Lowest MCAT for DO school

[Medicineman20]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey everyone I was curious of those who actually got a low MCAT score and was accepted to a DO school?

I am still waiting on the April Test scores 😕

 

[dr.z]

Did you search the MDapplicants.com? You can find MCAT scores there.

 

[box29]

Every school has its cutoff MCAT scores that may or may have changed for the upcoming application cycle. I think your best bet would be to call the schools in which you are interested and ask an admissions counselor.

 

[doc2010]

Hey everyone I was curious of those who actually got a low MCAT score and was accepted to a DO school?

I personally know someone who got into DMU with a 3, but she was a URM and they can get in with lower scores, you know. I heard that COMP accepted someone with a 2.

 

[MikeyLu2010]

lol..can you even get a 0 in a section?

 

[cee]

I personally know someone who got into DMU with a 3, but she was a URM and they can get in with lower scores, you know. I heard that COMP accepted someone with a 2.

that would be awesome.. BELIEVE ME, i need that kind of help

 

[CatsandCradles]

lol..can you even get a 0 in a section?

I did.

I got a 0 on both the biological and physical section of the MCAT. But I did get a 1 in the verbal section - so it's doable. Don't loose hope. If I can get in with just a 1 on the MCAT and get into a DO school, all of you can too!

 

[CatsandCradles]

Ok now for the serious post,

The lowest I ever heard was a 21 going into PCOM. But she brought some serious stuff with her since she did several years of AmeriCorp and was very knowledgeable about social justice issues and the like. She had some really interesting stories to tell. Perhaps one of the best canidates I have ever met. She wasn't bright, but she did REAL social work and none of that "I volunteered in the hospital for 100 hours" crap that most premeds do.

PCOM rejected me, and I had a far better MCAT than her. So I think that says something about medical school application in general.

 

[MikeyLu2010]

PCOM tends to favor ppl around the area...philly, ny, etc...i think there are a couple of ppl that have gotten in with low 20's provided a stellar gpa and awesome EC's...and if you are like everyone else..good LORs..

 

[Kuba]

I got a -1 the first time i took it and now im in a neonatal surgery fellowship. YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[JohnUC33]

The Pikeville admissions lady told me that they have accepted people with as low as 18 before.

 

[jbone]

I hate these types of threads. This is the stupid crap that gives DO's such a negative stigma that DO schools are easy to get into. Come on folks.
"HEY EVERYONE, I GOT A 13 AND GOT ADMITTED!!" 👎

 

[goinverted]

I hate these types of threads. This is the stupid crap that gives DO's such a negative stigma that DO schools are easy to get into. Come on folks.
"HEY EVERYONE, I GOT A 13 AND GOT ADMITTED!!" 👎

Yeah! These threads are like the bottom cat in Bone's avatar!

 

[jbone]

Yeah! These threads are like the bottom cat in Bone's avatar!

Ouch!!! Just how you like it inverted!!

 

[Lady Tokimi]

I hate these types of threads. This is the stupid crap that gives DO's such a negative stigma that DO schools are easy to get into. Come on folks.
"HEY EVERYONE, I GOT A 13 AND GOT ADMITTED!!" 👎

I completely agree with you. oh well, what are you gonna do, can't stop people from posting.

 

[goinverted]

I completely agree with you. oh well, what are you gonna do, can't stop people from posting.

No but we can sick bone dog on them! 😀

 

[AmyO]

We fight to earn the same respect as M.D. students and have to defend why we would make just as good physicians as students from traditional M.D. programs. Then, I come across threads like these......come on guys!!!! It's not showing much ambition if we're asking what the bare minimum MCAT a student can get and earn admission to med school and then post sub-par scores like we're bragging about them!!! It's like painting a huge bullseye on us and begging everyone to take a shot. 👎 👎 👎

 

[Zerosixjt]

Just because DO schools traditionally accept people with lower MCATs, they are not alone. If you look at the latest admission requirements for MD schools, many of them will accept subject scores as low as 3, and the range for most of them goes down to about 5.

Just remember, MCATs are not the only selection criteria, if you are low in one area, work on the rest (GPA, LORs, ECs) that is the best way to make you a well rounded candidate no matter where you apply.

 

[Tanner82]

someone I know who is in NYCOM now got a 6... 2-3-1 he's really smart...

troll

 

[allendo]

My state M.D. schools will accept low 20's if your an underepresented minority

 

[USArmyDoc]

I personally know someone who got into DMU with a 3, but she was a URM and they can get in with lower scores, you know. I heard that COMP accepted someone with a 2.

Sorry, I don't buy it. Those are rediculous scores. I realize you "personally" know this person but I highly doubt that its true.

 

[Tanner82]

Sorry, I don't buy it. Those are rediculous scores. I realize you "personally" know this person but I highly doubt that its true.

army doc... i think he was kidding.... to get a 2, you would need to get >10 on a section... to get a 0 on an MCAT section should automatically disqualify you from getting higher level education in anything


yeah affirmitive action is a b*tch... unless your a minority of course.... well unless your asian, then it totally works against you... eh

 

[RAMPA]

army doc... i think he was kidding.... to get a 2, you would need to get >10 on a section... to get a 0 on an MCAT section should automatically disqualify you from getting higher level education in anything


yeah affirmitive action is a b*tch... unless your a minority of course.... well unless your asian, then it totally works against you... eh

affirmative action is heaven for middle class and upper class URM....they screw the poor white kid or the neighbor who went to the same school and took the same classes and got the same scores

 

[USArmyDoc]

army doc... i think he was kidding.... to get a 2, you would need to get >10 on a section... to get a 0 on an MCAT section should automatically disqualify you from getting higher level education in anything


yeah affirmitive action is a b*tch... unless your a minority of course.... well unless your asian, then it totally works against you... eh

lol...oops sorryyy...These threads get me riled up as well so I probably took it the wrong way. My apologies.


Edit: After reading his post more closely, I def. see the sarcasm. 🙂

 

[bkpa2med]

affirmative action is heaven for middle class and upper class URM....they screw the poor white kid or the neighbor who went to the same school and took the same classes and got the same scores

👍

 

[sayoc]

I hate these types of threads. This is the stupid crap that gives DO's such a negative stigma that DO schools are easy to get into. Come on folks.
"HEY EVERYONE, I GOT A 13 AND GOT ADMITTED!!" 👎

Agree! Doctor should have mentality of 110% and we should not have minimum get by standards...

 

[JohnUC33]

affirmative action is heaven for middle class and upper class URM....they screw the poor white kid or the neighbor who went to the same school and took the same classes and got the same scores

Whatever, you just spewing off at the mouth. I know I earned every acceptance letter I got with my hard work in undergrad (look at my profile if you like). All that crap while working 2-3 jobs was not exactly an easy task. Maybe its an advantage to some black people, but you are a fool to think that affirmative action helps all black students.

 

[sayoc]

affirmative action is heaven for middle class and upper class URM....they screw the poor white kid or the neighbor who went to the same school and took the same classes and got the same scores

My understanding is that affirmative action states each school must have centain number of seats for minorty/disadvantage students- mainly hispanic, black and native american. This is what I think -- On average, they do have lower gpa or mcat, therefore they are competing within their application pool not with Asian or Whites application pools.

 

[Tanner82]

Whatever, you just spewing off at the mouth. I know I earned every acceptance letter I got with my hard work in undergrad (look at my profile if you like). All that crap while working 2-3 jobs was not exactly an easy task. Maybe its an advantage to some black people, but you are a fool to think that affirmative action helps all black students.

Yeah I mean you got a 19 on your first MCAT.... good gpa tho


It is an advantage to ALL black people... Oh and alot of other people have worked multiple jobs to pay for school ect. Now you are talking about economic class, which is a whole nother issue. given the same two people, one being African American and another a typical White applicant, the black person Will be accepted. Simply because they are an URM, no other reason. Let alone people who are unequal in stats getting it over kids who have better stats b\c of it. Are there smart black people? yes. Are there smart URM? yes. Why not admit the ones for the reason that they deserve it, not b\c it meets a quota.


kind of like tahj mowery. ABC, being politically correct made him a regular for a few years as Michelle's playmate. Me, uncle jessie (www.wwujd.com), and Joey unanamously disapproved, but in the name of affirmitive action, we were overruled. It turns out he was a bad influence on Mary-Kate (cocaine addiction, annorexia, ect.) Now he has his own show on disney (The smart Guy). It's a shame......

 

[EastWestN2grt]

It is an advantage to ALL black people... Oh and alot of other people have worked multiple jobs to pay for school ect. Now you are talking about economic class, which is a whole nother issue. given the same two people, one being African American and another a typical White applicant, the black person Will be accepted. Simply because they are an URM, no other reason. Let alone people who are unequal in stats getting it over kids who have better stats b\c of it. Are there smart black people? yes. Are there smart URM? yes. Why not admit the ones for the reason that they deserve it, not b\c it meets a quota.

Tanner, you are definitely walking a fine(very ignorant)line here. Affirmative action is an advantage to all URMs who have the grades, competitive MCATS, ECs, etc. You act as if a person with darker skin can walk into a medical school and the admissions committee will fall over backwards to get them to join their school. This is just not true. Yes you can make the case that it is reverse discrimination-but until there is real equality in the playing field then affirmative action is necessary. If the population of the US is 17% Hispanic, then until 17% of doctors are Hispanic, then the playing field is still not equal- bottom line. It sucks if you are a non-URM who has busted their ass to try and get into med school, and you dont get accepted, but dont blame it on URMs as if we have taken your space! Many of us wont get in either, but thats just the name of the med school game. You need to understand the reality, it wasn't that long ago when med schools had 0 graduates coming out who were non-white. With that said they have been trying to remedy this situation over the past twenty-thirty years, and yet still only a small percent of docs are URMs--something like 5%. My research prof. who is also hispanic, had a father who was a physican in Texas- At the time, the '60s, many white folks did not want to see a 'dirty mexican doctor'. While we have improved since then, do not kid yourself to believe it is ALL better and no longer a problem. Racism and inequality are still major problems, which is too bad for all of us.

 

[exmike]

There are always amazing exceptions in gaining admission MD or DO schools. Just take the averages (24.6 for DO, 30.2 for MD) and you can figure out what your chances are given a score. Either way, you're not likely to get in either one with a score below a 20.

 

[SigPi]

Tanner, you are definitely walking a fine(very ignorant)line here. Affirmative action is an advantage to all URMs who have the grades, competitive MCATS, ECs, etc. You act as if a person with darker skin can walk into a medical school and the admissions committee will fall over backwards to get them to join their school. This is just not true. Yes you can make the case that it is reverse discrimination-but until there is real equality in the playing field then affirmative action is necessary. If the population of the US is 17% Hispanic, then until 17% of doctors are Hispanic, then the playing field is still not equal- bottom line. It sucks if you are a non-URM who has busted their ass to try and get into med school, and you dont get accepted, but dont blame it on URMs as if we have taken your space! Many of us wont get in either, but thats just the name of the med school game. You need to understand the reality, it wasn't that long ago when med schools had 0 graduates coming out who were non-white. With that said they have been trying to remedy this situation over the past twenty-thirty years, and yet still only a small percent of docs are URMs--something like 5%. My research prof. who is also hispanic, had a father who was a physican in Texas- At the time, the '60s, many white folks did not want to see a 'dirty mexican doctor'. While we have improved since then, do not kid yourself to believe it is ALL better and no longer a problem. Racism and inequality are still major problems, which is too bad for all of us.

WHY WHY WHY is it generally held that if a X% of Y group of people make up a population than unless the Y group makes up X% of a particular workforce than something is terribly wrong?? That is just plain liberal BS. THE MOST QUALIFIED PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE THE JOB. Look at the NBA for example: would you draft the white boy who bumbles the ball just to increase your teams cultural perspective and move towards equality in the league? HELL NO. That is just dumb. You draft the best players for your team, plain and simple. I'm not upset that 80% (just throwing that out there, I dont know exact numbers) of the NBA is black.

I'll have to find the source, but I know i read somewhere where a LARGE percentage of URM that are being admitted to America's top schools (undergrad) are actually foregin born, or their parents were first generation citzens...VS the URM's who have been here since, well, the 1600's i guess.

Race should never be taken into consideration in admissions, job apps, etc. Color is not a virtue. You want to fight a better fight, how about class? Economic status has a more legit claim to be taken into consideration in these matters....but thats another debate.

 

[Raven Feather]

WHY WHY WHY is it generally held that if a X% of Y group of people make up a population than unless the Y group makes up X% of a particular workforce than something is terribly wrong?? That is just plain liberal BS. THE MOST QUALIFIED PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE THE JOB. Look at the NBA for example: would you draft the white boy who bumbles the ball just to increase your teams cultural perspective and move towards equality in the league? HELL NO. That is just dumb. You draft the best players for your team, plain and simple. I'm not upset that 80% (just throwing that out there, I dont know exact numbers) of the NBA is black.

I'll have to find the source, but I know i read somewhere where a LARGE percentage of URM that are being admitted to America's top schools (undergrad) are actually foregin born, or their parents were first generation citzens...VS the URM's who have been here since, well, the 1600's i guess.

Race should never be taken into consideration in admissions, job apps, etc. Color is not a virtue. You want to fight a better fight, how about class? Economic status has a more legit claim to be taken into consideration in these matters....but thats another debate.

I'd would have to agree with that IF there wasn't such thing as racism. It is actually pretty sad that there would have to be such a thing as Affirmative Action in this nation in the first place.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

THE MOST QUALIFIED PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE THE JOB.

You are right, and so for the 17% Hispanic population in this country the MOST QUALIFIED PEOPLE to be their doctors are people who understand their culture, their language and the effect that society(and all these other factors) could have on their health or cause disease. And while I have met people of non-hispanic descent that can speak better Spanish than myself, and who are probably soulfully Hispanic, the reality is that they are few. And so are the doctors who will best fit this role--hispanic doctors.

On top of this, who do you think will have the medical interest of the hispanic population most at heart, legislatively and even politically. I for one would prefer not to leave to chance that a conservative, W.A.S.P pre-med born and raised in the midwest is going to be concerned about the health problems of the Hispanic/Latino population in L.A. Instead give a bilingual Hispanic student from East LA with competitive grades, a decent MCAT(even if not as good as the WASP candidate) the opportunity to become a doctor. Its a no-brainer of who will perform better when faced with a residency in one of L.A's public hospitals with >80% Spanish speaking patient population.

Just a side note, In many of California's top med schools including USC, UCSF admissions wont even look at you if you dont speak Spanish. There is also a logistical importance to this necessity: If you dont speak the language of the majority of your patients, First of all, diagnosis of the disease or problem is impossible, and secondly there is the possibility of medical malpractice if there is a screwup in the conversation between patient and doc ie. medications, treatment, etc.

 

[jtboyd]

I knew when I saw low MCAT I knew some ignoramus was going to mention URM. Please someone answer this question. WHO DETERMINES WHO IS BEST QUALIFIED FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL? Last time I checked the admissions committee did and not SIGPI (unless, of course, he is part of some medical school's admission committee which is very, unlikely). ADDITIONALLY, last time I checked, MCAT scores and GPA's were NOT the only determinants of a medical school acceptance. You will discover upon research that EVERY school has other selection factors such as: *AN INTERVIEW for one, *UNIQUE QUALITIES, *EC's, *LEADERSHIP ABILITY, *WORK EXPERIENCE, *AGE, *GENDER (notice how most like to keep it relatively close?), *ETC

It's amazing how when the NON-URM's get accepted with their incredible EC's and below average numbers no-one complains or even suspects that person is taking their spot. However, when someone sees black faces in the class (maybe ~ 4) they automatically think they don’t belong there. Have we gotten that ignorant? This is the same principle as to why most MD's dislike DO's, ignorance/arrogance. If you got accepted, 10/10 something about you will make you a good physician.

Guys the bottom line is, medical school is not about NUMBERS. Some ignoramus compared medical school to basket ball...that person truly needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Basket Ball is about ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SAVING AND IMPROVING (SICK) PEOPLE LIVES HERE, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who's willing to go to underrepresented areas and work intensively with the residents there? (Raise your hand SIGPI) There is really a shortage of doctor's willing to do this and it is hurting people as a side effect. Most minorities have poor access to heath care. Therefore, medical schools diversify their training in hopes that URM's who are more likely to provide this care will and that NON-URM's can work with other groups and hopefully be prepared to help these groups out.

Medical school is not about numbers. It's about producing compassionate doctors who will help increase the availability of medical care to ALL. Sure you can have a high MCAT/ high GPA and be a complete feminist or racist, the extreme. Medical school's look at the complete picture so if you don't get accepted don't blame URM's evaluate your interviewing skills, update your EC's, get involved in activities that show you have good interpersonal skills, etc.

 

[nvshelat]

Race should never be taken into consideration in admissions, job apps, etc. Color is not a virtue. You want to fight a better fight, how about class? Economic status has a more legit claim to be taken into consideration in these matters....but thats another debate.

The problem is that most studies show that even when you control for economic status, URMs are disadvantaged over whites. In other words, the poor white kid fares better than the poor black kid.

 

[Beau Geste]

You will discover upon research that EVERY school has other selection factors such as: *AN INTERVIEW for one, *UNIQUE QUALITIES, *EC's, *LEADERSHIP ABILITY, *WORK EXPERIENCE, *AGE, *GENDER(notice how most like to keep it relatively close?), *ETC

Technically, medical schools are not supposed to be biased against age. It is not "supposed" to be a discriminating factor, like race is not supposed to be.

Be careful when ranting about discrimination - race isn't the only discrimination out there.

Edit: Nor is age - that's why the female:male ratios are getting closer.
Also, race doesn't imply that someone will make a compassionate doctor in any certain area of the country. Some people want to move to where it's nice to get away from hassles. Some people do want to go back.

Because there are more applicants than med school slots, there are *ALWAYS* going to be people who complain and find every excuse as to why they weren't admitted. The amount of discrimination that goes on in admissions is probably not as much as you would think, especially in the last few years. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but it's a hot topic in society so people are overly PC anymore.

 

[Beau Geste]

The problem is that most studies show that even when you control for economic status, URMs are disadvantaged over whites. In other words, the poor white kid fares better than the poor black kid.

I would think that's because there are generally more whites than other individual races that apply to med school.

Anyway, I think maybe the OP is sweating out their MCAT score and wants to hear some stories about others making it in with less than the average - to make themselves feel better.

 

[jtboyd]

AGE is not a discriminatory factor. With age, should come maturity and life experiences, which is understandable. We sure wouldn't want an 18 year old running the country now would we? Nor would it make much sense to matriculate an 70 year old man with direct medical training lasting ~6 years.

Sure I guess anyone can be a passionate physician in any part of this country. I guess the point I was trying to make is society tends to associate with others it can relate to if given the chance, unfortunately. We see it all the time in church, neighborhoods, work, and school. Believe me even on the graduate levels we see that certain races group together. URM's are more likely to help other URM's (feel free to disagree, I feel no need to post statistics) because other URM's will be comfortable sharing personal info w/o being held to certain social stigmas.

*****To the OP, I wouldn't really focus on the lowest MCAT score that DO schools will accept. I would study, and then study some more until I feel I reached my personal best. (Trust me when you get into medical school, studying for the MCAT will seem like ABC's to you.) Then if a 28, is all I can muster out. I would try and improve on other parts of my application.

 

[scpod]

URM's are more likely to help other URM's (feel free to disagree, I feel no need to post statistics).

I think that your logic is a little flawed. It's based on too many assumptions. Kids who grew up in a midwestern town with a population of 50 aren't likely to go back there to practice medicine just because they come from there. Likewise, people who grew up in the ghetto aren't likely to go back there either. Quite a few of them enter medicine because it's a good way to escape from their past. Once they leave, they're not coming back.

On the other hand, there are plenty of socially conscious WASPs who are just as likely to locate in these same rural areas or ghettos because they're trying to reach the Self Actualisation point in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Just because you see URMs grouped together at church or school doesn't mean they are more likely to be treated by other URMs. Given the choice, they might feel more commfortable with a physician of the same race, but there aren't enough URM physicians to go around. To assume that URM physicians are going to seek out others of their same race to treat, is not practical.

 

[jtboyd]

Time to pull out the facts and data....


http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1307223

 

[jtboyd]

This is more data from a source we should all be very familiar with, NEJM. (For those ignorant to scientific literature it is very prestigious journal) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/334/20/1305

 

[jtboyd]

Please SCPOD, whenever you are ready, feel free to post information stating most URM's aren't likely to practice in underserved areas or most non-blacks prefer black doctors. I am open to any criticisms.

 

[Daddydoc]

Time to pull out the facts and data....


http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1307223

Good links! Thanks for posting them.

 

[scpod]

Please SCPOD, whenever you are ready, feel free to post information stating most URM's aren't likely to practice in underserved areas or most non-blacks prefer black doctors. I am open to any criticisms.

How about this...if you have information other than from California in 1975 and a survey in 1993, I'd be willing to look at that. You neither have enough data, nor is it recent enough to make a conclusion. Based on 2 studies in one state, I don't think that you could make a generalization. If you were to do that with any other area of medicine (2 old studies in one state) you would be guilty of malpractice. I'm sure you are aware that for every single study you find, you'll find another with contradictory evidence. Besides, if you'll look at other resources, you'll realize that the percentage of black physicians in the workforce has doubled since 1975, invalidating much of that data.

More interesting might be this study from 2004 that said, "Black patients may receive their care from a subgroup of physicians whose qualifications or resources are inferior to those of the physicians who treat white patients." Granted, it was limited too because it it concerned only visits by medicare patients. Read further in that issue and you'll find that,"Although black patients were more likely than their white counterparts to receive care from black clinicians, the large majority of their visits were with nonblack clinicians."

 

[Beau Geste]

How about this...if you have information other than from California in 1975 and a survey in 1993, I'd be willing to look at that.

Dang it, you beat me to it.

The articles you provide as evidence are too narrowly focused. The US consists of more than just California.

 

[Beau Geste]

AGE is not a discriminatory factor. With age, should come maturity and life experiences, which is understandable.

Tell that to the 30-somethings that get passed over with equal stats.

I hate the whole "let's not admit the older person because they only have X years of good service left in them" argument. Even if someone has 10 good years to give as a physician - they could impact more people as a great physician than a young, bad physician practicing for 50 years.

I'm not sure how many 70-year-olds are applying but I do know there are a significant amount of 30- and 40-year olds applying with some in their 50's as well, and probably a few in their 60's.

Luckily, more non-traditional students are being accepted, but age disrimination still occurs.

 

[nvshelat]

How about this...if you have information other than from California in 1975 and a survey in 1993, I'd be willing to look at that. You neither have enough data, nor is it recent enough to make a conclusion. Based on 2 studies in one state, I don't think that you could make a generalization. If you were to do that with any other area of medicine (2 old studies in one state) you would be guilty of malpractice. I'm sure you are aware that for every single study you find, you'll find another with contradictory evidence. Besides, if you'll look at other resources, you'll realize that the percentage of black physicians in the workforce has doubled since 1975, invalidating much of that data.

More interesting might be this study from 2004 that said, "Black patients may receive their care from a subgroup of physicians whose qualifications or resources are inferior to those of the physicians who treat white patients." Granted, it was limited too because it it concerned only visits by medicare patients. Read further in that issue and you'll find that,"Although black patients were more likely than their white counterparts to receive care from black clinicians, the large majority of their visits were with nonblack clinicians."

Sayoc, I'm not sure how that refutes his point. The guy is saying minorities have a preference for minority doctors. You seem to be saying yes, they do, but most doctors are white. 😕

In re to the former, this is from Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:912-917. :
RESEARCH EXAMINING the relationship between physician race or ethnicity and the race or ethnicity of patients has produced fairly consistent results, demonstrating that there is a strong positive correlation between physician race or ethnicity and patient race or ethnicity. Minority physicians tend to report caring for more minority patients than do nonminority physicians, and minority patients have a higher likelihood of consulting a minority physician than do nonminority patients. Several studies1-3 have shown an apparent specific race or ethnicity pairing between physicians and patients, whereas other studies4-5 have found a more general relationship (ie, minority patients of nonspecified racial or ethnic status seeing more nonwhite physicians).

Besides serving more minority patients, minority physicians, compared with nonminority physicians, also have an increased likelihood to practice in health profession shortage areas,2 to serve Medicaid-insured patients,2-4,6-7 and to serve poor or uninsured patients.4, 6-7 It is likely that these relationships are the result of mutual preferences, ie, patients seek out physicians whom they are comfortable seeing and physicians likewise practice in areas that have patient populations that are similar to them.1, 6


1. Gray B, Stoddard JJ. Patient-physician pairing: does racial and ethnic congruity influence selection of a regular physician? J Community Health. 1997;22:247-259. FULL TEXT | ISI | PUBMED
2. Keith SN, Bell RM, Swanson AG, Williams AP. Effects of affirmative action in medical schools: a study of the class of 1975. N Engl J Med. 1985;313:1519-1525. ABSTRACT
3. Komaromy M, Grumbach K, Drake M, et al. The role of black and Hispanic physicians in providing health care for underserved populations. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:1305-1310. FREE FULL TEXT
4. Moy E, Bartman BA. Physician race and care of minority and medically indigent patients. JAMA. 1995;273:1515-1520. ABSTRACT
5. Woloshin S, Bickell NA, Schwartz LM, Gany F, Welch HG. Language barriers in medicine in the United States. JAMA. 1995;273:724-728. FULL TEXT | ISI | PUBMED
6. Cantor JC, Miles EL, Baker LC, Barker DC. Physician service to the underserved: implications for affirmative action in medical education. Inquiry. 1996;33:167-180. ISI | PUBMED
7. Xu G, Fields SK, Laine C, Veloski JJ, Barzansky B, Martini CJM. The relationship between the race/ethnicity of generalists physicians and their care for underserved populations. Am J Public Health. 1997;87:817-822. ABSTRACT

 

[ghostchild]

I hate these types of threads. This is the stupid crap that gives DO's such a negative stigma that DO schools are easy to get into. Come on folks.
"HEY EVERYONE, I GOT A 13 AND GOT ADMITTED!!" 👎

True, but I really do know someone who got into a DO school with a 13. I think it was in a DO school's first year when nobody knew about the school and they had very few applications. This person was also from a greatly underserved area and wanted to come back home to do primary care. So I'm sure his mission goals fit the mission of a couple DO schools word for word. So don't rely on getting this lucky, lucky break.

 

[Raven Feather]

scpod, you aren't a minority, are you?