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The 2026-2027 DO School Specific Threads are now available in the School Specific Discussions forum. The 2025-2026 discussions are now available in the prior year discussions forum.
Shirt off policy?
Started by YayPudding
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deleted610572
You'll be taking it off but it's not that big of a deal. There will be plenty of people in bad shape and only a handful of super models.
Fwiw I don't think I've taken off my shirt since first semester. As time went on they quit telling us to so we stopped doing it. It's not like you're going to make your patient take their shirt off in clinic anyways. Most people do rib raising and other thoracic techniques through the shirt.
I think they do it so you can develop the palpation skills with your hands
Fwiw I don't think I've taken off my shirt since first semester. As time went on they quit telling us to so we stopped doing it. It's not like you're going to make your patient take their shirt off in clinic anyways. Most people do rib raising and other thoracic techniques through the shirt.
I think they do it so you can develop the palpation skills with your hands
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I don't mean this to sound derogatory in any sense, but I wouldn't worry, as not every patient is going to be super fit, so you may actually be providing your peers with experience on how to palpate certain areas on an overweight ish individual. Like the above posters said, you're definitely not going to be the only one. I wouldn't worry.
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Thanks, all 🙂
Reading this and glancing at your avi had me bursting out laughing haha
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[emoji6]
KCU doens't have this policy its just shirts and/or scrubs for everyone. And thank God that's the case haha.
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779663
Mildly related, but one of the reasons I so badly want to be a doctor is so that people have the utmost faith and trust in me when I tell them to take their pants off. It's a real privilege
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deleted610572
You will never tell someone in opp to take their pants off
thank God for small miracles 🙄
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779663
What's Opp?
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779663
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deleted610572
Osteopathic principles and practice. It's your DO class. Dunno if every school calls their class that or just the few I interviewed at.
You go shirtless (sports bras for females) on occasion at my school. It may be awkward at first, but I promise that
A) it's not just you, your classmates are too busy being self conscious to stare at you
and
B) you will all get used to it and it will feel normal by month 2 at the latest.
A) it's not just you, your classmates are too busy being self conscious to stare at you
and
B) you will all get used to it and it will feel normal by month 2 at the latest.
Tangent but, this thread makes me wish there was a scrubs episode where The Todd finds out Elliot went to a DO school (he's never heard of OMM) and has a LOT of question, flashbacks, daydreams, etc.
This should literally be in the syllabus
It's all about the golden mean my friend. You won't be the best looking in the room (especially if you go to MSUCOM (LOL), but you most likely certainly won't be the worst.
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Gee, I don't know about that :-/
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779663
Use this as motivation to transform your body in the next six to eight months. That's what I'm doing. It's tough to get in great shape when you're drowning in work at medical school and who knows what your metabolism will be like when you get out of school, and even then it'll be tough to work out consistently once you're a resident.
No better time to get shredded than the present, my friend. You can make considerable progress if you commit now by the time you matriculate
Increased my workouts from 3-4 days a week to 6 since I got my acceptance.
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Same which is why after a semester of letting myself eat cinnamon rolls every other day I'm back on my cutting diet to counteract my indulgence [emoji28]
After 1.5 years of OMM lab, I can tell you this: no one really cares about how you look. We have people in our class who look like fitness models, and others who are far from it. But I can honestly tell you that when I'm in lab, or especially in a practical exam, I'm so focused that I don't even notice what the person across me looks like -- I only notice their somatic dysfunction 😛
Wait what? You have to take your shirt off? In front of everybody? Can someone please explain this and the context...
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AnatomyGrey12
At most schools yes, usually part of the OMM class. Some schools are just t-shirts and athletic shorts but a lot require tops off for males and sports bras for females.
I hate to be that person but are there accommodations for religious beliefs/modesty? Would they be okay to maybe having this done in private?
plenty off people are like that in omm don't worry
Certainly. We have a few people who do not participate in this "required" dress code due to reasons that you stated. They are always partnered up with women in the lab, and have people take their place (have people act a "surrogate") during practical exams (where your partner has to have their shirt off for proper evaluation).
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In addition to previous explanations, you're not typically going to be shirtless for great lengths of time. We are encouraged to put our shirts back on in between diagnosing/techniques lol, or when you switch (i.e. you diagnose your partner, then they put their top back on and you remove yours when they diagnose you). Also, most of the shirtless stuff happened quite early on... in workshop as an M2 hardly anyone takes their shirt off, ever. And yes, some people never remove their tops for religious regions etc.
I don't know man, but all the ortho surgeons I know have huge bellies...
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AnatomyGrey12
Yeah I think the stereotype that exists today is a fairly recent (last 10 years or so) development, all of the older ones I work with are either fat or super skinny and nerdy, the younger guys fit the stereotype to a T. The newest one is about 6'4 and jacked.
Except for Calliope Torres. She's my homegirl.
I also have a skin condition, so I feel your pain. Unfortunately I think this is non negotiable at some schools. I would check with where you will be matriculating to check there policy. PCOM (where I'll be going) even requires students to remove religious head dressings while doing OMM on the head and neck.
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AnatomyGrey12
At most schools I had to sign a contract stating that I understood what the OMM lab expectations were and that there wouldn't be exceptions.
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Taking off our shirts has not been mandatory in my OMM classes so far (I'm in the second semester of my first year). Some of the men and women choose to take of their shirts and some don't. Among those who do, only a handful have great bodies. So if I were you I wouldn't worry too much. There's bound to be someone in your class bigger than you. Personally speaking, I'm 111 lbs and I chose not to take of my shirt so...
Damn, that's kind of crazy.
Your level of empathy is astounding. Not to mention your respect for those that have donated their body to science. I can't even fathom how these invaluable skills will transfer over to patient interactions. Plz teach me.
You're probably one of those guys that gets super stoked to have a female partner on the day of innominate lab, too. Yikes.
Easy there Seabiscuit.
The gym is always abnormally crowded right after the New Year's and then the crowd slowly diminishes by the months...
months? lol the new years crowd usually disappears after the first week when they get sore. then it is back to peace and quiet and the occasional grunt from the hulk in the corner.
There are always exceptions. most people just don't try hard enough.
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deleted480308
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