Question for OM-3's and OM-4's

[sharpieLIFE]

Hey Everyone,
This question is directed towards osteopathic medical students in their clinical years. Have patients every asked you what a DO is? Or does introducing yourself as Dr. (insert last name), typically prevent that?
Thank you

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[DopaDO]

Hey Everyone,
This question is directed towards osteopathic medical students in their clinical years. Have patients every asked you what a DO is? Or does introducing yourself as Dr. (insert last name), typically prevent that?
Thank you

MS-4 here. Never been asked. I do get asked where I go to school. I tell them the name and where it is. That's basically the end of the conversation

 

[costales]

Eh, med students are not doctors and don't call themselves doctors.

 

[koan]

MS-4 here.

Same. It's almost never part of the conversation, unless the patient is familiar with OMM.

Anybody else annoyed with the OMS-# title? I just write "MS-4" on the surgery board / SOAP note / whatever. Not trying to misrepresent myself, I just feel like I'm just another medical student and "oms" is trying too hard to say I'm osteopathic.

 

[DrEnderW]

Same. It's almost never part of the conversation, unless the patient is familiar with OMM.

Anybody else annoyed with the OMS-# title? I just write "MS-4" on the surgery board / SOAP note / whatever. Not trying to misrepresent myself, I just feel like I'm just another medical student and "oms" is trying too hard to say I'm osteopathic.

Yes. I Would never consider writing anything other than MS-#.

 

[DopaDO]

Same. It's almost never part of the conversation, unless the patient is familiar with OMM.

Anybody else annoyed with the OMS-# title? I just write "MS-4" on the surgery board / SOAP note / whatever. Not trying to misrepresent myself, I just feel like I'm just another medical student and "oms" is trying too hard to say I'm osteopathic.

I always write MS# but an attending actually gave me a stern talking to once about it when I put it under my name in a ppt presentation. Needless to say, I still write MS#

 

[do15OBlove]

Hello sharpieLIFE,
MS4 here also. First of all, please do not introduce yourself as Dr. (insert name) until you have graduated. We are not doctors yet. Other than that, I have had a slightly different experience than the above post. Some patients do ask. I typically just tell a 15 second intro to the difference in our education- we get the additional manipulative training, but are just as qualified at the end of the day to write prescriptions and perform surgery. That generally answers the question sufficiently, in my experience.

 

[NeuroLAX]

I always write MS# but an attending actually gave me a stern talking to once about it when I put it under my name in a ppt presentation. Needless to say, I still write MS#

What problem did they have with that? I've seen quite a few people in my class put it directly after their name as if it is some sort of degree, certification, etc. That's a little odd to me, but to each their own.

 

[DopaDO]

What problem did they have with that? I've seen quite a few people in my class put it directly after their name as if it is some sort of degree, certification, etc. That's a little odd to me, but to each their own.

It wasn't that I had it after my name that upset him. He was upset bc I wrote MS-4 instead of OMS-4.

 

[AMEHigh]

No.

I never introduce myself as Doctor X, but some attendings have.

People are familiar with my school in my city, so I'm not really sure if they always know the difference between me and a MD student, but patients always know the school if it's brought up for whatever reason.

 

[NurWollen]

I always write MS# but an attending actually gave me a stern talking to once about it when I put it under my name in a ppt presentation. Needless to say, I still write MS#

Was this attending an MD or a DO? In other words, which fallacy was it? DO students are sub-med students? Or DO students are über-med students?

 

[hallowmann]

Sometimes people say "student doctor". Don't introduce yourself like that, its just confusing and they miss the "student" part. "Hi, I'm Hallowmann, a X-year medical student at X (school)." People in my area know my school. Usually not an issue.

As far as the OMS vs. MS thing, some people at my school make a big deal about using OMS, "afterall you are Osteopathic medical students" as we get told repeatedly. We write OMS for those few people and MS for anyone else.

 

[NeuroLAX]

It wasn't that I had it after my name that upset him. He was upset bc I wrote MS-4 instead of OMS-4.

Damn, I wonder who crapped in his Stillflakes that morning. I hope he didn't give you ten vault holds for that transgression.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Was this attending an MD or a DO? In other words, which fallacy was it? DO students are sub-med students? Or DO students are über-med students?

I'm all in for the latter.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Sometimes people say "student doctor". Don't introduce yourself like that, its just confusing and they miss the "student" part. "Hi, I'm Hallowmann, a X-year medical student at X (school)." People in my area know my school. Usually not an issue.

As far as the OMS vs. MS thing, some people at my school make a big deal about using OMS, "afterall you are Osteopathic medical students" as we get told repeatedly. We write OMS for those few people and MS for anyone else.

I wonder what your administration would say if they saw our "Medicine" coffee mugs at the bookstore.

 

[Apoplexy__]

I always write MS# but an attending actually gave me a stern talking to once about it when I put it under my name in a ppt presentation. Needless to say, I still write MS#

Damn, I wonder who crapped in his Stillflakes that morning. I hope he didn't give you ten vault holds for that transgression.

I put my name, with MS-X after my name, as my signature for intra-school e-mails. I wonder how many people get sub-clinically bothered by that.

OP, I've gotten a couple questions on what a DO is. I say "we're students getting a version of the MD degree that originated in America in the late 1800s, where you get some extra training in the musculoskeletal system." I don't mention anything about holisticness or anything, and if they mention it, I say something about us being holistic in theory but often not in reality, as MDs are legally required to be holistic.

 

[hallowmann]

I wonder what your administration would say if they saw our "Medicine" coffee mugs at the bookstore.

My school has Osteopathic in its name (I guess like any COM), but they refer to our individual college as either "College of Medicine" or "DO program". It's all nice and confusing.

 

[sharpieLIFE]

Sorry for including the bit about introducing yourself as Dr. X... I was getting a little ahead of myself.
Thank you all though for your replies. Anyone else care to share their experience?
Have patients typically been okay with you treating them or has anyone been faced with a patient who demanded an "MD" physician?

 

[MedicineMike]

MS4 here. I've been asked a total of zero times

 

[Petypet]

Hello sharpieLIFE,
MS4 here also. First of all, please do not introduce yourself as Dr. (insert name) until you have graduated. We are not doctors yet. Other than that, I have had a slightly different experience than the above post. Some patients do ask. I typically just tell a 15 second intro to the difference in our education- we get the additional manipulative training, but are just as qualified at the end of the day to write prescriptions and perform surgery. That generally answers the question sufficiently, in my experience.

Quality first post.

Sorry for including the bit about introducing yourself as Dr. X... I was getting a little ahead of myself.
Thank you all though for your replies. Anyone else care to share their experience?
Have patients typically been okay with you treating them or has anyone been faced with a patient who demanded an "MD" physician?

Most times, I just knock on the door, say I'm working w/ Dr XYZ, and start my h&p. I try not to give them time to ask questions about who I am or what my degree means. I am not here to chitchat, I am here to do an h&p, get an assessment, and make a plan (as you can tell I am not going into family med ). In preclinicals we had to invent an elevator speech about "what a do is" and how to explain "why we are better than an MD" but that rubbish goes out the door once you actually interview patients. Outside of the ivory towers, DO = MD and 95% of patients don't know enough to even ask or care. They just want help.

 

[NurWollen]

Quality first post.


Most times, I just knock on the door, say I'm working w/ Dr XYZ, and start my h&p. I try not to give them time to ask questions about who I am or what my degree means. I am not here to chitchat, I am here to do an h&p, get an assessment, and make a plan (as you can tell I am not going into family med ). In preclinicals we had to invent an elevator speech about "what a do is" and how to explain "why we are better than an MD" but that rubbish goes out the door once you actually interview patients. Outside of the ivory towers, DO = MD and 95% of patients don't know enough to even ask or care. They just want help.

Your school actually made you do this? Haha. Wow.

 

[AMEHigh]

Sorry for including the bit about introducing yourself as Dr. X... I was getting a little ahead of myself.
Thank you all though for your replies. Anyone else care to share their experience?
Have patients typically been okay with you treating them or has anyone been faced with a patient who demanded an "MD" physician?

Every once in awhile a patient says they don't want to be seen by a med student, but that has nothing to do with being a DO. Most of the time patients understand and know that they're at a teaching hospital and will be seen by students, interns and residents and are ok with it. I'd say I've had maybe a total of 5 times that a patient says they don't want to be seen by a student. It's no big deal.

 

[Petypet]

Your school actually made you do this? Haha. Wow.

Part of our practical exam grade, 20% if I recall, was regarding our elevator speech. We had to recite a 30 sec to 1 minute speech about this crap, yes. The worst part was we were judged by our peers (3rd and 4th years) that knew this crap was rubbish.

Every once in awhile a patient says they don't want to be seen by a med student, but that has nothing to do with being a DO. Most of the time patients understand and know that they're at a teaching hospital and will be seen by students, interns and residents and are ok with it. I'd say I've had maybe a total of 5 times that a patient says they don't want to be seen by a student. It's no big deal.

I had this happen twice and it was regarding a sensitive area on a pt of the opposite sex. One time it was awkward because the dr was sticking up for me and saying that I would prefer my student do xyz procedure since its so routine.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Part of our practical exam grade, 20% if I recall, was regarding our elevator speech. We had to recite a 30 sec to 1 minute speech about this crap, yes. The worst part was we were judged by our peers (3rd and 4th years) that knew this crap was rubbish.

Hah! But if I remember correctly, you didn't get nap time... er, I mean cranial. Having M3 and M4s who know it's BS judge you seems like it could be the best part.

 

[Mass Effect]

PGY-1 here. I was never asked as a student, but I have been asked as an intern. I just give an explanation of what DO stands for and the training we have in the musculoskeletal system and most patients seem really interested. One even asked if I would work on the muscle spasm in her neck. My co-residents also ask me for OMT techniques after a long day on the wards. They love it.