Osteopathy Anyone

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YogiDO

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So..... This thread is primarily directed to those students that chose Osteopathic Medical school because they want to be Osteopaths, in the lineage, of Still, Sutherland, etc. Those who want to be able to feel and understand physiology and anatomy with their minds as well as their hands. Those that want to be able to treat with their hands, and not only with drugs. Those who believe in the bodies ability to heal itself and are eager to learn about this mechanism, and as Osteopaths help awaken this mechanism in others. Whatever reason anyone came to Osteopathic Medical school is very personal, I would like to start a dialogue with the ones interested in Osteopathy.

I am an OMSI, and so far Osteopathy is not really taught at my school. We do have OMM, and it is still early on. But even our OMM class, information is just thrown at us. Osteopathy and OMM is a stepwise learning process, and the basics of palpation must be understood well to move on.

I've joined the UAAO, hang out in the OMM lab, but I want more! The feedback I get from professors and fellows is to practice on my classmates. But I can practice my palpation skills without paying $ 35000 a year. So, what do you think? How should we get the most out of our education.

It's all so silly, basically spending 2 years so that we can pass the boards. No justice given the Osteopathic tenets except in one lecture. OK, so, let me know what you think. JP? Chime in....

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So..... This thread is primarily directed to those students that chose Osteopathic Medical school because they want to be Osteopaths, in the lineage, of Still, Sutherland, etc. Those who want to be able to feel and understand physiology and anatomy with their minds as well as their hands. Those that want to be able to treat with their hands, and not only with drugs. Those who believe in the bodies ability to heal itself and are eager to learn about this mechanism, and as Osteopaths help awaken this mechanism in others. Whatever reason anyone came to Osteopathic Medical school is very personal, I would like to start a dialogue with the ones interested in Osteopathy.

I am an OMSI, and so far Osteopathy is not really taught at my school. We do have OMM, and it is still early on. But even our OMM class, information is just thrown at us. Osteopathy and OMM is a stepwise learning process, and the basics of palpation must be understood well to move on.

I've joined the UAAO, hang out in the OMM lab, but I want more! The feedback I get from professors and fellows is to practice on my classmates. But I can practice my palpation skills without paying $ 35000 a year. So, what do you think? How should we get the most out of our education.

It's all so silly, basically spending 2 years so that we can pass the boards. No justice given the Osteopathic tenets except in one lecture. OK, so, let me know what you think. JP? Chime in....

If you want to be an Osteopath there are numerous schools overseas, and probably some in this continent that will train you for 10 times the less price and give you straight uninterrupted OMM/Osteopathy training...There is too much information to be learned to not have information be "thrown" at you...you cant expect the OMM labs to go on for 3 or 4 hours so you can improve your skills..you have to do it on your own. You can't expect the schools to spend two weeks on the "osteopathic tenets"...most of which is also a tenet of Allopathic medicine...especially since only 5% of DO's even use OMT, why would most schools put more resources into teaching it, than they already do...
 
As I asked for in the post, can this be a dialogue for people who want to practice osteopathy in this country. I know the opinions of most of you out there and I prefer not hear that I should have gone to Europe for my training. I decided to become a DO here, and I want to make the best of it. There are still a few DOs practicing Osteopathy, more than a few, but obviously the minority.
 
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Osteopathic medical schools in the US are medical schools first and foremost. You are training to become a physician in the current western model, of evidenced-based medicine. OMM is going to be treated the same way as the rest of the basic sciences; as you say, it'll be thrown at you at hyper-speed, with more info than you can possibly absorb. I don't feel like I'm learning anything, but then again, I feel that way about all of my classes. There just isn't enough time.

If you want, you can become an undergraduate OMM fellow and focus a bit more on OMM stuff. You can do a residency in NMM, as well. However, right now, realize that medical school is medical school.

If you wanted only OMM, maybe you should have chosen another path. This isn't meant as an attack, it's just that I don't think OMS is going to teach you to be in the tradition of Still, et al, they are trying to teach you to become western physicians with additional knowledge in OMM. At least, this has been my experience thus far.
 
Osteopathic medical schools in the US are medical schools first and foremost. You are training to become a physician in the current western model, of evidenced-based medicine. OMM is going to be treated the same way as the rest of the basic sciences; as you say, it'll be thrown at you at hyper-speed, with more info than you can possibly absorb. I don't feel like I'm learning anything, but then again, I feel that way about all of my classes. There just isn't enough time.

If you want, you can become an undergraduate OMM fellow and focus a bit more on OMM stuff. You can do a residency in NMM, as well. However, right now, realize that medical school is medical school.

If you wanted only OMM, maybe you should have chosen another path. This isn't meant as an attack, it's just that I don't think OMS is going to teach you to be in the tradition of Still, et al, they are trying to teach you to become western physicians with additional knowledge in OMM. At least, this has been my experience thus far.

I concur.
 
The OMT I learned in my first two years of medical school is not what I observed being practiced in the clinics. It is as effective but with fewer techniques. The patients that want OMT seek out the physician - I saw around 3-5 patient per day.

The patients were OK with several visits and seemed to respond well to the treatments. I don't know if that means they [treatments] were effective - it does mean that people were seeking out such a service.

I was a marginal OMM practitioner and many in my class were much better at and invested in OMT. Many specialties preclude the use of OMM such as surgery, derm, EM, radiology but FP seems to be a stronghold.

Soooooo, if you are interested in OMM then maybe you should talk to some docs that incorporate it in their practice.

above just represents my opinion....


oldman
 
I can relate to your frustration with how OMM is taught in the first two years of Osteopathic medical school. It is made difficult because you need to learn all your basic medical stuff and due to the fact that OMT is a learned skill not a memorized set of facts. Your best bet at this point is to join the UAAO which you have done, and practice as much as you can while still passing your other classes. Attending UAAO Convocation in March is also a great place to learn more OMT. If there are OMM practitioners around your school you may want to try volunteering with them when you have down time at school.
 
The OMT I learned in my first two years of medical school is not what I observed being practiced in the clinics. It is as effective but with fewer techniques. The patients that want OMT seek out the physician - I saw around 3-5 patient per day.

The patients were OK with several visits and seemed to respond well to the treatments. I don't know if that means they [treatments] were effective - it does mean that people were seeking out such a service.

I was a marginal OMM practitioner and many in my class were much better at and invested in OMT. Many specialties preclude the use of OMM such as surgery, derm, EM, radiology but FP seems to be a stronghold.

Soooooo, if you are interested in OMM then maybe you should talk to some docs that incorporate it in their practice.

above just represents my opinion....


oldman

Stop right there... there may be a place for OMM in surgery, post-operatively.
 
First off, the basics of OMT, Inspection, Observation, and Palpation are all key components to any medical practice, from what I have observed thus far. And while all the facets of OMT cannot be used for all types of medicine the ability to use your hands to diagnose is a HUGE advantage, especially as a young physician. Again just my opinion.

Second, to the OP, I know at NSU we have OPP fellowships which can be done your third year, delaying your Clinical Rotations a year, but all you do for a full year is work shoulder to shoulder with the professors and practioners. See if you school offers something similar or try to start one.

Otherwise wait until you graduate and find an OMM residency, just as when you graduate, you can't do surgery, you have to go out and learn it, that maybe the best way to get to be the best at OMT as well.

Thats just my thoughts.
 
Stop right there... there may be a place for OMM in surgery, post-operatively.

Yep, Surgery is the one rotation that I did use OMM. I am not good at OMM at all. It just hasnt been my cup of tea, however for surgical patients to get their bowels moving, OMM is a great tool.
 
First off, the basics of OMT, Inspection, Observation, and Palpation are all key components to any medical practice, from what I have observed thus far. And while all the facets of OMT cannot be used for all types of medicine the ability to use your hands to diagnose is a HUGE advantage, especially as a young physician. Again just my opinion.

Second, to the OP, I know at NSU we have OPP fellowships which can be done your third year, delaying your Clinical Rotations a year, but all you do for a full year is work shoulder to shoulder with the professors and practioners. See if you school offers something similar or try to start one.

Otherwise wait until you graduate and find an OMM residency, just as when you graduate, you can't do surgery, you have to go out and learn it, that maybe the best way to get to be the best at OMT as well.

Thats just my thoughts.


I have to agree that the OMT training did provide me with advanced skills in hands on diagnosis. I found the first two years of OMM training laborious but now I can palpate any part of the body and "feel" different tissues and incorporate what I find in to my differential.

I look back and am glad that I learned these skills even though I will probably not use them in my given field (EM).

I am sure some die hard OMTer will disagree with me and argue that OMT has a place in EM but in my opinion it is not feasible to provide a single treatment to a patient and not be able to follow up with the effectiveness of that treatment and the need for additional treatments.


just my 2 cents

oldman
 
u can also improve your OMT by joining a professor who does OMT research. I think one thing that OMM lacks is evidence based research for techniques that we learn. I think there is plenty of opportunity for anyone interested in research in areas of OMT, so i suggest you approach OMM professor about research?
 
I use OMM a lot as an attending.

What you need to understand is Osteopathy is a skill that evolves from your CLINICAL training as a physician, which you will not really see until internship. My OMM got better as my training progressed from internship, residency, and fellowship. Why? It was not because I was doing OMM more often (did not have time). It was because I understood the anatomy and pathology better. It was because I saw how a COPD patient's ribcage did not work or a lumbar fusion patient's spine was hypermobile above and below the fused segments. I think Still's VERY deliberate avoidance of setting any single technique in stone was purposeful. What he did emphasize was the importance of understanding anatomy, pathology, and biomechanics. You don't REALLY learn this stuff until you are in the clinics as a physician. I think that is the time that your OMM skills will become strong if you choose to employ them. Right now just focus on the simple basics.
 
Consider doing a pre-doc fellowship at your school if it offers one. This is the best way to really "dig" into osteopathy. You'll have plenty of opportunities to use OMM in your clinical rotations provided that you find the right mentors. Remember, what separates DO's from other practitioners of manual medicine is our MEDICAL training. Focus on becoming the best SCIENTIFIC physician you can and then develop your ART of manual medicine practice.

I don't know where you are geographically, but try to make some time in your training to spend time in an osteopathic hospital that has an inpatient OMM service in addition to traditional outpatient/MSK-based OMM practices. Keep active in your UAAO chapter and try to go to the annual AAO convocation.
 
As a massage therapist, I too got into osteopathic medicine due to my exclusive interest in manual medicine. I too considered moving to Europe to become an osteopath. I decided to take the long road via osteopathic medical school. Obviously, I'm not learning half of the techniques as purely osteopathic students do, but I'm developing a comprehension of the enormous context of the human body. Only with such a context established can I feel justified in performing, say, vertebral adjustments--otherwise, I'd just be a chiropractor, "fixing" without understanding.

My plan is to pursue an OMM/NMM residency, maybe a fellowship. I can always learn osteopathic techniques at continuing-ed seminars (ideally in Europe!), but at least I'll have a solid foundation on which to build.
 
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