What kind of disadvantages am I looking at if I plan on completing a DO Orthopaedic surgery program instead of the MD ones? Job opportunities? Salary? Prestige (meaning what? patients prefer MD surgeons over DO ones? MD colleagues look down on DO ones? I hope not) or what else? I am set on going into surgery, and ortho is a real possibility.
Well, most of these perspectives on here are from med students or pre-meds, valid opinions but they can be skewed. I'm a DO in an allopathic orthopedic program and the differences between MD and DO ortho are very little. So there are two ways to look at this...
1) MD vs DO ortho programs: Inherent differences in both, generalizations, but MD = research/academics and DO = community programs, hands on. There are positives and negatives to both environments. At a community program, you can be operating from day one...but you may be a work horse and technically sound, but not academically grounded in up-to-date orthopedics. At an academic program, you may get all of the cutting edge info and access to incredible research opportunities, but you may come out feeling like you didn't get to do enough cases. Again, huge generalizations.
2) MD vs DO orthopedic surgeons: Differences, none. All who have gone through training will be adequate to perform as a general orthopedist. DO trained orthopods (only DO's) get board certified through the AOAO and MDs and MD trained (DO's in MD programs) can get certified through the AAOS. The AAOS being the primary society for orthopedics do allow DOs to become members in their society, however, not board certified by them (unless a DO did an MD ortho program). I know some people don't believe it, but some hospitals won't give certain specialties priviledges if you aren't board certified through an allopathic society. Believe it...they're out there.
Overall, if you want to go into Ortho...DO is not a bad way to go. Like someone else mentioned, your chances of landing a DO program as a DO is better than matching into an MD program as an MD. Both are hard, but DOs may have an easier way into the field of orthopedics, not to mention that you get great musculoskeletal education.
So, if you want to do ortho...being a DO won't hinder you. IF you have your hearts set on going to an MD ortho program for whatever reason, you better get into an MD school. I was very fortunate and worked very hard, but I was constantly asked why I went to a DO school when I interviewed at MD programs. I have no doubt that I didn't get more than 50% of my interviews simply because I was a DO.
Just my thoughts...
cp
