Shadowing DO's necessary?

[DoctorSaab]

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In order to get into DO schools, do majority of them require you to have LOR from DO's and also have shadowed DOs?

I was talking to one of the people on the admin. board from CCOM, and he said you should just have a general idea of what OMM is.

Some people on this board have been stressing DO schools requiring LOR's from DOs and also shadowing them... How important is all of that?

 

[susie09]

In order to get into DO schools, do majority of them require you to have LOR from DO's and also have shadowed DOs?

I was talking to one of the people on the admin. board from CCOM, and he said you should just have a general idea of what OMM is.

Some people on this board have been stressing DO schools requiring LOR's from DOs and also shadowing them... How important is all of that?

The DO letter will depend on which schools you apply to. Some require the letter while others will allow you to have a letter from an MD. It is always a plus to have a letter from a DO though even if the school that you are interested in says that an MD letter is okay. All of the schools will definitely want you to have general knowledge about OMM though, so it is a very good idea to read about it. I ended up shadowing a DO that only did OMM in his practice, and it turned out to be very interesting and informative.

 

[DrMom]

OSU-COM requires a DO LOR & prefers some DO shadowing.

 

[FowlersGap]

In order to get into DO schools, do majority of them require you to have LOR from DO's and also have shadowed DOs?

I was talking to one of the people on the admin. board from CCOM, and he said you should just have a general idea of what OMM is.

Some people on this board have been stressing DO schools requiring LOR's from DOs and also shadowing them... How important is all of that?

it really helps to have a DO letter and shadowing experience; i think most (if not all) DO schools require a letter from a physician either way so you might as well do it

 

[UNE2009LMD]

In order to get into DO schools, do majority of them require you to have LOR from DO's and also have shadowed DOs?

I was talking to one of the people on the admin. board from CCOM, and he said you should just have a general idea of what OMM is.

Some people on this board have been stressing DO schools requiring LOR's from DOs and also shadowing them... How important is all of that?

Most osteopathic med schools require DO LORs; some don't. I shadowed a DO but did not submit a DO LoR for UNECOM and was accepted. Just as long as you can back up why the osteo vs. allo philosophy, you'll be fine.

 

[dr.z]

I applied to schools that didn't require letters from DO since I never shadowed one. I still got accepted to both places.

 

[JohnDO]

Sounds like you have plenty of time (undergrad c/o '06). Although some schools state that it's not required, you would have more doors opened if you did have one--at least more schools you could apply to.

You'll also want to know more about osteopathic medicine than a general idea of OMM. Many of the schools want you to demonstrate a sound understanding. Check out "The DOs" by Gevitz for a good foundation. I read that book the year before I applied, and then re-read in the weeks prior to my interviews.

Good luck!

 

[TheFish005]

The 'required' DO letter is very flexible in my experience. I got into 2 DO schools that both 'require' a DO letter without one. The thing is this: a letter from an MD who's known you for several years is far supperior to a letter from a DO whom you've only just met. If this is your situation, call the school and talk to them and usually they will make an exception. Without shadowing or meeting a DO personally, though, make sure you've read alot about OMT and the DO philosophy, because you WILL be asked this in an interview at a DO school.

edit: I suppose it may also have something to do with where you apply from. Some states are very DO poor. I came out of one of those states. Applicants from DO rich states may need to stick to the DO letter a bit stronger than I did. This, however, is merely speculation.

happy new year!

 

[acl3623]

i think its fairly important to shadow a DO...not only will you be able to practice your interviewing skills (whoever you shadow will most likely want to know what interests you about the profession) but you will also gain experiences that will hopefully strengthen your desire to become a DO. i think it should be required of all schools, (unless youre in a DO poor state) you need to know what youre getting yourself into.

 

[HeySha]

i think its fairly important to shadow a DO...not only will you be able to practice your interviewing skills (whoever you shadow will most likely want to know what interests you about the profession) but you will also gain experiences that will hopefully strengthen your desire to become a DO. i think it should be required of all schools, (unless youre in a DO poor state) you need to know what youre getting yourself into.

I'm applying to DO schools for next year's application cycle and I just got done shadowing a DO for a bit (Who happens to be an orthopod), and though he was very nice and I had a good time, he definitely didn't try to "strengthen my desire to become a DO." Luckily, I plan on still applying because I like the philosophy and it goes along with my personal beliefs as far as medicine are concerned. But, the DO I shadowed told me that if he had to do it again he'd definitely go allopathic, that DO school will close doors for me in the long run, and he only did it because at the time he was a "hippie." Yeah I was a little shocked too but we're all entitled to our own opinions. I still recommend that all pre-DO students shadow a DO, but maybe look into whomever you're shadowing to see if they'll actually expose you to some OMM, etc.

 

[KHep]

of the 10 schools that I applied to, only 3 had a DO letter as a strict requirement. VCOM, WVCOM, and LECOM.

I still have yet to find one to shadow. A little late, but that is life.

 

[DoctorSaab]

Hey,

Thanks for the responses 🙂

All of you that mentioned you applied to DO schools and got in without a letter from a DO, which schools were they?

And what are examples of a DO poor state?

 

[jUxTaPoSiTiOn]

Hey,

Thanks for the responses 🙂

All of you that mentioned you applied to DO schools and got in without a letter from a DO, which schools were they?

And what are examples of a DO poor state?

I know its prolly been all said already but if you are considering DO school you have to put the effort into shadowing one (it would be nice if they used OMM too) so you know what you're getting yourself into. Obviously not all schools require you do or have a LOR but you should do it for you. I mean, why advocate for something that you never experienced? I had a couple of interviews lined up with no shadowing. I had a month to find someone. Fortunately, I found a really great DO who performed OMM daily. He helped to strengthen my interest in osteopathy. So its to your benefit to shadow. You gotta make the time somehow.

 

[TheFish005]

DO poor states would include most anywhere in the South: esp. Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisianna, Tennessee. I'm not sure about Florida or Texas (since they aren't really 'the South' but they're own entities).
COMP and TUCOM-MI accepted me without a DO letter. But again, I had worked closely with 7 MDs for 3 years prior to application AND came out of a southern state, so my situation may have been a little different.

 

[UNE2009LMD]

Hey,

Thanks for the responses 🙂

All of you that mentioned you applied to DO schools and got in without a letter from a DO, which schools were they?

And what are examples of a DO poor state?

FL is definitely a DO poor state. I had a difficult time finding a DO to shadow and shadowed a couple MDs instead...they were all into the osteopathic philosoph. The cardiac thoracic MD surgeon I shadowed worked closely with a resident DO. I hear Philadelphia, PA is a DO rich area. I hope to land there or MA...New England Area..anywhere there is where I know I'll be. South-not so much.

 

[captainbackfire]

Just some quick questions about shadowing.

How many days/hours per week did you spend following your doctor around?
What is the best method to set up a shadowing relationship?

If this has been answered previously, I apologize... this is my first post.

 

[KHep]

I am currently shadowing an MD; she is one of my kids numerous docors, since I was familiar with her, it was much easier to approach her. I spend approximately 4 hrs with her every other week or so. She lets me come in when it is convenient for me...she is extremely accomodating. Also, she is the youngest one in her practice, so med school is still pretty fresh in her mind.

One of the reasons that I have yet to find a DO to shadow is because I find it difficult to cold call someone. This is a hang up that I need to get over. I am guessing that most docs are pretty open to the idea...after all, they had to go through it too, right?

 

[MsEvolution]

I've been accepted to two osteopathic schools so far... and declined an interview at a third one... and I'm on a waitlist for a fourth one... of the six I applied to.

The first time I met a DO was at my first osteo school interview. I was always very frank with them about this. My Dr. letter was from an MD whose known me for 11 years. He was a resident when I first met him as his patient. I've shadowed him and now he heads a family practice residency program. He wrote about my character, my commitment to serving low income populations, and about my grasp on several cultures and it's relevance to practicing medicine. Two of the three osteo schools where I interviewed told me they were impressed with that letter (from an MD).

I don't think it's a problem if the letter is a good one, and especially if you live in a state where DO's are scarce.

The two schools that mentioned the letter during interviews were DMU and KCOM. I've been accepted to both, so again, I don't think it's a huge issue as long as you're honest and genuine when explaining your reason for applying to osteo schools.

 

[snuffles04]

I was accepted at COMP with no shadowing experience and only a letter from an MD (it was a great letter though!) The main reason I never got around to shadowing a doctor was because every time I called DOs in my area I'd always get something like "we don't take students for shadowing bla bla..." But during my interview I was (predictably) asked why I wanted to go into osteopathic med and I was ready with all the stuff I knew about DO schools (from reading online and AACOM's website and talking to other people and, of course, SDN ).

 

[Doc2B-Finally]

I didn't shadow a DO. But I had volunteered for a long time at ER and in Radiology to know how things are done.
In short, DO Shadowing not necessary, but some form of physician shadowing, a must (not for medical school adcoms, but for yourself to make sure that healthcare profession is right for you).