Oh, you mean that osteopath school?

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cryhavoc

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Them: What are your plans?
Me: I attend medical school in the fall.
Them: Where?
Me: Insert school name.
Them: You mean osteopath school?
Me: Yep.

Well, technically yes also but why do you got to make it sound like you're correcting me with the tone of "massage school". It is med school plus massage school.

Sheesh. Oh well.
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O Grady said:
Just tell them they are only displaying their own ignorance by not realizing DOs are physicians. We aren't chiros, we aren't masseuses, we are physicians.


And if all else fails just say something negative about their mom.
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Just tell them that we're doctors who are good with our hands, giggity
 
cryhavoc said:
Them: What are your plans?
Me: I attend medical school in the fall.
Them: Where?
Me: Insert school name.
Them: You mean osteopath school?
Me: Yep.

Well, technically yes also but why do you got to make it sound like you're correcting me with the tone of "massage school". It is med school plus massage school.

Sheesh. Oh well.
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Although Rocky Vista is beginning to produce match lists almost on par with the University of Colorado's MD program, unless you work in health care, no one in Denver has even heard of Rocky Vista. And yes, most of the people I interact with professionally think DO's are Chiropractors. Amazingly, this includes even some of our friends who work in the University of Colorado's Health Care system as allied health care professionals. The take away, I guess this is something that you will need to get used to even though it is insulting.
 
O Grady said:
Just tell them they are only displaying their own ignorance by not realizing DOs are physicians. We aren't chiros, we aren't masseuses, we are physicians.


And if all else fails just say something negative about their mom.
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Ahh yes. This is the best way to successfully win any argument.
 
I'll eventually have a career in dentistry. Despite years of schooling, financial security, and the successful enjoyment of serving patients to the best of my ability, I will have to deal with the dreaded "not a real doctor" jokes. Ten seconds of (maybe) discomfort because of someone who usually has nothing better to do with their time. Then I remember that I'm doing what I love and forget about it in like five minutes. A miserable existence indeed.

Just a part of life for us non-allopathic folks, OP.
 
NecrotizingFascitis said:
It's all about the magic hands. MDs can't handle the magic hands.
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https://media.giphy.com/media/VHngktboAlxHW/giphy.gif

giphy.gif
 
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I just tell the uneducated people the name of the state I'm going to. Like if I were going to PNWU I'd say "I'm going to Washington for medical school!"
 
In my experience most people seem to associate osteopathy with naturopathy. When I correct them, and they ask about the differences between MD and DO, I inevitably discuss OMM -- which from their perspective now sounds like I'm a naturopath trying to convince them I'm a real doctor.

Honestly, I'd much prefer these exchanges over any interaction I have with someone over 60; I think witch doctor might be an upgrade to osteopathy in their eyes.
 
Dr. Death said:
I just tell the uneducated people the name of the state I'm going to. Like if I were going to PNWU I'd say "I'm going to Washington for medical school!"
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Exactly where I'm going and what I say. I usually specify central WA just because everyone assumes UW.
 
cryhavoc said:
Them: What are your plans?
Me: I attend medical school in the fall.
Them: Where?
Me: Insert school name.
Them: You mean osteopath school?
Me: Yep.

Well, technically yes also but why do you got to make it sound like you're correcting me with the tone of "massage school". It is med school plus massage school.

Sheesh. Oh well.
Click to expand...

You obviously are going to attend a school that's been around for a while. I'm overjoyed when I tell people here that I go to RVU and I get any response other than "What's that?". They usually turn out to never have even heard of DO's.
 
MeatTornado said:
That's not even remotely true


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
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I believe the rumor that RVU had a higher USMLE average, but I agree with you here-- this one can't possibly be true. RVU is a solid program; they had some excellent matches this year and they should be proud of it, but it's not major state school caliber as of yet.

That being said, would be awesome to NOT recreate the match list thread argument or the generic MD vs DO arguments.
 
Had me a dental appt the other day (no cavities. Aw yiss). My hygienist asked what I was up to:

JS: Starting med school in the Fall! ^_^
H: Oh! Where?
JS: X-COM
H: Osteo.....*looks at me funny* Bones?
JS: *missing opportunity for Star Trek tie-in* Yeah, kinda. But I'll be granted the DO degree. Same as MD, just with a different historical origin. I'll be a doctor. A physician, ya know?

... *still looking at me funny*


We talked about it for a little longer and I think she started to get it when we got to specialities. But still -- I ought to find a more concise way to phrase it haha.
 
J Senpai said:
Had me a dental appt the other day (no cavities. Aw yiss). My hygienist asked what I was up to:

JS: Starting med school in the Fall! ^_^
H: Oh! Where?
JS: X-COM
H: Osteo.....*looks at me funny* Bones?
JS: *missing opportunity for Star Trek tie-in* Yeah, kinda. But I'll be granted the DO degree. Same as MD, just with a different historical origin. I'll be a doctor. A physician, ya know?

... *still looking at me funny*


We talked about it for a little longer and I think she started to get it when we got to specialities. But still -- I ought to find a more concise way to phrase it haha.
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You should just say that I am going to be a physician with the magic touch that will drive you crazy in bed.
 
There will always be those people who don't know all the fact but don't seek knowledge.
 
None of my friends know what DO is. Only one who pre-med knows.

When I attend pre-medical conference in Davis last summer, almost everyone I encountered did not know what DO is. Only those who went to the DO workshop known.

A girl in a MMI workshop also asked "What is DO?"

Well, technically in the end, people who know will know, people who don't will not know. At the end of the day, you should feel satisfy because you are doing what you love to do. You'll get to practice medicine.

In my opinion, I love DO, I love the OMT, and I love the fact that we can control the force haha
 
J Senpai said:
Had me a dental appt the other day (no cavities. Aw yiss). My hygienist asked what I was up to:

JS: Starting med school in the Fall! ^_^
H: Oh! Where?
JS: X-COM
H: Osteo.....*looks at me funny* Bones?
JS: *missing opportunity for Star Trek tie-in* Yeah, kinda. But I'll be granted the DO degree. Same as MD, just with a different historical origin. I'll be a doctor. A physician, ya know?

... *still looking at me funny*


We talked about it for a little longer and I think she started to get it when we got to specialities. But still -- I ought to find a more concise way to phrase it haha.
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I have an equally painful conversation when I tell people I'm interested in psychiatry. Even people that know I'm already in med school tend to give me a confused look and ask why I just want to be a therapist.

In regards to the DO thing though, I've found that less is more for most people. If they seem genuinely interested then I bring up OMM, otherwise it just isn't worth trying to educate the unwilling.
 
"There are two pathways to become a medical doctor, MD and DO, like there are two kinds of dentists DMD and DDS. DOs get a little more training in a particular set of therapeutic techniques while they are in medical school, while MDs who want to learn those have to seek additional training after medical school. Both kinds of doctor are fully licensed to practice medicine, their degrees just have different names."

Yes, it is a little simplistic, but that is my elevator speech version for someone who has never heard of a DO, so that I don't give the impression that we are chiropractors or naturopaths.
 
O Grady said:
I have an equally painful conversation when I tell people I'm interested in psychiatry. Even people that know I'm already in med school tend to give me a confused look and ask why I just want to be a therapist.

In regards to the DO thing though, I've found that less is more for most people. If they seem genuinely interested then I bring up OMM, otherwise it just isn't worth trying to educate the unwilling.
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When you become a DO psychiatrist, none of those people will be able to figure out WHAT the heck you are/do! Fake bone doctor therapist? 😉
 
Promethean said:
"There are two pathways to become a medical doctor, MD and DO, like there are two kinds of dentists DMD and DDS. DOs get a little more training in a particular set of therapeutic techniques while they are in medical school, while MDs who want to learn those have to seek additional training after medical school. Both kinds of doctor are fully licensed to practice medicine, their degrees just have different names."

Yes, it is a little simplistic, but that is my elevator speech version for someone who has never heard of a DO, so that I don't give the impression that we are chiropractors or naturopaths.
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Too much words for the common people. You should just said,

"Lay on the bed. I'm going to show you."

Perform OMM... Game over!
 
68PGunner said:
Too much words for the common people. You should just said,

"Lay on the bed. I'm going to show you."

Perform OMM... Game over!
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Sure, that is ideal in the right setting. Not always appropriate at dinner, alas.

And you would be surprised at how much people can understand when you take the time to explain.
 
On a real note, the easiest route is just pretend the O in any DO school stands for "Of"....

If you say you're attending Michigan State College of Medicine, no layperson is going to know that isn't an MD school. Save the Osteopath explanations for people that are genuinely interested.
 
Trust me, when you get older whether someone understands your degree or not is small beans compared to you having a decent paying job that pays the bills for you and your family. It may seem like an annoyance now, but eventually you'll realize it doesn't matter at all.
 
IsWhat said:
Trust me, when you get older whether someone understands your degree or not is small beans compared to you having a decent paying job that pays the bills for you and your family. It may seem like an annoyance now, but eventually you'll realize it doesn't matter at all.
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LOL so true.
 
IsWhat said:
Trust me, when you get older whether someone understands your degree or not is small beans compared to you having a decent paying job that pays the bills for you and your family. It may seem like an annoyance now, but eventually you'll realize it doesn't matter at all.
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This is so true. I'm getting job offers for 36 hrs a week and 2 calls a month for $500k+/yr. It really puts the whole degree thing into prespective, especially for someone like me who isn't too passionate about medicine.


I'm in anesthesia...
 
cliquesh said:
This is so true. I'm getting job offers for 36 hrs a week and 2 calls a month for $500k+/yr. It really puts the whole degree thing into prespective, especially for someone like me who isn't too passionate about medicine.


I'm in anesthesia...
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As someone who wants to go into anesthesia, I love hearing this
 
cliquesh said:
This is so true. I'm getting job offers for 36 hrs a week and 2 calls a month for $500k+/yr. It really puts the whole degree thing into prespective, especially for someone like me who isn't too passionate about medicine.


I'm in anesthesia...
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Wow. Congrats. Thats quite a bit different than what Im hearing over in the Anesthesiology subforum.
 
MeatTornado said:
Location, Location, Location

You can make bank in any specialty if you're willing to live in an unpopular/undesirable location

My inbox is overflowing with hospitalist job offers in the middle of nowhere paying $300k+
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Give me an example of the middle of nowhere. My definition is def different than others.
 
68PGunner said:
Give me an example of the middle of nowhere. My definition is def different than others.
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Doesn't really matter what YOUR definition is. Locations with the best compensation are typically the south and the midwest, particularly far from the few big cities in the area. Essentially highly educated individuals generally want to be in or near cultural centers and surrounded by other well educated or upper middle or upper class individuals. These places are generally found on the coasts and a few other places....certainly not in Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Dakotas, etc. They have to incentivize doctors to move there by offering big buck$$$.

See:
Map http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2016/public/overview#page=4
and
Highest paid states http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2016/public/overview#page=5
and
Lowest paid states http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2016/public/overview#page=6
 
I go with something along the lines of "you're a physician when you graduate, just like an MD. There's also a bit more training on manipulative medicine, which would probably remind of physical therapy. You can still go into any specialty, like primary care, surgery or [insert favorite specialty here]."
Sometimes, depending on my target audience, I say something about the holistic bit even though on SDN we all know there's not much of a distinction, if any.

Promethean said:
"There are two pathways to become a medical doctor, MD and DO, like there are two kinds of dentists DMD and DDS. DOs get a little more training in a particular set of therapeutic techniques while they are in medical school, while MDs who want to learn those have to seek additional training after medical school. Both kinds of doctor are fully licensed to practice medicine, their degrees just have different names."

Yes, it is a little simplistic, but that is my elevator speech version for someone who has never heard of a DO, so that I don't give the impression that we are chiropractors or naturopaths.
Click to expand...

I've made it through two years of medical school and almost to age thirty without figuring out the difference between DMD and DDS. So I like this analogy, but just be forewarned it might lead to having to give even more explanations!
 
cliquesh said:
This is so true. I'm getting job offers for 36 hrs a week and 2 calls a month for $500k+/yr. It really puts the whole degree thing into prespective, especially for someone like me who isn't too passionate about medicine.


I'm in anesthesia...
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And that's without a pain fellowship...
 
This is what I use:

Me: You know how you go to the dentist and you could be seeing a DDS or a DMD?
Them: No...
Me: Same thing with DO and MD. You wouldn't know the difference unless you were looking for it.
 
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