MD or DO

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Coldwater_Adler

Coldwater_Adler

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Hello Friends,

I am still fairly new to SDN and actually new to the prospect of med school. I am a Psychology major undergrad (3.9 cGPA, 3.9 Psychology GPA, science is 4.0 for now - it will be changing because I got a B in chemistry). I plan to pursue psychiatry, specifically neuropsychiatry with an emphasis in TBI treatment. I want to one day open a clinic that specializes in the treatment of TBI - I plan to not only walk the patient through treatment but also conduct research. Here is my question, should I pursue an MD or a DO. I personally like the wholistic philosophy of osteopathic medicine but I am not sure if it would lead me to where I desire to go. What are your thoughts?
 
oh god not another md vs do thread

:beat:
 
Why not PM&R? They deal with a ton of TBI inpatient.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
Why not PM&R? They deal with a ton of TBI inpatient.
Click to expand...
Great question. I feel that a psychiatrist would be a great fit for someone who is suffering from a TBI because TBIs are often comorbid with a wide variety of mental disorders (e.g., depression and TBI, PTSD and TBI, Anxiety and TBI). If you hit your head and damage the hippocampus - which is one of the most common neuromarkers of a concussion - then you will have deficits in memory and learning. If you hit your prefrontal cortex, you may find yourself having a much more difficult time controlling impulses, which may lead to depressiona nd low self-esteem. In short, I am not only wanting to assist the client in treating the damaged tissue, but also in helping them overcome the emotional and mental challenges that accompany a blow to the head.
 
AnatomyGrey12 said:
Get out.
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As I mentioned, I am new to the prospect of med school and thus invariably may have some incorrect preconceived notions. Instead of completely dismissing my query, why not respond constructively? I am asking because this is knowledge that I do not yet have. You may think this is knowledge that everyone should have already obtained, but I have not. Please do not outcast people for being misinformed. Thank you
 
Coldwater_Adler said:
As I mentioned, I am new to the prospect of med school and thus invariably may have some incorrect preconceived notions. Instead of completely dismissing my query, why not respond constructively? I am asking because this is knowledge that I do not yet have. You may think this is knowledge that everyone should have already obtained, but I have not. Please do not outcast people for being misinformed. Thank you
Click to expand...

Sorry @AnatomyGrey12 but I think you're being a bit harsh here. I was also curious and looked it up, and on the AOA page it shows that there is no AOA fellowship offered in neuropsychiatry, and on the NRMP fellowship match it doesn't show up, meaning there are less than 150 ACGME fellowships and no AOA ones.

With that said, @Coldwater_Adler anything that an MD can do a DO can do as well, so that's right off the bat. In terms of doing neuropsychiatry specifically your best bet is to lookup the individual fellowship programs that are available and to speak to people higher up in the food chain (those who are currently in the fellowships, practicing neuropsychiatrists, and/or psych and pm&r residents).

Haha as pre-Meds we're not the most qualified to help you. Loll if anything find out and come post on here for future ppl to search up. 🙂
 
Assuming OP winds up going to med school, the whole "MD or DO residency" dilemma will be a thing of a past and should be a non-issue for OP due to the upcoming merger in 2020. Correct?
 
Graduate, get as high of an MCAT as possible, and then apply to both.
 
Coldwater_Adler said:
Hello Friends,

I am still fairly new to SDN and actually new to the prospect of med school. I am a Psychology major undergrad (3.9 cGPA, 3.9 Psychology GPA, science is 4.0 for now - it will be changing because I got a B in chemistry). I plan to pursue psychiatry, specifically neuropsychiatry with an emphasis in TBI treatment. I want to one day open a clinic that specializes in the treatment of TBI - I plan to not only walk the patient through treatment but also conduct research. Here is my question, should I pursue an MD or a DO. I personally like the wholistic philosophy of osteopathic medicine but I am not sure if it would lead me to where I desire to go. What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

You need to try for MD first.

The holistic* philosophy in this day and age is nothing but a way to make you think DO>MD because we touch our patients more and see the patient "for the whole patient" instead of part of it.

I ask a patient about their eating habits, their work life, and consider how that may have affected their presentation or if their presentation has affected the aforementioned things, so does an MD. In fact, MD programs have varying innovative aspects (whether integrated in the curriculum or offered as a course) that allow these students to appreciate diversity, understand communities, and also gain a perspective in treating "the whole patient". So the holistic thing is not exclusive to DO schools.

DOs learn OMM and get extremely variable clinical training. MDs don't waste their time on things that lack a strong evidence base and actually have decent clinical training, such as in a hospital because yes, a DO internal Med clerkship can consist entirely of house call with a preceptor..


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Most of the information you will be given here is irrelevant regarding your question. I would seek out someone who is already working in the field you are interested in and ask their advice.
 
Get into a school first then worry about md vs do. Way too many undergrads have this notion that you get to pick and choose which route you'd like to go and that's just not the case. For some people interviewing and getting into schools is easy, for everyone else it's not. You want to do neuropsychiatry? Cool, but first get in.

Sorry if this is a negative post just wish people would do a little research before posting and I'm tired[emoji38]
 
To follow up, 100 years ago, the holistic bit meant something, maybe even 40-50 years go. But nowadays, to say that DOs are more holistic than MDs is rather insulting to our MD colleagues.

When one of my OMM colleagues starts on the holistic bit, I simply "data"? I try not to do this too often, because I do love them.

Shadows some MDs and DOs, see if if you can spot and like any differences, and then decide. And as of right now, more doors are open to you as an MD.




MeatTornado said:
It doesn't matter what you ultimately want to do, the advice is the same....go MD if you have the opportunity. The "holistic" shtick is a meaningless marketing ploy. Don't fall for it.


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Click to expand...
 
Coldwater_Adler said:
Hello Friends,

I am still fairly new to SDN and actually new to the prospect of med school. I am a Psychology major undergrad (3.9 cGPA, 3.9 Psychology GPA, science is 4.0 for now - it will be changing because I got a B in chemistry). I plan to pursue psychiatry, specifically neuropsychiatry with an emphasis in TBI treatment. I want to one day open a clinic that specializes in the treatment of TBI - I plan to not only walk the patient through treatment but also conduct research. Here is my question, should I pursue an MD or a DO. I personally like the wholistic philosophy of osteopathic medicine but I am not sure if it would lead me to where I desire to go. What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

I praise you for your ambition and for seeking your options early on, many of whom leave at the last minute. I agree with others: start observing both MD and DO physicians and see who you envision yourself as more. Also, work hard in college and do well on your MCAT so you have more options open when it comes to applying!
 
FYI: You don't know what you want. You also don't have any idea what the day to day (bread and butter) of a particular specialty entails. You may be focusing on the one TBI patient that made a miraculous recovery (a rare event), and be forgetting about the patients that don't do so hot (the majority).

I was a non-traditional student who only went to med school to be a psychiatrist. I was so convinced of my "calling" I actually viewed medical school as a nuisance. Fast forward to 3rd year of med school and I couldn't stomach anything other than a particular surgical subspecialty.

If you go DO, and your road follows mine - you will be sorely disappointed.

There is not a single aspect of DO school that MD cannot provide - the converse is not true, so keep your options open.
 
JB50 said:
What about MO vs DM? or MM vs OD? or MDM vs O? Or ODM vs just plain M? What about a dual MD/DO degree?

lel
Click to expand...

Hahaha oh the comic relief


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AnatomyGrey12 said:
No. I would say the same thing if this were a pre-janitors forum.
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I think we need to have a conversation about MJ vs JO. Janitors of Osteopathy clean the whole bathroom whereas the MJ just wipes down the sink and mirrors. I only allow my family members facilities to be cleaned by JO's.
 
Dr. Death said:
I think we need to have a conversation about MJ vs JO. Janitors of Osteopathy clean the whole bathroom whereas the MJ just wipes down the sink and mirrors. I only allow my family members facilities to be cleaned by JO's.
Click to expand...

I hear the more hands on techniques used by JOs really helps with lower toilet issues, there isn't much research on it though.
 
JB50 said:
^That's the problem
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No. the search for function is there for a reason. It is also in the stickies, MD vs. DO threads are not allowed. Especially when you haven't even looked up the information that is already out there. I don't know what your isse is.
 
OP, if you have to make this thread, then you obviously don't want to be a DO. Just go to the Pre-Allo forum, please.
 
OP, if your end goal is to be a physician, and the letters behind your name don't matter to you, apply to DO and MD schools, and take the MD acceptance if you get it (in case you have a change of heart down the road and want to go into dermatological plastic-neurosurgery; you'll encounter less adversity with an MD behind your name.)

Also, any good physician will look at their patients "holistically." I even spoke about this at one of my interviews (at a DO school), and the interviewers agreed.

There's virtually no difference between MDs and DOs, other than MDs having an easier time grabbing highly competitive residency spots, and DOs learning OMM while in med school.
 
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MeatTornado said:
Stop pretending like DO school is some sort of exclusive club.


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Click to expand...

Don't put words in my mouth. Where did I say that?

To me, these threads scream "I truly want to be an MD, but if enough people can convince me, being a DO will be OK too I guess."

Cognitive Dissonance says hello.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
kovalchuk71 said:
To me, these threads scream "I truly want to be an MD, but if enough people can convince me, being a DO will be OK too I guess."

Cognitive Dissonance says hello.
Click to expand...

The reality is they're usually quite the opposite. It's usually someone who is confused by the marketing ploy of DO schools being enlightened about the fact that it's all BS and that US MD is preferable regardless of what you think your ultimate goal may be.


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MeatTornado said:
The reality is they're usually quite the opposite. It's usually someone who is confused by the marketing ploy of DO schools being enlightened about the fact that it's all BS and that US MD is preferable regardless of what you think your ultimate goal may be.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
Click to expand...
Solid point. Internet trolls make me forget about that side. At the same time, a simple forum search would provide them with all of the info they could ever want.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
MADD!!! said:
Sorry @AnatomyGrey12 but I think you're being a bit harsh here. I was also curious and looked it up, and on the AOA page it shows that there is no AOA fellowship offered in neuropsychiatry, and on the NRMP fellowship match it doesn't show up, meaning there are less than 150 ACGME fellowships and no AOA ones.

With that said, @Coldwater_Adler anything that an MD can do a DO can do as well, so that's right off the bat. In terms of doing neuropsychiatry specifically your best bet is to lookup the individual fellowship programs that are available and to speak to people higher up in the food chain (those who are currently in the fellowships, practicing neuropsychiatrists, and/or psych and pm&r residents).

Haha as pre-Meds we're not the most qualified to help you. Loll if anything find out and come post on here for future ppl to search up. 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
Thank you everyone for your replies. I learned a lot. There have definitely been some misunderstandings about where I am coming from but whatever. I do not have a solid preference in place for either DO or MD, but am simply weighing my options. Also, not everyone is going to know exactly what they want to do as an undergraduate so lets put the elitism aside.
 
Is OP a spacehamsterboo alt?
 
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