Mentioning Homeopathic Medicine in the Apps

[kev1n]

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Hi I was wondering what the perception is of Homeopathic Medicine within the admissions committee. I am interested in working at this store that sells homeopathic medicine and I want to learn more about the field. Would the committee see this as a negative? The reason I ask is becasue I know a lot of physicians shun or sway away from this type of medicine and I would not like it to level me down when applying (assuming I'll be mentioning it). THanks appreciate any advice

 

[cfdavid]

I wouldn't mention it. You can explore your interests after/while in med school. But, if anything, I'd brush up on osteopathic philosophy and OMT.

 

[CoverMe]

I don't necessarily agree with the above poster, although, at one time, I would have. I think it depends on how you approach it, why it's important to you, what you've done with it, and how it's affected your decision to be a D.O.

Was it important to your family... was it a "cultural thing"?? Have you taken some personal experiences and decided that you're interested in integrative medicine?? Hey... I say BE AN ORIGINAL. Have a well-thought-out answer, and if this is how you came to want to be a D.O. then RIGHT ON.

Don't cookie cutter yourself. But don't sound like a whack-job. If you've got reasoned and intelligent answers, you're going to be interesting and memorable... which is a GREAT THING on the interview trail.

There's a lot of room for growth in western medicine... for instance... a bazillion Chinese can't ALL be wrong!! If you're open to new forms of medicine and seek to find the best kind of treatments for your patients... wouldn't you truly be following the principles of osteopathy?

In one of my interview groups last year, a girl had a great deal to say about Homeopathic medicine... her childhood experiences, and what that had to do with why she was sitting there interviewing at a DO school. She and I were both accepted, and she's kicking butt in classes.

You can do it, but be smart about it. Be prepared for questions, and be prepared to answer those questions in a way that leads the conversation back to why YOU would be an awesome DO.

Best of luck!

 

[Boxer1]

Hi I was wondering what the perception is of Homeopathic Medicine within the admissions committee. I am interested in working at this store that sells homeopathic medicine and I want to learn more about the field. Would the committee see this as a negative? The reason I ask is becasue I know a lot of physicians shun or sway away from this type of medicine and I would not like it to level me down when applying (assuming I'll be mentioning it). THanks appreciate any advice

Discussing CAM stuff can go either way in an admissions interview, mainly because you don't know how the clinicians and PhDs who interview you see alternative medicine. I participated in interviewing an applicant last year, alongside a DO plastic surgeon. The student made a comment about one of their family members practicing some form of alternative medicine. The surgeon thought it was commical, and wasn't impressed with it.

As the previous poster said, you may be able to use your interest in homeopathy to distinguish you from other applicants. You just need to gauge who you are interviewing with. Many osteopathic physicians don't consider what they do to be CAM, and may not look favorably on it.

I'm not saying you should abandon your interest in alternative treatments. Medicine is a broad field, and you can do whatever you want with it once you get your license. But, as far as application interviews go, it's a very subjective process and I wouldn't recommend talking too much about alternative medicine, simply because you can't tell how it will come off with the interviewers.

Good luck

 

[CoverMe]

Neuro is wise to caution you to be careful. And I believe they make an excellent point of gauging your response to fit your audience.

The one thing that I would like for you to remember though, is that while the school may have put you into the position of feeling like you're interviewing for THEIR seat.... remember also, you're interviewing them for YOUR money. Unless you're in a situation where you'll do/say anything for that one solitary lucky acceptance and you feel you won't get any others (in which case, do/say whatever you have to, no one's going to throw rocks at you for that) remember you are not without options, and you are not without power.

You only get to do this once, you only go to one medical school. If you felt the topic of integrative medicine was THAT important to you, and you felt a school had NO interest in it, or you if that was your interest... then is that really where you'd want to be?? Take back some of the leverage... this is a two way street here, it's just easy to get scared into thinking it isn't.

As always, best of luck!