So what's up with the lack of a National Ranking system?

[Texas Sam]

I'm curious, with all the Osteopathic Organizations out there and the publicity that osteopaths have been getting in Hollywood, why hasn't some industrious news group published a ranking system? I doubt that it is b/c they cannot think of a proper set criterion. After all, haven't they been publishing allopathic, dental, and even chiropractic (ok the chiropractors rating is hearsay)? Allopathic schools seem to be rated by at least two publications every year!

I will say that it was nice to see some osteopathic schools rated by the US News and World Report, but do osteopaths necessarily want to be held up to the same criteria as allopathic schools? It seems like lumping them together is like rating oranges on an apple scale. Aren't the basic philosophies rather different?

I'm not taking a stand on whether the medical school attended determines the doctor's abilities. I am saying that a national ranking would not only help students to direct their applications and efforts toward schools that fit their needs or desires. I also think that it would help educate the masses about osteopathic medicine. I guess my thoughts in this area were initiated while I was talking to the managing partner for one of the big three law firms. He had never even heard of osteopathic medicine. Perhaps it would have been easy to brush off if he represented an isolated incident but he is not an anomaly. Now, many of you may say that it does not matter if they know what an osteopath is as long as they know what a physician is, and at face value, it is easy to agree with that concept. However, when I give it a bit more thought, I have to say that I want my future patients to know what the differences are between osteopaths and allopaths. Not that I want an adversarial role with my future counterparts. I simply want my patients to know how osteopathic physicians approach medicine and health. Furthermore, I would like patients to know that osteopaths not only have a different way of looking at medicine but that they offer additional therapies to those they are used to receiving. Heh, I guess I'm on a wild tangent. I am trying to say that patients, prospective students, and osteopathic medicine in general would greatly benefit from the publicity gained from a national ranking article. What do you think?

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[DocGibby]

I couldn't agree more!

 

[RollTide]

I think if you took a poll of Americans, 90% would have no damn idea what an allopath is either. Ask them if they know what a physician is, afterall that is what you will be. The public will never be as educated as you would like them to be, 24% of U.S. citizens don't even know who the VP is. There are populations who do need to be educated as to what osteopathic medicine is, pre-med advisors and undergraduates thinking about medical school, but who cares if a law firm knows what osteopathic medicine is. It is much more important that they know you as a physician.

 

[RollTide]

BTW Yes, our schools should be held to the same standards as allopathic schools. Why should there be a seperate ranking system if both are competing for the same applicants? By ranking osteopathic schools alone you risk making a few schools look really bad because there are only 19 colleges of osteopathic medicine. The USNEWS rankings list only the top 50, they do not have a ranking of all schools because noone wants to rank someone as the worst medical school in the country.

 

[Dr JPH]

Quick comment. Being that there is a relatively small number of Osteopathic schools, wouldn't it kinda...well....suck...to be the 19th ranked Osteopathic school?
You never see the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Allopathic rankings.
But, on a rank of Osteopathic schools, you can't but help to see the best anf the worst all on one short list.
I dunno...just an observation. Catch me if I'm wrong.

[ Nearly 95% of all people who contract HIV will develop AIDS. Even I'm not crazy enough to bet against those odds. Protect yourself, and protect others. ]



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Josh Hazelton
[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
"D.O. Wannabe"

 

[RollTide]

Is that not what I just said JP?

 

[Texas Sam]

Hello all and thanks for your posts,

I agree, it would burn a little to be at the bottom of the ranking, I also agree that their are fewer schools to rank but that does not mean that their can't be a top five or even a top 10. If a top 10 list were used then yes it might sting a bit to be in the lower 9 but at the same time I feel like that would only improve the level of education that those bottom 9 schools were offering. Isn't producing the best osteopathic physicians the goal of every school?

As I said, the lawyer was not an isolated incident. It was simply one example of many where a well-educated person had no clue what an osteopathic physician was. Another point of clarification, check out the US News and world report, I believe it says top 50 Allopathic Medical School Ranking. Also, it broke down those top 50 schools in terms of what they produce; for instance, Primary Care, Family Practice, Emergency, and so on. So in the event that it is determined to not be an acceptable step to have our own top 5 to 10 ranking system, perhaps we should at least get mentioned in the title of the rankings that we are being ranked in and perhaps we should have a top 5 OMM programs.

Also, everyone I talk to seems to know what an MD is. Nobody seems to know what a DO is. Whether patients know the words allopathic medicine or allopath isn't a big deal but they do know MD and Medical Doctor. They have no idea what an osteopath is and I can assure you that even those that do know what an osteopath is won't know what a DO is.... they are much more likely to label an osteopath an OD... but really this is splitting hairs. I think that osteopathic medicine has stood on its own for something over 100 years. I don't necessarily think that osteopathic medical schools require the allopathic top 50 to mask the lower tier osteopathic schools if that's what you are getting it. Furthermore, I still don't understand how osteopathic schools can be held up to the same criterion as allopathic schools. Yes the end product may carry the same title of physician but their philosophy and even some skills like OMM is totally different. Again, I still call it apples and oranges. Thanks for your posts and keep them coming, please.

 

[mj]

Originally posted by Texas Sam:
Furthermore, I still don't understand how osteopathic schools can be held up to the same criterion as allopathic schools. Yes the end product may carry the same title of physician but their philosophy and even some skills like OMM is totally different. Again, I still call it apples and oranges.

But isn't part of the issue that the osteopathic community is divided over that statement? I've met many die hard DOs who will argue until blue that DO vs. MD is apples to oranges. I've met equally many DOs who will argue until the cows come home that DO = MD, throw in a little OMM.

How can the osteopathic community properly promote its cause, when it can't agree on what that cause is?

mj

 

[Dr JPH]

Rolltide-

I apologize. I often get lazy and neglect to read any posts but the original.
Sorry for the inconvenience!!!!
:O

------------------
Josh Hazelton
[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
"D.O. Wannabe"

 

[Texas Sam]

Well MJ, I think that creating a ranking system would necessarily iron out many of these issues or at least define the issues. So, universalizing the osteopathic concepts doesn't necessarily need to be completed before the rankings are published for the first few years.

What do you think?

Sam

 

[mj]

Maybe, Sam. Or would you end up with a system that no one in the community agrees with because everyone compromised what they believed in to create it? I suppose a third option would be that one side or the other would dominate...I don't know Sam...I can't see it really helping that situation, although it probably would force some issues...If nothing else it would be an interesting social psych. experiment to watch.

peace and happiness
mj

 

[tiffsatt]

RollTide,
I beg to differ about people not knowing what an allopath is...they at least know what an MD is. When I tell people that I am thinking about being a DO they say..."So you don't want to be a doctor anymore?!" They associate MD with being a doctor and nothing else.
T

 

[RollTide]

Tiffsaf,

Why do you tell them that you will be a D.O.? Those are the letters of the degree you will hold not what you will be. Why not tell them you will be a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, or you will attend a osteopathic medical school? Maybe this would clear things up a little. None of the physicians I know refer to themselves as "MDs" or "DOs", nor do they present themselves as allopathic students or osteopathic students. They are medical students or osteopathic medical students, residents, interns, and physicians. You sure have some thin skin if you are bothered by the comments you mentioned above, I really enjoy telling others about osteopathic medicine, the history behind it, and why I chose osteopathic medicine.