Recommendation from a DO

[Sparhawk]

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Help, I just applied to Osteopathic Medical School and as most of you know they require a letter of recommendation from an DO. I have never been to a DO, so I find it hard to find a DO that is willing to meet with me to discuss my qualifications.

Any Ideas?

Thanks.......

 

[SD]

That question has recently livened up my application process. (I'll be applying this summer for osteo. schools). I live in a small town and also do know know any DO's. I opened up our phone book and found that we do have a single DO in my town. Thus, I am just going to call him up and see if I can shadow him some and also talk about osteopathic medicine. And he better not say no... or else... Good luck!

 

[Gregory Gulick]

That is a tough situation. I'd recommend that you not only check the city where you live, but the surrounding cities as well. You may have to drive a bit, but how badly do you want to become a doctor? I used to drive 45 minutes three times per week to hang out at an osteopathic hospital. I felt it was worth it.

Also, there is another possibility. Neither one of you stated where you lived, so I don't know how realistic this option is for you. However, if you live in a state where there is an osteopathic medical school, try and save enough cash to spend at least four straight days at the school shadowing some of the OMM doctors. I did this each summer for two years (I lived four hours from NSUCOM) with the same physician. Besides being educational, I think these two trips really opened the doors at NSU for me.

The moral of the story? Don't settle for the D.O. down the street if you don't have to. If you can find a way to get an influential D.O. affiliated with an osteopathic medical school, DO IT!

 

[ReneeWB]

I also was in the same situation. There weren't many DO's in the town I lived in. The nearest school was 12 hours away. I addressed this in my application, and mentioned the fact that I had researched the DO philosophy in detail -- why I was interested in DO, etc. All DO schools do not require a letter. I did not have one, and I got in. If you can get one great; if you have the resources to do what Gregory did, great also. However, I think being honest about your inability to work with a DO rather than tracking some guy down from the phone book just to get a letter looks better in the long run.

 

[SD]

I live in Georgia... not a DO school within sight. The one school that is my #1 choice by far is NOVA. (BTW, congrats Greg!) I love Florida so much and being able to go to school there would just be awesome. (I was born, raised, went to college, etc. in Florida) The unfortunate fact is that I am a Georgia resident..(my folks happen to claim me still these days...) Greg- are you a FL resident? and if not, do they give high preference to FL residents? Sorry about getting off topic... Thanks!

 

[Sparhawk]

IT is me again, I just wanted to thank you all for your replies. I live around Chicago and there are about a 100 or so DOs in the area. I have talked to a few and they say they are busy, that is fine with me. I do hae an meeting set-up with one and I am hoping she can supply me with what I need. MY main concern is that it is late in the aplication cycle, so I do not have the time to shadow a physician. Again, thank you...

 

[Duke]

Dear Sparhawk,
It is pretty late in the application cycle for you to talk to a DO physican. I said late but that doesn't mean I'm trying to discourage you at all.Of course if you're applying next year, you're in pretty good shape. You should find a reasonably personable DO physician ASAP! The reason is that since they are so busy most of the time it takes them forever to write a letter of recommendation. Also the possibility for them to write a good letter is affected when the timeline is short. Your best bet is to find a DO that will actually sit and get to know you and your motivations on becoming a DO physician. Something that may help is an autobiography (use your personal statement as a guide) describing your hopes, aspirations, motivations and of course your reasons why you want to be a DO. Make connections with an alumni of the school you're applying to. It's not guaranteed that you get accepted but trying never hurts.
Oh by the way, I worked full time so I didn't have the time to shadow a physician either, but I met with a DO physician every week for aboout an hour to talk about osteopathy after work.Try (if it's possible) to go to a osteopathic awareness conference or visit the nearest DO school to check it out. Read up on anything you can about DO philosophy, ethical issues, history, etc I suggest The DO's Osteopathic Medicine in America by Norman Gevitz . Of course it would be nice to see an ostopathic physician work first hand, some of us just don't have the time to do it.
Good luck, and keep us posted..
Duke