I want to go DO but...

[CriminalBoss]

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Hey guys,

I have been following this forum for about a year now and I read a lot about your discussions on "MD vs DO" and to be honest my family care physician is a DO and he is the best Doctor me and my family have ever had so I am not against DO. I am posting here finally (to be honest you guys scare me so don't kill me now haha) because I shadowed both MD and DO and I read on the DO philosophy, looked into MD and DO schools and I absolutely LOVE the DO philosophy and their approach to certain treatment. My biggest concern is this tho, I am 90% sure I want to get into surgery, in between Neuro, CT or Trauma and the other 10% is in between Internal medicine or OBGYN with specialty in Neonatal surgery. I really want to go to DO but I personally want your opinion on whether I will be able to ( if I study my behind off I know that) specialize in any of those area that interest me. I think what scares me is that I keep reading a lot on the Pre-allo section that some specialties are closed off to DO's but I want YOUR opinion on it.
A little about me:

Junior in college
3.62 cGPA
3.5sGPA

taking the MCAT in May and applying in the 2015 cycle

150+ tutoring
80+ Hours of TA
70+ hours of volunteering

50 hours shadowing DO
12 hours shadowing MD
1 year of research internship and when that ended i picked up a research opportunity with my Orgo 2 professor and I have been doing that for 7 months now
Rugby player at my college, I was on the board for the Rugby team as a match secretary for 1 year( talking witht he conference and setting up dates for games, tounaments etc...)


I feel like I am capable of getting into a US MD school but like i stated above, I really do want to go DO unless I will not be able to reach my goals.


Thanks for all your help guys

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Your gpa and ec are merely average for the better DO schools, so don't be surprised if it's harder to get in than you expect. Take the mcat and that'll be how you know where to apply.

 

[SFU]

Is that all you have for ECs? Do you have any leadership roles, campus involvments or any clinical experience?

Though if you are a high end athlete for Rugby, then that may make up for it since that may require 20-30 hours a week for training/games

 

[DrEnderW]

Obviously apply to MD and DO and do whatever you can to kill the MCAT.

There aren't many integrated CT residencies (ACGME only) and Trauma is a fellowship after a GS residencies. You could very realistically match GS (ACGME or AOA) as a DO and pursue a fellowship in CT, vascular, or trauma after that. For neurosurg, there are not many spots on the AOA side compared to MD but there also are not a lot of applicants. The match rate for MD going ACGME vs DO going AOA neurosurg is around 15% higher on the MD side (don't quote me I didn't feel like re-checking). You definitely won't be matching ACMGE NS as a DO. Either way, you have to be a rockstar applicant to match NS on either side which isn't something to concern yourself with now. The same can be said for integrated CT.

IM obviously wouldn't be a problem and I don't know much about OB/GYN fellowships.

The real message here should be that it's way too early to really have a handle on what specialty you're going to pursue. Also, you are years away from having your board scores, LORs, research, etc which is going to either keep doors open or closed. It's very possible to pursue surgery as a DO but I would personally take an MD offer (as long as it's a school that works for you) because there are more options open.

 

[CriminalBoss]

Is that all you have for ECs? Do you have any leadership roles, campus involvments or any clinical experience?

Though if you are a high end athlete for Rugby, then that may make up for it since that may require 20-30 hours a week for training/games

My volunteering is currently in a free clinic and the 70+ hours meaning I do it 4 hrs/week and it is still going on so I knocked out volunteering and clinical in one.
For campus involvment I only play Rugby and that with 18 credit hours and tutoring and TA is as much as i can put on my plate and still get grades.
For leadship roles I thought Tutoring and teacher assistant in Organic was considered leadership role?

I know my ECs aren't the best, I'll try expanding them.

 

[CriminalBoss]

Your gpa and ec are merely average for the better DO schools, so don't be surprised if it's harder to get in than you expect. Take the mcat and that'll be how you know where to apply.

I wasn't saying it is easier to get into DO I know I am about average, I just wanted an opinion 🙂

 

[bionerd89]

Hey guys,

I have been following this forum for about a year now and I read a lot about your discussions on "MD vs DO" and to be honest my family care physician is a DO and he is the best Doctor me and my family have ever had so I am not against DO. I am posting here finally (to be honest you guys scare me so don't kill me now haha) because I shadowed both MD and DO and I read on the DO philosophy, looked into MD and DO schools and I absolutely LOVE the DO philosophy and their approach to certain treatment. My biggest concern is this tho, I am 90% sure I want to get into surgery, in between Neuro, CT or Trauma and the other 10% is in between Internal medicine or OBGYN with specialty in Neonatal surgery. I really want to go to DO but I personally want your opinion on whether I will be able to ( if I study my behind off I know that) specialize in any of those area that interest me. I think what scares me is that I keep reading a lot on the Pre-allo section that some specialties are closed off to DO's but I want YOUR opinion on it.
A little about me:

Junior in college
3.62 cGPA
3.5sGPA

taking the MCAT in May and applying in the 2015 cycle

150+ tutoring
80+ Hours of TA
70+ hours of volunteering

50 hours shadowing DO
12 hours shadowing MD
1 year of research internship and when that ended i picked up a research opportunity with my Orgo 2 professor and I have been doing that for 7 months now
Rugby player at my college, I was on the board for the Rugby team as a match secretary for 1 year( talking witht he conference and setting up dates for games, tounaments etc...)


I feel like I am capable of getting into a US MD school but like i stated above, I really do want to go DO unless I will not be able to reach my goals.


Thanks for all your help guys

Definitely take your MCAT and then make your decisions..your GPA and EC are slightly below average for MD schools ..unless your state MD school has lower stats or if you're URM

 

[mke520]

to be honest your sGPA is on the lower end for MD schools and your cGPA is average at best for some MD schools. you'll have to score a minimum of 30 on the MCAT to be somewhat competitive, more like a 31+ with your GPAs but for DO schools you'll get plenty of acceptances with a 26+ with your GPAs which is great to know. If for some reason you can't hit the 30+ mark on the MCAT then I would say focus your attention to the DO schools regardless of which specialty you "think" you want to do, and even if you do score 30+ on the MCAT I would still apply to both (MD and DO) and see which school is bet for YOU.

now to answer your question: the only MD residency that I am aware of that DO students do not typically get, if ever, is neurosurgery. Can a DO become a neurosurgeon? Absolutely! The AOA has neurosurgery residencies that only DOs can apply to. You can do an MD general surgery residency as a DO and then follow up with a MD CT fellowship or you can do a DO general surgery residency with a DO CT fellowship, same for trauma. So if you become a DO are you going to get a MD neurosurgery residency? probably not, but that's OK because you can go the AOA route. again, as a DO you can apply to either MD or DO residencies for ob/gyn, peds with a fellowship in neonatology, or general surgery with whatever fellowship . Regardless of what type of doctor you want to be one day, you can do it as a DO or MD but it's on YOU to pull off the usmle/comlex scores and to build up your resume to get into the residency program you want. so if you really like the DO schools then go DO but just remember that for some of the more competitive MD residencies (particularly surgical residencies) that you might have pull off higher usmle scores, extra research, or something that will impress them to accept you over other MD applicants. so being a DO doesn't restrict you at all (except MD neurosurgery), it can just makes it a more difficult to land competitive MD residencies. hope that helps. good luck

 

[DoctorKrieger]

I keep reading a lot on the Pre-allo section

First rule of SDN: Stay out of the pre-allo section.


The above posters are correct. Don't go into med school thinking you're going to match Hopkins NS, that's a stretch no matter where you graduate. Plenty of DO students, contrary to popular SDN belief, chose DO over MD for various reasons. If you want to be DO, go DO and don't look back.

 

[Mad Jack]

The previous posters nailed it. Get your MCAT then decide. If you think you are leaning toward the competitive specialties, go MD if you can, but also be aware that many people that want to do surgery are completely turned off by it once they are exposed to the lifestyle.

And don't be afraid of the posters on SDN, they are mostly harmless. They can't hurt you if you don't let them.

 

[OMS_Eric]

You are talking about very specific specialties that will not only require residency, but also fellowship, and likely internship, too. As far as residency goes, you will not have a problem getting a neurology, surgery, internal med residency as a DO. There are a lot of high-caliber institutions (Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, etc.) that are DO friendly. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you like DO philosophy, go DO. Otherwise, you will always wonder what you could've experienced if you had gone the DO route and chose MD instead.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I wasn't saying it is easier to get into DO I know I am about average, I just wanted an opinion 🙂

But it is easier. Unfortunately, you're still at the average of those easier. I'm not trying to put a negative connotation on anything. I just want you to be realistic about your chances.

 

[drcrispmd]

Don't listen to the pre-med students on this forum that say DO is only primary care. There are AOA residencies in the specialties you want. You also have the advantage of applying to the MD match as well. If you like the DO philosophy, then go to DO. Do your research and see what schools match more residents in the specialty you choose. I am MD, but work with a lot of DO. We have DO in our residency. Some of our attendings are DO. Some of the DO I work with chose DO for various reasons (same as yours, reputation of school, school in home town). Do not let pre-med students who have no experience with residencies or the match tell you DO can't do xyz or only people who could not get into MD go to DO. Good Luck. Work hard and you can do it!

Here is a site that may help: http://opportunities.osteopathic.org/search/search.cfm
The DO residencies are labeled as AOA, MD as ACGME. Some programs across the nation are dual accredited.

 

[sylvanthus]

I too went into DO school for the "philosophy." But, then quickly realized it was bunk. When we took cardiology, we did cardiology, not a "holistic" version of cardiology. Micro, was micro, pharm was pharm. The only difference was OMT, which has questionable validity in limited circumstances. So, do not go to DO school for the philosophy. EVERYONE now claims to treat the whole person/focus on preventive medicine, etc etc etc, nurses, naturopaths, chiropractors, even MDs are on that bandwagon now. This is absolutely not unique to DOs. So the true difference between MD and DO? OMT, plain and simple.

The philosophy is smoke and mirrors used for advertising to naive premeds. No offense, I was one too.

 

[mke520]

I too went into DO school for the "philosophy." But, then quickly realized it was bunk. When we took cardiology, we did cardiology, not a "holistic" version of cardiology. Micro, was micro, pharm was pharm. The only difference was OMT, which has questionable validity in limited circumstances. So, do not go to DO school for the philosophy. EVERYONE now claims to treat the whole person/focus on preventive medicine, etc etc etc, nurses, naturopaths, chiropractors, even MDs are on that bandwagon now. This is absolutely not unique to DOs. So the true difference between MD and DO? OMT, plain and simple.

The philosophy is smoke and mirrors used for advertising to naive premeds. No offense, I was one too.

Completely agree with this statement about the "philosophy" of DO schools. There is pretty much no difference now a day between a DO and a MD school curriculum or philosophy. I would say that DO schools try to push primary care somewhat harder than MD schools, but their philosophies are very similar. For example, I went to both Marian-COM and IU for interviews and the curriculum that Marian-COM has now is the curriculum that IU will be changing to within the next year to two (the two schools are working together which is pretty awesome to see a MD and a DO school collaborate together to improve their medical education and the medical care within their state) Therefore, Marian-COM uses the curriculum, or very similar curriculum, to that IU set-up for themselves that they'll be using in the near future. The only real difference between these two curriculums is the added class of OMM at Marian-COM. This "holistic care" and "we care for the whole patient not just the symptoms" stuff that DO schools proclaim to the world is getting a bit old because if your a good doctor, MD or DO, you're going to treat the "whole patient" and give them the best medical attention you can give. I'm most likely going DO starting in the Fall of 14 and love the DO schools I've been accepted to, but I do believe DO schools need to take a bit of a chill pill with all the "we take care of the whole patient" and "osteopathic philosophy" stuff. I know they mean well, but the difference between a DO and MD school nowadays is so minimal that there is no real difference in the education you receive. I think MDs and DOs need to merge together now because of the fact of how similar they are, just my $0.02.

 

[drcrispmd]

Completely agree with this statement about the "philosophy" of DO schools. There is pretty much no difference now a day between a DO and a MD school curriculum or philosophy. I would say that DO schools try to push primary care somewhat harder than MD schools, but their philosophies are very similar. For example, I went to both Marian-COM and IU for interviews and the curriculum that Marian-COM has now is the curriculum that IU will be changing to within the next year to two (the two schools are working together which is pretty awesome to see a MD and a DO school collaborate together to improve their medical education and the medical care within their state) Therefore, Marian-COM uses the curriculum, or very similar curriculum, to that IU set-up for themselves that they'll be using in the near future. The only real difference between these two curriculums is the added class of OMM at Marian-COM. This "holistic care" and "we care for the whole patient not just the symptoms" stuff that DO schools proclaim to the world is getting a bit old because if your a good doctor, MD or DO, you're going to treat the "whole patient" and give them the best medical attention you can give. I'm most likely going DO starting in the Fall of 14 and love the DO schools I've been accepted to, but I do believe DO schools need to take a bit of a chill pill with all the "we take care of the whole patient" and "osteopathic philosophy" stuff. I know they mean well, but the difference between a DO and MD school nowadays is so minimal that there is no real difference in the education you receive. I think MDs and DOs need to merge together now because of the fact of how similar they are, just my $0.02.

Agree and this is coming from an MD. We have DO and MD in my residency. And only difference is they have to do OMT clinic a few times. They had the se classes and rotation in med school. Merging them would make the match easier too. Especially for programs that have to do 2 match lists. I really get irritated when pre med students talk down about DO students like the education in inferior.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

the difference between a DO and MD school nowadays is so minimal that there is no real difference in the education you receive. I think MDs and DOs need to merge together now because of the fact of how similar they are, just my $0.02.

Merge you say? Then who's gonna keep supporting the fat paychecks of those AOA executives. Hmmm????

 

[mke520]

they could keep selling those "what is a DO" books that go on and on about the "we treat the whole person not just the symptoms" philosophy and how OMT is the "best tool in the bag" for a DO a source of income

 

[Goro]

Get into medical school first, then worry about what your specialty will be. Do well in any med school and specialties won't be an issue.

Hey guys,

I have been following this forum for about a year now and I read a lot about your discussions on "MD vs DO" and to be honest my family care physician is a DO and he is the best Doctor me and my family have ever had so I am not against DO. I am posting here finally (to be honest you guys scare me so don't kill me now haha) because I shadowed both MD and DO and I read on the DO philosophy, looked into MD and DO schools and I absolutely LOVE the DO philosophy and their approach to certain treatment. My biggest concern is this tho, I am 90% sure I want to get into surgery, in between Neuro, CT or Trauma and the other 10% is in between Internal medicine or OBGYN with specialty in Neonatal surgery. I really want to go to DO but I personally want your opinion on whether I will be able to ( if I study my behind off I know that) specialize in any of those area that interest me. I think what scares me is that I keep reading a lot on the Pre-allo section that some specialties are closed off to DO's but I want YOUR opinion on it.
A little about me:

Junior in college
3.62 cGPA
3.5sGPA

taking the MCAT in May and applying in the 2015 cycle

150+ tutoring
80+ Hours of TA
70+ hours of volunteering

50 hours shadowing DO
12 hours shadowing MD
1 year of research internship and when that ended i picked up a research opportunity with my Orgo 2 professor and I have been doing that for 7 months now
Rugby player at my college, I was on the board for the Rugby team as a match secretary for 1 year( talking witht he conference and setting up dates for games, tounaments etc...)


I feel like I am capable of getting into a US MD school but like i stated above, I really do want to go DO unless I will not be able to reach my goals.


Thanks for all your help guys

 

[notbobtrustme]

you're fine for either degree path. Your MCAT will determine how competitive you will be.

30+ -> MD with a broad application should not be a problem.

 

[scoKraz4]

Take the MCAT, apply to both DO/MD, and go to the school that you think you will be happiest in. No matter what route you choose, you will have to work hard. No matter what route you choose you will be a doctor.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Hey guys,

I have been following this forum for about a year now and I read a lot about your discussions on "MD vs DO" and to be honest my family care physician is a DO and he is the best Doctor me and my family have ever had so I am not against DO. I am posting here finally (to be honest you guys scare me so don't kill me now haha) because I shadowed both MD and DO and I read on the DO philosophy, looked into MD and DO schools and I absolutely LOVE the DO philosophy and their approach to certain treatment. My biggest concern is this tho, I am 90% sure I want to get into surgery, in between Neuro, CT or Trauma and the other 10% is in between Internal medicine or OBGYN with specialty in Neonatal surgery. I really want to go to DO but I personally want your opinion on whether I will be able to ( if I study my behind off I know that) specialize in any of those area that interest me. I think what scares me is that I keep reading a lot on the Pre-allo section that some specialties are closed off to DO's but I want YOUR opinion on it.
A little about me:

Junior in college
3.62 cGPA
3.5sGPA

taking the MCAT in May and applying in the 2015 cycle

150+ tutoring
80+ Hours of TA
70+ hours of volunteering

50 hours shadowing DO
12 hours shadowing MD
1 year of research internship and when that ended i picked up a research opportunity with my Orgo 2 professor and I have been doing that for 7 months now
Rugby player at my college, I was on the board for the Rugby team as a match secretary for 1 year( talking witht he conference and setting up dates for games, tounaments etc...)


I feel like I am capable of getting into a US MD school but like i stated above, I really do want to go DO unless I will not be able to reach my goals.


Thanks for all your help guys

I've talked to REAL DOs and REAL MDs and they said going DO is perfectly fine. I know of many surgeons who are DO. Pre-allo are a bunch of stuck-up pre med students or trolls. I think I would stick to the reality.... Some specialties are HARDER to get as a DO maybe but not entirely closed off.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Get into medical school first, then worry about what your specialty will be. Do well in any med school and specialties won't be an issue.

+1

 

[sylvanthus]

I've talked to REAL DOs and REAL MDs and they said going DO is perfectly fine. I know of many surgeons who are DO. Pre-allo are a bunch of stuck-up pre med students or trolls. I think I would stick to the reality.... Some specialties are HARDER to get as a DO maybe but not entirely closed off.

Some specialties being harder is not "perfectly fine." Neither is having to screw around with resolution 42 to be licensed in certain states after doing an MD residency, or being forced to be an AOA member to get board certified if doing a DO residency. Talk to me when you've been through the process and are not a pre-med calling "REAL DOs", which I am, trolls in this thread.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Some specialties being harder is not "perfectly fine." Neither is having to screw around with resolution 42 to be licensed in certain states after doing an MD residency, or being forced to be an AOA member to get board certified if doing a DO residency. Talk to me when you've been through the process and are not a pre-med calling "REAL DOs", which I am, trolls in this thread.

I know of many established DOs in real life and have been around doctors, MDs and DOs, all my life. But we are entitled to our opinions.

 

[Hemorrage]

you're fine for either degree path. Your MCAT will determine how competitive you will be.

30+ -> MD with a broad application should not be a problem.

Don't think you can really say that for sure these days.. there are plenty of ppl with 31-32+ that don't get in any MD

 

[user3]

Don't think you can really say that for sure these days.. there are plenty of ppl with 31-32+ that don't get in any MD

acceptance rate for 3.6-3.7/30-32 to MD school = 68%. For 3.4-3.5/30-32, only 50%. Decent chances, but NOT great.

 

[Hemorrage]

acceptance rate for 3.6-3.7/30-32 to MD school = 68%. For 3.4-3.5/30-32, only 50%. Decent chances, but NOT great.

TBT i don't think those numbers are a very accurate representation of the current state of affairs. (my estimate is that you need to subtract -20% from both) My pre-med advisor told me 4 years ago, with my stats (3.6/35) i would have gotten into several mid-tier MD schools (the average MCAT was apparently ~30 back then) but now with the large influx of applicants and higher average MCAT score, its become far more challenging. I've interviewed at a few MD schools and a few DO schools.

At all my MD II's i've generally encountered people with far more impressive dossier's than myself (and i consider myself fairly established in all premed regards). At all my DO II's, ive encountered far more competitive applicants than people give credit to DO schools here on SDN. At my last DO interview there was a guy with a 38 on the MCAT. Course he could have been lying, but generally people don't have the guts to lie in person about such a raw metric without hesitation.

Personally i think the largest factor is not the MCAT and GPA increasing, but instead the larger pool of applicants. The 2013-2014 AMCAS cycle was apparently the largest in history ever.

 

[user3]

TBT i don't think those numbers are a very accurate representation of the current state of affairs. (my estimate is that you need to subtract -20% from both) My pre-med advisor told me 4 years ago, with my stats (3.6/35) i would have gotten into several mid-tier MD schools (the average MCAT was apparently ~30 back then) but now with the large influx of applicants and higher average MCAT score, its become far more challenging. I've interviewed at a few MD schools and a few DO schools.

At all my MD II's i've generally encountered people with far more impressive dossier's than myself (and i consider myself fairly established in all premed regards). At all my DO II's, ive encountered far more competitive applicants than people give credit to DO schools here on SDN. At my last DO interview there was a guy with a 38 on the MCAT. Course he could have been lying, but generally people don't have the guts to lie in person about such a raw metric without hesitation.

Personally i think the largest factor is not the MCAT and GPA increasing, but instead the larger pool of applicants. The 2013-2014 AMCAS cycle was apparently the largest in history ever.

Have you been accepted to any MD? I wouldn't be surprised if CCOM posts 3.6/30 for its next class.

 

[Hemorrage]

Have you been accepted to any MD? I wouldn't be surprised if CCOM posts 3.6/30 for its next class.

Not yet. Wait-listed at 2 MD, 2 more interviews to go tho.

 

[bionerd89]

Not yet. Wait-listed at 2 MD, 2 more interviews to go tho.

Wow I am surprised that you are wait-listed even with your stats...did you only apply to high tier MD schools?

It is definitely way more competitive to get into med schools now compared to 5 years ago... I can't imagine how hard it will be for applicants who apply later on..
Wow I cant imagine why you would be waited

 

[user3]

.

 

[Hemorrage]

Wow I am surprised that you are wait-listed even with your stats...did you only apply to high tier MD schools?

It is definitely way more competitive to get into med schools now compared to 5 years ago... I can't imagine how hard it will be for applicants who apply later on..
Wow I cant imagine why you would be waited

Well i wish my GPA was higher for one. Unfortunately i went to an undergraduate school that's notorious for giving out 2-3% A's for courses.

US MD is heading towards Canadian MD in terms of competitiveness, while DO is heading towards MD in terms of competitiveness. Yes, there are still opportunities for 3.2/24 DO applicants, but they are gradually drying up.

Agreed.. its ridiculous.

 

[Skeeks]

But? You want to go DO but...?! Either DO, or DO not, there are no "but"s.

 

[Hemorrage]

But? You want to go DO but...?! Either DO, or DO not, there are no "but"s.

Exactly- lol. The simple fact is that there are simply certain specialities that you will have a much lower chance of matching into (NS comes to mind) simply due to the lack of AOA programs in these fields and that ACGME programs are focused to match MD. But hell, if you look at any medical school match list, the percentage of top tier specialty matches is roughly 5-20% of the entire class depending on the school. This means that those smart people who got into medical school, those who already knew how to work hard, still didn't match top tier. Just like the medical school admissions process, some people come out with riches and others come out with none but most come out somewhere in between. Personally, i think the different degree for DO schools is ******ed but then again i've never been interested in any of the uber competitive specialities so i doubt it would change my job prospects.

 

[Roshan]

TBT i don't think those numbers are a very accurate representation of the current state of affairs. (my estimate is that you need to subtract -20% from both) My pre-med advisor told me 4 years ago, with my stats (3.6/35) i would have gotten into several mid-tier MD schools (the average MCAT was apparently ~30 back then) but now with the large influx of applicants and higher average MCAT score, its become far more challenging. I've interviewed at a few MD schools and a few DO schools.

At all my MD II's i've generally encountered people with far more impressive dossier's than myself (and i consider myself fairly established in all premed regards). At all my DO II's, ive encountered far more competitive applicants than people give credit to DO schools here on SDN. At my last DO interview there was a guy with a 38 on the MCAT. Course he could have been lying, but generally people don't have the guts to lie in person about such a raw metric without hesitation.

Personally i think the largest factor is not the MCAT and GPA increasing, but instead the larger pool of applicants. The 2013-2014 AMCAS cycle was apparently the largest in history ever.

Hey did we meet lol? I have a 38 MCAT, 3.7 GPA and I have been rejected from one of my top DO schools. I am still more than happy to be going to DMU though.

 

[user3]

Hey did we meet lol? I have a 38 MCAT, 3.7 GPA and I have been rejected from one of my top DO schools. I am still more than happy to be going to DMU though.

which DO school? and why no love from MD?

 

[Murph.]

Great stuff on here. It gets really demoralizing to hear talk about DO schools being "an ok plan B... If you can't get into an MD school." And that's coming from undergrad professors, 60-year old MDs, peers, family...... I'm not sure where this even came from. Some will tell you it's no different, while others will tell you it's a downgrade. I personally would be more than ecstatic to go DO. Of all the places I interviewed (both allopathy and osteopathic), I liked one particular DO school best. Thank you guys for shining some light on the topic. I think loud ignorance is the issue.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

another issue is BUMPING AN OLD THREAD from a YEAR ago. Come on man.

 

[Murph.]

Excuse me for being a 2015 applicant looking for relevant information? Bumping *an old thread. Good day to you, sir.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Excuse me for being a 2015 applicant looking for relevant information? Bumping *an old thread. Good day to you, sir.

I apologize. I wish you much luck and good fortune this next cycle.

 

[RunGently]

HE SAID GOOD DAY!

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

HE SAID GOOD DAY!

GOOD DAY TO YOU AS WELL!

 

[RunGently]

GOOD DAY TO YOU AS WELL!

 

[JimmyB123]

Don't think you can really say that for sure these days.. there are plenty of ppl with 31-32+ that don't get in any MD

Yup, I'm living proof of that. You need a 33+ for MD if you have borderline GPAs. A 30 would do nothing.

 

[futuredoc331]

Don't listen to the pre-med students on this forum that say DO is only primary care. There are AOA residencies in the specialties you want. You also have the advantage of applying to the MD match as well. If you like the DO philosophy, then go to DO. Do your research and see what schools match more residents in the specialty you choose. I am MD, but work with a lot of DO. We have DO in our residency. Some of our attendings are DO. Some of the DO I work with chose DO for various reasons (same as yours, reputation of school, school in home town). Do not let pre-med students who have no experience with residencies or the match tell you DO can't do xyz or only people who could not get into MD go to DO. Good Luck. Work hard and you can do it!

Here is a site that may help: http://opportunities.osteopathic.org/search/search.cfm
The DO residencies are labeled as AOA, MD as ACGME. Some programs across the nation are dual accredited.

Please listen to this poster! I am working as an Emergency Room scribe and you'd be surprised how many DO's we interact with on a daily basis. Half of the ED physicians are DO and more than a handful of the physicians we consult / refer to are DOs. One of the ED docs here is a DO and is married to a DO dermatologist. The cardiologist we refer to most often is also a DO. At first I was completely surprised because of all the crap I read on these boards, but in real life DOs are everywhere.

And not that my opinion holds much weight, but the DOs I have worked with are excellent and really stand out when it comes to bed side manner and their treatment of the patient's.

 

[Goro]

Come back when you have your MCAT, then we'll talk.

Hey guys,

I have been following this forum for about a year now and I read a lot about your discussions on "MD vs DO" and to be honest my family care physician is a DO and he is the best Doctor me and my family have ever had so I am not against DO. I am posting here finally (to be honest you guys scare me so don't kill me now haha) because I shadowed both MD and DO and I read on the DO philosophy, looked into MD and DO schools and I absolutely LOVE the DO philosophy and their approach to certain treatment. My biggest concern is this tho, I am 90% sure I want to get into surgery, in between Neuro, CT or Trauma and the other 10% is in between Internal medicine or OBGYN with specialty in Neonatal surgery. I really want to go to DO but I personally want your opinion on whether I will be able to ( if I study my behind off I know that) specialize in any of those area that interest me. I think what scares me is that I keep reading a lot on the Pre-allo section that some specialties are closed off to DO's but I want YOUR opinion on it.
A little about me:

Junior in college
3.62 cGPA
3.5sGPA

taking the MCAT in May and applying in the 2015 cycle

150+ tutoring
80+ Hours of TA
70+ hours of volunteering

50 hours shadowing DO
12 hours shadowing MD
1 year of research internship and when that ended i picked up a research opportunity with my Orgo 2 professor and I have been doing that for 7 months now
Rugby player at my college, I was on the board for the Rugby team as a match secretary for 1 year( talking witht he conference and setting up dates for games, tounaments etc...)


I feel like I am capable of getting into a US MD school but like i stated above, I really do want to go DO unless I will not be able to reach my goals.


Thanks for all your help guys

 

[igor_raptor]

@Goro you've already given him advice like a year ago! Haha