<<Sigh>>

[clement]

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So I told my boss that I have an interview at an osteopathic medical school in Dec...

He asked me if it was a "four-year-program?"

I know, I know...I shouldn't be so sensitive.
What got me is, he's a super duper cultured, worldly person who seems to know something about everything...But then again, he is a businessman and not in the medical field.

The DO I shadowed (who happened to be a shrink), always said, "it's all about how comfortable YOU are with it."
I know a lot of people have written posts about "get prepared to defend your title" etc...It's not really even about that for me...

I know at one school one of the interview questions was, "What do you think are the shortcomings of the osteopathic medical field?" My answer and personal opinion had to do with the AOA needing to make greater strides in educating the American public on DOs and medical practice in the US...

Then again, there are those who say, well if you make that kind of effort people become skeptical, i.e. if you guys are docs why do you have to explain yourselves? In fact, I remember when I was looking at DO websites for a DO to shadow, several of them had a section in their website explaining what it means to be a DO and what their practice rights are...I guess that's OK...And there is that old school "european/rest-of-the world" osteopath definition that the AOA must contend with in terms of its international educational efforts, so I see how it can be a challenge for them...Anyway, I just needed to vent. The DO I shadowed was right, at the end of the day...

 

[UIC Killa]

So I told my boss that I have an interview at an osteopathic medical school in Dec...

He asked me if it was a "four-year-program?"

I know, I know...I shouldn't be so sensitive.
What got me is, he's a super duper cultured, worldly person who seems to know something about everything...But then again, he is a businessman and not in the medical field.

The DO I shadowed (who happened to be a shrink), always said, "it's all about how comfortable YOU are with it."
I know a lot of people have written posts about "get prepared to defend your title" etc...It's not really even about that for me...

I know at one school one of the interview questions was, "What do you think are the shortcomings of the osteopathic medical field?" My answer and personal opinion had to do with the AOA needing to make greater strides in educating the American public on DOs and medical practice in the US...

Then again, there are those who say, well if you make that kind of effort people become skeptical, i.e. if you guys are docs why do you have to explain yourselves? And there is that old school "european/rest-of-the world" osteopath definition that the AOA must content with in terms of its international educational efforts...Anyway, I just needed to vent. The DO I shadowed was right, at the end of the day...

Hey...when your all done with medical school I dont think the DO label will really matter too much...all you really have to say is I am an orthropedic surgeon, radiologist, opthamologist...or whatever else field you decide to go to....since DO's are the minority in the medical field its not surprising that many people dont know much about it...I guess part of your job as a DO would be to help educate them if they ever ask...so look at the bright side when someone questions you...it's your chance to open their views👍

 

[clement]

Hey...when your all done with medical school I dont think the DO label will really matter too much...all you really have to say is I am an orthropedic surgeon, radiologist, opthamologist...or whatever else field you decide to go to....since DO's are the minority in the medical field its not surprising that many people dont know much about it...I guess part of your job as a DO would be to help educate them if they ever ask...so look at the bright side when someone questions you...it's your chance to open their views👍

Good point...I'm thinking geriatrics, so maybe they won't know or care who I am anyway...Hehe (I know, pretty sensitive for a future doc...J/K old folks rule!!!!!!!!!!!)

 

[medschoolsoon]

When i was at one of my interviews (DO), one of the questions I asked was why the osteopathic profession hadn't done more to expose itself. The panel (both DO's) felt the same way I did where most of the DO's I met were more genuine, helpful, caring, ect., etc. and they said how a lot of DO's liked it being a little "club" that not many people knew about. I guess overall they didn't want to lose the closeness that DO's have b/c they're a small group or have the DO name be tainted like some MD schools where your professors see you for an hour a day and are unreachable any other time b/c they're "too busy." I have limited knowledge, but that's my $.02

 

[MikeyLu2010]

LECOM has a 3 yr track....sooo umm yea

 

[heyimnick]

LECOM has a 3 yr track....sooo umm yea

But that's only for FP, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

For future reference, if someone's not in the medical field, don't tell them that you're interviewing at an osteopathic school. It just leads to a long, painful conversation that yields no positive results. Just say you're interviewing at a medical school in December and leave it at that.

 

[Soccer885]

For future reference, if someone's not in the medical field, don't tell them that you're interviewing at an osteopathic school. It just leads to a long, painful conversation that yields no positive results. Just say you're interviewing at a medical school in December and leave it at that.

I will only tell my family that I have been accepted at an osteopathic school or people that are familiar with medical schools (allopathic and osteopathic). I just find it a lot easier to tell them that I am going to medical school next year. If I say osteopathic school then it is a long explanation and it usually ends with "I thought you wanted to go to medical school, what happened?" and then me saying "it is medical school!" It is kind of a losing battle and is really annoying, so I try to leave it to people who are some what knowledgable on the subject. I'm not ashamed, just get annoyed with everyone thinking I am not going to medical school.

 

[toothless rufus]

I don't know if its just that I tend to romanticize,and I will probably miss the mark of what I am trying to express, but I am looking forward to being a member of this minority profession! All great movements, whether religious, social, philosophical, etc. have their humble beginnings as minorities. When there is an "Its us against them" kind of attitude, there usually follows a greater awareness of the self, the self within the group, the group as a cohesive whole, etc. And this also tends to lend itself to other aspects outside of ones particular identity; you realize on some level what other groups may struggle with, which then evolves towards consideration of people in general. This increases your compassion, awareness, kindness, quality of existence, and understanding of what people must go through in the process of becoming and being themselves. Even if this were the only difference, for me it will suffice.

While much of the same medicine must obviously be present since the mechanisms are what they are, there is I believe, enough of a difference in this approach towards medicine, and the acknowledgement of humanity and the variety of healing processes to make it unique.

I hope I made some sense.

And OMM is real cool too! 😛

Edit: Ok, rereading this, I have to add that I don't get it either!😀 Basically, I just meant that osteopathy is real super neat, and tends to draw smart, cool, laid-back folk. Yep! (going back to bed...)