I think you're correct in stating that many MD schools have bountiful resources in terms of research. All ACGME (read: all residencies) are required to complete scholarly research, however. You can always conduct your own research as well. If you ever need a hand with how to initiate or design a research project, feel free to reach out to me. You may also want to look into MD/DO programs that are attached to a major research University; MSU, for example, has both an MD and DO school and more access to research than you'll ever need. Additionally, you're really only hamstrung competitively by certain stubborn fields such as neurosurgery and direct path interventional radiology, which are insanely difficult to obtain anyhow. Ortho, gen surg, radiology, OBGYN, EM, IM (and subsequent subspecialties), Psych, Rad/Onc, etc. are all very much so obtainable via the DO route. There are some programs, unfortunately, that adhere to the old stigma of MD>DO, but I'm sure you're already aware of that. You do not have a 60% chance of being "forced" into primary care as a DO; that is patently false. 60% of DOs going into family med does not = 60% going in with no other choice, this is an important distinction. Understand that many who applied to primary care chose to do so, and many others who matched into primary care may have had blemishes on their records or low board scores. If you don't plan on either of those circumstances than you do not have to worry about being "forced" into family med, because you won't be. There are many top-level med students who actually chose family med, so I'm not bashing them at all, but the reality is that it is easier to match than more competitive specialties and therefore is a fallback for many who did not achieve academic success in med school for whatever reason.
Additionally, I would not ever call any specialty "just a 'physician,'" as all physicians should be proud of the immense amount of hard work, perseverance, and luck/external support required to get through to the end. With mid-levels dangerously legislating to practice medicine without a medical license and commensurate educational background, physicians ought to be focusing on uplifting one another rather than boxing each other out for the particular path each other chose. MD, DO, or FMG, if you acquire a residency spot, complete it, and pass the boards, your head should be held high. That's not to say that humility is not our most trusted attribute--an overconfident intern is a dangerous intern--but just realize that this infighting has allowed the landscape of the medical world to change for the worse as we focused inward. When you're running your first code blue the patient and their family won't care what initials you have and the training you've undergone will be the only thing that matters. I'm sure you know this already, so please don't take this as a pointed attack at you, but more as a general statement. If you ask me to choose between any physician and an NP with as little as 500 hours of graduate clinical experience, I don't care what med school you attended. Applying to med school is applicant-centric, and to a great degree, so is medical school. Once you hit residency, however, you'll quickly realize that the only thing that matters is the patient, and no matter what route you choose, you're in control of how much you learn and how much of yourself you dedicate to your profession. Good luck, and understand that advice is just that, advice. Do what's best for you, and I wish you and your patients the best.
