Letter of Rec from a DO physician?

[Ramathorn]

My friend is applying to only allopathic medical schools this upcoming year, and wanted me to ask if would look bad if he had a letter of recommendation from a doctor that has a DO. Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[VPDcurt]

So basically, you're the one applying to only allopathic schools and you are wondering if a letter from a DO is acceptable. I think it is...for whatever that's worth.

 

[NonTradMed]

I shadowed a DO doctor and he warned me about sending his letter to an allopathic school....he strongly believed that it would hurt my application. I suggest getting an MD doctor to do a rec for your allo recs.

 

[Nickelpennykid]

I'm not sure it would really make that big of a difference. Basically a physician letter lets an adcom know if a practicing physician believes that you have the intellingence, interest and skills to be able to be a successful doctor / med student. Since they finished medschool and have been practicing, they would be able to evaluate those things.

 

[Timmythemic22]

Yeah, I heard from a friend that a DO letter of Rec can get you sent to an internment camp thats exactly 45 miles east/southeast of wilmington, NC. They torture you by playing Yanni and making you taste rejected flavors of lipgloss. Honestly, why would you ever even THINK of getting a reccomendation from an accredited physician that is every bit as qualified as an MD.

What a silly question.

 

[baylormed]

I had a letter from a DO (the only letter I had from a physician). I don't think it hurt me, no one ever mentioned it. Then again, I had all my letters compiled into an evaluation package done by my school that also included their evaluation of the pre-medical committee interview, and I'm not so sure what that package looks like. In other words, the letter wasn't sent directly to the schools, it was part of a condensed package.

I can't obviously speak for ADCOMS or anyone else, it's just my experience. You should send a PM to LizzyM, she'll be better qualified to say whether it hurts you or not.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Ask your premed advisor.

 

[bbabul01]

I would find it appalling if any MD committee looked down on a letter from a DO. First, DOs are physicians. They can do the exact same thing as MDs. They get a really bad rap around the pre-allo thread and I think it's pretty pathetic. Secondly, a letter comes from someone who knows you. Is the adcom also going to throw you out because the professor who knows you best teaches religious studies and the adcom member is an atheist?

Stop giving DOs so much crap just because they reside in a different forum and don't read what you say. It's sad.

 

[Catalystik]

I would find it appalling if any MD committee looked down on a letter from a DO. First, DOs are physicians. They can do the exact same thing as MDs. They get a really bad rap around the pre-allo thread and I think it's pretty pathetic. Secondly, a letter comes from someone who knows you. Is the adcom also going to throw you out because the professor who knows you best teaches religious studies and the adcom member is an atheist?

Stop giving DOs so much crap just because they reside in a different forum and don't read what you say. It's sad.

Ditto! And well stated, too.

 

[DPS319]

I did.

Such Andsuch, DO, FACS

Dont think it helped or hurt.

 

[em783]

Yeah, I heard from a friend that a DO letter of Rec can get you sent to an internment camp thats exactly 45 miles east/southeast of wilmington, NC. They torture you by playing Yanni and making you taste rejected flavors of lipgloss. Honestly, why would you ever even THINK of getting a reccomendation from an accredited physician that is every bit as qualified as an MD.

What a silly question.

Yikes, not sure which is worse between rejected flavors of lipgloss or Yanni? Not sure that I would mind something like chicken pot pie glazed over my lips though...

OK in regards to the OP's question, because the letter of reccomendation is regarding your experience/work ethic/qualifications/demeanor/attitude as a whole and how well-suited you would be for medicine and has nothing to do with the MD/DO debate I personally think that a DO LOR is completely fine and equally as valid. DO's are physicians, you know. They have equal rights in practicing medicine as any other MD physician and went through the same coursework and what not.

 

[ryouland]

Although I haven't applied yet... I dont see why it'd hurt you. Its a rec from someone who will knows you. MD and DO's are equals so its getting a rec from a qualified physician... sounds good to me!

 

[PugMD]

What you need to account for here is the fact that although it may not be justified, a lot of 'old school' MD's still have no respect for their DO counterparts. While I think a majority have gained respect for the DO, your letter will most likely not carry the same weight as if it were from an MD.

I can't imagine it would hurt your application to allo schools? A lot of DO's are doing the same work that MD's are doing, and it's hard to imagine an ADCOM member saying, "damn, why is he getting a letter from these ******s. To the trash with him!"

 

[USArmyDoc]

I swear......pre-meds can be the worst. Use the letter and good luck in your application cycle.

Every adcom I have ever spoken to spoke highly of DO's. This is when I was applying. In fact, a bunch of them asked and recommended I apply to osteopathic medical schools.

I did and I am very satisfied. I hope you guys are ready for 4 years of hell....just kidding

 

[OrangeTide]

Every adcom I have ever spoken to spoke highly of DO's. This is when I was applying. In fact, a bunch of them asked and recommended I apply to osteopathic medical schools.

Because that's the PC answer to the question.

Truthfully, this is one of those things where you'll never know if it hurt or helped you.

You use it and don't get accepted, you psychologically think it blacklisted you.

You don't use it and didn't get it, you psychologically think that had you had a stronger rec from a medical person, it might have gotten you in.

 

[ICCONFETTI]

ask your pre-med advisor.

but i would think the more lor you have, the merrier

 

[USArmyDoc]

Because that's the PC answer to the question.

Truthfully, this is one of those things where you'll never know if it hurt or helped you.

You use it and don't get accepted, you psychologically think it blacklisted you.

You don't use it and didn't get it, you psychologically think that had you had a stronger rec from a medical person, it might have gotten you in.

PC answer? Why would they freely bring it up? If they thought lowly of them, they wouldn't of went ahead and said "Oh, are you applying to NYCOM. You should b/c its a great school." Funny thing is...Right after I spoke to this person, I was speaking to a chief of psychiatry at a local hospital and he asked me the same thing. He then went on to say that he feels the students out of NYCOM were superior to the students from a local allopathic school.

Please, do not take what I say above the wrong way. I look at everyone as being equal. I am just passing along some personal experiences I have had.

Good luck guys

 

[NonTradMed]

I would find it appalling if any MD committee looked down on a letter from a DO. First, DOs are physicians. They can do the exact same thing as MDs. They get a really bad rap around the pre-allo thread and I think it's pretty pathetic. Secondly, a letter comes from someone who knows you. Is the adcom also going to throw you out because the professor who knows you best teaches religious studies and the adcom member is an atheist?

Stop giving DOs so much crap just because they reside in a different forum and don't read what you say. It's sad.

I don't know if this was directed at my comment, but I wanted to clarify that my suggestion about not sending a DO rec to MD schools was from the DO doc that I shadowed. Granted, he was Old School (as in he graduated back in the 1960's or 70's) so he may have an outdated outlook on the MD vs. DO thing, but I think the fact that he refused to send my application to my school (my school sends out all evals as a composite letter) b/c he believed that I was sending it to MD schools indicates to me that some people still have the 'old school' mentality.

And if the DO doc has this "MDs and DOs are at war" mentality, I could only venture to guess that some old MD docs may also have that idea.

The general bent of the forum is to say 'DOs and MDs are equal so their letters should be treated equally', however, I wanted to point out that there could still be people out there who may not share this enlightened view and we may need to prepare our applications accordingly.

I did not send the DO doc's letter to any MD schools (per request by the DO doc) so I guess I'll never know if sending it would have or hurt me but I wanted to let the OP know about my experience. Just b/c I felt DOs are equal to MDs, doesn't mean I should assume others think the same way. Just my two cents.

 

[docbens]

My only medical doctor LOR was from a DO. Never came up in any of my interviews and I only applied to allopathic school. Got accepted and one of the interviews said taht my LOR's were very stong. I don't think that the writer has much to do with the letter. It is how well you know the person and how well they know you. If the dude is 75 year old tranvestite hooker that moonlights as a lounge singer, but knows you well (not that I would want to know how he/she knows you), then you got a good LOR.

 

[orthointern]

I had a DO LOR and went to an allopathic med school.....for whatever that's worth.........

 

[BNSN]

Nothing wrong with a DO letter. Only premeds look down on DOs. Once you get your degree, everyone treats everyone else with respect.

Go for it.

 

[Dr JPH]

Is it a good letter?

If so, then why wouldnt you send it?

I had a LOR from an MD when I applied to DO schools. And by God they accepted it, even though it was from a money hungry, pill pushing, poor bedside mannering MD.

And I got in.