Some additional thoughts:
I don't understand why research and super specialists are automatically equated to excellency and prestige. Simply conducting research isn't that beneficial if you aren't producing any worthwhile findings, the research publication industry today has become just that, an industry. Alot of research is being found to be unable to be reproduced due to poor measures reporting, lack of stringent analysis and poor study designs (can cite this later). Further, alot of physicians simply don't understand biostatistics and aren't able to accurately interpret results, publications are slowly turning into a numbers game and flexing match.
Continuing,
Alot of physicians don't want to be researchers. they want to be physicians. Physicians first, second and third. While some want to be 1A researcher 1B physician this shouldn't be equated to "better", it is just different
Physicians these days are also getting a MPH and want to work as a physician and in a public health setting (what I will be doing).
Now on to primary care
The ACA is more favorable towards Primary Care, primary care physicians generally have better lifestyles and work balance (important metric of success), primary care physicians are able to practice the greatest deal of preventive medicine and are able to build stronger bonds with their patients due to the longevity and consistenty in which they often see/have patients.
This old school mentality of - the harder % it is to get into specialty or residency X or the more research funding at location Y = better, prestige culture, etc. is dying with the advent of millennials entering medicine.
Imo, it's about being a physician first, then your secondary passions (research, academics, public health, administration etc) and what matters most is
1. How well you do as a physician aka patient outcomes
2. How efficiently you work
3. How the patient experience is
AKA the Triple Aim.
Lastly, now that US healthcare is shifting towards certain ideals and directions the Osteopathic principles are becoming even more appealing to students more than ever (based on my subjective experience of 1-2hundred premeds)
Namely, patient centered approach, holistic assessment (considering SES, occupation, culture when treating and diagnosing), and most importantly prevention!
These have been founding philosophical principles that DOs have been taught over a century.
It will be much easier for DOs to adapt to the coordination, communication, cost efficiency, prevention, cultural competency that the ACA will require of physicians. There will be no learning curve.
With the narrowing gaps between overall stats of MD and DO matriculants (30-31 vs 27-28 MCAT and 3.6 vs 3.4 GPA) the differences in quality of students is being eliminated.
The ACGME merger means many things, but one thing it means is that it is being recognzied that the clincial rotations/preclinical education that DOs recieve is equivalent of MDs, so much so that a merger is can not only be accomplised but it is going to happen. Also consider that existing AOA certifications/systems (lack of better word) are being grandfathered in indicating that DOs have been receiving well enough training that those already existing or certified can be grandfathered in. Weak AOA programs (minority) that may exist will be gone or forced to improved, further eliminating difference
Another point, stop grouping all MD and DO schools together. There are strong MD schools and weak ones, same with DO. Be nuanced
Also stop freaking out about new schools, we have a maldistrubution crisis and a shortage. We need more doctors. A new school is not inherently bad. UCR MD is a great program, Cal Northstate is atrocious (faculty and GME), LUCOM is horrid but CUSOM/BCOM are fantastic (creating over 300 ACGME residency positions between the two schools including specialties like ortho)
We need to stop wasting time on these matters and unite, to create a stronger lobby so we stop getting destroyed by pharmas.
