Not planning on reapplying for MD. Is this wise?

[culturekweenXx]

I'm a traditional ORM applicant with a relatively high GPA/MCAT but weak volunteer experience. Doesn't look like I'll get an MD acceptance this (2018-2019) cycle, but I was accepted to a newish DO program with good match rates. This is my first application cycle.

I'm planning on going with the DO program rather than reapplying to MD. I'm fairly certain this is the smartest move for me, but I can't help but be anxious about it, given the (as I understand it) slightly less competitive nature of DO applicants to residencies and fellowships. I'm most interested in internal medicine and possibly infectious disease. Can someone more knowledgeable than me confirm that turning down the acceptance would be stupid? Thanks

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[CJhooper123]

Congrats on the DO acceptance! I can't say I'm "more knowledgable" (as I will be starting med school this fall), but earning acceptance to any medical school is quite the accomplishment.

I think the DO route is definitely reasonable - as long as your not gunning for a competitive surgical subspecialty (e.g. ortho, ENT, neurosurg) or top-tier IM residency program (MGH...etc.) you should be ok. Even if you wanted to pursue a surgical subspecialty or top-tier IM program... they are difficult to attain for the majority of MD's.

Good luck with your career!

 

[Goro]

I'm a traditional ORM applicant with a relatively high GPA/MCAT but weak volunteer experience. Doesn't look like I'll get an MD acceptance this (2018-2019) cycle, but I was accepted to a newish DO program with good match rates. This is my first application cycle.

I'm planning on going with the DO program rather than reapplying to MD. I'm fairly certain this is the smartest move for me, but I can't help but be anxious about it, given the (as I understand it) slightly less competitive nature of DO applicants to residencies and fellowships. I'm most interested in internal medicine and possibly infectious disease. Can someone more knowledgeable than me confirm that turning down the acceptance would be stupid? Thanks

If you go in eyes open as to the fact that you:
have some doors closed to you concerning residencies and some specialties
you have to learn OMM
You have to take COMLEX
That the odds are 50/50 that you'll end up in Primary Care
That research opportunities will be much less

then take the accept and don't look back

IM and ID are definitely doable. About 25% of my grads went into IM last year

And congrats on the accept!
Now read this:
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2018 edition)

 

[Magus5454]

I'm a traditional ORM applicant with a relatively high GPA/MCAT but weak volunteer experience. Doesn't look like I'll get an MD acceptance this (2018-2019) cycle, but I was accepted to a newish DO program with good match rates. This is my first application cycle.

I'm planning on going with the DO program rather than reapplying to MD. I'm fairly certain this is the smartest move for me, but I can't help but be anxious about it, given the (as I understand it) slightly less competitive nature of DO applicants to residencies and fellowships. I'm most interested in internal medicine and possibly infectious disease. Can someone more knowledgeable than me confirm that turning down the acceptance would be stupid? Thanks

How new of a DO program?

 

[potential_fut_doc]

If you go in eyes open as to the fact that you:
have some doors closed to you and other opened
you have the chance to learn OMM which you get to bill as procedures
You have to take COMLEX, an exam just as annoying as step
You have a higher chance of going into Primary Care
That research opportunities will be much less, which can be a great thing if you hate research

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[culturekweenXx]

@Goro Thank you! I'll definitely take a look at that advice

@Magus5454 It's graduated a couple of classes so far

 

[Magus5454]

@Goro Thank you! I'll definitely take a look at that advice

@Magus5454 It's graduated a couple of classes so far

Can't believe you didn't get any MD love at all, especially from state schools. Or more established DO's TBH

 

[culturekweenXx]

Can't believe you didn't get any MD love at all, especially from state schools. Or more established DO's TBH

Yeah, I'm not sure why. Only got one MD II (R). Can only assume volunteer experience (had some, just not a lot).

 

[Tree1996]

@Goro , are Gas and EM feasible as a DO?

 

[DameJulie]

Once you get accepted into any med school (DO or MD), you have to attend, correct? If you reapply to either DO or MD, you are likely to get black-listed because schools will ask "have you declined to attend any medical school"?

Can someone please clarify this? I know this is for sure true within MD or within DO. But not sure when both types of schools are in play.

 

[Goro]

@Goro , are Gas and EM feasible as a DO?

Yes, very much so

 

[Isoval]

Once you get accepted into any med school (DO or MD), you have to attend, correct? If you reapply to either DO or MD, you are likely to get black-listed because schools will ask "have you declined to attend any medical school"?

Can someone please clarify this? I know this is for sure true within MD or within DO. But not sure when both types of schools are in play.

The only reason I’d tell someone to turn down a DO acceptance is if they were a rockstar applicant that, for some known reason, did not get any love from a good DO or MD school.

The general rule of thumb is never to reject an acceptance.

It’s also worth noting that the application services don’t communicate with each other (e.g. AACOMAS will not report an acceptance to AMCAS), but some individual schools do ask about prior acceptances (which do include the opposite - list DO at MD and vice versa).

 

[sixersfan]

When you said you didn't have much volunteer experience, about how many hours did you have?

 

[culturekweenXx]

When you said you didn't have much volunteer experience, about how many hours did you have?

My application listed ~300 if you count everything that's technically volunteer work, but only 90 of those were with people in need

 

[animalluver101]

I reapplied this year and it's a long, tedious, and expensive process. I would not recommend unless you KNOW you'll get into one of your preferred schools next time. At the end of the day, you're going to be a doctor, which is great! Do what you have to do to graduate and get started on your career.

 

[culturekweenXx]

I reapplied this year and it's a long, tedious, and expensive process. I would not recommend unless you KNOW you'll get into one of your preferred schools next time. At the end of the day, you're going to be a doctor, which is great! Do what you have to do to graduate and get started on your career.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[orthomyxo]

That the odds are 50/50 that you'll end up in Primary care

I am genuinely curious as to why this is. If you crush your boards wouldn’t you have a good chance of getting a competitive specialty? Or are residency programs really that prejudicial against DOs?

 

[Chibucks15]

I am genuinely curious as to why this is. If you crush your boards wouldn’t you have a good chance of getting a competitive specialty? Or are residency programs really that prejudicial against DOs?

Its overblown, especially on here. There is 1000% a significant bias in some of the top places and specialties so DOs have to be superhuman to overcome it at times. The fact is (in my experience) many DO students self-select for primary care anyway. I know people who went to top places in good specialities, and then I know people who are doing family med with a good board score and everything. There's always the person who comes in gunning ortho and isn't good enough, but that happens at MD too (happens at DOs more though)

 

[sixersfan]

I am genuinely curious as to why this is. If you crush your boards wouldn’t you have a good chance of getting a competitive specialty? Or are residency programs really that prejudicial against DOs?

You also have to take into account, that while a large percentage of DO students match into internal medicine, many continue on to fellowships in specialties like cardiology, pulm, GI, etc. which are not considered primary care. For example, using a stat from medscape.com, a few years ago 78.5% of IM residents continued to a fellowship for further specialization.

 

[GTown]

You also have to take into account, that while a large percentage of DO students match into internal medicine, many continue on to fellowships in specialties like cardiology, pulm, GI, etc. which are not considered primary care. For example, using a stat from medscape.com, a few years ago 78.5% of IM residents continued to a fellowship for further specialization.

True. One of our friends finished interventional cards last year as a DO.