MD vs. DO

[OSUdoc08]

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At the risk of encouraging dbth77 I'm going to answer his post because it is valid and isn't confrontational.

dbth, you're right about the numbers for residency matching for US MD's vs. DO's, however I attribute that factor to the reason WestTexas cited above. Despite that, MD's do match higher than DO's by the numbers. We were discussing DO vs. Carribean MD in another thread earlier today (again) and the numbers suggest DO is a better bet than foriegn MD. Just throwing that out there in case anyone is thinking about the Carribean and isn't aware of the distinction between foriegn and domestic MD grads.

You forget that this number is skewed, since the rest of those "not matched" are actually matched through AOA residencies.

 

[AngryBaby]

You forget that this number is skewed, since the rest of those "not matched" are actually matched through AOA residencies.

That's true but I'm talking about "matching" as being accepted into one of your top choices, not simply matching somewhere. Whether or not those DO's matched in the AOA match program they still did not match in their top 3 allopathic choices.

 

[noonday]

i KNEW the beer and chaise lounge chair would come in handy eventually.

to add (i hope)...while sure, overall the "numbers" of entering DO students are lower than those of MD students in general, many people (myself included) get accpted to MD and DO schools, and choose DO. also, perhaps, and here's a shocker, maybe, just maybe, more DO students WANT primary care residencies. maybe that doesn't make them dumber, maybe that's just a product of the sort who'd choose DO over MD, and that a higher percentage of those people are interested in primary care and family medicine. maybe, just maybe, there's a personality correlation there...because, and again, i know this is a shock, not everyone who goes DO does it because they couldn't get in MD. some of us choose it because we prefer the DO way.

 

[Vox Animo]

Carry on.

I meant more relaxed and laid back

 

[OSUdoc08]

That's true but I'm talking about "matching" as being accepted into one of your top choices, not simply matching somewhere. Whether or not those DO's matched in the AOA match program they still did not match in their top 3 allopathic choices.

If you successfuly match with the AOA, you are withdrawn from the ACGME. At this point, you would no longer match in your "top 3 allopathic choices."

 

[AngryBaby]

If you successfuly match with the AOA, you are withdrawn from the ACGME. At this point, you would no longer match in your "top 3 allopathic choices."

If you are withdrawn from the ACGME match then you are not reported as "not matching", you are simply withdrawn.

Look, I think (maybe) that I'm on your side on this one. The whole DO/MD thing is a shortsighted pre-med thing for the most part. However, for whatever reason, the numbers are what they are. Again, I think WestTexas hit the nail on the head as to why. But regardless of the reason, a higher % of MD's match in the allopathic match than DO's.

 

[strawberryfield]

On a side not though, anyone watch Baghdad ER on HBO? I bet those soldiers REALLY cared if the doctor was a DO or MD. Seriously, try to watch it. Some really screwed up $hit on that show. God Bless them all

I cried my eyes out watching that... sad... very sad, and NO, not a single person ever looked at their doctor and said, are you an MD or DO? yes, competence is what counts!

I work for 4 IM MDs (ages ranging 35-75), and not ONE of them has EVER said anything negative about DOs and we refer to and work with them all of the time. In fact, "through the ages" all of them have worked with and/or shared residencies with DOs 👍

 

[MarzMD]

I meant more relaxed and laid back

I know what you meant, I was just giving you a hard time.

 

[USArmyDoc]

I cried my eyes out watching that... sad... very sad, and NO, not a single person ever looked at there docotor and said, are you an MD or DO? yes, competence is what counts!

I work for 4 IM MDs (ages ranging 35-75), and not ONE of them has EVER said anything negative about DOs that we refer to/work with. In fact, "through the ages" all of them had worked with and/or shared residencies with DOs 👍

I am glad someone picked up on that. Those guys go out there, fight and get chewed up. They come in on those medevacs prying to life and ya know what DO's and MD's save them. Look at the DO that saved countless lives in Fallujah. I swear we really should be ashamed of this bickering b/c both SAVE lives!!!! 😡

 

[strawberryfield]

I swear we really should be ashamed of this bickering b/c both SAVE lives!!!! 😡

amen. 👍

 

[Vox Animo]

I know what you meant, I was just giving you a hard time.

Oh doesn't matter, the damage has been done. I'm gonna go cry myself to sleep and drink away my sorrows untill my liver punches me to sleep.


I walk in shame.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I don't know what HSS is, but there are plenty of other residencies which are equivalent, I'm sure.

Sorry - you know, I was basically just saying like, the big, super-competitive "top" or near one of the top residencies. FMG's aren't getting those either, though, so it was a stupid point on my part...oh wait, this is the other thread....I'm getting confused....

 

[OSUdoc08]

Sorry - you know, I was basically just saying like, the big, super-competitive "top" or near one of the top residencies. FMG's aren't getting those either, though, so it was a stupid point on my part...

I wouldn't want to go to one of those programs anyway. They probably make you do research the whole time and follow in herds with very little hands on.

 

[Orthodoc40]

According to many of the patients I have spoken to who have switched to DO's as their PCP's instead of MD's, the stigma is actually attached to the MD letters.

Okay, but I thought the post I was responding to, and the point I was trying to make, was basically that these things that happened in the past, that are now slowly being corrected.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Okay, but I thought the post I was responding to, and the point I was trying to make, was basically that these things that happened in the past, that are now slowly being corrected.

Yup.

 

[Orthodoc40]

actually, his school is better than a lot of MD schools. it's stats are better than it's state MD school. which stats? all of them. probably better than my state MD school stat's, too.

i think OSU passed 100% of test takers on the USMLE last year... and I don't think any MD schools did.

Wow! This is Oklahoma, not Ohio, right? I get the OSU COM & OUCOM mixed up.

 

[bertz413]

wow...after all this...no one cared that i was called a troll!

come on guys, just wanted an opinion or 2 - not 5 pages of saying who is better than whom....

 

[Orthodoc40]

More competive DOs take up the DO residencies, So it is often less competive DOs that are competing with MDs for high end specialties, so less are accepted.


Also, DO school do not pay doctors for to take on students during their 3rd and 4th year rotations, so some hospitals are less willing to take DO students.

It doesn't matter if DO's are less competive schools. They all crank out competive intelligent doctors. Every DO school i interviewed at had pass rates of 98-100% on the first try. Also the student body much more relaxed and laid back . This just proves that the high mcat scores do little to predict the ability of a doctor succeed.

And every year the percentage of DOs that go into primary care drops. The amount of DOs that match into primary cares is getting closer and closer to the precentage of MDs that do. As they become more popular and expand, as they are, more specialty position will pop.

Please any informed people correct any errors i may have made, sorry about repeats if any, i didn't read the whole thread.

Cool info - thanks! I wonder why the more competitive DO's decide to match at the DO residencies...do you know? I'm curious. Also the fact schools don't pay for 3rd/4th year rotations tells a LOT about what happens there, too...

 

[Orthodoc40]

yes, Baylor is hard to get into...and you didn't get in. What's next, we brag about schools that invited us to complete secondaries?

What's your problem?! We're not talking about OSUdoc, we're trying to have a civilized chat about differences b/w MD and DO. To go where no other SDN thread on the subject has gone before!!

 

[OSUdoc08]

Wow! This is Oklahoma, not Ohio, right? I get the OSU COM & OUCOM mixed up.

OU-COM = Ohio University

OSU-COM = Oklahoma State University

 

[snobored18]

wow...after all this...no one cared that i was called a troll!

come on guys, just wanted an opinion or 2 - not 5 pages of saying who is better than whom....

Sucks man...but as you can see the MD vs. DO debate really touches a nerve with some folks, everyone is proud of their respective institutions and branch of medical training as they should be. Anyone who makes it to medical school has done a great deal of work and its very hard to see someone bash what you are going to do, it takes a lot to realize that just because allopathic medicine produces excellent doctors it doesn't mean that osteopathic physicians are inherently inferior or vice versa. In all honesty you won't get an unbiased opinion here...each of us has his or her own bias towards their institution, branch of medicine etc. The best thing to ask is why they choose to go the route they went...but I'm not sure you will get completely honest answers, pride is a difficult thing to swallow and the internet provides a great cloak. Before you apply check out allopathic and osteopathic medicine for yourself, shadow docs, contact an admissions officer at both types of schools and see if you can spend a day following a couple of current M1s...this will allow you to do what you can't here, form your own opinion and be able to figure out what route will suite you personally.

 

[Raven Feather]

damn OSUDoc, that md rejection must still sting

to the OP, these facts are undeniable, but i'm sure i'll be banned for posting them:

it is much easier to get into a D.O. school, the majority of people who attend D.O. schools didn't get into m.d. schools, and most D.O.'s go into primary care because it is much harder for D.O.'s to get competitive allopathic residencies.

That is all

However, they have their own...just not as many. Most MD students go into primary care too.

 

[zach1201]

The ONLY difference between DOs and MDs is that DOs have less grey matter.

 

[OSUdoc08]

The ONLY difference between DOs and MDs is that DOs have less grey matter.

We make up for that with more corpus spongiosum.

 

[strawberryfield]

We make up for that with more corpus spongiosum.

LMAO

 

[USArmyDoc]

We make up for that with more corpus spongiosum.

 

[noonday]

We make up for that with more corpus spongiosum.

or more fat deposits in our mammaries...

this reminds me of the thread about how much hotter DO students are than MD students. something to also keep in mind is that the "scenery" in DO school is likely to be better 😉

 

[USArmyDoc]

or more fat deposits in our mammaries...

this reminds me of the thread about how much hotter DO students are than MD students. something to also keep in mind is that the "scenery" in DO school is likely to be better 😉

I have to agree. When I was at PCOM for an accepted brunch the chicks were hot. 😀

 

[Vox Animo]

DOs are usually much better hung. Of course this study was only based on a sample of 1.