Is there anything wrong with be apathetic "osteopathy"?

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cephalexinRX

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Is there anything wrong with being apathetic towards "osteopathy"?

I am a hopsital cytotechnologist (busy Ivy League institution, lots of cools cases) and hope to begin medical school in 2014. I am shadowing MD's and DO's of various specialties as much as possible since pathology is my current interest based on my current career. Please don't lecture me on keeping my options open...I know...I will.

I will apply to both MD and DO schools. I'm not going to sugar coat anything just flat out say that if I had a choice between Harvard and any DO school....I'd pick Harvard.

Is there anything "wrong" with going to a DO school because it's the only place you got accepted to and don't really care (at least too much) about the letters DO after your name? I haven't officially studied OMM so I can't judge it. I don't buy the whole holistic philosophy being unique to DO's thing...it's not.

So, if I end up at a DO schools and don't have any sort of "DO pride" and just remain apathetic towards "osteopathy"....is there really anything wrong with that.

Some people come a family of DO's and are just so "proud" to be DO. I don't get it.
 
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Is there anything wrong with being apathetic towards "osteopathy"?

I am a hopsital cytotechnologist (busy Ivy League institution, lots of cools cases) and hope to begin medical school in 2014. I am shadowing MD's and DO's of various specialties as much as possible since pathology is my current interest based on my current career. Please don't lecture me on keeping my options open...I know...I will.

I will apply to both MD and DO schools. I'm not going to sugar coat anything just flat out say that if I had a choice between Harvard and any DO school....I'd pick Harvard.

Is there anything "wrong" with going to a DO school because it's the only place you got accepted to and don't really care (at least too much) about the letters DO after your name? I haven't officially studied OMM so I can't judge it. I don't buy the whole holistic philosophy being unique to DO's thing...it's not.

So, if I end up at a DO schools and don't have any sort of "DO pride" and just remain apathetic towards "osteopathy"....is there really anything wrong with that.

Some people come a family of DO's and are just so "proud" to be DO. I don't get it.

There is nothing wrong with it and I would venture to guess there are many DO's that would feel the same way. However, what is not to get about being proud to be a DO? People are proud all the time for decisions they make about their life, including what type of med school they choose to go to.

I am proud because I like my school and where I am from, is that so wrong?

My advice to you is to go to a med school that you think you will be happy at.
 
If you become a pathologist does it even matter? Most people, including some doctors, don't even consider pathologists to be real physicians. I'm applying pathology next year.
 
No. It doesn't matter for pathology. There are DO's 'in very "elite" pathology residency programs.

My point was just....well....I don't care much for all the verbose DO stuff like treating patients holistically etc....MD's do that too. I just get annoyed by the AOA's "lip service" semantic BS, etc.




-----------------------------------------
Ha. Pathologists not real doctors? I've heard that before.
IMO being the doctor that give another doctor the correct information to treat patients correctly is awesome. It's like I'd rather design a city than build it myself. My opinions might change.
 
I'll make this easy for you. Only apply to MD programs. From all of your posts, you obviously have a big problem with going to a DO school and are annoyed by the AOA and how they operate (enough to bold and underline criticisms of them). You also claim in other posts to be completely open to going to either a DO or MD school, that it doesn't matter to you at all. ...But then in MD forums you openly state that you prefer to go to an MD school.

There is nothing wrong with being critical of the AOA and how they operate (in fact I am VERY critical of them and think that a lot of change is needed in the DO world). However, if you can't even be honest as an anonymous poster on an internet message board, I highly doubt you will let your honestly shine through in person during the application process. Therefore, if you only get into a DO school and decide to go to one, I suspect there is a high likelihood of you having all of your pent up resentment come back to bite you at some point and you will be miserable.

Just apply to MD schools. Make a back up plan that does not involve DO school--but one you would be happy with--and follow through on it if you don't get into an MD school.
 
I'll make this easy for you. Only apply to MD programs. From all of your posts, you obviously have a big problem with going to a DO school and are annoyed by the AOA and how they operate (enough to bold and underline criticisms of them). You also claim in other posts to be completely open to going to either a DO or MD school, that it doesn't matter to you at all. ...But then in MD forums you openly state that you prefer to go to an MD school.

There is nothing wrong with being critical of the AOA and how they operate (in fact I am VERY critical of them and think that a lot of change is needed in the DO world). However, if you can't even be honest as an anonymous poster on an internet message board, I highly doubt you will let your honestly shine through in person during the application process. Therefore, if you only get into a DO school and decide to go to one, I suspect there is a high likelihood of you having all of your pent up resentment come back to bite you at some point and you will be miserable.

Just apply to MD schools. Make a back up plan that does not involve DO school--but one you would be happy with--and follow through on it if you don't get into an MD school.

Thank you. I am arranging meetings with medical schools to discuss my credentials.

Can anyone really honestly apply to DO and really believe in it? I mean REALLY believe in it like how some people convert from Protestantism to Catholicism? I don't get it. How can they and then still apply to MD residencies? It doesn't make sense to me. Medicine is Medicine. I don't know how I would answer the "why DO" question. Philosophy? No. The DO philosophy (whatever the h%#$ that means) is NOT limited to osteopathic medicine.

By me being open to MD or DO, I meant that if I had no choice I would go DO. I wouldn't turn down a free ride for an MD from Hopkins/Yale for any DO school. That's what I meant.

Being new to the whole medical school application thing, it freaks me out when I hear about 35 MCAT and 3.7+ GPA students getting in NOWHERE.
 
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I think that given the choice between Harvard and any medical school most people would choose Harvard...

There's nothing wrong with going to a DO school because it's the only place you got in as long with you're OK with it. That was my situation and I know of several other people in my class who were also in the same boat. I find the DO-branding-holistic-approach-OMM-is-awesome-and-we're-way-better-than-MD type DO's to be annoying and generally make the rest of us look like idiots, but they're few and far between. I'm proud to be among my classmates who are in general really smart, motivated, good people.
 
I'm pretty sure the A.T. Still fanboy T-shirts come off post-interview.
 
I think that given the choice between Harvard and any medical school most people would choose Harvard...

There's nothing wrong with going to a DO school because it's the only place you got in as long with you're OK with it. That was my situation and I know of several other people in my class who were also in the same boat. I find the DO-branding-holistic-approach-OMM-is-awesome-and-we're-way-better-than-MD type DO's to be annoying and generally make the rest of us look like idiots, but they're few and far between. I'm proud to be among my classmates who are in general really smart, motivated, good people.

This.

Just think about it logically, I think you know the answer to your question without even having to post on SDN.
 
Thank you. I am arranging meetings with medical schools to discuss my credentials.

Can anyone really honestly apply to DO and really believe in it? I mean REALLY believe in it like how some people convert from Protestantism to Catholicism? I don't get it. How can they and then still apply to MD residencies? It doesn't make sense to me. Medicine is Medicine. I don't know how I would answer the "why DO" question. Philosophy? No. The DO philosophy (whatever the h%#$ that means) is NOT limited to osteopathic medicine.

By me being open to MD or DO, I meant that if I had no choice I would go DO. I wouldn't turn down a free ride for an MD from Hopkins/Yale for any DO school. That's what I meant.

Being new to the whole medical school application thing, it freaks me out when I hear about 35 MCAT and 3.7+ GPA students getting in NOWHERE.

Seriously? At what point did medicine become a religion? I only applied to DO schools because I want to learn OMM (I had a bad ankle that got straight up fixed. It was awesome- now I can walk up stairs pain free!!). If you aren't interested in OMM and are one of those people that cares about which flavor of doctor letters you get, then only apply to MD schools.

And everyone in the world would take Harvard/ Yale over any other school. I would love to go to one of those (even though they don't teach OMM), but I am a white male and don't have a 4.0 with a 45T MCAT so I didn't bother. And if you're in the same boat, then just make sure to apply to some back up schools. But only ones you actually would want to go to!
 
Thank you. I am arranging meetings with medical schools to discuss my credentials.

Can anyone really honestly apply to DO and really believe in it? I mean REALLY believe in it like how some people convert from Protestantism to Catholicism? I don't get it. How can they and then still apply to MD residencies? It doesn't make sense to me. Medicine is Medicine. I don't know how I would answer the "why DO" question. Philosophy? No. The DO philosophy (whatever the h%#$ that means) is NOT limited to osteopathic medicine.

By me being open to MD or DO, I meant that if I had no choice I would go DO. I wouldn't turn down a free ride for an MD from Hopkins/Yale for any DO school. That's what I meant.

Being new to the whole medical school application thing, it freaks me out when I hear about 35 MCAT and 3.7+ GPA students getting in NOWHERE.

Don't freak out. Those are generally cases where you see a personality that did not match what the schools were looking for when said person went on interviews. There is nothing wrong with having a preference or knowing what you want. The osteopathy of DO schools is a nice modality that is added to the medical eduction. I like it and I wasn't sure about it when I first started. Is that to say I'm a 'convert'? I find that language to be rather silly. There are things about OMM that make perfect sense and then again there are things that I remain cautious on. OMM is a tool that not only can be useful in the appropriate situation but for me it also helps to qualm my fears of 'what if I hurt this patient by accident'? At some point I will have to diagnose and my earliest exposure of trying to diagnose anything has been with OMM. I think that will be a very useful thing to be comfortable with in 3rd year.

As for the general DO philosophy that is almost 'preached' about by the AOA, well the more I talk to people who are actually practicing the more problems I see with the AOA in general. On the flip side, the more I talk to MDs who are practicing the more problems I see with the AMA. These two governing bodies are just that, governing bodies and they are ripe with bureaucracy. Its just something everyone will get use to at some point. We have to deal with it. As for the philosophy itself, all physicians in general are doing the best they can to better the care of their patients. Its a physician philosophy not just DO, but historically it was something that DO's were strongly associated with and something they are proud of. I see nothing particularly wrong with it.

Now do people really want to be DO because its something they are proud of? Sure. They may come from a family of DOs. They may admire a doctor who is a DO. They could have several reasons for this. There's nothing wrong with that either. On the other side there are plenty of people who choose to be DOs because they want to be a physician and don't care about the letters after their name and they didn't get into an MD school. I see no problem with wanting to follow a dream that one has been working for for years and choosing a DO school to see the realization of that dream. I know of other people who got into both and simply just chose the school that was closest to their friends and family and didn't care about the letters either. Other people chose based off of who offered the cheapest tuition. Mostly people chose their school because they found one that fit them the best and that was located in an area that would allow them a reasonable life style while going through this training. It all depends.

Choose based on what your needs are is what all of this is coming down to. Either type of school is capable of providing the opportunities you need to do what you want in medicine. Pick what works for you. Best of luck in your applications. :luck:
 
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Don't freak out. Those are generally cases where you see a personality that did not match what the schools were looking for when said person went on interviews. There is nothing wrong with having a preference or knowing what you want. The osteopathy of DO schools is a nice modality that is added to the medical eduction. I like it and I wasn't sure about it when I first started. Is that to say I'm a 'convert'? I find that language to be rather silly. There are things about OMM that make perfect sense and then again there are things that I remain cautious on. OMM is a tool that not only can be useful in the appropriate situation but for me it also helps to qualm my fears of 'what if I hurt this patient by accident'? At some point I will have to diagnose and my earliest exposure of trying to diagnose anything has been with OMM. I think that will be a very useful thing to be comfortable with in 3rd year.

As for the general DO philosophy that is almost 'preached' about by the AOA, well the more I talk to people who are actually practicing the more problems I see with the AOA in general. On the flip side, the more I talk to MDs who are practicing the more problems I see with the AMA. These two governing bodies are just that, governing bodies and they are ripe with bureaucracy. Its just something everyone will get use to at some point. We have to deal with it. As for the philosophy itself, all physicians in general are doing the best they can to better the care of their patients. Its a physician philosophy not just DO, but historically it was something that DO's were strongly associated with and something they are proud of. I see nothing particularly wrong with it.

Now do people really want to be DO because its something they are proud of? Sure. They may come from a family of DOs. They may admire a doctor who is a DO. They could have several reasons for this. There's nothing wrong with that either. On the other side there are plenty of people who choose to be DOs because they want to be a physician and don't care about the letters after their name and they didn't get into an MD school. I see no problem with wanting to follow a dream that one has been working for for years and choosing a DO school to see the realization of that dream. I know of other people who got into both and simply just chose the school that was closest to their friends and family and didn't care about the letters either. Other people chose based off of who offered the cheapest tuition. Mostly people chose their school because they found one that fit them the best and that was located in an area that would allow them a reasonable life style while going through this training. It all depends.

Choose based on what your needs are is what all of this is coming down to. Either type of school is capable of providing the opportunities you need to do what you want in medicine. Pick what works for you. Best of luck in your applications. :luck:

As of now, this is the only reason I would go to a DO school. If I decide to apply I need to figure out how to answer "why DO?". Still figuring that out.

Thank you for your response.
 
Don't freak out. Those are generally cases where you see a personality that did not match what the schools were looking for when said person went on interviews. There is nothing wrong with having a preference or knowing what you want. The osteopathy of DO schools is a nice modality that is added to the medical eduction. I like it and I wasn't sure about it when I first started. Is that to say I'm a 'convert'? I find that language to be rather silly. There are things about OMM that make perfect sense and then again there are things that I remain cautious on. OMM is a tool that not only can be useful in the appropriate situation but for me it also helps to qualm my fears of 'what if I hurt this patient by accident'? At some point I will have to diagnose and my earliest exposure of trying to diagnose anything has been with OMM. I think that will be a very useful thing to be comfortable with in 3rd year.

As for the general DO philosophy that is almost 'preached' about by the AOA, well the more I talk to people who are actually practicing the more problems I see with the AOA in general. On the flip side, the more I talk to MDs who are practicing the more problems I see with the AMA. These two governing bodies are just that, governing bodies and they are ripe with bureaucracy. Its just something everyone will get use to at some point. We have to deal with it. As for the philosophy itself, all physicians in general are doing the best they can to better the care of their patients. Its a physician philosophy not just DO, but historically it was something that DO's were strongly associated with and something they are proud of. I see nothing particularly wrong with it.

Now do people really want to be DO because its something they are proud of? Sure. They may come from a family of DOs. They may admire a doctor who is a DO. They could have several reasons for this. There's nothing wrong with that either. On the other side there are plenty of people who choose to be DOs because they want to be a physician and don't care about the letters after their name and they didn't get into an MD school. I see no problem with wanting to follow a dream that one has been working for for years and choosing a DO school to see the realization of that dream. I know of other people who got into both and simply just chose the school that was closest to their friends and family and didn't care about the letters either. Other people chose based off of who offered the cheapest tuition. Mostly people chose their school because they found one that fit them the best and that was located in an area that would allow them a reasonable life style while going through this training. It all depends.

Choose based on what your needs are is what all of this is coming down to. Either type of school is capable of providing the opportunities you need to do what you want in medicine. Pick what works for you. Best of luck in your applications. :luck:

quote for truth. personally, it just wasn't in the cards for me and i didn't get into MD schools, tried three times. you eventually come to a crossroads in your young life, and I was forced to make a decision: essentially, was it okay to give up my dream because of my pride? I made the right decision.

If you work hard, and you will certainly have to, probably even moreso as a D.O., you can get to the same place you imagine yourself being had you gone the M.D. route. There are just more opportunities out there in the 'allopathic' world, as you start aiming to be more specialized, those D.O. spots become more and more limited. i.e: there just aren't that many rads or ortho D.O. programs out there. This is probably general advice that would apply to all students, but since most students obviously should not know what they want to do with their life before medical school, just try to work hard (on the boards, especially) to keep your bases covered and not let anyone question your competency. It's an uphill battle, but the opportunities are out there if you have initiative. Regardless of what you want to specialize in, you can maximize your opportunities in both the AOA and ACGME world if you have the drive.

My beef with the whole AOA thing is how outdated and archaic their philosophy is. They're hook, which they have people sippin kool-aid over, is that we practice 'hollistic' medicine. We practice "healing the whole mind, body, spirit" etc. etc. "we treat the disease, not just symptoms" It's very ignorant; you'll be hard pressed to find an M.D. nowadays that will just treat symptoms and ignore whatever may be causing those symptoms. You don't have to be an M.D. or D.O. to be a good doctor.

On the flip side, medicine has evolved to a certain point where D.O.s are now infilitrating into every medical specialty out there. Ortho, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, etc. etc. We're no longer just rural, primary care docs. There may be an unfair depiction, or expectation, from M.D.s (or even other D.O.s!) that as a D.O., we have to practice OMM, but it's not the 19th century anymore. It's something we learn on the side, and it may be someone's cup of tea, but it certainly doesn't mean everyone should practice it.

Just follow your dreams, sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to, but keep your eyes on the bigger picture. In the end, I am grateful for D.O. schools, because had they not existed, I would not have gotten in anywhere with my sub-par stats.
 
If you work hard, and you will certainly have to, probably even moreso as a D.O., you can get to the same place you imagine yourself being had you gone the M.D. route. There are just more opportunities out there in the 'allopathic' world, as you start aiming to be more specialized, those D.O. spots become more and more limited. i.e: there just aren't that many rads or ortho D.O. programs out there. This is probably general advice that would apply to all students, but since most students obviously should not know what they want to do with their life before medical school, just try to work hard (on the boards, especially) to keep your bases covered and not let anyone question your competency. It's an uphill battle, but the opportunities are out there if you have initiative. Regardless of what you want to specialize in, you can maximize your opportunities in both the AOA and ACGME world if you have the drive.

My beef with the whole AOA thing is how outdated and archaic their philosophy is. They're hook, which they have people sippin kool-aid over, is that we practice 'hollistic' medicine. We practice "healing the whole mind, body, spirit" etc. etc. "we treat the disease, not just symptoms" It's very ignorant; you'll be hard pressed to find an M.D. nowadays that will just treat symptoms and ignore whatever may be causing those symptoms. You don't have to be an M.D. or D.O. to be a good doctor.

On the flip side, medicine has evolved to a certain point where D.O.s are now infilitrating into every medical specialty out there. Ortho, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, etc. etc. We're no longer just rural, primary care docs. There may be an unfair depiction, or expectation, from M.D.s (or even other D.O.s!) that as a D.O., we have to practice OMM, but it's not the 19th century anymore. It's something we learn on the side, and it may be someone's cup of tea, but it certainly doesn't mean everyone should practice it.

Just follow your dreams, sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to, but keep your eyes on the bigger picture. In the end, I am grateful for D.O. schools, because had they not existed, I would not have gotten in anywhere with my sub-par stats.

+1 👍
 
If you truly have the option of Harvard Medical School versus an osteopathic medical school, you did not apply wisely and should have just sent me the money you spent on the AACOMAS.
 
quote for truth. personally, it just wasn't in the cards for me and i didn't get into MD schools, tried three times. you eventually come to a crossroads in your young life, and I was forced to make a decision: essentially, was it okay to give up my dream because of my pride? I made the right decision.

If you work hard, and you will certainly have to, probably even moreso as a D.O., you can get to the same place you imagine yourself being had you gone the M.D. route. There are just more opportunities out there in the 'allopathic' world, as you start aiming to be more specialized, those D.O. spots become more and more limited. i.e: there just aren't that many rads or ortho D.O. programs out there. This is probably general advice that would apply to all students, but since most students obviously should not know what they want to do with their life before medical school, just try to work hard (on the boards, especially) to keep your bases covered and not let anyone question your competency. It's an uphill battle, but the opportunities are out there if you have initiative. Regardless of what you want to specialize in, you can maximize your opportunities in both the AOA and ACGME world if you have the drive.

My beef with the whole AOA thing is how outdated and archaic their philosophy is. They're hook, which they have people sippin kool-aid over, is that we practice 'hollistic' medicine. We practice "healing the whole mind, body, spirit" etc. etc. "we treat the disease, not just symptoms" It's very ignorant; you'll be hard pressed to find an M.D. nowadays that will just treat symptoms and ignore whatever may be causing those symptoms. You don't have to be an M.D. or D.O. to be a good doctor.

On the flip side, medicine has evolved to a certain point where D.O.s are now infilitrating into every medical specialty out there. Ortho, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, etc. etc. We're no longer just rural, primary care docs. There may be an unfair depiction, or expectation, from M.D.s (or even other D.O.s!) that as a D.O., we have to practice OMM, but it's not the 19th century anymore. It's something we learn on the side, and it may be someone's cup of tea, but it certainly doesn't mean everyone should practice it.

Just follow your dreams, sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to, but keep your eyes on the bigger picture. In the end, I am grateful for D.O. schools, because had they not existed, I would not have gotten in anywhere with my sub-par stats.

Amazing post! Thank you.
 
Thank you. I am arranging meetings with medical schools to discuss my credentials.

Can anyone really honestly apply to DO and really believe in it? I mean REALLY believe in it like how some people convert from Protestantism to Catholicism? I don't get it. How can they and then still apply to MD residencies? It doesn't make sense to me. Medicine is Medicine. I don't know how I would answer the "why DO" question. Philosophy? No. The DO philosophy (whatever the h%#$ that means) is NOT limited to osteopathic medicine.

By me being open to MD or DO, I meant that if I had no choice I would go DO. I wouldn't turn down a free ride for an MD from Hopkins/Yale for any DO school. That's what I meant.

Being new to the whole medical school application thing, it freaks me out when I hear about 35 MCAT and 3.7+ GPA students getting in NOWHERE.

You don't say...

:laugh:
 
Please share your opinions on this:

A friend of mine attends PCOM. On LinkedIn and Facebook she list her education as:

Grad School: PCOM
Degree: D.O.
"Medicine" with no mention of osteopathic.

She is happy to be at PCOM and is really hoping to enter a neurosurgery residency (used to be a neurosurgery PA) and left out "osteopathic" out of her profiles. She explained she left it out to point out she does not believe the medicine she is learning is any different from allopathic schools aside from the OMM.

She is at PCOM because it was her first choice DO school. She was not accepted to any MD schools and will attempt DO residencies in neurosurgery.
At age 27, she didn't want to spend more time trying to get into an MD program.


For the record, I don't use FaceBook and LinkedIn and don't know much about "social networking" culture, etc.
 
Please share your opinions on this:

A friend of mine attends PCOM. On LinkedIn and Facebook she list her education as:

Grad School: PCOM
Degree: D.O.
"Medicine" with no mention of osteopathic.

She is happy to be at PCOM and is really hoping to enter a neurosurgery residency (used to be a neurosurgery PA) and left out "osteopathic" out of her profiles. She explained she left it out to point out she does not believe the medicine she is learning is any different from allopathic schools aside from the OMM.

She is at PCOM because it was her first choice DO school. She was not accepted to any MD schools and will attempt DO residencies in neurosurgery.
At age 27, she didn't want to spend more time trying to get into an MD program.


For the record, I don't use FaceBook and LinkedIn and don't know much about "social networking" culture, etc.

I'm glad that our osteopathic family provided her with an opportunity to become an osteopathic physician and maybe soon an osteopathic neurosurgeon. She is free to advertise herself as she sees fit.

Btw, I personally think you are a troll; but in the unlikely event that I'm wrong and if you are expressing your true opinions/concerns, I strongly suggest that you do not apply to osteopathic schools for any reason. If you have issues with AOA's approach as a pre-med you will be miserable for the rest of your life IF you get accepted and finish.

I don't know what is this obsession on SDN with DO schools? I've said it multiple times, if our schools are so bad (or any other descriptor you want to replace it with), stop applying to our schools. We have plenty of qualified applicants and nobody is forcing you to apply!
 
I'm glad that our osteopathic family provided her with an opportunity to become an osteopathic physician and maybe soon an osteopathic neurosurgeon. She is free to advertise herself as she sees fit.

Btw, I personally think you are a troll; but in the unlikely event that I'm wrong and if you are expressing your true opinions/concerns, I strongly suggest that you do not apply to osteopathic schools for any reason. If you have issues with AOA's approach as a pre-med you will be miserable for the rest of your life IF you get accepted and finish.

I don't know what is this obsession on SDN with DO schools? I've said it multiple times, if our schools are so bad (or any other descriptor you want to replace it with), stop applying to our schools. We have plenty of qualified applicants and nobody is forcing you to apply!
What? Did I miss something?
 
cephalexinRX has to be a troll...

Saying stuff like "If I get a full ride" "If I got into Harvard/Yale"... etc. etc.

Holy cow. Anyone would choose those schools if you are looking into the Ivy League. There are no Ivy League DO schools.

I am surprised more people are not blasting this poster, especially with all the blasts that are put out towards other forum members for saying they like going to a DO school.

And then you just rant on and on about DOs and their profession and how bad it is. Then to bring in the Facebook/LinkedIN(or whatever it is) and think she has to put osteopathic medicine instead of just medicine.... dude, osteopathic medicine is medicine.

If you feel you are qualified enough to apply and get accepted to an Ivy League school even though you are APPLYING for 2014 (probably have not even taken the MCAT), then spend time in the MD forums or the stick up your a$% forums. Get a grip dude and start being more realistic.
 
Please share your opinions on this:

A friend of mine attends PCOM. On LinkedIn and Facebook she list her education as:

Grad School: PCOM
Degree: D.O.
"Medicine" with no mention of osteopathic.

She is happy to be at PCOM and is really hoping to enter a neurosurgery residency (used to be a neurosurgery PA) and left out "osteopathic" out of her profiles. She explained she left it out to point out she does not believe the medicine she is learning is any different from allopathic schools aside from the OMM.

She is at PCOM because it was her first choice DO school. She was not accepted to any MD schools and will attempt DO residencies in neurosurgery.
At age 27, she didn't want to spend more time trying to get into an MD program.


For the record, I don't use FaceBook and LinkedIn and don't know much about "social networking" culture, etc.

Who gives a f***? Osteopathic medicine is no different than allopathic medicine, they are one and the same. If she happens to leave out "osteopathic" or "DO" while practicing as a neurosurgeon that will be a big deal i.e. Illegal. You have made it abundantly clear that you don't want to go to a DO school...so don't apply and you wont ever have to worry about DO vs MD. If you don't have the stats, then do what most of us have and shut your mouth and do what it takes to become a PHYSICIAN.
 
It was naive of me to think that asking questions about DO wouldn't spark anger. I'm sorry. I never stated I am opposed to going DO so sorry if I came across that way or even elitist. Who the hell am I anyways, I haven't even started apply

I'm just confused/curious about the mentality of those that apply both MD and DO and go DO when it is their only option. Now I get it, both are paths to be a Physician. Now I realize there are indeed people who go DO because they have no other option, and they don't have to be anti-MD, or "believe'" in osteopathic medicine like they do a religion. It's becoming clearer that one doesn't need to "believe" in being a DO in the same one a person converts religions (I know, silly language).

I think it is best I stop asking questions about D.O. and learn straight from DO students and attendings in person.

I particularly learned much from posts # 12 and #15. They are worth reflection by those confused about MD/DO.

I really didn't mean to bash DO at all. I'm not even a medical student, so there.

Best of luck to you all.

--------

And I can't apply for 2013 entry because I did not complete physics and g-chem labs in undergrad and am finishing them up while I work full time.
 
Who gives a f***? Osteopathic medicine is no different than allopathic medicine, they are one and the same. If she happens to leave out "osteopathic" or "DO" while practicing as a neurosurgeon that will be a big deal i.e. Illegal. You have made it abundantly clear that you don't want to go to a DO school...so don't apply and you wont ever have to worry about DO vs MD. If you don't have the stats, then do what most of us have and shut your mouth and do what it takes to become a PHYSICIAN.

Exactly. I was just pointing out an example of how a DO student doesn't have to suck up to the AOA and their antics, likewise for MD students and to the AMA and Pathologists with CAP, etc.
 
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It was naive of me to think that asking questions about DO wouldn't spark anger. I'm sorry. I never stated I am opposed to going DO so sorry if I came across that way or even elitist. Who the hell am I anyways, I haven't even started apply

I'm just confused/curious about the mentality of those that apply both MD and DO and go DO when it is their only option. Now I get it, both are paths to be a Physician. Now I realize there are indeed people who go DO because they have no other option, and they don't have to be anti-MD, or "believe'" in osteopathic medicine like they do a religion. It's becoming clearer that one doesn't need to "believe" in being a DO in the same one a person converts religions (I know, silly language).

I think it is best I stop asking questions about D.O. and learn straight from DO students and attendings in person.

I particularly learned much from posts # 12 and #15. They are worth reflection by those confused about MD/DO.

I really didn't mean to bash DO at all. I'm not even a medical student, so there.

Best of luck to you all.

--------

And I can't apply for 2013 entry because I did not complete physics and g-chem labs in undergrad and am finishing them up while I work full time.


This is all you need to know:

Students who attend a DO school are going to be one of the following: Someone who is truly interested in osteopathic medicine and someone who just wants to be a doctor and doesn't care about how they get there. Those that don't care about being DO or MD will either not care at all about the osteopathic part of the schooling, or be interested in it. Going to a DO school doesn't require you to "accept" anything. You are there to learn medicine and be a doctor. If you choose to continue with the osteopathic teachings, that's up to you personally. If you were to strip away the classes that teach you osteopathic medicine, DO schools would be identical to any MD school in their teachings.

The only place where people actually care about being an MD or DO is places like SDN. In the real world, nobody gives a crap about you being a DO or MD. An MD will NOT treat you any differently and patients will NOT have less respect for you. You're profession is first and foremost as being a physician, and that is what you will be perceived as.
 
This is all you need to know:

Students who attend a DO school are going to be one of the following: Someone who is truly interested in osteopathic medicine and someone who just wants to be a doctor and doesn't care about how they get there. Those that don't care about being DO or MD will either not care at all about the osteopathic part of the schooling, or be interested in it. Going to a DO school doesn't require you to "accept" anything. You are there to learn medicine and be a doctor. If you choose to continue with the osteopathic teachings, that's up to you personally. If you were to strip away the classes that teach you osteopathic medicine, DO schools would be identical to any MD school in their teachings.

The only place where people actually care about being an MD or DO is places like SDN. In the real world, nobody gives a crap about you being a DO or MD. An MD will NOT treat you any differently and patients will NOT have less respect for you. You're profession is first and foremost as being a physician, and that is what you will be perceived as.

Fact
 
This is all you need to know:

Students who attend a DO school are going to be one of the following: Someone who is truly interested in osteopathic medicine and someone who just wants to be a doctor and doesn't care about how they get there. Those that don't care about being DO or MD will either not care at all about the osteopathic part of the schooling, or be interested in it. Going to a DO school doesn't require you to "accept" anything. You are there to learn medicine and be a doctor. If you choose to continue with the osteopathic teachings, that's up to you personally. If you were to strip away the classes that teach you osteopathic medicine, DO schools would be identical to any MD school in their teachings.

The only place where people actually care about being an MD or DO is places like SDN. In the real world, nobody gives a crap about you being a DO or MD. An MD will NOT treat you any differently and patients will NOT have less respect for you. You're profession is first and foremost as being a physician, and that is what you will be perceived as.

This and posts # 12 and #15 cleared things up so much. Thanks.
 
Hey friend, just perhaps to help clarify a bit more. In my class perhaps 10-20% really like OMM, 20-30% really hate it, and everyone else is somewhere in between. In regard to the whole holistic view I wholeheartedly think we look at the whole person...... However I think our MD colleagues do as well. You don't have to be proud to be a DO, hopefully you will just be proud to be a doc. I personally find OMM cool but don't think I will really use it too much in practice. Time will tell. Good luck with figuring out where you want to apply and everything!
 
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