On the road to DO, recently accepted MD

[AmoryBlaine]

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If you check my original reply to your post, you will find that I included myself in the 'personal agenda' category. However, I may be more neutral than one might assume. I'm applying both, when that time rolls around, and really have no preference. My agenda lies more in dissolving incorrect DO stereotypes and my personal hatred for people automatically assuming everything MD > DO, and that's the end of that. I actually found out about Osteopathic Medicine by chance, and have never really understood why some people (namely pre/current MD students) take such offense to DOs in medicine. Also, I just find the quote to be cool ... it's not supposed to be my declaration of Osteopathic love.

Also, I'm not upset about the discussion ... I actually thought my post covered the incorrect stereotypes -which annoy me-on both sides of the Mason-Dixon,err I mean, Allopathic/Osteopathic divide. I also disagree with your claim of possessing no personal agenda. Even if it's subconscious ... you seem to strongly suggest attending the MD school.

With the increasing number of students graduating from Med school, I think it's a safe assumption that mediocre applicants, MD or DO, don't have much of a 'shot' when competing with thousands of highly qualified students. Do I think that, in a hypothetical situation, a moderate MD applicant shooting for an MD residency would have a better shot than a moderate DO applicant?? Of course. I'm not here to deny logical claims, but I highly doubt that an extremely motivated and hard-working individual would end up doing something they hated simply because they attended a DO school. Would this person maybe have to relocate, or apply to AOA residencies?? Probably ... but this brings me to your next (half) point.

This piece of your argument becomes confusing for me personally. First, I assumed that your doors open/closed argument meant strictly matching into a specialty. Ie: you attended a DO school, ergo you CANNOT become a dermatologist. If this is was you're argument ... then no. And two ... sure, I can see the point you are trying to make: going to an MD school opens up more specific/life style friendly residency choices due to the volume of MD residencies (in comparison to DO). Here is where I take issue: 1. the first goal of getting into medical school SHOULD be ' I just want to be a doctor.' What is the point of saying: 'I am only applying to x school to become a Boston based Ophthalmologist at a big academic program who teaches in his/her spare time.' Also, honing in on something that specific is going to greatly limit your options no matter what. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing there aren't hundreds of EXTREMELY specific programs, like your example, located in the exact area of the East coast where you may decide to spend the rest of your life?? I suppose MD programs give you a better shot at this ... but being this specific seems to greatly limit one's options regardless.

DOs currently only compromise only about 10% of attending physicians in the United States. If you take into account the overwhelming amount of MDs when compared to DOs ... they aren't going to seem extremely well represented in any field. It's basic numbers. Also, a lot of DO schools are geared towards primary care (which I think is what the OP said he wanted), so it's not surprising that they are well represented in primary care fields. Also, I'm fairly certain (if I'm wrong here, then I'm just wrong) that a large percent of graduating MD students go into IM, meaning that all specialty fields probably have less doctors than primary fields (ie: there are less plastic surgeons in the US than there are Family Docs and Internists), and that not everybody wants the highly competitive surgery spot.

Seriously, I completely understand your point of view, and as strange as it may seem, I do respect your opinion. You have obviously had experience that I haven't, and your advice is valid in this situation. I really didn't mean for any of my responses to come off as pre-med know-it-all-ism, nor did I intend to offend you or anyone else. I understand and respect your realistic perspective, and wish you the best of luck with your residency.

I appreciate the kind words at the end, the following points are in the spirit of debate and not any kind of personal attack.

1. I would submit to you that as a pre-med you have pretty limited perspective on the DO/MD debate. You are free to form your opinions but just as I did with the OP I would advise you strongly against viewing DO schools as equal to MD schools in terms of the opportunity they can provide. Ultimately it is your future and your career but I would encourage you not to consider fighting anti-DO bias as part of your rationale for pursuing osteopathic training. In other words, if you love DO, go DO -- don't factor in crusading impulses.

2. If my forming an opinion on the subject and relaying that opinion constitutes having an agenda then I am guilty as charged. I do not care one whip whether my future colleague is an MD or a DO, I do not view my advice to him as an effort to "swell MD ranks." He was comparing the option of attending a DO school to an MD school and I gave my opinion on the subjects.

3. "I highly doubt that an extremely motivated and hard-working individual would end up doing something they hated simply because they attended a DO school." -- you are right, but why should this hypothetical person start off their race already behind if they have the choice?

4. Regarding my argument about "I just want to be a doctor" --> specific plans: I might just have to invoke tincture of time on this one and advise you to wait until your 4th year of school. You will see that you have a very specific desire for your future and I sincerely hope that all roads are open to you.

4.5. I am not suggesting you go into school with a hyper-specific plan for life. I am suggesting that one might present itself to you during your training. It is worthwhile for every pre-med to ask themselves "what if I decide I want to be a brain surgeon?" You can laugh, but I have 2 friends doing brain surgery who would NEVER have considered it as pre-meds. You don't pick your specialty -- it picks you!

4.75. Entering school with the mentality that you might end up wanting to do a competitive field in a competitive area is not going to limit you at all. If you have the stats for Ophtho you have the stats for anything. It is far easier to take Optho stats on the FP interview trail than the reverse.

5. The question of DO schools being geared towards primary care is a difficult one. Do DO schools produce more primary care docs because that is their focus or because their graduates have a difficult time getting more competitive residencies -- that is the question! Alot of people would consider my MD school geared towards primary care and yet we consistently fail to put any decent number of students into Family Med.

5.5. As a quick aside, you had better believe there are students out there who graduate med school and have to go with Plan B. I worked with an FP resident (Carib grad) who told me I was "so lucky" that EM was an option for me. She had been so discouraged by the field's lack of openess to FMGs that she hadn't even tried to apply. The SDN crew might have said "follow your dreams and shoot for the stars!!" but at some point you have to be realistic about your future.

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

Every Physician I talked to told me to go to law school or dental school....strange🙄

I get Dental often too....

 

[howtofr4y]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I haven't made a decision yet, but I hopefully will within the week. I also didn't mean for this to become "another MD/DO thread", but honestly I'm happy it did because it's given me a few new perspectives.

Another question...do medical schools typically refund tuition money if you withdraw before the start of the semester? I know in undergrad this was true, and you even got half of tuition money back if you withdrew within about a month of the start of the semester.

 

[Gpan]

I get Dental often too....

That's weird. Every physicians I talked to never said anything. They just had that deranged look on their faces when they slowly backed away from me...