PS - should I discuss why I'm going for DO or just why I'm going for doc?

[squash_fan]

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Hi guys,

I'm brainstorming a few ideas for my personal statement. So far, I've heard contradicting advice from some people. Some are saying that you should state why you want to be a DO (maybe because you appreciate the focus on holistic approach, which is different from MD), while others are saying your PS should just focus on why you want to be a doctor.

I'm not sure which approach I should go for. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks! :3

 

[AlteredScale]

The primary statement should always answer "why medicine? Why a physician?". Most secondaries for DO schools will give you a prompt for "why DO?" Which is where you should answer those questions. Follow the directions of the prompt
Always!


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[samac]

What my bud here said. It's why Doctor not why DO. Every DO secondary I had asked me to expand on why DO.

 

[mathnerd88]

I went with specifically why DO? I did so because that was what the prompt asked. The prompt asked VERBATIM to "express your motivation or desire to become a DO."

http://help.unicas.com:8888/aacomas...ing-information/personal-statement/index.html

It worked out very well for me. It really depends on what the prompt asked for. As for secondaries you can definitely expand upon what you've written in your personal statement.

Some of the posters on here were from pervious cycles before AACOMAS was revamped into a new service, and the prompt may have changed since then.

Most schools I applied to didn't ask in their secondaries Why DO? Generally they asked Why this school? Or what can you contribute to this school? Etc. Only one asked "How did you learn about osteopathic medicine?" Come to think about it, I never got a prompt asking Why DO?

 

[TallPreMed]

Inb4 this becomes a DO vs MD thread based on the "holistic" comment.

 

[Goro]

It tends to annoy my DO colleagues when people merely cut and paste their MD "Why Medicine" PS into the AACOMAS box for the same thing.

So make an effort and try to say something about the profession other than "and that's why I want to an osteopathic doctor".

Hi guys,

I'm brainstorming a few ideas for my personal statement. So far, I've heard contradicting advice from some people. Some are saying that you should state why you want to be a DO (maybe because you appreciate the focus on holistic approach, which is different from MD), while others are saying your PS should just focus on why you want to be a doctor.

I'm not sure which approach I should go for. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks! :3

 

[DrMikeP]

Hi guys,

I'm brainstorming a few ideas for my personal statement. So far, I've heard contradicting advice from some people. Some are saying that you should state why you want to be a DO (maybe because you appreciate the focus on holistic approach, which is different from MD), while others are saying your PS should just focus on why you want to be a doctor.

I'm not sure which approach I should go for. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks! :3

I wanted a DO and not MD, so I discussed (among other things) why physician and then specifically why DO. It worked for me.

 

[deleted610572]

Why medicine so that you still have talking points in your secondary.

Also, when saying why DO please don't use buzzwords like holistic and whole person because MDs do that too. Don't say DOs are better than MDs either because it's likely you'll be interviewing with an MD

 

[gerges]

I wanted a DO and not MD, so I discussed (among other things) why physician and then specifically why DO. It worked for me.

I also did this and it worked out well.

 

[OverlyRomantic]

I added a small portion about being attracted to DO, but other than that my PS was all about why doc. I got good reviews about my PS, if that means anything.

 

[sharpstickie]

In my PS I was sure to include why DO. It was important to me, soI put it. I got interviews at 4 out of 6 places I applied to so it obviously doesn't hurt.

 

[lyana]

I never mentioned DO in my primary statement.
I saved it all for the secondaries, and it worked out great.

 

[squash_fan]

Why medicine so that you still have talking points in your secondary.

Also, when saying why DO please don't use buzzwords like holistic and whole person because MDs do that too. Don't say DOs are better than MDs either because it's likely you'll be interviewing with an MD

I thought it was the "holistic" aspect that made DO somewhat unique from MD. If not, then how do I go about explaining why I'm going for DO?

 

[squash_fan]

In my PS I was sure to include why DO. It was important to me, soI put it. I got interviews at 4 out of 6 places I applied to so it obviously doesn't hurt.

Do you mind sharing why DO was important to you?

 

[squash_fan]

I wanted a DO and not MD, so I discussed (among other things) why physician and then specifically why DO. It worked for me.

Can you share why you specifically chose DO over MD?

 

[lyana]

I thought it was the "holistic" aspect that made DO somewhat unique from MD. If not, then how do I go about explaining why I'm going for DO?

MD are as holistic as DO...
Why are you going for DO?

 

[squash_fan]

MD are as holistic as DO...
Why are you going for DO?

At first I thought it was only the DO's that take the holistic approach (I've read stories about MD's approach on pain and painkillers vs that of DO's). But now I guess MD's are holistic just as well. So what is the distinction between DO and MD?

 

[lyana]

The main distinction is OMM.

 

[sharpstickie]

Do you mind sharing why DO was important to you?

I've been helping my SO with an autoimmune disorder and we had mainly relied on drug methods to treat and it wasn't being so effective. When I decided to apply to Med school (last May), I read about DOs and read about A. T. Stills a bit and I read about his idea that the body is capable of curing itself. So, along with drugs, we started to exercise more and eat healthier and it has helped my SO a lot. I just mentioned it to show how that experience got me interested in being a DO.

 

[DrMikeP]

Can you share why you specifically chose DO over MD?

I've worked extensively with both DO and MD and have seen OMT work with patients. It's not a "cure all" and it is not going to magically cure cancer, HIV, etc but it can be effective for pain management and as an adjunctive for other conditions. I wanted to learn it and like the DO philosophy. Either way I could practice medicine, so basically I chose the DO path because it provided me what I wanted.

I was also originally an engineer and earning a C in many engineering and related math courses was actually considered a good grade, but a killer for science grades for med schools. DO schools also allow grade replacement and more friendly to an upward trend. Choose which one allows you to best achieve your goals.

 

[deleted610572]

Go shadow a few DOs they will tell you the real difference... OMM. If you tell an MD they aren't holistic they will slay you. What does "holistic" even mean anymore? Everyone treats the whole person. It hasn't been since the civil war and shortly after (AT Still's time) that holistic was the differing criteria

edit type sorry typing on my phone

 

[igor_raptor]

I wanted a DO and not MD, so I discussed (among other things) why physician and then specifically why DO. It worked for me.

Yeah, I did the same and it also worked for me. For the secondary essays I just elaborated on what my personal statement said.