not trying to start a war but....

[HailToTheThielf]

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can someone please answer. I want to practice medicine! I dont want to work anymore than 60 hrs a week. Im confused though. I see that family practice docs and some IM docs make around ~$200,000/yr and work 60-70hrs/week. Then there are podiatrists who make ~125-140,000/yr and work 40hrs/week. Why aren't there more people entering podiatry??? No offense to anyone, but it seems like going into podiatry is like a dream come true. You get far less work and GOOD pay! Its not as stressful!!!! I dont get why aren't more people going into podiatry? Is there something im missing? It seems that they make very good pay and work alot less. Seems like they have a less stressful life compared to a MD. I really want to practice medicine and Ive read that you can do a 3yr residency in podiatric surgery! So, Im not performing some hugh surgery with the guys chest cracked open but I still get to use the knife and do a little surgery! Is there something im missing? I would like to know why aren't more people choosing to go into podiatry rather than med school? Is it prestige? respect? $125,000 is a very comfortable living! Then on top of that, you only work around 40 hrs/week!!!!!!!!! More family time! Any info on podiatry would be very useful!

 

[Tapout]

can someone please answer. I want to practice medicine! I dont want to work anymore than 60 hrs a week. Im confused though. I see that family practice docs and some IM docs make around ~$200,000/yr and work 60-70hrs/week. Then there are podiatrists who make ~125-140,000/yr and work 40hrs/week. Why aren't there more people entering podiatry??? No offense to anyone, but it seems like going into podiatry is like a dream come true. You get far less work and GOOD pay! Its not as stressful!!!! I dont get why aren't more people going into podiatry? Is there something im missing? It seems that they make very good pay and work alot less. Seems like they have a less stressful life compared to a MD. I really want to practice medicine and Ive read that you can do a 3yr residency in podiatric surgery! So, Im not performing some hugh surgery with the guys chest cracked open but I still get to use the knife and do a little surgery! Is there something im missing? I would like to know why aren't more people choosing to go into podiatry rather than med school? Is it prestige? respect? $125,000 is a very comfortable living! Then on top of that, you only work around 40 hrs/week!!!!!!!!! More family time! Any info on podiatry would be very useful!

Somewhat confusing post...

There are many reasons one who is interested in medicine would not want to do podiatry...the first is that they are completely separate fields with practically no overlap. If one wanted to work less hours (~40 hrs/wk) they can still be an IM doc and make $125K. You can make your argument for less pay and less hours by comparing medicine to any high paying field outside of healthcare. Why do you focus on podiatry?? Podiatry is a field which deals with feet (that may explain why there aren't too many people who are interested, despite a role in healthcare) .

Why are you not interested in podiatry, considering your argument? Sounds like you may want to do surgery?

 

[HailToTheThielf]

what do you mean by they are completely different fields with no overlap? I know why they are completely different fields: podiatry=foot doc. But aren't they still doctors practicing health care? If you are a podiatrist who specializes in sugery, you are still in the hospital doing sugery! Isn't podiatry considered healthcare? Whats the difference b/w podiatric surgeons and surgeons? I know there is a big difference, surgeons doing very complicated surgeries! But what else? I know that surgeons get FAR more training in surgery, but is that the only difference? for example, there is a big difference b/w ortho surgeon and dermatologist and they are completly different fields yet they are both docs and they both treat patients. So whats the difference b/w podiatrists and docs besides the extra training and area of specialty?

 

[HailToTheThielf]

Ok. You said that one can go into IM and practice 40hrs/wk and still make good money. So are you implying that once you get out of residency, you can make your own hours, work as much as you want? If thats the case, well id rather go into IM than podiatry! Its just, all I hear on these threads are of people complaining about super long work hrs and how docs are worked TOO MUCH=90-100hrs/wk. If thats the case, well why aren't more docs practicing or working less? I know some have families and debt to pay, but what about the single docs who dont have debt or dependants? I hope this isn't a stupid question, but lets say I go to med school, graduate, do residency and become a cardiologist. Lets say Im still single at the time and have no debt. So basically, I can schedule my own hours, work as hard as I want? Or is that only possible in private practice? Is it required for docs to work their A$$ off? Under what conditions can one schedule their own work hours etc..? Thanks alot for the info!

 

[Tapout]

what do you mean by they are completely different fields with no overlap? I know why they are completely different fields: podiatry=foot doc. But aren't they still doctors practicing health care? If you are a podiatrist who specializes in sugery, you are still in the hospital doing sugery! Isn't podiatry considered healthcare? Whats the difference b/w podiatric surgeons and surgeons? I know there is a big difference, surgeons doing very complicated surgeries! But what else? I know that surgeons get FAR more training in surgery, but is that the only difference? for example, there is a big difference b/w ortho surgeon and dermatologist and they are completly different fields yet they are both docs and they both treat patients. So whats the difference b/w podiatrists and docs besides the extra training and area of specialty?

First of all, I did not say there is no overlap b/w IM and podiatry, I said there is practically none! And of course they are both healthcare providers. That doesn't mean they are one and the same! You need to figure out what you want to focus on (I am assuming you are pre-med) which may not come until you are in your 3rd and 4th years of medical school (assuming you go that route). My suggestion is to do a search and figure out the scope of each field you are considering. The information is out there and be sure not to limit yourself to SDN threads.

If money and lifestyle are your criteria in a field, know that there are many different situations out in the real world; for instance, you can join a group practice and work less hours, become a hospitalist and work 40hrs/wk, or you can join a group practice and work 60-80hrs/wk. Just do something you like and you will find a great deal of latitude in work hours and salaries no matter what you choose.

 

[Lemont]

can someone please answer. I want to practice medicine! I dont want to work anymore than 60 hrs a week. Im confused though. I see that family practice docs and some IM docs make around ~$200,000/yr and work 60-70hrs/week. Then there are podiatrists who make ~125-140,000/yr and work 40hrs/week. Why aren't there more people entering podiatry??? No offense to anyone, but it seems like going into podiatry is like a dream come true. You get far less work and GOOD pay! Its not as stressful!!!! I dont get why aren't more people going into podiatry? Is there something im missing? It seems that they make very good pay and work alot less. Seems like they have a less stressful life compared to a MD. I really want to practice medicine and Ive read that you can do a 3yr residency in podiatric surgery! So, Im not performing some hugh surgery with the guys chest cracked open but I still get to use the knife and do a little surgery! Is there something im missing? I would like to know why aren't more people choosing to go into podiatry rather than med school? Is it prestige? respect? $125,000 is a very comfortable living! Then on top of that, you only work around 40 hrs/week!!!!!!!!! More family time! Any info on podiatry would be very useful!

Because most people who want to be doctors can't satisfy their ego by being a podiatrist, nurse, respiratory therapist or any other allied health professional which they may view as a step "below" being a physician regardless of the money. Despite what people will say, one main reason for being a doctor is to be known as a doctor. And by "doctor" that means real doctor (M.D.), not Dr. Chiropractor.

 

[Orchard]

And by "doctor" that means real doctor (M.D.), not Dr. Chiropractor.

Or D.O......

 

[(nicedream)]

Dude...
First of all, no need to rephrase the same question 10 times in a post. Take a xanax.
As for the question - you have to do something that you will be okay with doing for the next 30-40 years of your life. The reasons people would not pick podiatry while others would are innumerable - same reasons some people choose to be lawyers while others would never want to, or some people choose to go into public relations while others never gave it a thought.
People go into medical school either because they are set on a certain specialty, or more commonly, because there are a hundred options. If you go to podiatry school, that's it, you're going to be a foot doctor. Some people want to do that, most don't.
As for setting your own hours - of course if you're in private practice you can choose to only be open Sundays from 2am-5am if you want. Who's going to stop you? If you're joining a group, you can work out your hours with the group. In certain fields, it's going to be necessary to work some longer hours (cardiology would necessitate night call).
The reason family practitioners and internists work long hours is to make 130-150k and have comfortable lives for them and their families. Keep in mind that many students graduate medschool with 200k in debt! Also, the 7+ years of training makes one feel deserving of a high income. If you were going to be single then sure, working 40 hrs and making 115k as an internist may be fine - but are you planning on being single for your entire life?
Bottomline: medschool = options, prestige, potential for lots of $, podiatry doesn't.

 

[NinerNiner999]

Yeah, you'll be called "doctor," but when you walk away people will say "but he's really only a podiatrist." No flames, all in good jest...

I think you are looking at the medical path the completely WRONG way. If you commit to medical school, you have to be willing to commit yourself to 10 years of education - hands down. Knowing you want to be a doctor is half of the decision, but the other half of your decision (what type of medicine you want to practice) won't begin to become clear until three years into medical school (and sometimes still never becomes clear). In the case of medicine, you have to spend money to make money (both in loans and in sweat equity), but you will never be happy unless you are doing what you want to do. If the thought of podiatry enters your mind because it is an easier road to freedom, I wouldn't go into medicine. Then again, if there is a field of medicine you want to practice, do it and make it your own - on your own schedule...

 

[hans19]

Is there something im missing? I would like to know why aren't more people choosing to go into podiatry rather than med school? Is it prestige? respect? $125,000 is a very comfortable living! Then on top of that, you only work around 40 hrs/week!!!!!!!!! More family time! Any info on podiatry would be very useful!

Look, man, if you think podiatry will be so awesome, go for it! No one's stopping you. Its a hell of a lot easier to get into than med school. There were some podiatry threads a year or two back, and some students were complaining about gloomy job prospects. Don't worry though, theres plenty of diabetic and ischemic foot disease to go around.

 

[Mike59]

Check out the pod forums on this site- it's not a safe gig.

Tuition fees are outrageous, the entrance requirements are slightly more than chiropractic college and the end result is a diploma with a "chance" of getting a residency because there are way more students than residency spots (which is required in that field also).

With that said, as echoed above, go for it if you think it appeals to you.

 

[Lemont]

Or D.O......

Depends on who you ask.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Depends on who you ask.

Here we go again.

 

[Orchard]

Depends on who you ask.

Not in the real world it does. 😉

 

[Lemont]

Here we go again.

Hey, don't get me wrong---I think a D.O. is equivalent to an M.D. But there are plenty who think the only reason people go to D.O. schools is because they are not "good enough" for M.D. schools in the U.S. And not just med students think that way either. There are PDs who won't even consider your application for residency once they see the D.O. And I've heard of lawyers bringing up a doctor's D.O. degree to cast doubt on his or her competence during malpractice cases. Something like "So doctor can you please tell the court why you couldn't get an M.D. degree?"

 

[skypilot]

can someone please answer. I want to practice medicine! I dont want to work anymore than 60 hrs a week. Im confused though. I see that family practice docs and some IM docs make around ~$200,000/yr and work 60-70hrs/week.

If you are willing to work 60 hours a week you should have no problem! There are plenty of fields in medicine where the work week is less than 60 hours in fact the average workweek overall in medicine is around 60.

Go into a nice Family Practice or Psychiatry Practice, work 45-50 hours per week, make $130k per year and enjoy your life.

🙂

 

[NinerNiner999]

Or work 50-60/week in EM and make over 300k...

 

[Chemguync]

can someone please answer. I want to practice medicine! I dont want to work anymore than 60 hrs a week. Im confused though. I see that family practice docs and some IM docs make around ~$200,000/yr and work 60-70hrs/week. Then there are podiatrists who make ~125-140,000/yr and work 40hrs/week. Why aren't there more people entering podiatry??? No offense to anyone, but it seems like going into podiatry is like a dream come true. You get far less work and GOOD pay! Its not as stressful!!!! I dont get why aren't more people going into podiatry? Is there something im missing? It seems that they make very good pay and work alot less. Seems like they have a less stressful life compared to a MD. I really want to practice medicine and Ive read that you can do a 3yr residency in podiatric surgery! So, Im not performing some hugh surgery with the guys chest cracked open but I still get to use the knife and do a little surgery! Is there something im missing? I would like to know why aren't more people choosing to go into podiatry rather than med school? Is it prestige? respect? $125,000 is a very comfortable living! Then on top of that, you only work around 40 hrs/week!!!!!!!!! More family time! Any info on podiatry would be very useful!

They're feet .

 

[VentdependenT]

Hey, don't get me wrong---I think a D.O. is equivalent to an M.D. But there are plenty who think the only reason people go to D.O. schools is because they are not "good enough" for M.D. schools in the U.S. And not just med students think that way either. There are PDs who won't even consider your application for residency once they see the D.O. And I've heard of lawyers bringing up a doctor's D.O. degree to cast doubt on his or her competence during malpractice cases. Something like "So doctor can you please tell the court why you couldn't get an M.D. degree?"

lmao

 

[VentdependenT]

Hey, don't get me wrong---I think a D.O. is equivalent to an M.D. But there are plenty who think the only reason people go to D.O. schools is because they are not "good enough" for M.D. schools in the U.S. And not just med students think that way either. There are PDs who won't even consider your application for residency once they see the D.O. And I've heard of lawyers bringing up a doctor's D.O. degree to cast doubt on his or her competence during malpractice cases. Something like "So doctor can you please tell the court why you couldn't get an M.D. degree?"

lmao

I find that somewhat contradictory...so tell me DOCTOR why couldn't you get your M.D.

Why not say VOODOO DOCTOR.

And who the hell lends any sort of credit to a malpractice lawyer's word in this field. Its blasphemous. They are slime.

 

[NSUdan]

to this uniformed individual, D.O.s are trained equally to MDs. so before spouting off like some ignorant fool, realized that DOs make up nearly 20% of "doctors" (between MD and DO).

Or D.O......

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Hey, don't get me wrong---I think a D.O. is equivalent to an M.D. But there are plenty who think the only reason people go to D.O. schools is because they are not "good enough" for M.D. schools in the U.S. And not just med students think that way either. There are PDs who won't even consider your application for residency once they see the D.O. And I've heard of lawyers bringing up a doctor's D.O. degree to cast doubt on his or her competence during malpractice cases. Something like "So doctor can you please tell the court why you couldn't get an M.D. degree?"

I see that this thread is about to take a turn for the worse. I understand your feelings. There are people who think MD>DO. IMO, they're fools and/or grossly misinformed. Yes, even if they're PD's. Just my opinion.

 

[Sanman]

Well I have to agree that D.O.'s get less respect than M.D.'s by the lay public. However, let's remember that the lay public is fickle and often times uses stupid logic. The reason for this disparity, they are familiar with the MD and not the DO. So clearly, whatever they are familiar with is best. Any DO who has taken the time explain the differences in philosophy and reasons why they preferred the DO only to get the response " Why didn't you just go to regular med. school(MD school, etc.)" knows what I mean. Don't take it personally and don't make a career choice based on such fickle concerns. The truth is that most who would make such judgements are far less intelligent and educated, and they wouldn't have made it that far if they tried. Those who have been there with you understand.

 

[Lonestar]

well, i'll give my two cents. Podiatry by all means should be popular. And it will as today's young ones look at controllable lifestyle as a major issue in their decision for a career. Lets face it folks. medicine has been hijacked and all the docs are waiting to be slaughtered. Dentistry is a very popular option (main reason being that they are not being dictated to by the federal government chumps). We are headed toward a society where the level of education may not necessarily get you the best jobs. And thats scary. People will do nothing about it until it becomes a "crisis". All this talk makes me wanna open a cosmetic botox center and just say hell with rest of residency. Oh wait, its considered "taboo" to even discuss up front cash clinics. This democracy is full of it, and they can all shove it up theirs. Its ok for the government to allow some dude to hire 3 illegal mexicans and cut your grass and collect an average of 1200 bucks per year, but hesitate to pay the same amount for the anesthesia of a major cardiac bypass surgery.

So to all who want to pursue the podiatry route, please do and be happy and less stressed out. There are no guarantees but neither is medicine nowdays. Thats why we have slowly witnessed less male applicants in medschools nowdays. We have to think about feeding our families and 8 yrs without goodpay, tons of debt, plenty of mental abuse, long hours, lots of reading to get to a point where uncle sam determines what you can charge is just not worth it nowdays. And the system continues to worsen for the younger ones coming through medical education of today.

 

[pbmax]

As an MD in a program with MD's and DO's, I thought I would add my quick two cents. I've worked with really good DO's and some not so good DO's. But I've also worked with some really good MD's and some not so good MD's. And quite honestly, from day to day, I never think about who has an MD or a DO...

Except when I am asking one of my DO colleagues to teach me some OMT...

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

As an MD in a program with MD's and DO's, I thought I would add my quick two cents. I've worked with really good DO's and some not so good DO's. But I've also worked with some really good MD's and some not so good MD's. And quite honestly, from day to day, I never think about who has an MD or a DO...

Except when I am asking one of my DO colleagues to teach me some OMT...

👍

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

well, i'll give my two cents. Podiatry by all means should be popular. And it will as today's young ones look at controllable lifestyle as a major issue in their decision for a career. Lets face it folks. medicine has been hijacked and all the docs are waiting to be slaughtered. Dentistry is a very popular option (main reason being that they are not being dictated to by the federal government chumps). We are headed toward a society where the level of education may not necessarily get you the best jobs. And thats scary. People will do nothing about it until it becomes a "crisis". All this talk makes me wanna open a cosmetic botox center and just say hell with rest of residency. Oh wait, its considered "taboo" to even discuss up front cash clinics. This democracy is full of it, and they can all shove it up theirs. Its ok for the government to allow some dude to hire 3 illegal mexicans and cut your grass and collect an average of 1200 bucks per year, but hesitate to pay the same amount for the anesthesia of a major cardiac bypass surgery.

So to all who want to pursue the podiatry route, please do and be happy and less stressed out. There are no guarantees but neither is medicine nowdays. Thats why we have slowly witnessed less male applicants in medschools nowdays. We have to think about feeding our families and 8 yrs without goodpay, tons of debt, plenty of mental abuse, long hours, lots of reading to get to a point where uncle sam determines what you can charge is just not worth it nowdays. And the system continues to worsen for the younger ones coming through medical education of today.

Another option that most students don't think about is hair transplant surgery. I've been trying to collect more and more info on this field and plan on shadowing one of these guys sometime this year while I still have time.

One of my dad's friends had 2 hair transplant surgeries so far. He said that one of the surgeons he went to makes $15,000/day 😱

 

[Lemont]

lmao

I find that somewhat contradictory...so tell me DOCTOR why couldn't you get your M.D.

I heard that from a doctor who was named in a malpractice suit along with several other doctors. Apparently one of the doctors was a D.O. and the prosecuter tried to make the D.O. look incompetent by asking sarcastic questions about his degree and why he was the only one of the doctors without a "real medical degree like the other doctors", etc. You can just imagine how sneaky lawyers can get when they want to grill somebody on the stand and make them look foolish in front of the court. The fact that the doctor had to explain his degree, no matter how professionaly he responded, probably cast doubt in the minds of at least some of the jurors who don't know much about medicine anyways. They see anything but an M.D. and red flags go up.

And who the hell lends any sort of credit to a malpractice lawyer's word in this field.

Unfortunately, the jury does.

 

[hans19]

I heard that from a doctor who was named in a malpractice suit along with several other doctors. Apparently one of the doctors was a D.O. and the prosecuter tried to make the D.O. look incompetent by asking sarcastic questions about his degree and why he was the only one of the doctors without a "real medical degree like the other doctors", etc. You can just imagine how sneaky lawyers can get when they want to grill somebody on the stand and make them look foolish in front of the court. The fact that the doctor had to explain his degree, no matter how professionaly he responded, probably cast doubt in the minds of at least some of the jurors who don't know much about medicine anyways. They see anything but an M.D. and red flags go up.




Unfortunately, the jury does.

Malpractice is handled in civil, not criminal court. I doubt a prosecutor said those things. In such a case, I'd ask the plantiff's attorney why he's chasing ambulances. Was he not smart enough to make the law review? Couldn't get into corporate law or clerk for a big judge like the smart lawyers?

 

[VentdependenT]

I heard that from a doctor who was named in a malpractice suit along with several other doctors. Apparently one of the doctors was a D.O. and the prosecuter tried to make the D.O. look incompetent by asking sarcastic questions about his degree and why he was the only one of the doctors without a "real medical degree like the other doctors", etc. You can just imagine how sneaky lawyers can get when they want to grill somebody on the stand and make them look foolish in front of the court. The fact that the doctor had to explain his degree, no matter how professionaly he responded, probably cast doubt in the minds of at least some of the jurors who don't know much about medicine anyways. They see anything but an M.D. and red flags go up.




Unfortunately, the jury does.

Jury is not comprised of medical professionals.

Point is even if you have an MD they will try and ruin your credibility. Therefore using a DO degree to illustrate that malpractice lawyers are manipulative is showing bias on your part.

I'm gonna steer this thread into the rocks come hell or high water people.

 

[Museless]

Is it prestige? respect?

That can be part of it. But mostly, it's content, and opportunity. Spend four years in podiatry school, and you're... a podiatrist. No matter what. That's all you've trained for.

Four years in medical school, and you can then decide to be a surgeon, a pediatrician, a psychiatrist, a pharmaceutical consultant, whatever. More options.

And, as a pp pointed out... they're feet.

Seriously, why not shadow a podiatrist? The important thing really is to find the field you want to practice in, not the one people on a message board give a thumbs up to.

 

[Lemont]

Jury is not comprised of medical professionals.

Point is even if you have an MD they will try and ruin your credibility. Therefore using a DO degree to illustrate that malpractice lawyers are manipulative is showing bias on your part.

I'm gonna steer this thread into the rocks come hell or high water people.

Looks like you're getting defensive. It is not bias on my part, it's the reality of the situation. Being a D.O. gives the lawyer better ammo to cast doubt on a doctor's competence. Don't be fooled, there will always be a stigma attached to the degree even if people at the hospital treat it as equal to your face. And a lawyer will utilize the underlying stigma if he/she can, because as you know they will resort to almost anything since their objective is to win the case. And not just lawyers either, lots of PDs also buy into the stigma and won't take anybody with a D.O. into their residency even if they have outstanding credentials that are better than an M.D. Not to mention the private practices who only will hire M.D. physicians.

I know it's not fair since both degrees are basically the same, but that's just the way it is. The medical community is very fickle.

 

[mr.annoying]

I totally agree that D.O.'s and M.D.'s are often equivalent. Sometimes MDs will be better docs, sometimes DOs will be better docs. It depends.

However, one of my pet peeves about the subject is when I meet DO students or pre-DO students that state "I'll just practice allopathic medicine anyways." Then why not go to an allopathic school??? Obviously these instances are the ones when the student can't get into an MD school... but it still bugs me.

 

[VentdependenT]

Looks like you're getting defensive. It is not bias on my part, it's the reality of the situation. Being a D.O. gives the lawyer better ammo to cast doubt on a doctor's competence. Don't be fooled, there will always be a stigma attached to the degree even if people at the hospital treat it as equal to your face. And a lawyer will utilize the underlying stigma if he/she can, because as you know they will resort to almost anything since their objective is to win the case. And not just lawyers either, lots of PDs also buy into the stigma and won't take anybody with a D.O. into their residency even if they have outstanding credentials that are better than an M.D. Not to mention the private practices who only will hire M.D. physicians.

I know it's not fair since both degrees are basically the same, but that's just the way it is. The medical community is very fickle.

I just want to see how far you will push this issue. So far you are sticken to those guns. Personally I don't care if you were a harvard neurosurgeon once you are in court you will be shredded without some amazing legal council and preperation on the defendents part.

You keep focusing on the DO issue where I'm trying to look at the bigger picture. Ok maybe the lawyer can same make some smart ass comment about being an osteopath. They can also make some smart ass comment on how you acted unprofessionally in this instance according to the OR nurse. It doesn't matter. They're gonna git ya.

As far as the PD issue there is still discrimination in surgical fields and in some institutions. Too bad, guess osteo's that wanna match allo in those fields will have to work harder and have back up plans. Sounds like a familiar theme in medicine.

/me swings vessel starboard wrecklessly

 

[skypilot]

However, one of my pet peeves about the subject is when I meet DO students or pre-DO students that state "I'll just practice allopathic medicine anyways." Then why not go to an allopathic school??? Obviously these instances are the ones when the student can't get into an MD school... but it still bugs me.

Not to post again to this overplayed topic but since the vast majority of DOs do allopathic residencies, everybody is practicing allopathic medicine.

Just play the cards you are dealt. Lots of residency directors at allopathic institutions are DOs too. 🙂

 

[(nicedream)]

However, one of my pet peeves about the subject is when I meet DO students or pre-DO students that state "I'll just practice allopathic medicine anyways." Then why not go to an allopathic school??? Obviously these instances are the ones when the student can't get into an MD school... but it still bugs me.

How about all of the reasons anyone chooses any school? Curriculum, location, faculty etc. etc.
I, for one, looked at all schools allopathic and osteopathic without regard to whether they were one or the other - my decision was based on more important factors.
To suggest that the only possible reason someone would attend an osteopathic school is if they wanted to practice "osteopathic medicine" (which I assume you think of as OMM) or because they could not get into an allopathic school is narrow-minded.

 

[Pikevillemedstudent]

Looks like you're getting defensive. It is not bias on my part, it's the reality of the situation. Being a D.O. gives the lawyer better ammo to cast doubt on a doctor's competence. Don't be fooled, there will always be a stigma attached to the degree even if people at the hospital treat it as equal to your face. And a lawyer will utilize the underlying stigma if he/she can, because as you know they will resort to almost anything since their objective is to win the case. And not just lawyers either, lots of PDs also buy into the stigma and won't take anybody with a D.O. into their residency even if they have outstanding credentials that are better than an M.D. Not to mention the private practices who only will hire M.D. physicians.

I know it's not fair since both degrees are basically the same, but that's just the way it is. The medical community is very fickle.

I actually had a classmate whose dad was a lawyer. It was a medical malpractice case and the physician he was up against was an MD. The expert witness was a DO. The MD testified in court that a DO was not the same as an MD and basically that the expert DO testimony was worthless.

Of course, the lawyer, being the father of a future DO, questioned him on the training of an osteopathic physician and ultimately got him to admit in court that a DO has more training(OMT) than an MD. The MD lost the case.

A good lawyer will use everything to win and being a DO can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the skill of the two lawyers in the case.

 

[Bun]

lets be honest, most people going to DO school tried but were unable to get into a MD program. Anyone that argues that point is lying or delusional.

 

[VentdependenT]

C'mon folks lets drag this one into the dumper!

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

C'mon folks lets drag this one into the dumper!

I just LOVE these kind of threads. (note the sarcasm).

 

[NSUdan]

........and anyone that believes that, let alone states it for others, is ignorant and very self righteous.......did we reach the dumper yet?

lets be honest, most people going to DO school tried but were unable to get into a MD program. Anyone that argues that point is lying or delusional.

 

[Orchard]

lets be honest, most people going to DO school tried but were unable to get into a MD program. Anyone that argues that point is lying or delusional.

I was accepted to several MD schools but due to the OVERWHELMING preponderance of hard-ons such as yourself opted to go the osteopathic route. Never once regretted the decision............ 🙂

 

[Lemont]

Looks like the D.O. students are getting defensive again when the real reason for them going to a D.O. school is mentioned.

 

[Lemont]

I was accepted to several MD schools but due to the OVERWHELMING preponderance of hard-ons such as yourself opted to go the osteopathic route. Never once regretted the decision............ 🙂

Sure you did. Just like I know of some people who claimed to have turned down Harvard and Johns Hopkins med to go to a foreign school because they wanted to "experience a different culture".

 

[(nicedream)]

Sure you did. Just like I know of some people who claimed to have turned down Harvard and Johns Hopkins med to go to a foreign school because they wanted to "experience a different culture".

Nobody said Harvard or JHU. Just crappy places like your school.

 

[Lemont]

Nobody said Harvard or JHU. Just crappy places like your school.

If you consider one of the hardest med schools to get into with one of the best track records for competitive matches "crappy", then I wonder what that makes your D.O. school?

 

[(nicedream)]

If you consider one of the hardest med schools to get into with one of the best track records for competitive matches "crappy", then I wonder what that makes your D.O. school?

Ohhh zing!!
Regardless, top schools does not equal "MD schools."

 

[Lemont]

Regardless, top schools does not equal "MD schools."

What do you mean by that?

 

[(nicedream)]

What do you mean by that?

Haha. I mean "top schools" (Harvard, JHU, wherever you go I guess) is not synonymous with "MD schools." So the disbelief people such as yourself display when considering someone choosing a DO school over MD schools is foolish - chances are they were not choosing a DO school over a "top school", but over an average MD school (which the vast majority of them are, thus the term "average").

 

[Bun]

I was accepted to several MD schools but due to the OVERWHELMING preponderance of hard-ons such as yourself opted to go the osteopathic route. Never once regretted the decision............ 🙂

maybe you did have MD options, but the vast majority of your classmates didnt.

i am in no way ripping on DO schools or students, just pointing out a fact.