Osteopathic NMM Program Director- AMA

[Isoval]

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Is a DO a waste of time when it comes to getting accepted to a residency?

“Is becoming a doctor a waste of time when getting accepted into a program for doctors?”

FTFY

 

[868651]

“Is becoming a doctor a waste of time when getting accepted into a program for doctors?”

FTFY

How long does it take to become a DO?

 

[osteodoc7]

Could someone who perhaps graduated or knows Trumps Doc DO ask him to help his brothers out? Maybe squeeze in some political talk in favor of DO's at the white house. Maybe emphasis his osteopathic approach?

 

[John1513]

How long does it take to become a DO?

Same time and effort and merit as the path to an MD, although historically DO schools have accepted slightly lower GPAs vs MD schools and select more for students with life experiences.

So, 4 years is undergraduate studies/pre med pre-req’s.

Then however long it takes you to study for and master the MCATs and get some clinical/research experience.

Then however many application rounds it takes you to be interviewed for and accepted into an osteopathic medical school - which then would be four years.

Then 3-6 more years for residency and fellowship training and board certification. DO neurosurgery is 6 years for just the residency, family medicine is 3 years.

 

[Goro]

Is a DO a waste of time when it comes to getting accepted to a residency?

Only to uber-residencies.

 

[Goro]

How long does it take to become a DO?

0/10 trolling.

 

[bones]

I will be starting my 3rd year rotations soon. I know my OMM exposure will be very limited during my core rotations. Do you have any suggestions on ways to keep up and further my skills during this year? Are there any OMM books that you would recommend that are not just technique manuals?

Off topic question - Sidebending or rotational emphasis for cervical hvla: In your opinion, is one better than the other? Your personal preference? ( Feel free to ignore this last question if you want. I’m just curious. )

Thanks again!

I wish I could point you to the type of book I would recommend for this purpose but I don’t think it has been written yet.

General advice would be to identify someone who is really good in your local area and arrange a 2 week elective early in 3rd year if you can- or at least shadow for an afternoon here and there. Your first goal is to get comfortable identifying normal vs abnormal anatomy. This is harder than it sounds and comes with many nuances. When you go on to other rotations use the palpation skills you develop... you will be doing lots of physical exams, neuro exams, joint exams- and you will be asked to find anatomy for injections and other procedures... just use your Osteopathic hands during this process and your palpation skills will gradually evolve rather than dissappear.

Other advice- on every rotation make sure to take extra time studying gross anatomy and functional anatomy relevant to the conditions you are seeing, and study pathophysiology. Most people get caught up in the day to day requirements of a rotation and any pimp questions they are getting- but anatomy and pathophysiology is the language of osteopathy- you can apply what you learn later with your hands- and it is of general value for the rotation regardless.

For HVLA- I used both when I still did hvla like that, and I would chose based on the feel of the barrier rather than where I was in the neck per convention. I use almost all fascial barriers now and a lot less force... (like 1/10th what they teach you guys in class) good for delicate necks, kids and old people w osteoporosis but you need really good localization or it just doesn’t work. This kind incorporates both rotation and side bending elements in the localization process.

 

[bones]

After following different docs in clinic, they seem to only stick with one emphasis in practice. This is just my observation. Personally, I prefer sidebending. It’s just easier for me to localize that way. I believe the majority prefer rotation though.

. I see what you’re asking. I did more rotation, but i did both. I didn’t like turning people’s heads so far for rotation thrusts the way it was taught... so I started teaching a variant using more sidebending localization to lock out the vertebrae before a gentle and short rotation thrust (before I switched over to fascial hvla). When I teach hvla to people who are rusty or really green I help them make the simple lock out rotation bit work before they get fancy with it. Relaxing the hands is like 75% of doing hvla right.

 

[bones]

I’ve recently seen the NBOME advertising the “CORRE” for residency programs with osteopathic recognition. I imagine this is mainly meant for MD applicants. Will Residency programs ever require a DO student to take this exam?

I don’t know... sorry! You have me curious now. My best guess is eventually Aoa/comlex will mostly go away. Maybe this test closes the gap left with this. I’m not a big fan of extra testing and fees though.