Osteopathic vs Allopathic vs Chiropractic vs Natropathic

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smg111622

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Hi, I have a few questions regarding my chances in getting in to one of these disiplines. I want to be a physician, and I have talked to many doctors in each disipline (Osteopathic vs Allopathic vs Chiropractic vs Natropathic) and everyone bashes the others while touting their greatness. So whats the real scoop on these professions? They all claim to be able to prescibe medicine! However, I am a skeptic and have done a lot of research...however this research (google) seems to also be bias! Can anyone give me a non biased version of the differences and my chances at getting accepted to any of these?

BTW my stats are: Senior at a University in Colorado with 3.1 gpa (cum) 3.24 (sci) 30 mcat (12PS,9V,9BS) with 9 mo of clinical volunteering, letter of rec from a DO, and a little research.

Please be honest and as unbiased as possible! I want to have a career in medicine but I am lost as to exactly what each of these disiplines are allowed to do!

Thanks for any response!
 
MD/DO - physicians with full legal practicing rights. can prescribe medication.

ND - doctor of naturopathy. can prescribe some medication. Should not manage serious medical cases.

Chiropractor - Crack backs.


With your gpa you're gonna want to apply DO, and if you are really brave apply to some MD schools as an extreme longshot. You've got a shot at DO..but you really need to smoke your classes this semester (or quarter) and send in your transcripts with the stellar grades. Your gpa is low even for DO.

You could definitely get in at ND or DC, but I wouldn't recommend those fields if you want to be a physician. You will be limited in how much medicine you can actually practice.
 
smg111622 said:
Hi, I have a few questions regarding my chances in getting in to one of these disiplines. I want to be a physician, and I have talked to many doctors in each disipline (Osteopathic vs Allopathic vs Chiropractic vs Natropathic) and everyone bashes the others while touting their greatness. So whats the real scoop on these professions? They all claim to be able to prescibe medicine! However, I am a skeptic and have done a lot of research...however this research (google) seems to also be bias! Can anyone give me a non biased version of the differences and my chances at getting accepted to any of these?

BTW my stats are: Senior at a University in Colorado with 3.1 gpa (cum) 3.24 (sci) 30 mcat (12PS,9V,9BS) with 9 mo of clinical volunteering, letter of rec from a DO, and a little research.

Please be honest and as unbiased as possible! I want to have a career in medicine but I am lost as to exactly what each of these disiplines are allowed to do!

Thanks for any response!
Click to expand...
Parts of it are.

If you are trolling me I will be very unhappy, but just because I haven't answered this question in a few weeks, I'll do it.

MD = DO.

ND and Chiro are not physicians.

MD's and DO have unrestricted prescribing rights. Then PA's and NP's have some, and then ND's MIGHT in like a state or two (certainly not the majority of states).

You'd stand a good chance at DO, Chiro, and ND. If you want to be a physician you chose DO.

It won't be easy to get an unbiased opinion here because most people here are coming from the MD/DO perspective. Some from the MD only, but they tend to be annoying and the very vocal minority.
 
smg111622 said:
btw i found this:

is it legit?

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...pathic+osteopathic+allopathic&hl=en&sa=X&um=1
Click to expand...

A lot of the info is correct, but it stretches the truth a looot. Pro-DO stuff has a tendency to slide MD's and lead the reader to believe that they don't teach preventive medicine and focus on technology. This is really not the case. MD's and DO's are indiscernible in the workforce, and most DO's don't even practice OMT. I would't really read into articles like that.
 
MD and DO schools are basically the same, except one is run by the AMA and the other by the AOA. DO's receive the exact same training as MD's but also get some training in "manipulation" (OMM). MD's graduate from allopathic medical institutions where they take the USMLE licensing exam. DO's graduate from osteopathic medical schools where they take COMLEX.

There is a general bias against DO's because once upon a time they practiced a very different form of medicine, but most of the prejudice is based on historical issues. As a DO, you will be able to apply to residencies open to only DOs as well as apply to some MD residencies as well (although some argue that you put yourself at a disadvantage in some fields being a DO). In some more competitive MD residencies, DO's have a difficult time matching, but this trend seems to be disappearing in recent years.

ND's and chiro's are not doctors. They should not be regarded as such, and very few states license them as such. Your GPA is low, but you still have this semester and next semester to try and bring it up. You seem to be a decent candidate for DO schools, but your GPA will give you lots of grief at MD schools. I'd apply to all the DO schools you're interested in, as well as some reach MD schools, but don't be too surprised if you're not invited to interview at allopathic schools. At the end of the day, DO=MD regardless of what any idiots on here say.
 
😱 Wow! Thanks guys for all the input! That really helps! Im definately going to apply to oesteopathic schools based on the responses...they basically match my research. BTW I am not a troll, just wanted opinions from people who are (or were) in my situation.

Does it help that my gpa is significantly lowered because of one bad year (GPA that year ~2.35)?

Thanks again!

-Also, if MD pretty much is equivilant to DO, why is it so much more competitive to get into allopathic medical school? Only to avoid being regarded as a quack by a select few for going oesteopathic? Or is it like the difference between going to a community college and a university (ie same degree at the end but DO being not as prestiguous?)
 
Last edited:
BUMP for quick reply! Also, is it too late to apply to DO schools this year? and if not which ones should I apply to given my stats? I might have to start a new thread somewhere else to get an answer for this...

Thanks again guys (and girls)!
 
Thanks man. I will send my application for DO schools this week and if I dont get in ill retake classes which i got C's in and apply for MD/DO next year.
 
MD is not DO if they were the same they would be MD is MD or DO is DO
 
Perrotfish said:
Should be, but it's not, at least not in all states. Some states have given NDs limited perscriptive powers. It's terrifying
Click to expand...

calimed214 said:
Not wrong. It just depends on the state. In CA, NDs are able to prescribe a limited number of medications (ie: thyroid supplements).
Click to expand...

My mistake then. I should really know better. Wow, that is absurd and terrible. How are we allowing quacks to infiltrate the practice of legitimate medicine? And nobody seems to care. . . .
 
bannie22 said:
MD is not DO if they were the same they would be MD is MD or DO is DO
Click to expand...

So if I got my doctorate at Oxford and was awarded a D.Phil. that would somehow be different from an PhD? I worked with many a DO and they are every bit is competent as their MD counterparts.
 
^ they are still different on paper.
i never said anything about what they do and what they dont do.

but u get an MD for doing MD work, u get a DO for doing DO work, u get a MBA for doing MBA work...

you get a MBBS for an MBBS work...
 
and please. can we stop this competency debate... why is everybody on sdn so sensitive in general, especially this debate. i never ever said a DO is crap. just because something is different doesnt mean something has to be better, it might be, but i didnt even come close to comparing the both of them on a comptency level. for all you know i might be a big fan of DOs.
 
Chiropractry and Naturopathy should not be considered in the same league as MD and DO. Not even close.
 
bannie22 said:
and please. can we stop this competency debate... why is everybody on sdn so sensitive in general, especially this debate. i never ever said a DO is crap. just because something is different doesnt mean something has to be better, it might be, but i didnt even come close to comparing the both of them on a comptency level. for all you know i might be a big fan of DOs.
Click to expand...


Sorry I thought you were arguing competency and not semantics. Are you a big DO fan?

OP if practicing medicine is what you want then MD/DO is for you. If you believe in some of the alternative medicine treatments that NDs use as an MD/DO you could take courses on implimenting it. Not fully what NDs believe but an example from the University of Maryland.

http://www.compmed.umm.edu/
 
Don't do the latter two unless you like swindling people.
 
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