting. My favorite Rad Onc, the one I send all my patients to, is a DO.

 

[drbetty]

Without hesitation - Go MD. You'll have many more doors open, including more opportunities for residency positions near your family.

 

[Rendar5]

I've spoken with attendings in more competitive fields who are part of residency adcoms (in fields not my own), and I know for a fact that in certain fields at more competitive places you may have a more difficult time gaining access.

Personally I think this is kind of stupid, but it is sometimes reality. Give it a lot of thought and decide what's the best fit for you, if u'll have significant Either way, congrats, you'll be a doc.

 

[gutonc]

As others have pointed out, it kind of depends on what you want to do in the future. there are few (but not NO) DO plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons, dermatologists, rad oncs, etc. There are plenty of DOs in essentially every other specialty.

You may be limited somewhat geographically or to certain programs in certain competitive specialties as a DO due to regional or local biases. But if you go DO and are in the top of your class and nail your boards (and...let's be honest...our boards too), you can do what you want.

That all said...if the two programs are "equivalent" to you (whatever that means to you) you should go the MD route. Your colleagues in the future won't particularly care where you went to med school as long as you're not a total F-up. Your patients OTOH (who, in spite of their use of the intertron, know nothing) will care where you went to med school but won't actually understand what a residency is, let alone that it is where you got the vast majority of your training. So the gal that goes to Duke for med school and then does her residency @ "Bob's Community House of RVUs" will get more respect from patients than the guy that goes to "Hippie Joe's Back Crackin' Emporium and Osteopathic College" but does his residency @ Duke, even though the latter will likely have better clinical training. (Note...replace Duke with just about any half-decent academic program and you'll get the same result, I have no interest in Duke other than as a well-respected program that most people have heard of.)

Finally...you state that the DO school is better for you geographically. Think about what (and where) you're going to do after med school. You're far more likely to practice in the location where you do your residency/fellowship than where you do med school. So if the DO med school works for you now, but only has an FP program and you want to do Gi or Neurosurgery or Rads or...you'll have to go elsewhere for residency which will make the likelihood of practicing @ "home" somewhat less in the future.

So...having said all that. If the DO program is the right one for you then go for it. If it's one of the more established DO programs you'll be just fine, almost no matter what you want to do. Keep in mind though that an MD can subtly open some doors that you may not know you want open at this point in your life.

 

[lowbudget]

As a practical matter, I think it's important to mention that some states require DO's to complete a "Rotating Internship" year (in an osteopathic residency program) before you can be licensed, which may add a year to residency, especially if you end up doing an allopathic residency.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=580001

Another practical matter is that I remember my DO friends were stressing about taking both the COMLEX and the USMLE while I only took the USMLE. They, basically, were studying for the boards twice and some of the materials covered were very different (i.e. OMM). Licensing boards have different requirements and they vary state to state.

Lastly, generally, if you want to practice medicine outside the United States, some countries do not accept DO as a medical practitioner. In some countries, DO's are closer to chiropractors or alternative medicine and thus are restricted in their practice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Osteopathic_Medicine

If you're in a location where it doesn't matter, well, it doesn't matter. But if you're looking at a particular location to practice (or do residency), you might want to research this issue a little bit better.

 

[VMSmith]

When I was in your position 4 years ago, a friend of mine who was a resident at a high-powered academic program in psychiatry told me that her program just flat out does not take DOs. She advised me to attend an MD school whether I liked it better than the DO school or not. I ultimately went with her advice and now that I'm about to graduate, am glad I did.

Maybe I would have had a happier experience in med school at the DO school, but as I went on interviews I did pay more attention than most to what degree current and past residents at the programs possessed. I did notice that several programs had zero DOs in their current and past resident lists. I think I met one DO student in the course of all my interviews. In my very limited, totally anecdotal experience, it seemed like these programs were more willing to interview IMGs and FMGs than DOs.

So I don't think the prejudice is just a pre-med thing. There still seems to be some prejudice even in non-competitive fields.

 

[Black Surgeon]

I usually stay out of MD vs. DO threads but since this is addressed to a more mature audience, I will assume that a difference in opinion will be respected and not misconstrued as an attack.

Honestly, the choice seems simple to me. I can't tell you how many times I have seen an "xx D.O friendly?" thread on this website. The stats do not lie. The D.O match rate was around 70% this year in comparison to around 94% for MD graduates. Why would anyone want to limit prospective opportunities or chances by choice? There is an eminent discrimination against D.Os. Period.

 

[VMSmith]

Wanted to add that the discrimination is not based on any deficiency in the training at DO schools. If you don't care about prestige and are absolutely 100% sure that you have no interest in competitive specialties, you will get everything you need at a DO school. Just understand that going to a DO school will make certain career paths more difficult than will going to an MD school for no other reason than the difference in the two letters you will have after your name.

 

[roflcakes887]

Its a pre-med thing.

Physicians confident in their own skills and busy enough don't pay attention to where their colleagues went to medical school, let alone the letters behind their name. All they care about is doing their job and that their colleagues do the same.

There are still some pockets of stigma however, generally from patients in areas not familiar with DOs. I'll have patients make uninformed comments on occasion (despite the fact that we have a DO school in town) and I'll gently remind them that my partner is a DO and that we are equally trained and qualified.

Stop reading the Pre-Allo forums and pick the school that's the best choice for YOU.

DO's are not equally trained.

The medical education they receive is different and their licensing examinations are different.

Thus, by grade-2 logic, they are not the same.

 

[roflcakes887]

Interesting. My favorite Rad Onc, the one I send all my patients to, is a DO.

With respect, medicine today is much more difficult to get into and succeed in than it was when you went to medical school.

Many MD's openly admit that there is no way that they would have gotten into medical school in today's world with all the competition.

The fact is, Radiation Oncology will be very difficult to get into as a DO today.

Maybe 10-15 years ago it was different, but now, medical students today are smarter than they ever have been.

 

[Rendar5]

With respect, medicine today is much more difficult to get into and succeed in than it was when you went to medical school.

Many MD's openly admit that there is no way that they would have gotten into medical school in today's world with all the competition.

The fact is, Radiation Oncology will be very difficult to get into as a DO today.

Maybe 10-15 years ago it was different, but now, medical students today are smarter than they ever have been.

umm..med students today are smarter than they were 10-15 years ago and there's more competition to get into residencies than there were 10-15 years ago??? I mean I'm a med student today so I don't mind being complimented, but I never really heard this before. And as for residencies being harder to get into, doesn't that really have to do with the specific residency? because I know plenty that are both harder and easier to get into than they used to be. Hell my own field changes between relatively easy and relatively hard each year i've been told by a few northeast program directors.

 

[Medicinewarrior]

it sounds like your heart is pointing towards the DO school

i had tom ake a similar choice, went DO and still got into a great university allopathic residency

follow yer heart, you may even be top of your class with all that family support compared to far md

 

[Winged Scapula]

umm..med students today are smarter than they were 10-15 years ago and there's more competition to get into residencies than there were 10-15 years ago??? I mean I'm a med student today so I don't mind being complimented, but I never really heard this before. And as for residencies being harder to get into, doesn't that really have to do with the specific residency? because I know plenty that are both harder and easier to get into than they used to be. Hell my own field changes between relatively easy and relatively hard each year i've been told by a few northeast program directors.

His comment was almost certainly directed at me and not based on any real data - upset because I and some other Mods cracked down on his trolling the forums.

 

[Boxer1]

Hey! I'm probably going to get a slap on the wrist for posting in here because I'm only a naive pre-med but I wanted some input from actual physicians. I've recently been accepted to both an MD and DO program. The DO school is in my home state (and a better school than the MD, in my opinion), will save me tons of money and is close to my family, friends and fiance. I was really really excited to start!

Until I found SDN

Is the rampant DO discrimination seen on this website what it's really like to be a DO? I'm hoping it's just a pre-med phenomenon, but am I right?

Thoughts?

The MD/DO questions is asked regularly, and is always difficult to answer. You will hear a lot of opinions and case studies. It's important for you to ask the question and get advice from others, but the value of that advice is limited. I can envision many different situations in which being an MD would be the right thing for you, and many other situations in which being a DO would be the right thing for you, and many in which it would not make a significant difference either way. I'm of the opinion that for most, it doesn't matter a whole lot so picking the right school circumstances rather than the degree that school offers is usually the best choice.

The advice you will get from others is always shaped by their own biases, desires and experiences, which are unique to them. I had a long discussion with a fellow resident yesterday about his dilema deciding between an academic career vs private practice. His point was that he has never done either, so how can he decide. That point is true for everyone at every step of medical education. When you're a premed, you think you want to be a doctor by the exposure you have to it. Whether the exposure is extensive or limited, it is always less than optimal. When you're a med student you think you want to do a certain specialty, based on limited knowledge and exposure. When applying for jobs, you make decisions based on limited information. You won't know for sure if you will be happy with all of these decisions until you're a practicing specialist, and unfortunately there are some people who make decisions that they regret.

When making decisions, look at what others tell you and weigh their advice based on how much you think their desires, motivations and interests match yours. An anonymous website is not a place from which to gather strong evidence. Next, be honest with yourself about what you really want, and make a decision accordingly. You're decision will be based on an imperfect understanding of all the circumstances, but doing your homework and being honest with yourself will minimize the chance of making a decision with which you will be unhappy. Statistically, your chances of ending up in a low to moderately competitive field is likely, regardless of the degree you earn, so the degree you recieve will not have much sway in that outcome. Pick what's right for you.

Good luck.

 

[rgerwin]

So, different isn't always worse. I go to a DO school, and there are things I love about it that I would never have expected. I love love love healing with my hands. I drained my husband's sinuses last night and fixed his uneven breathing. That's amazing. In some ways, DO school is harder, b/c it is normal med school Plus hundreds of hours of OMM.

I spent many years working in high-powered academic labs. I cannot say that a DO physician has caught up with MDs as far as ultra-competitive academics, but things are changing all the time. There are still some residencies that won't accept DOs, but I can;t imagine why anyone would want to pander to their arrogance. We had people match this year into Opthamology, ortho, rads, anaesthesia, and into places like Johns Hopkins. Many places are even starting to accept COMLEX scores, though not quite as much as I would like so I'm still taking the USMLEs. I have met so many people that wouldn't go to an MD if somebody paid them, b/c they love their DO so much. Nothing is absolute, do what is best for you. It will still be up to you to be a great doctor, no matter where you go. Choosing more debt for an MD, I think is a really stupid reason.

 

[dragonfly99]

I agree with neurodropout, but gutonc has some great points.
Also as mentioned above, I think that you should at least consider the cost of attendance as a factor in your decision. It is also important that you be happy at the school you attend as well...if you think you'll be miserable at that particular MD school, you might not do well, which will not lead to happiness or a good residency.

If you think there is even a moderate chance that you want to subspecialize in one of the more competitive surgical fields, I think you should strongly consider MD. I just don't see many DO's in those fields. DO's also won't make it into derm or radiology allopathic residency, for them most part, but I know they have their own derm residencies (likely rads as well) and they might not be any harder to get into (? might be easier).

I don't think it should be a decision solely of MD vs. DO school. You say that the DO school seems like a much better fit to you. Why is that? If you told us a little more about your career goals, and the two schools, maybe we would be more helpful.

There are some fields like physical medicine/rehab or rheumatology where I could see DO training being more relevant/useful than MD training.

In regards to your original ?, yes, I think there is still some discrimination against DO's, particularly at certain hospitals in certain fields. Also, remember that if you go DO and then want an allopathic residency, you'd probably have to take the COMLEX and USMLE both, which would be a pain to study for whole sets of exams, IMHO.

I'm from the Midwest and we have a lot of DO's, particularly in primary care, and I don't really see that it's much of a problem in terms of them experiencing discrimination. Gutonc does have a point about patients, though...they are generally clueless about residency and tend to put too much stock on the doctor having attended a "name" school. That's for the patients who even ask or know about medical schools...a lot will never even ask you. Other docs will generally respect you if you do your job well and seem to know what you are doing....

 

[AltonBrown]

Thank you all for your input, I really really appreciate it. As far as careers go, I want to do primary care in underserved areas and the DO school is fortunate enough to have a hospital on campus with plenty of residency opportunities. Reading all of your comments and honestly thinking about what I want in life, I think I've made the decision to forgo the MD degree.

I think the best point made is that as an aspiring physician, you are constantly forced to make decisions with incomplete information. I guess sometimes we just have to hope for the best.

 

[VMSmith]

Sounds like the right decision for you. Good luck!

PS: Love your show on the food network 😉

 

[Doctor Bob]

Besides, if you change your mind later, you can always go online and get an MD degree. You can't get a DO degree online.

... of course, it's a worthless MD degree and won't get you a residency anywhere in the US in any field, and "graduates" from that university are statutorily banned from getting a license in 5+ states, but hey, you can still call yourself MD...

 

[Gold 5]

it sounds like your heart is pointing towards the DO school

i had tom ake a similar choice, went DO and still got into a great university allopathic residency

follow yer heart, you may even be top of your class with all that family support compared to far md

Just finishing year 1 (DO) & I can't tell you how important family support is for all the little things that pop up in life. Best of luck

 

[dragonfly99]

If you want to do rural primary care, the DO school might suit your purposes better. It sounds like your heart is there as well. For primary care residencies, I don't see where having a DO would hold you back, even if you choose an allopathic residency (or if you don't).

A DO hospital in your home region that has an on campus hospital and is an established DO school sounds like a good plan. Is it Kirksville, MO?

I think I might wonder about going to a new DO school that just opened (especially that one that is for-profit....not sure what I think about that) but an established school with a track record of getting people into good primary care residencies, and one that has its own teaching hospital, I would not worry about.

 

[theKirk]

to reiterate: all these responses will in some form be shaped by personal experience and bias, like it or not.


That being said - graduating from a DO school in a month.
My student loan amount is vastly more than my friends at public MD school in my state.
VASTLY.
My biased answer at this point is go MD if it's public.


Lastly, I just want to say the word VASTLY one more time for emphasis.

 

[countthestars]

Save yourself the trouble and get the MD.

 

[dragonfly99]

Thekirk,
I think the OP said that the DO school would be cheaper.
I agree that cost should factor in, if both schools are solid. IMHO it is crazy how much many of the DO schools and the private MD med school charge for tuition...I paid 33k/year to go to a private MD school in the early 2000's...it costs much more even now. It IS crazy.

I would opt for a state MD school over a more expensive DO school as well, unless the OP has a very compelling reason for thinking the DO school will be a much better fit. For the OP it sounds like the MD school is actually more expensive. For primary care, both schools likely will get the OP where the OP wants to be, career-wise.

 

[Hernandez]

Thank you all for your input, I really really appreciate it. As far as careers go, I want to do primary care in underserved areas and the DO school is fortunate enough to have a hospital on campus with plenty of residency opportunities. Reading all of your comments and honestly thinking about what I want in life, I think I've made the decision to forgo the MD degree.

MD/DO asside. If you are really sure about Pimary care, go to the school which is the cheapest for you to attend. I know a few Primary Care DOs who at least say they make an aditional 15k/year simply by doing some OMT.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

The MD/DO debate has been around as long as SDN and yes most of the stuff on pre-allo is drivel and claptrap. I went to a DO school and would do it again in a second. It got me exactly the residency I wanted at a pretty good place.

BUT, bias still exists some places and certain residencies are harder to get and some are nigh impossible. If you can bear the expense, family stuff and geography then MD gives you the most leverage in the future.

Also, remember that most students change their mind regarding specialties. I know I did, and I would have swore I would never change my mind.

 

[peppy]

Well, I'm glad to hear that there are even DO rad oncs out there...it's just one of the fields where I would expect being a DO to be an uphill battle (but the same would be true even for most MDs who want to go into that).

As far as careers go, I want to do primary care in underserved areas

If you're confident that is what you want to do, I think you're making the right choice by picking the DO school. I don't think anyone would deny that DOs are well trained in primary care and that there are many good, solid primary care DO residencies.
On the issue of whether the training of MDs and DOs is "the same" or not, I took both the USMLE and the COMLEX, and I felt that my DO school had prepared me well for both exams.
As for patients, I don't think that most patients really notice if their doctor is a DO or an MD. To most patients, anyone with a white coat on is just "Doctor". To whatever extent that being a DO vs. MD matters, by the time you start internship (like I'm about to), it really doesn't matter anymore. 🙂
Congrats on getting into med school!

 

[dragonfly99]

arch's point is not unimportant.
Lots and lots and lots of students do change their minds about what specialty they want. I'm not sure that changing one's mind about WHERE one wants to practice (i.e. rural vs. urban or big city area) is as likely to change though. It's just that sometimes somebody thinks they want to do primary care (or surgery, or some other specialty) and then gets to 3rd and 4th year and finds they don't enjoy the process of doing that specialty, or they hate the personalities in that particular specialty, etc. It's an important point for premeds to consider.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

The bias exists and is more widespread than alot of SDNers will admit.

You do not want to limit your options this early in the game. If you go to DO school and decide...

"hey, I want to do family practice" -- you're fine
"man, I really like emergency medicine" -- you're probably ok
"surgery is just awesome" -- good luck cracking into a good academic program
"I love ortho and want to go to a very academic program" -- you're f******

If the last comes through then you return to SDN in 4 years to gripe about how unfair the system is. Spare yourself the trouble. If you think you know exactly what you want to do as a pre-med -- there's about an 80% chance you're wrong.

High powered academic hospitals with lots of NIH dollars are usually relatively devoid of DOs. Your friend's roomate's uncle who is a DO neurosurgeon at Mayo does not disprove this point.

The question to ask DOs is not "are you doing exactly what you wanted to do?" but "do you think you COULD have done ANYTHING you wanted to do?"



NB: I don't give a crap where you got your medical degree or what letters are after your name. I have been cared for by DO physicians and had good experiences. I respect and value the activities of my DO colleagues. I have no vested interest in where anyone goes to school but if a friend was sitting in front of me asking this question this is how I would respond.

 

[Tigerz_Fan]

You have a tough decision ahead of you, and I wish you the best of luck.

I completely agree with previous posters, and that you need to make a decision in what is best for YOU!

I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side of multiple DO's in various fields, and I must say that they are remarkable physicians.

Whatever your choice, MD vs DO, you will be given an education that is second to none, and also have the opportunity to pursue your dream.

 

[Rendar5]

wow, can't believe i missed your name the first time around, AB. Since you rock, you'll be a success wherever you go. Just keep recording 😉

 

[Doctor Grim]

To me, DO/MD are the same. But in the perspective of making a decision, you have to think about what you want to do with your career in medicine.

My interest is primary care/Integrative Medicine so sometimes I think I should have gone the DO route because I have been learning about manual medicine techniques, counter-strain..etc recently and I was amazed at how helpful this is may be to some patients and therefore they don't need NSAIDs or narcotics for some musculoskeletal pain.

Sometimes I wonder why DOs can do allopathic residencies and MDs can't do osteopathic residencies 😕

 

[jonb12997]

I didn't read this whole thing, so I'm going to answer the OP's question....

If you like it better, go to the cheaper school. I have absolutely loved my school, I'm coming out $250k+ in debt and am sorta wishing I would have pushed to get into a cheaper state school.

If you have your heart set on a particular big name high end competative residency at a big name academic medical center, you probably should go MD IMHO, however if you work hard and get good grades and good LOR from your DO school (and take the USMLE), you'll be fine.

 

[Taurus]

At this moment, you may think that you want to do primary care in an underserved community. However, by the end of medical school, you may (very likely) change your mind and want to do something like derm, ENT, plastics, rads, rad onc, etc. If you do DO, you will have a very hard time getting into one of these specialties. I would do MD just so you don't close the doors for yourself. You can always do primary care in an underserved community with an MD.

In my med school, guy who was most gung-ho for gen surgery decided in 4th year to switch to anesthesiology. Ironically, the guy who was also most gung-ho for FM also switched to anesthesiology.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I think it's because people inherently criticize what is different and uncommone, i.e. the D.O. Also, M.D. has that stigma, although fastly deteriorating, whereby people see the M.D. and think "omg, he's a doctor." People now seem more to think "my doctor's an *******." Perhaps there is also the problem with premeds busting a hump and forgoing a real life in order to get accepted to another academic program, i.e. medical school. In turn, they look down on D.O.s and D.O. applicants because that group has problem done other things and had more life experiences than the M.D.s.

I really don't care if I go to Bill's School of Doctoring or wherever. If I get the knowledge and and credentials (diploma, license, and board cert.) to do the job then I'm happy. If I get multiple options then I'll select either the closets or cheapest, and preferably those will go hand in hand. I also hope I never assume that "I'm better than thou" personality that most premeds have.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

In turn, they look down on D.O.s and D.O. applicants because that group has problem done other things and had more life experiences than the M.D.s.

wtf? where did you get that from? DO's have more life experience and have done other things??

In a perfect world, it wouldn't matter, but I have heard so many attendings saying things like "we don't take DO's" and "oh, but he is a DO". If you want to be a PCP, I don't think it matters at all, but as others have pointed out, if you are interested in a competitive specialty, or are interested in going to a hoity-toity conservative "world class" program, you will have a serious uphill battle.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

wtf? where did you get that from? DO's have more life experience and have done other things??

In a perfect world, it wouldn't matter, but I have heard so many attendings saying things like "we don't take DO's" and "oh, but he is a DO". If you want to be a PCP, I don't think it matters at all, but as others have pointed out, if you are interested in a competitive specialty, or are interested in going to a hoity-toity conservative "world class" program, you will have a serious uphill battle.

Well, yeah, usually if you read the backgrounds of D.O.'s a greater proportion of them are older thus have engaged in other life opportunities beyond academics.

 

[EternalMD]

Well, yeah, usually if you read the backgrounds of D.O.'s a greater proportion of them are older thus have engaged in other life opportunities beyond academics.

That is utter BS

 

[ArkansasRanger]

That is utter BS

Well, I guess in general their biographies are B.S. then eh?

 

[EternalMD]

There were plenty of people in my class who were non-traditional with PLENTY of life experiences but their backgrounds aren't plastered all over the internet as I am assuming the places are where you are getting your information (or maybe talking about your own personal experience) - also, how reading biographies of select students from a few schools makes you come to your conclusion is beyond me. I already get the sense you're leaning towards an osteopathic school based on previous posts, which is all good an all but it goes against your earlier statements about one group looking down on another (since osteopaths have experienced more in this world than their allopath counterparts it seems)