if DO = MD then why to have twe separate schools?

[Creightonite]

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Well, I understood that DO and MD get the same lisensing to practice. Then the question is that why having two different kinds of of school if they essentially do that same thing. DO's concept "treat the whole patient, not just a disease" is not really made up by DO. Medicine as whole (including DOs and MDs) is designed to do this.

Having a brand new DO field just because of a couple manipulation classes does not really make sense, unless there are deeper reasons. Also, it sounds like that any MD can reach DO if they want to (just take those manipulation classes).

Also if they are similar like I think, why is MD is more competetive to get into than DO? I am afraid that if I go DO route i will limit myself to the future opportunities that MDs might have.

 

[gotmeds?]

This should be fun. Or tedious. One of the two.

 

[spicedmanna]

Please, no more! Think of the poor horses!

OP, the questions you are posing have been asked quite a few times (in fact, there are current threads that address them); please do some very basic research, read the FAQ up top, do a search, go shadow and talk to practicing DO's, and read www.do-online.org.

 

[StrengthDoc]

Well, I understood that DO and MD get the same lisensing to practice.

Wrong. They have the same practice rights, but do not necessarily complete the same licensing examinations.

Then the question is that why having two different kinds of of school if they essentially do that same thing. DO's concept "treat the whole patient, not just a disease" is not really made up by DO. Medicine as whole (including DOs and MDs) is designed to do this.

Pointless to debate whether there are in fact are differences in philosophy.

Having a brand new DO field just because of a couple manipulation classes does not really make sense, unless there are deeper reasons. Also, it sounds like that any MD can reach DO if they want to (just take those manipulation classes).

Over a century qualifies as "brand new"?? Who knew?

Also if they are similar like I think, why is MD is more competetive to get into than DO? I am afraid that if I go DO route i will limit myself to the future opportunities that MDs might have.

A main reason might be people, like yourself, who don't take any time to learn the facts.


Don't know if you are trolling or just very uninformed. In case it is just the latter:

http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ost_omed

http://www.aacom.org/

 

[spicedmanna]

Well, I understood that DO and MD get the same lisensing to practice. Then the question is that why having two different kinds of of school if they essentially do that same thing. DO's concept "treat the whole patient, not just a disease" is not really made up by DO. Medicine as whole (including DOs and MDs) is designed to do this.

It's historical. You still seem to lack a basic understanding of the history and principles of osteopathic medicine. There are plenty of resources available to address the questions you have; please use them, if you want to learn more.

Having a brand new DO field just because of a couple manipulation classes does not really make sense, unless there are deeper reasons. Also, it sounds like that any MD can reach DO if they want to (just take those manipulation classes).

Again, you are lacking knowledge, and your statements are inaccurate. It might help for you to visit an osteopathic medical school and/or talk to a practicing DO.

Also if they are similar like I think, why is MD is more competetive to get into than DO? I am afraid that if I go DO route i will limit myself to the future opportunities that MDs might have.

This has been asked and answered. One answer I have heard before is that there are many more allopathic applicants than there are osteopathic applicants. If you are inquiring about the lower average numbers, here is what the prior Osteopathic mentor said about that:

I think the lower entrance numbers are from a few things:
1. Older student population
2. Number of "non traditional" students
3. Precedent of lower numbers attracts applicants with lower numbers.

OP, Please take the basic steps to learn about osteopathic medicine. If after you have gained sufficient knowledge and addressed your fears, and you don't feel enthusiatic about osteopathic medicine, look elsewhere. If MD is what you really want, it's there for you; don't settle for something you don't align with.

I am happy to address any legitimate questions you might have, but I invite you to ask well thought out and informed questions. This means you need to do some basic research. Thank you.

 

[Dr JPH]

Well, I understood that DO and MD get the same lisensing to practice. Then the question is that why having two different kinds of of school if they essentially do that same thing. DO's concept "treat the whole patient, not just a disease" is not really made up by DO. Medicine as whole (including DOs and MDs) is designed to do this.

Having a brand new DO field just because of a couple manipulation classes does not really make sense, unless there are deeper reasons. Also, it sounds like that any MD can reach DO if they want to (just take those manipulation classes).

Also if they are similar like I think, why is MD is more competetive to get into than DO? I am afraid that if I go DO route i will limit myself to the future opportunities that MDs might have.

Why do you start a new post like this every few days?

Organize your thoughts and get back to us...AFTER you have done some research.

 

[IWant2BeADoctor]

DO is equalivent to MD in terms of practice rights.

What seperates the two are superficial differences in Philosophy.

When it gets down to it chances are you'll receive the same kind of Medical treatment from a DO as you would a MD.

 

[bioteach]

Read The DO's: Osteopathic Medicine in America if you actually care to know the answer to that. Or just do a simple internet search. Its not that hard.

Oh, and I doubt that schools that have been established for over 100 years really qualify as "brand new", but that's just me.

 

[MaximusD]

In my relatively uneducated opinion, there is very little difference other than tradition. DOs have a strong tradition in remaining DOs. I'm fine with that because it is a great feeling being part of something unique and worthwhile. I wouldn't care, however, if they converted the degrees. I just don't care because initials do not a physician make (lol). I'm just gonna do my damndest to treat my patients to the best of my ability while making enough money to support a future family...

IMHO, we live in a conformist society and any attention or stigma surrounding the MD/DO dichotomy is just an extension of that ridiculous regression to the mean.

Other than that point, your post is worthless and could have been avoided by doing a search/some reading/FAQs/etc.

 

[GreenShirt]

Let me ask the reverse: Why not have two separate instituations? Is it harming anyone?

 

[gotmeds?]

Let me ask the reverse: Why not have two separate instituations? Is it harming anyone?

Prestige-hungry pre-meds. They're the real victims here.

 

[Taus]

Prestige-hungry pre-meds. They're the real victims here.

you mean they won't be able to tell chicks at the bars that they're gonna be an MD...... oh the horror.......

I guess they'll just have to settle for everything else that comes w/ being a doctor and just tell the ladies what they learned to do w/ their hands in osteopathic med school...

 

[billydoc]

you mean they won't be able to tell chicks at the bars that they're gonna be an MD...... oh the horror.......

I guess they'll just have to settle for everything else that comes w/ being a doctor and just tell the ladies what they learned to do w/ their hands in osteopathic med school...

 

[Creightonite]

Let me ask the reverse: Why not have two separate instituations? Is it harming anyone?

to call the schools separate, they have to be different first. I visited AOA's website, but they are not being specific enough. Their stuff could easily be found on AMA's website as well. Treating the patient as a whole, not just the disease had been supported by MD's long time before DOs appeared.

At my school where I go to there is a hospital and there are no DOs working here. Of course, I have not checked the community hospitals, but finding a local DO is not that easy. Since I could not find DO in the schools hospital, I became more cautious about DO. I also checked DO mentor page and there are only 4 DO's available the area, who are graduated from the schools and working in the specialities that I am not interested in.

So far, I have felt that people have been throwing a lot of big words about DOs and no substance. Someone has to be make a clear table where all the differences are listed and the reason for the differences are listed as well. I have tons of questions, but I get is generic answers that are not being helpful at all. 🙁

 

[HarveyCushing]

Treating the patient as a whole, not just the disease had been supported by MD's long time before DOs appeared.

Do you have proof for this? Or is it just a pre-med's belief that this is true?

So far, I have felt that people have been throwing a lot of big words about DOs and no substance. Someone has to be make a clear table where all the differences are listed and the reason for the differences are listed as well. I have tons of questions, but I get is generic answers that are not being helpful at all. 🙁

Maybe you should read "The DO's" by Gevitz. That would be a great starting point for you.

 

[spicedmanna]

to call the schools separate, they have to be different first. I visited AOA's website, but they are not being specific enough. Their stuff could easily be found on AMA's website as well. Treating the patient as a whole, not just the disease had been supported by MD's long time before DOs appeared.

I am amazed that you are a graduate student, but don't seem to have a basic grasp of how to research this topic; perhaps you just don't feel like digging, or you are somehow resisting yourself. I'm no brain-child, but it didn't take me too long to drill down into the history of how osteopathic medicine began and what the fundamental differences were from a historical perspective. You can't just focus on one website and look at one tenet and expect to understand osteopathic medicine. 🙄 You have to follow the whole time line and understand how it developed. This means doing some in depth reading, not just glossing over stuff. Some one suggested that you read Gevitz; that sounds like a good idea. But even if you don't, the history isn't that hard to come by. Like I said, I don't think I'm a genius, but I was able to do it without assistance. You just have to be patient and willing and thoughtful. I think perhaps you are resisting; that's okay, too. Just don't kid yourself.

At my school where I go to there is a hospital and there are no DOs working here. Of course, I have not checked the community hospitals, but finding a local DO is not that easy. Since I could not find DO in the schools hospital, I became more cautious about DO. I also checked DO mentor page and there are only 4 DO's available the area, who are graduated from the schools and working in the specialities that I am not interested in.

DO's represent about 5% of the physicians in the US. There is a higher percentage of DO's in the military than in the civilian world. They are out there, though.

So far, I have felt that people have been throwing a lot of big words about DOs and no substance. Someone has to be make a clear table where all the differences are listed and the reason for the differences are listed as well. I have tons of questions, but I get is generic answers that are not being helpful at all. 🙁

If it's so hard for you and there is really that much resistance, then maybe it isn't the right path for you. It's enough to give you pause, anyway. What I mean is, you might really want an MD, but are trying to make yourself settle for an option that you don't really want. If you aren't in alignment with osteopathic medicine, then keep pursing the allopathic pathway. You just need to buckle down and fix the academic problems that you have.

 

[GreenShirt]

to call the schools separate, they have to be different first. I visited AOA's website, but they are not being specific enough. Their stuff could easily be found on AMA's website as well. Treating the patient as a whole, not just the disease had been supported by MD's long time before DOs appeared.

At my school where I go to there is a hospital and there are no DOs working here. Of course, I have not checked the community hospitals, but finding a local DO is not that easy. Since I could not find DO in the schools hospital, I became more cautious about DO. I also checked DO mentor page and there are only 4 DO's available the area, who are graduated from the schools and working in the specialities that I am not interested in.

So far, I have felt that people have been throwing a lot of big words about DOs and no substance. Someone has to be make a clear table where all the differences are listed and the reason for the differences are listed as well. I have tons of questions, but I get is generic answers that are not being helpful at all. 🙁

The fact is that apart from OMM, there isn't a lot of difference in the ways the two schools teach and practice medicine. Historically, they grew up separate and have remained so. Pick which ever school works for you. If you can't handle the whole DO degree thing, than go MD. Either one will allow you to see patients and practice medicine.

As for why you have only 4 DO's in your area that don't practice your specialty....remember DOs represent less than 5% of the physician population. There are no laws stating DO's can't practice X specialty in your area.

 

[DragonWell]

to call the schools separate, they have to be different first. I visited AOA's website, but they are not being specific enough. Their stuff could easily be found on AMA's website as well. Treating the patient as a whole, not just the disease had been supported by MD's long time before DOs appeared.

At my school where I go to there is a hospital and there are no DOs working here. Of course, I have not checked the community hospitals, but finding a local DO is not that easy. Since I could not find DO in the schools hospital, I became more cautious about DO. I also checked DO mentor page and there are only 4 DO's available the area, who are graduated from the schools and working in the specialities that I am not interested in.

So far, I have felt that people have been throwing a lot of big words about DOs and no substance. Someone has to be make a clear table where all the differences are listed and the reason for the differences are listed as well. I have tons of questions, but I get is generic answers that are not being helpful at all. 🙁

For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken

The questions you are asking are not reducible to simple answers. The question of what the differences are, if any, between DO and MD is passionately discussed on this forum on a daily basis. The subjects debated in reference to these questions include history, philosophy, science, technology and many others.

There is no chart which will provide you with the answers - you will need to invest the time to figure them out for yourself, or not, as the case may be. Some people decide pursuing a DO degree is not for them, and pursue other options. That's a valid choice. No one on this board has the responsibility to sell the DO degree or make the fine details of Osteopathic Medicine understandable to every passerby.

If you are serious about Osteopathic Medicine, take advantage of the resources suggested, begin to formulate your own opinions, then come back and ask some specific questions and you will find that there are some extremely helpful people here - if you treat them with the respect they deserve.

 

[HarveyCushing]

Its amazing how the same isses keep coming up over and over again. I guess things would be boring around here if we didn't have any

 

[Hexanol]

to call the schools separate, they have to be different first. I visited AOA's website, but they are not being specific enough. Their stuff could easily be found on AMA's website as well. Treating the patient as a whole, not just the disease had been supported by MD's long time before DOs appeared.

At my school where I go to there is a hospital and there are no DOs working here. Of course, I have not checked the community hospitals, but finding a local DO is not that easy. Since I could not find DO in the schools hospital, I became more cautious about DO. I also checked DO mentor page and there are only 4 DO's available the area, who are graduated from the schools and working in the specialities that I am not interested in.

So far, I have felt that people have been throwing a lot of big words about DOs and no substance. Someone has to be make a clear table where all the differences are listed and the reason for the differences are listed as well. I have tons of questions, but I get is generic answers that are not being helpful at all. 🙁

it might be just me, but seems to me like you already made up your mind so why not just go MD? this is a pointless arguement and has been discussed many times before.

I mean seriously, if you're that worried, doubtful, or stressed, just go MD?!?!? It really is that simple.

furthermore, i'm not sure where you're from, but at the hospitals around me, there's MD's and DO's working together and TRUST ME. They could careless about the 2 letter's after their names.

 

[Beau Geste]

Oy.

 

[toothless rufus]

In all honesty: It does seem like someone should be able to put a chart together. Compare and contrast; that sort of thing. 😛

 

[Creightonite]

Do you have proof for this? Or is it just a pre-med's belief that this is true?

I talked to an MD about this. This concepts has been around for much longer than DOs have been around.

 

[DragonWell]

I talked to an MD about this. This concepts has been around for much longer than DOs have been around.

Shocker!

 

[Animus]

I talked to an MD about this. This concepts has been around for much longer than DOs have been around.

He must be really old.

 

[HarveyCushing]

I talked to an MD about this. This concepts has been around for much longer than DOs have been around.

As a pre-med, stop pulling sh#t out of your butt that you think is correct. Your just apart of the other 95% of pre-meds that believe everything they hear about DO's and how they use voodoo to treat people. Give me a break.

 

[Dr JPH]

I talked to an MD about this. This concepts has been around for much longer than DOs have been around.

OK, good. It's finally settled.

 

[boodthedog]

Last time I checked, most of what mds focus on is the 4 humours. It invovles a lot of bleeding with leeches. I know it's true because it cured my consumption. If this new fangled DO thing works too, it might as well have its own institution.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Well, I understood that DO and MD get the same lisensing to practice. Then the question is that why having two different kinds of of school if they essentially do that same thing. DO's concept "treat the whole patient, not just a disease" is not really made up by DO. Medicine as whole (including DOs and MDs) is designed to do this.

Having a brand new DO field just because of a couple manipulation classes does not really make sense, unless there are deeper reasons. Also, it sounds like that any MD can reach DO if they want to (just take those manipulation classes).

Also if they are similar like I think, why is MD is more competetive to get into than DO? I am afraid that if I go DO route i will limit myself to the future opportunities that MDs might have.

*pulls up in tanker truck with HazMat placard #1203*

OK, who ordered this?

 

[Dr JPH]

At my school where I go to there is a hospital and there are no DOs working here. ...Since I could not find DO in the schools hospital, I became more cautious about DO.

You better look again.

 

[StrengthDoc]

You better look again.

Why? No matter how many times he looks, if he keeps his head up his rear the view is going to be the same.

 

[Animus]

Why? No matter how many times he looks, if he keeps his head up his rear the view is going to be the same.

lol nice

 

[Rxbound]

As a pre-med, stop pulling sh#t out of your butt that you think is correct. Your just apart of the other 95% of pre-meds that believe everything they hear about DO's and how they use voodoo to treat people. Give me a break.

What?!?! No voodoo? I could have sworn that was what our DO cardiologist was doing...👎

 

[DNA Helicase]

DOs are MDs. Yah, it's stupid there is a difference in degrees. Neither group wants to accept how similar they are.

 

[Dr JPH]

Yah, it's stupid there is a difference in degrees. .

Most DOs would disagree.

I always laugh that the premedical community is so concerned about the difference in two degrees, neither of which they are close to having.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

DOs are MDs. Yah, it's stupid there is a difference in degrees. Neither group wants to accept how similar they are.

BMW and Mercedes are both pretty decent cars, they both drive down the road, and for the most part provide exactly the same kind of options as the other--should we get rid of BMW and just call all of these cars Mercedes?

Or Coke and Pepsi--Ive done taste tests before, and besides the fact Pepsi may taste a bit sweeter it tastes pretty much exactly the same. So lets get rid of Pepsi, and call them all Coke.

Its about options, and providing the consumer with choices. Granted most patients/consumers will go to a random physician on the provider list given by their HMOs, and dont even give it a second thought, but is this the way it should be? Medicine is a business, an industry and monopolies in any industry is BAD!!!If you ever(maybe you have already) study the history of medicine in this country, you will be surprised to find that in the past there have been dozens of types of 'medical practitioners' throughout the past, including: Homeopaths, eclectics, Naturopaths, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Allopaths. Years of natural market/consumer pressures have weeded down this list to just a handful. Homeopathy was big over 100 years ago(Drexel med school used to be called Hahnemann school of Homeopathy) but for the most part its almost extinct in this country--with a small number of practicing homeopaths left.

The great thing about Osteopathic med is that the early leaders recognized the trends and threats from Allopathic med and were flexible enough to change and progress. Todays DO is a far cry from the DOs at the turn of the 20th century, and this is a good thing. This history is part of the osteopathic profession, and one of the major reasons I chose to apply only DO

Practicing DOs and MDs have for the most part have become one and the same in todays market. But yet, there is still that fundamental difference(history, OMM/T, philosophy) that seperates the two fields. It like the shape of the BMW grill compared to Mercedes, its like the 'sweetness' in Pepsi to Coke. There is a difference. This is why, I completely disagree with others in the profession who thinks we should push aside our roots in OMM/T, and throw it away as a relic of the past. If that ever happens(which I doubt) then I think that would be the true end of osteopathic medicine.

To use another analogy, its like the New Coke of the mid '80s (Im sure many of you dont even remember). Coke thought by making it taste more like pepsi they could capture the whole market, and increase profits. It totally backfired. Not long after they brought back Coke classic. No one drank New Coke. You get rid of the DO degree, OMM/T, etc. you get rid of osteopathic medicine. 👎

 

[Creightonite]

Why? No matter how many times he looks, if he keeps his head up his rear the view is going to be the same.

I found there 4 DO advisors in the area. A list of DO's that i found is not that long most of them are in primary care.

 

[Creightonite]

Why? No matter how many times he looks, if he keeps his head up his rear the view is going to be the same.

At least I am looking somewhere right now. It is better than go through DO program and then be confronted with a fact that you you as a DO have limitations.

 

[Creightonite]

BMW and Mercedes are both pretty decent cars, they both drive down the road, and for the most part provide exactly the same kind of options as the other--should we get rid of BMW and just call all of these cars Mercedes?

Or Coke and Pepsi--Ive done taste tests before, and besides the fact Pepsi may taste a bit sweeter it tastes pretty much exactly the same. So lets get rid of Pepsi, and call them all Coke.

Its about options, and providing the consumer with choices. Granted most patients/consumers will go to a random physician on the provider list given by their HMOs, and dont even give it a second thought, but is this the way it should be? Medicine is a business, an industry and monopolies in any industry is BAD!!!If you ever(maybe you have already) study the history of medicine in this country, you will be surprised to find that in the past there have been dozens of types of 'medical practitioners' throughout the past, including: Homeopaths, eclectics, Naturopaths, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Allopaths. Years of natural market/consumer pressures have weeded down this list to just a handful. Homeopathy was big over 100 years ago(Drexel med school used to be called Hahnemann school of Homeopathy) but for the most part its almost extinct in this country--with a small number of practicing homeopaths left.

The great thing about Osteopathic med is that the early leaders recognized the trends and threats from Allopathic med and were flexible enough to change and progress. Todays DO is a far cry from the DOs at the turn of the 20th century, and this is a good thing. This history is part of the osteopathic profession, and one of the major reasons I chose to apply only DO

Practicing DOs and MDs have for the most part have become one and the same in todays market. But yet, there is still that fundamental difference(history, OMM/T, philosophy) that seperates the two fields. It like the shape of the BMW grill compared to Mercedes, its like the 'sweetness' in Pepsi to Coke. There is a difference. This is why, I completely disagree with others in the profession who thinks we should push aside our roots in OMM/T, and throw it away as a relic of the past. If that ever happens(which I doubt) then I think that would be the true end of osteopathic medicine.

To use another analogy, its like the New Coke of the mid '80s (Im sure many of you dont even remember). Coke thought by making it taste more like pepsi they could capture the whole market, and increase profits. It totally backfired. Not long after they brought back Coke classic. No one drank New Coke. You get rid of the DO degree, OMM/T, etc. you get rid of osteopathic medicine. 👎

what shortcomings of MD did DO was able to overcome?

 

[Animus]

At least I am looking somewhere right now. It is better than go through DO program and then be confronted with a fact that you you as a DO have limitations.

This just keeps getting better...

(Peeks around the corner and sees Nate coming...oh noes)

 

[StrengthDoc]

I found there 4 DO advisors in the area. A list of DO's that i found is not that long most of them are in primary care.

And how many of them have you contacted in an effort to shadow and learn? All of them? 3? 2? 1? Hello? Is this thing on?

 

[MaximusD]

what shortcomings of MD did DO was able to overcome?

Go JD, we don't want you.

 

[StrengthDoc]

At least I am looking somewhere right now. It is better than go through DO program and then be confronted with a fact that you you as a DO have limitations.

In your obviously vast experience, what limitations are these? Please provide examples of specialties DO's can't enter, areas they can't practice, etc. Remember to document your sources.



*Waits patiently with the sounds of crickets chirping*

 

[USArmyDoc]

He's a lost cause guys....give up. His opinions are already made up. He is just being a dbag.

 

[Dr JPH]

I found there 4 DO advisors in the area. A list of DO's that i found is not that long most of them are in primary care.

I found DOs in Neurology, FP, Peds, Ortho, IM, Allergy/Immuno, OB-GYN and Emed.

Guess youre looking in the wrong place.

Look past the dentate.

 

[Dr JPH]

then be confronted with a fact that you you as a DO have limitations.

😕

Really?

I better rethink my plan.

 

[Static Line]

No one drank New Coke. You get rid of the DO degree, OMM/T, etc. you get rid of osteopathic medicine. 👎

Just yesterday my daughter's martial arts instructor asked me for a good "osteopathic physician" in town because her back and hips hurt. It's probably from the 10 miles a day she runs or all the kicking she does in martial arts. Regardless, allos (and many DOs who decided to not learn OMM properly) have only 1 response to that. It is to stop your running and martial arts and give you an NSAID. Granted she may have to tone it down a bit but she is a great candidate for OMM which in my experience in the sports community she'll respond well to it. There is a huge market for OMM if one knows how to market themselves.

 

[Fermata]

DO power, baby!








😀

 

[Static Line]

At least I am looking somewhere right now. It is better than go through DO program and then be confronted with a fact that you you as a DO have limitations.

Who is the one limited when someone asks for an osteopathic physician because she doesn't believe MDs can help her?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Practicing DOs and MDs have for the most part have become one and the same in todays market. But yet, there is still that fundamental difference(history, OMM/T, philosophy) that seperates the two fields.

other than OMM (which is a laughable point in many cases since many DOs don't even use this, e.g. the only 2 DOs I've ever had much contact with were in radiology and radiation oncology <----no OMM there, trust me).

the history really shouldn't justify having 2 separate degrees. sure there's a DDS and DMD (but that's only a difference in acronym only, there aren't separate groups of dmd and dds dentists) that are historical artifacts. or there's colleges that give out A.B.'s rather than B.A.'s, but the limited use of OMM in practice by DOs (when compared to MDs or DOs who don't use OMM in practice) really doesn't compare to the different set of skills that different specialists have (e.g. surgeons who rely on numerous repitions of procedural tasks as their major skill vs. IM docs who rely more on their intellect using diagnostic techniques through H&Ps and lab results).

in terms of philosophy, its easy to say "we look at people holistically," but many MDs do this in practice, and this is becoming much more emphasized in curricula across the board. at the same time, there is no question that we are in an era of evidence-based medicine. once again, the difference between the actual practice of an MD and a DO is non-existent. unfortunately, some people feel there is a stigma attached with being a DO, this becomes perpetuated since pretty much all premeds who can get into an MD school will go over a DO school unless there is a monetary or lifestyle (e.g. location near family), which results in DO schools ultimately having lower standards (at least based on objective measures such as gpa and mcat).

although many DOs have different opinions on this issue, it is clear that they all want to be treated equally as MDs. however, the one's that rabidly assert their professional independence from the AMA and the allopathic community seem to want an impossible situation: Separate but equal.

Luckily, it seems that most younger DOs tend to side with reason and make excellent physicians.