International D.O programs

[ons1]

hey, does anyone out there know of any osteopathic schools out side of the US. for instance, Italy or France?

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[Chris_Topher]

Hey ons1.

There are DO schools all over the world - significantly in Europe and Australia/NZ. The problem is that all you will learn is manipulation! They do not teach medicine that utilizes pharmacology or surgery, and graduates are not considered "physicians" as we are here.

That said, there are many individuals who first attend a school of medicine and subsequently attend a school of (non-US) osteopathy, and as a result are able to practice "Osteopathic Medicine" (note capitalization ;-)= ) as we know it in the US. I think that these programs run for a year or 2, though I definitely could be wrong on that point.

And now for the big news. Word has it that the DO school in FL, Nova SE COM has initiated an arrangement with the Dominican Republic where students from the DR will take their didactics in FL and return to the DR to complete their clinical years. This will lead to a DO degree, and the universal recognition of the US DO degree in the DR. (Lack of international recognition is one of today's largest challenges for US DOs, along with the lack of US recognition!) So, to answer your question, that may be as close as you get.

Enough rambling for now. If you have any other questions, I will do my best to confuse you!

Christopher
KCOM

 

[Stephen Ewen]

Originally posted by Chris_Topher:
And now for the big news. Word has it that the DO school in FL, Nova SE COM has initiated an arrangement with the Dominican Republic where students from the DR will take their didactics in FL and return to the DR to complete their clinical years. This will lead to a DO degree, and the universal recognition of the US DO degree in the DR.

Christopher, could you please point me to some sources whereby I can reaserch this all out? If you wish, my e-mail is in my profile.

Thanks.

 

[tedsadoc2002]

Hi Stephen,

You can further research this information by contacting Dr. Douglas Ward, Director of Education and International Health Programs for the A.O.A. at [email protected]. I had the opportunity to speak to him on this subject at length during the A.O.A's House of Delegates in Chicago last summer. If you plan on attending the convention (SOMA and the A.O.A) in Orlando, please attend the Global Village conference, it will cover international externships and perhaps talk about the various plans to expand the presence of Osteopathic Medicine around the world. Hope this was helpful.

Sincerely yours,


Theodora E. Paul, MS III
Director, International Health Program
SOMA

 

[Stephen Ewen]

Thank you very much, Theodora.

 

[KWBum]

Hmmm...

This is a very interesting question, the issue of the international force of the DO degree.

There does not seem to be any apparent reason for the degree not to be accepted internationally as any other doctorate would be.

As far as I know there is no international governing body that controls these things. There are only country-specific organizations.

In my experience, once you have an advanced degree, an MD, Ph.D., MA, you are pretty much good to go anywhere, for the most part.

It cannot simply be an issue of the letters after your name abbreviating and indicating your degree. I think if one completes a doctorate in medicine at, I believe, Cambridge in England, one gets a different set of letters. But it is the same thing, same curriculum and study, as the DO or MD.

In any event, barring discipline specific certification and licensure issues and the like, it doesn't matter if your MA in engineering, say, is from Zimbabwe U. The folks at, again say, the University of Warsaw know what they are dealing with. You will be accepted as such, as a Master of Engineering (or anything else, you get the idea.).

Maybe this is it, perhaps for medicine a school must be recognized by the WHO? Are DO schools recognized by the WHO? Hell, the AMA recognizes them as producing docs after all.

But all other issues aside, in the final summation, both kinds of docs undergo the same training (more for DO), must pass the same boards, and must be licensed in the same way in the US. The whole business of lack of international recognition simply seems odd to me.

I've posted to this effect before. No one seems to know. Hmmmmm.....

Good interview question, perhaps!

 

[boxer]

The issue is not one of recognition, but rather one of licence. Unlike an academic degree like a PhD, a physician is licensed in most political entities as a mattr of public policy. Therefore, each political authority must make an independant decision. Those studying medecine at Cambridge obtain a MB degree which is recognized in the USA just as an MD degree from Canada must be scrutinized like any other foreign trained practitioner.

 

[Ponyboy]

Originally posted by boxer:
The issue is not one of recognition, but rather one of licence. Unlike an academic degree like a PhD, a physician is licensed in most political entities as a mattr of public policy. Therefore, each political authority must make an independant decision. Those studying medecine at Cambridge obtain a MB degree which is recognized in the USA just as an MD degree from Canada must be scrutinized like any other foreign trained practitioner.

Actually, Canadian MD's are not considered FMG's and are not required to undergo the scrutiny that most FMG's face. This is because Canadian medical schools are accredited by the LCME and thus, their graduates are considered as the equivalent of American grads.