Is DO school more chill than MD?

[FiremedicMike]

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I occasionally venture outside of the nontrad forum to see what the rest of the world is like. Granted my sample is here, and I'm mature enough to realize that this website is not necessarily representative of the medical student community as a whole, but I find that threads in the pre-allo/allo forums are much more scathing and aggressive than those in the pre-osteo/osteo forums.

It is not a question of which school is better or gives the best chances, because it sure seems from the match lists and posts here that a good candidate in the match is going to be good whether they're DO or MD. The question is whether the environment here on sdn is indicative of real medical school experience, which is to say the general theme at MD schools is aggressive and abrasive, and the general theme of DO schools is laid back and supportive. Of course I recognize that both have intense curricula that must be covered at a fast rate, just curious of the mentalities.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Superman1978]

I'm not sure if either is "chill" but honestly, does it matter? If the training helps turn you into a good physician, then who cares about the methods. They can pour pancake syrup on me and roll me in doritos if its gonna help me to become a good doctor.

 

[QofQuimica]

The question is whether the environment here on sdn is indicative of real medical school experience, which is to say the general theme at MD schools is aggressive and abrasive, and the general theme of DO schools is laid back and supportive. Of course I recognize that both have intense curricula that must be covered at a fast rate, just curious of the mentalities.

I don't know of anyone who has gone through both a DO program and an MD program, which means it's not going to be possible to give you a blow by blow comparison. But having gone through an MD program, I would say that no, SDN's PA forum is not representative of real med school experience any more than the internet in general is representative of real life. People tend to vent their angst on the forums, and sometimes people hide behind their ostensible anonymity to act in ways that they would never act to someone's face. No doubt that comes as a great surprise to many of you.

When I was teaching chemistry to premeds, each class I taught had its own personality, just as each person does. Likewise, I would point out that every medical school is different, and even within the same school, every class is different. Having helped put together the last four classes at my med school, it is especially clear to me that each class has its own personality. My class is the rebellious class who just wanted to do our own thing. The school ended up making several new rules for the underclassmen because of stunts that some of us pulled. Whereas, the current third years are a very activist class; they get involved in all kinds of charity fundraising and other causes. The current first years apparently have trouble getting out of class on time because they ask so many questions that the speakers have trouble finishing their talks in an hour. I can guarantee you that this did not happen in my class!

No doubt there is more inter-school (and inter-class) variation than there is variation between MD schools and DO schools as general categories. And no matter where you go to school, there will be some people you really click with, and others where you will have to bite your tongue any time you are around them. So I wouldn't not apply to MD schools because of some of the antics in the PA forum, and I also wouldn't apply to DO schools with the thought that the people at those schools are inherently nicer or less aggressive than the people at MD schools. Ultimately, if given the opportunity to select among multiple acceptances, you should choose the school that is best for you personally, regardless of the degree it confers.

P.S. The idea of being drenched in pancake syrup and rolled in Doritos is just....no, a medical degree of *any* type is probably not worth that.

 

[Law2Doc]

...
While I cannot comment on what it is really like at MD schools, I can tell you that my DO school has a very friendly, supportive environment and is not at all scathing, aggressive, or abrasive.

Well, US allo med schools prepare you for US allo residencies. So "scathing, aggressive and abrasive" in certain specialties is kind of the true window you need to select your ultimate field. You don't want to be babied an spoon fed (not saying DO does this) only to find that's not useful preparation.

Truth of the matter is that many allo attendings and classmates will be friendly and supportive, a rare few, not so much. There is a certain amount of intensity and competition amongst students who may have aspirations for the more competitive fields -- you may see less of this in osteo because a smaller percentage of those folks end up in derm, ortho, rad onc, plastics. To some extent competition has its advantages -- it's always easy to work hard if everyone is working hard, and always easier to get distracted if there are many distractions about. Honestly, pick a med school with a nice quiet library, comfortable lecture seats and a nice looking hospital, because that's what your life will involve for the next 4 years. Your classmates are going to be a mix no matter where you go.

But at the end of the day you are going to have to hole up and self motivate and learn the ton of material they throw at you. Don't kid yourself that having folks be chill or intense is going to radically change your experience. Half your classmates will stop coming to lecture after the first month. On rotations you will be paired with 1 or 2 of them at most during each rotation. This education is going to be about you more than them. Which is why there are always threads on allo about feeling isolated, lonely. You can go a long time in med school without running into your "friends", particularly during 3rd year. So how chill they are won't matter much.

Sorry if i rambled. I think sometimes folks give med students a bad name based on a lot of pre-allo attitudes that don't really filter up to the next level.

 

[FiremedicMike]

Thanks all for the input, as usual you guys/gals make great points. Of course it's all premature for me, I still have around 2.5-3 years to go.. Bleh..

 

[BPlaysItCool]

As much as I hate to admit it. sigh. I agree with L2D. It's more about you.

I study in the library by myself, so I can concentrate. I really like the commarraderie of Anatomy lab though. And am glad my school has plenty of chill people.

I diagree with L2D in that sense. Being more sensitive to my narrative context. The thought of being a 1-d Horatio Alger character makes me want to shove a samuri sword into my abdominal aorta. And twist.

This--vibe/environment--is important to me. Without it. Whatever small fraction it is. Nothing about this would be edeemable.

As for your decision science. Q has a point. There is a lot of variation. Class-to-class and so forth. Hard for any of us to say what that would mean in a larger DO/MD senese. But not being constrained evidence-based analysis on when to take a piss like L2D....I'll go ahead and say yes. I would guess that DO schools are more chill. More people who have less of an erection for biomolecule assays and w(ever)tf else our kind feigns interest in to get to the top.

And as to what thatis preparation for. The glories of competition. Unlike most. I think it prepares you suck. Big juicy dick. Like there's no tommorow.

 

[FiremedicMike]

In the end, it is highly likely that I will take advantage of the idependant study programs and not go to lecture all that much. As a ghetto medic for 11 years and a cop for the last 3, I'm certain I can deal with a-holes, but would prefer to avoid them if possible.

 

[BPlaysItCool]

In the end, it is highly likely that I will take advantage of the idependant study programs and not go to lecture all that much. As a ghetto medic for 11 years and a cop for the last 3, I'm certain I can deal with a-holes, but would prefer to avoid them if possible.

Your training on the streets in the jiu-jitsu of @sshole avoidance will serve you well.

That's really me only point. Which I fail at often. These thought sherrifs that patrol these parts can make any derterminedly human persona seem strange.

They will concertedly enforce a zero-tolerance imagination policy. They will try to destroy your ability to laugh. To commune with the mystery of life. To sense the shadows of real stories. To think for yourself. To enjoy things, for their inherent characteristic.

That is the culture you are rightly wary of. But if even recognize it. You'll do fine. And you will triumph over the stampedeing effect that will leave you narcissitic and difficult to work with. Like the majority of what is produced here.

 

[FiremedicMike]

I'll assume its a good sign that your post made me chuckle 🙂

 

[sideways]

Is DO more laid back and supportive? Ha ha. That's a good one.

 

[FiremedicMike]

Any psychologists/psychiatrists out there care to analyze why I look at that picture and am immediately curious as to what's on that paper that caused him to duct tape it to the wall?

 

[Helen Wheels]

Any psychologists/psychiatrists out there care to analyze why I look at that picture and am immediately curious as to what's on that paper that caused him to duct tape it to the wall?

You're assuming that this is that guy's house and his wall.

 

[artsydoc]

I applied in pretty much an even split between MD and DO and I think (in addition to the each class having their own character) that each school also tends to cultivate a particular identity that has nothing to do with if it's MD or DO. I interviewed at more DO than MD schools and observed that while one DO school that shall remain nameless cultivated a relaxed, practically party school image-we're talking kids on facebook during the entire lecture I sat in on-other schools were about as serious minded as I could imagine. As May 15 draws near, I've pretty much decided to attend an MD school and that decision is based primarily on money-wow my top choice DO program was scary pricey, and to a lesser extent, and I might be way wrong here, I actually think DO students wind up with more on their plate than MD bc they have to devote a huge chunk of time to mastering osteopathic manipulation and many of them take both the COMPLEX and USMLE, which overlap mostly, but not completely. If you find the osteopathic philosophy appealling certainly apply to both and choose for yourself 🙂

 

[proclus]

Any psychologists/psychiatrists out there care to analyze why I look at that picture and am immediately curious as to what's on that paper that caused him to duct tape it to the wall?

Ditto!

 

[patel2]

I occasionally venture outside of the nontrad forum to see what the rest of the world is like. Granted my sample is here, and I'm mature enough to realize that this website is not necessarily representative of the medical student community as a whole, but I find that threads in the pre-allo/allo forums are much more scathing and aggressive than those in the pre-osteo/osteo forums.

It is not a question of which school is better or gives the best chances, because it sure seems from the match lists and posts here that a good candidate in the match is going to be good whether they're DO or MD. The question is whether the environment here on sdn is indicative of real medical school experience, which is to say the general theme at MD schools is aggressive and abrasive, and the general theme of DO schools is laid back and supportive. Of course I recognize that both have intense curricula that must be covered at a fast rate, just curious of the mentalities.

Thanks in advance.

I'm going to go ahead and categorically say, no, "DO school" is not generally chiller than MD school. It entirely depends on the institution, location and individual classes (one class year may be filled with more gunners and neurotic people than another). For example, in my experiences, USC, Tulane and Miami attracts significantly more laid back/scoial student body than many other MD schools, and even more laid back than many DO schools.

Similarly, I found Nova Southeastern much more laid back than LECOM and NYCOM in the DO world.