One application for both DO and MD schools?

[ParaMed]

I received an e-mail today from TCOM in response to a question I had asked them. In it, the admissions coordinator stated that TCOM was considering joining the TMDSAS! (For those of you who may not know, TMDSAS is the application you fill out for all of Texas? allopathic schools.) I am flabbergasted! Why would they want to do this? How are they going to choose whom to interview? How will they separate the applicants that have a true interest in the philosophy of Osteopathic medicine from those who do not? How would you go about writing your personal statement explaining your interest in osteopathic medicine? I am at a loss! Why would a D.O. school want to mix their applicant pool like that? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? If anyone has any ideas or general opinions on this, post them. I am very interested in hearing what others have to say.

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[prefontaine]

Why emphasize the ~5% of students that are interested in 'osteopathic' medicine? Very few students in osteopathic schools care about the philosophy and (other than lip service for political reasons) it really is not practiced or applied, with the notable exception being within AAO circles.

DO schools already mix their applicant pools.
Out of the ~8000 applicants/year to osteopathic schools, how few do NOT apply to medical schools, ie LCME schools. 5-10%?

Once the successful applicants to LCME schools are subtracted from the AOA pool, how many 'true' applicants are left. Certainly less than 2:1.

Who will TCOM interview? Primarily the leftovers from the LCME ranks...just as osteopathy has been doing for 100+ years.
Does it really make a difference?

It appears to be one step closer to the mainstream. Perhaps it will bring in a few more applicants that have never heard of osteopathy.

Anyway, admissions committees are well aware of how they generally fit into the lineup of desirability.

[This message has been edited by prefontaine (edited 12-06-1999).]

 

[RollTide]

prefontaine,

Why as a graduate of a D.O. school are you always so quick to put down the proffesion? Please do not attack me for asking this question...I am just curious as to why you are not happy with the education you recieved? From your previous posts I gather that you have been very successful but you often attack different groups of people(people from the south and D.O. schools).

 

[Test Boy]

Now that you asked him nicely not to attack you, of course he's not going to respond. It seems painfully obvious that Prefontaine has some serious inferiority complex going and would indeed have been much happier if he went to an MD school instead.

 

[ParaMed]

Come on Ladies and Gentlemen, regardless of Prefontaine?s attitude, lets stick to the topic. I am really interested in hearing what you all think about DO and MD applications being one. What is the message here? TCOM must be well respected and considered an equal for the other medical schools in TX to allow this, right? Does this place "MD wannabees" in a tight spot? One can no longer say one thing on your allopathic application and another on you osteopathic application. Come on; give me some well thought responses. Share your ideas and opinions. Personally, I think this ranks right up there with California granting all DOs- MD credentials in 1962. It originally was an attempt to get ride of them. However, later on the argument turned in the favor of the DOs- they must be good Doctors in order for you to give them all reciprocity and grant them MD licenses. What do you think?