So I just recently thought about DO school because all I ever wanted to be was a doctor, but my grades are not so good. My question is what is DO school like (for those who are in it right now), how is working once you got your DO degree, and what was the admissions process like (mainly what grades did they take?).
2nd year DO student at LECOM-Bradenton here.
DO school is, from what I hear, similar to MD school. The PBL curriculum at LECOM-B means we're a little different, but basically, you'll spend 99% of your time studying like crazy for Path, Pharm, Phys, Micro, etc...and the other 1% worrying about other stuff (Clinical Exam, OMM, meetings, seeing practice patients, etc.)
The only real difference is that DO students have OMM thrown into that 1% and MD students don't. My personal opinion, work load wise, is that you wouldn't notice the difference with or without it. That being said, I think we get a better foundation in musculoskeletal anatomy than my MD brethren (only because we review it EVERY WEEK). Also, a good chunk of OMM is knowing various effector levels of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems, so I think OMM helps us here too.
Obviously, MD students cover this material well too...I'm not saying they don't know. I'm just saying that we cover it weekly...for whatever that's worth. That being said, most of us don't spend too much time studying OMM, so it probably doesn't matter a whole lot. THAT being said, you are learning an extra treatment modality ("an extra tool in your toolbox" according to my teacher) and I think that's worth something, usually. My wife certainly likes me to practice on her...
Admissions is almost identical to MD school. Different application service. DO's will replace old grades with retakes, if that applies to you. This can help raise your GPA a bit, in some cases. My GPA was about 0.3 points higher on my DO application (non-trad, dropped some classes without withdrawing when I was 18, retook some of them when I returned to school 7 years later).
Work life is usually also identical. I've worked in hospitals, so I've worked alongside MD's and DO's. 99% of the time, you don't know which is which, unless you go look at the chart (or their nametag, if they have one). As long as you're board certified, you'll have no trouble finding a job. Most people don't care what your initials are. They care if you're a good doctor.
Of course, a small amount of "DO discrimination" does still exist, but it's mostly relegated to certain bigoted people who are usually old, bitter, and soon to retire. Usually you'll hear about these (few) places far enough in advance to avoid them. And, they're going away quickly. Old history, for the most part.
