Research opportunities for DO, not DO/PhD. Is it possible?

[Futureofyourtv]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi guys!
Ok so I am having a bit of an issue here. I have been involved in a research lab for about two years and really enjoy it. I recently got the opportunity to present my research at my undergrad's Pharmacy School. It was awesome😀 Now I have done the usual shadowing as well. You know what? I don't think I would be satisfied clinicially practicing. I like answering questions and feel as if clinicians don't answer question, they apply information. I get so excited when there are new findings....new questions to uncover!😀 Researcher=engineer Clinician=mechanic (I hope no one is offended by this analogy btw)
I have a particular interest in psychiatric drugs that are used to treat attention deficit disorders. There has to be a better alternative than Adderall. I would LOVE to be involved in that😛
Is it possible for me to conduct research as a DO? Should I consider an DO/PhD? I really don't want to find myself in the "publish or perish" trap. Any thoughts guys🙁
This has been really bothering me for some time now.....

 

[cliquesh]

Most (all?) DO schools have some form of research being conducted at their institution. At my school the research opportunities are mostly basic science, but there are a few clinical research opportunities. The number of topics being researched at DO schools are often limited, so if you're simply interested in getting some research experience in any field then it should be fine, but if your looking to do something very specific, like ADD pharm, you might be out of luck.

However, during the summer between m1 and m2, you can do a research project at any place that will take you, and you can do research electives during your 3rd and 4th year.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Yes, you definitely can do research. The issue is that many DO schools don't have that focus, but if you go to MSUCOM, OSUCOM, OUCOM, WVSOM, UMDNJ, Nova, and a few others, you can definitely find yourself in research. In addition, you can always do a DO/MS, which is somewhat of a compromise that will help your clinical research skills.

 

[Goro]

Yes, you can do research, both as a student, and as a graduate. Just consider doing a fellowship at NIH, or in your case, NIMH.

Hi guys!
Ok so I am having a bit of an issue here. I have been involved in a research lab for about two years and really enjoy it. I recently got the opportunity to present my research at my undergrad's Pharmacy School. It was awesome😀 Now I have done the usual shadowing as well. You know what? I don't think I would be satisfied clinicially practicing. I like answering questions and feel as if clinicians don't answer question, they apply information. I get so excited when there are new findings....new questions to uncover!😀 Researcher=engineer Clinician=mechanic (I hope no one is offended by this analogy btw)
I have a particular interest in psychiatric drugs that are used to treat attention deficit disorders. There has to be a better alternative than Adderall. I would LOVE to be involved in that😛
Is it possible for me to conduct research as a DO? Should I consider an DO/PhD? I really don't want to find myself in the "publish or perish" trap. Any thoughts guys🙁
This has been really bothering me for some time now.....

 

[DrMaximus]

Yes, you can do research, both as a student, and as a graduate. Just consider doing a fellowship at NIH, or in your case, NIMH.

I've heard of NIH fellowships before, but I'm not completely clear on what this means. Is this during your normal residency and fellowship period or something extra?

 

[Poisson]

Hi guys!
Ok so I am having a bit of an issue here. I have been involved in a research lab for about two years and really enjoy it. I recently got the opportunity to present my research at my undergrad's Pharmacy School. It was awesome😀 Now I have done the usual shadowing as well. You know what? I don't think I would be satisfied clinicially practicing. I like answering questions and feel as if clinicians don't answer question, they apply information. I get so excited when there are new findings....new questions to uncover!😀 Researcher=engineer Clinician=mechanic (I hope no one is offended by this analogy btw)
I have a particular interest in psychiatric drugs that are used to treat attention deficit disorders. There has to be a better alternative than Adderall. I would LOVE to be involved in that😛
Is it possible for me to conduct research as a DO? Should I consider an DO/PhD? I really don't want to find myself in the "publish or perish" trap. Any thoughts guys🙁
This has been really bothering me for some time now.....

Well I am going to tell you right off the bat I like your analogy about researcher = engineer and clinician = mechanic, yes in many cases that is entirely true. On the flip side, each medical doctor is going to have his or her own plan of treatment, their own surgical approach, their own diagnosis plan, their own way they talk to patients, their own ideas for devices (yes many doctors get involved in research, whether they thought they would or not; especially surgeons), and their own course of drugs they give out. I will give the doctor a few points as an engineer, but I will give the researcher 8 or 9 points, so I would give 2 or 1 to the doc. Yeah, I see that you want to go the DO route. If you must do that go for it. I know a DO that is on all the manuscripts of other neurosurgeons around the area. Seeing the DO is like 1 in 100 that I see in the field. This doesn't mean it is harder or easier as a DO initially. You will be involved in research at some point in your life as a DO. If you want to be involved in research now, on your rise up, then sure, some schools do research. However, some DO schools you will notice a clear lack of research focus. Doing a DO degree is about the patient, it is about the clinical training. No matter what degree you will get, eventually the practicing doctor is going to be about the same. Do what you have to do, and do your research into assessing whether or not some DO schools have research you may want to get into, and also assess whether or not you think you will have the quote "high class problem," like when Meadow Soprano was choosing between going to law school and medical school. If you have the high class problem then go for whatever you want. If you are dead-set on research, the physician-scientist training program is for you, whether DO/PhD or MD/PhD the admissions standard will be based on your research ability, typically having a high MCAT, and an acceptable, although on average much higher GPA. Ranges exist in these fields on a case-by-case basis as with a person applying to regular DO and MD programs.

 

[Futureofyourtv]

ok guys so I looked up DO schools that offer DO/PhD dual degrees. I don't see too many. So far, I have found five.

 

[TriagePreMed]

ok guys so I looked up DO schools that offer DO/PhD dual degrees. I don't see too many. So far, I have found five.

8 offer it and a bunch offer DO/MS.

 

[poopyhead]

8 offer it and a bunch offer DO/MS.

Some of the DO/PhD programs are not in biomedical science (i.e. VCOM and PCOM..they're in "global health" or similar). Only the public DO schools, except WVSOM, offer DO/PhD in biomedical science.

OP, not sure about DO/MS programs, but you may wanna verify the funding situations with the DO/PhD programs; they may provide funding for your medical years, in addition to your graduate years. Some require you to submit GRE scores to apply though.

 

[smoodle]

You can always do research as a D.O., but an additional masters will help you significantly in getting grants and being involved in an institutions research as an alternative to a PhD. A lot of osteopathy schools have dual degree programs, but you can always get a masters later on in residency. Some residency programs will even pay for you to get your masters.

Good luck!