Regrets about becoming an osteopathic physician

[s42brown]

stop this bull#$%@

I work in an ER as a tech and see D.O.'s and M.D's interact everyday. They are all good doc's, some better than others, which has nothing to do with the degree they hold.

"D.O.'s have to defend themselves", where the hell do you live? Perhaps a D.O. may have to explain what D.O. means, but unless your an idiot most people are very impressed to have a physician with the philosophy that is widely held by D.O.'s. I have many friends that are going to school to be chiropractors, trust me they have to defend themselves.

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[kristing]

Ok. I can't BELIEVE I am posting to one of these discussions, but here goes:

a little history: Applied to allopathic schools twice, rejected both rounds. Swore I would never ever put myself through such hell again. Got the bug again when I looked at Osteopathic medicine, and realized this was my calling. But , truth be told, although I only had applied DO the last time around (and was accepted) I still had a little inferiority complex because of the 2 previous rounds of rejection....

UNTIL...

about a month ago, my right arm started KILLING me. Seriously. It was totally out of whack. I have a history of Carpal tunnel, but it's been better since I've left my job at my poorly designed non-ergonomic work station.... In any case, I was in some severe pain. I could barely take a test. My arm was hot, it was swollen, the wrist kept clicking and grinding. Awful. I cried at night.

So I made an appointment at the Osteopathic Clinic here on campus and was seen by a 4th year fellow (a 4th year student who got the OMM fellowship at my school), and within one hour, I was back to functional. She manipulated it, gave me exercises, and advice, and now I am so much better.

This especially hits home with me because I used to work in an Occupational Health Clinic where we saw a boat load of Carpal tunnel and other injuries like mine. And we would give them exercises, and braces, and meds. BUT NO MANIPULATION because we were staffed with MDs. What a fantastic tool.

So now I no longer have an inferiority complex. Now I am a true believer.

AMEN.

 

[amphibian1]

As one can see from the quite forward and direct replies, this subject is still a tense one in the DO world. I looked into both professions quite a bit and found that I was molded to be a DO and not an MD.

Now that I am in my first year of school I have found that DO's have an upper hand in medicine, especially with the way that society is showing apprehension and lack of trust with traditional medicine practices. A DO incorporates what is going on with the whole body (particularly musculoskeletal) and treats it as a whole. Now that may sound kinda wishy-washy and "alternative", but much goes into that statement. It's not that a DO really treats a patient any different than an MD 95% of the time, but that a DO is always thinking in the back of their mind, "Is there really anything else going on here?"

As a certified athletic trainer-turned-DO student I think that it makes all the sense in the world to think this way. By the way, it is an athletic trainer that goes out onto the field during sports competition and not a PT. Anyway, getting to the point, just look within yourself, compare the two philosophies, and make a decision based on what is right for you. The two are essentially the same in today's world and you can have a great career in either discipline. GOOD LUCK!

 

[fab4fan]

The other night at work my neck was really bothering me; fortunately the DO med student that was there was able to improve it...no pills, no shots.

I work with DO's and MD's; there are good and bad doctors in each group. One thing I have noticed is that DO's tend to be a little more geared toward teaching other staff...maybe that's just unique to my area. I have appreciated their taking the time to share their expertise/knowledge.

Either way, when finish, your patients are still going to call you "Doctor."

 

[Dr JPH]

Originally posted by Resident Alien
needless MD bashing. If you;re happy to be DO just say that.

Well said.

I'm the biggest DO supporter out there.

I think this post should end with Resident Alien's comments.

Nothing being accoplished.