Some thoughts from someone who considered DO but ended up in MD

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members do not see this ad.
yes, but 100% of women in OMM lab have to wear sports bras and we get to touch them.

Clearly, DO is the winner. 'Nuff Said.

I don't wanna hear it.
 
35% of MD's did not raise their hands in the air when Goku needed energy for the Spirit Bomb to defeat Majin Buu. This is why I chose to go DO.

gokusupergenkidama-super-spirit-bomb.png



Oh ya... and for that cliche holistic philosophy stuff people keep rambling about.
 
Some buzzwords I constantly hear from some allopathic students are:

TOP PROGRAM
PRESTIGE
ELITE

I know quite a few doctors, MD and DO, and guess how many of them are famous, or have procedures named after them? None. Regardless, I would be absolutely comfortable having anyone of them treat me for any condition.

People act like going to an allo school equals automatic PD in their future. Get real. Some will, but most will be normal, everyday, hardworking physicians who do pretty well for their patients.

For chrissakes, study medicine, no matter where you are, and be happy.
 
This thread is the best thread to ever grace the Pre-Osteopathic forums.

Not only does it have MD vs DO, but there's pokemon AND Dragonball Z (and hipster cat).

Nothing else can top this, except for maybe Epic Sax Guy and Obiwan Nyan Cat.

47230065.jpg


Obi-Wan-Kenobi-conoce-a-Nyand-Cat.png



Officially Best. Thread. Ever.
 
Last edited:
Iliketoytles said:
35% of MD's did not raise their hands in the air when Goku needed energy for the Spirit Bomb to defeat Majin Buu. This is why I chose to go DO.

gokusupergenkidama-super-spirit-bomb.png



Oh ya... and for that cliche holistic philosophy stuff people keep rambling about.
Click to expand...

I honestly laughed so hard at this that I cried a little. I'm man enough to admit that.
 
TallScrubs said:
Some buzzwords I constantly hear from some allopathic students are:

TOP PROGRAM
PRESTIGE
ELITE

I know quite a few doctors, MD and DO, and guess how many of them are famous, or have procedures named after them? None. Regardless, I would be absolutely comfortable having anyone of them treat me for any condition.

People act like going to an allo school equals automatic PD in their future. Get real. Some will, but most will be normal, everyday, hardworking physicians who do pretty well for their patients.

For chrissakes, study medicine, no matter where you are, and be happy.
Click to expand...

Jeez for real!

I dont even care to read 3 pages of arguments, so I really dont know what this thread is about..but I am sure its more typical MD vs DO **** that nobody feels like reading.

As time goes along (especially with some moves the ACGME seems to be making) I am more and more likely to point out the negatives about going the DO route. They exist, no point in pushing them under the table. But at the end of the day, everyone at our school will be a doc...well...almost everyone.


These MD vs DO battles are nothing more than a bunch of overeducated people arguing over a different path to the same exact endpoint. Can you imagine how hilarious the Occupy wall street people would find this? The 1% arguing over which pathway enables you to get to that 1% more effectively? lmao

Anyways, time to get back to dreaming about the big buck I am going to slay on tuesday.
 
I approve of where this thread has gone. Bravo.
seal-of-approval-5605.jpg
 
DocEspana said:
hahaha. will never happen. I incite and instigate this absurdity. I'm the comic relief. Even if I can be serious (I promise I can) no one will trust me to be.
Click to expand...

Eh, you're more helpful and decent than half the mods. Not to mention you've got seniority on most of them as well... and there are now no DO mods around. So we got somewhat of an opening around...
 
aSagacious said:
🙁

There are far more than you think. 😉
Click to expand...

Nah, you're a fun mod and you actually are frequently commenting. There are/were? a few mods that were a bit meh and really all about just patrolling, never really commenting or sharing fun. But yah.... I don't see many, I feel like they all started residency this year :laugh:.
 
serenade said:
There are/were? a few mods that were a bit meh and really all about just patrolling, never really commenting or sharing fun. But yah.... I don't see many, I feel like they all started residency this year :laugh:.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. Many of them don't post too often any more (at least in pre-osteo/allo) but take care of a lot behind the scenes... not to mention the founder of SDN is a DO. 🙂
 
aSagacious said:
That's a good point. Many of them don't post too often any more (at least in pre-osteo/allo) but take care of a lot behind the scenes... not to mention the founder of SDN is a DO. 🙂
Click to expand...

Dr. Lee or Dr. Mom right? But yah... well thankfully the board self-regulates itself for the most part haha...
 
I don't know, I see a huge advantage for MDs over DOs. The prestige is so much higher! I mean, come on, how do you expect to get an SDN mod position as a DO? Sure, there are a few, but the vast majority of the osteopathic population will never achieve the same power that allopathic has.

Wait, what?

11837499.jpg
 
DrWily said:
You know, when I was in 7th grade I played pokemon. I think I was like 149/151 or whatever, almost got them all...

Then my mom let my sister play and she saved over my game with a new game.

FFFUU---.jpg
Click to expand...

This happened to someone else?!?!?!?!? 😱

Closest I've ever been punching my brother in the face... :boom:
 
ksmajmudar said:
I don't know, I see a huge advantage for MDs over DOs. The prestige is so much higher! I mean, come on, how do you expect to get an SDN mod position as a DO? Sure, there are a few, but the vast majority of the osteopathic population will never achieve the same power that allopathic has.
Click to expand...

Protip: If you donate gold - gold - lifetime - bronze in that order you are automatically elevated to moderator. 😉
 
DrWily said:
Nothing else can top this, except for maybe Epic Sax Guy and Obiwan Nyan Cat.

47230065.jpg


Obi-Wan-Kenobi-conoce-a-Nyand-Cat.png



Officially Best. Thread. Ever.
Click to expand...

Willy, you have done epic sax guy an injustice. You must not only show him... you must PLAY him!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHy7DGLTt8g&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
 
Dude, Dr. Lee is a freaking bada**. Not only is he a partner in his own family practice, but he's also a military doc. He must have girls throwing themselves at him lmao.
I wanna be just like him when I grow up!
 
aSagacious said:
Protip: If you donate gold - gold - lifetime - bronze in that order you are automatically elevated to moderator. 😉
Click to expand...

Not only are you elevated to moderator, you can then snipe from on top of the rock wall.
 
This may make me sound dumb but how do you insert pics without making them links...I wanna show my pokemon off too😀
 
My feelings on this thread are as follows:

11008snorlax.jpg
 
I really think that the difference between MD and DO is that.... OMG it's a tornainbow!!!

tornainbow-game-over-the-end.jpg
 
DO Anes said:
Even trolls can be right sometimes.
To be completely pragmatic and objective, given a choice, US MD preferable to DO, no question about it. The osteopathic profession has allowed itself to deteriorate with inferior accreditation standards and no regard for clinical education, either at the UGME or GME level. You cannot blindly open new schools with massive class sizes, haphazard clerkships, laughable research and no GME without the house of cards falling apart. Consider the GME funding crunch in Congress now. When CMS decides which residencies to stop funding (and they are going to have to make that choice) who will they cut? An ACGME-accredited internal medicine position at a major quaternary medical center, or an AOA-accredited internal medicine spot at a 135 bed community hospital in a town of 30,000 (can that community hospital really provide a quality residency experience for 30! individuals)? The writing is on the wall and it is sad, as I believe the profession can provide superior patient care over allopathic, but they have let that go in favor of $$$. For students without a choice, this is still a great way to become a physician and hard work will provide opportunities, but it is simply wrong to believe that it is equivalent to opportunities for US MD grads. As a DO in practice for >20 years, it breaks my heart to see where we have come.
Click to expand...

It is interesting that someone with actual life experience will not fall for the usual "how dare you say something against DO on DO forum". I would tend to agree with the original poster. Unless you are interested in Family Practice/Osteopathy route, US MD school is a better choice. Is it possible to be in competitive field, coming out of DO school? Sure! But you WILL be limited. The more prestigious fields tend to be pretty conservative in their views and to break into them you will have to be something very special. Equally good allopathic grad will do MUCH better. Also bringing up match numbers is useless, until you start attaching institutions matched to match lists. Not every allopathic program is necessarily good. Comparing Brigham and Nassau County Medical Center for example is rediculous, although both are allopathic residencies. And that goes beyond residency, into fellowship, etc. That is not to say that you will not be a successful physician. DO route gives you a chance to be a doctor, of which i am a beneficiary myself. But let's not get delusional.
 
Khirurg said:
The more prestigious fields tend to be pretty conservative in their views and to break into them you will have to be something very special.
Click to expand...

There's that word again... prestigious..

Anyway, I think the point is that those of us who chose to go DO are tired of hearing that we are "inferior" to MD. We can go into the same specialties, have the same success rate in treating patients, and be very successful physicians.

I think anyone with realistic expectations knows that it might have an uphill battle element when applying for residencies, but so does getting into medical school. Okay, we understand, and if we were quitters we wouldn't be applying to medical school. I absolutely welcome the challenge, because I know that I will succeed no matter what.

But every 2 days some individual comes in here under the anonymity of the internet and just tries to tell us we all suck at life. Maybe they think that they are educating us, or maybe they just got rejected to medical school and want to pass on their anger. It gets old, and tiresome, unlike pokemon which will be cool forever because Chuck Testa will keep them looking alive.
 
ParacrineAgent said:
There's that word again... prestigious..
Click to expand...
+1...

Seriously enough about prestige...prestige doesn't make a doctor....Just recently my dad was promoted to head of his unit over a doctor who graduated from Stanford and trust me my dad did not go to any prestigious university for his degree or residency or even fellowship for that matter...

My dad sees many 4th yr students doing rotations in his unit both MD and DO and he is ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS more impressed by the DO students

now enough ranting....MORE POKEMON!!!....I do miss the days where there were only 151 pokemon and only 2 colors for the game blue and red!
 
IDFsoldierboy said:
I do miss the days where there were only 151 pokemon and only 2 colors for the game blue and red!
Click to expand...

I'm just being an ass by saying this, but... I think there was a green version only released in Japan the same time red and blue came out.
 
"Prestigious" just means very specialized field. For example, Rad Onc. Something sought after. Believe me, when you like some field, want to pursue it and realize, that, although a good candidate, u will have trouble making it, because of your degree, you will understand where i am coming from. My point was not to make anyone feel bad. But when faced with a choice, like the original author of this thread was, one should make an informed decision, not one based on emotions. I had no choice like that. I am happy where I am after these years. DO school gave me an opportunity to be a doc and do what i like. Would i do it again? Sure! But if had a choice, i would pick allopathic school, because it would give me more opportunities, and wouldn't pose few of the unnecessary difficulties that i had to overcome on the way. That's just a fact of life.
 
I think there are some things that usually seem to get missed here...

The large majority of all medical students will go into non-prestigious residencies, and most will do primary care. Period. Regardless of school. Some of this may be because they love primary care or rural and some of this may come the fact that half of all medical students will be in the bottom half of their class and half will have an average or below average COMLEX/Step scores. These halves will not always overlap, some people in the lower third will have high board scores and some in the upper third will have low board scores. But, by definition, half will make up the bottom. These people have little shot at "prestigious residencies," whether they go DO or to MD school.

Most people who apply never get in, and for those who barely get in they are competing with a large pool of 3.8+/33+ people who are in med school to even be above average. It seems highly presumptuous to me that most people think will be in the top part of the class and will even be competitive for these "highly prestigious" residencies. Going to a school that is less competitive could make it easier to rank higher in the class. Average students will have average choices. Unless your talking about Stanford vs. RVU, the school will not vastly limit your options, your performance or lack thereof will.

It is absolutely ridiculous to think that the name of the school is the difference between being radiation oncology competitive and being "forced" into primary care. It is one small to moderate factor on a long list that make up how competitive you are for residencies. And for most people I think fit or location would make a hell of a lot more of a difference facilitating overall success than the name of the school or the letters behind it.
 
Do students who get into US allopathic schools generally have better stats? Yes.
Would a student who matriculated to a DO program rather go to an MD program? Not all the time, but I'd say yes for the majority of students.
Does going the allopathic route provide better options? Assuming you don't want to do OMM or Family practice, yes, allopathic schools open up more doors than osteopathic schools.
Are osteopathic students incapable of getting into allopathic schools? NO.
Will osteopathic students be less capable than allopathic students? NO!

I'm going to be matriculating to an osteopathic program starting next year. Would I have gone to an allopathic school if given the option? Probably, depending on which program I was attending. But yes. I would. However, I chose not to because it does not really matter to me. While I do dread having to explain to everyone what an osteopathic degree is, the fact of the matter is, I only care about practicing medicine. Yes, I will have to work a bit harder to get slightly higher USMLE scores than my allopathic peers. But that burden falls on me - it's not as if my osteopathic school will gimp me by providing a subpar education. The tools are there to succeed - the onus is on me to succeed. And I feel this way about nearly ALL medical schools.

People get so caught up worrying about whether attending a DO school will hold them back. Truth of the matter is, if you will succeed at an MD school, you will most likely succeed at a DO school. I believe that the students who do not well at DO schools would not have done well at MD programs - the school is not as important as SDN makes it out to be! It's the simple nature of motivation - how much of it do you have, how important is your career to you, etc.

I am fully confident that I could have gotten into an MD program if I spent a few years strengthening my application - I know I can do better than a 32 on the MCAT, I know I can do a SMP and get a 3.8+ GPA, and I know I can get more research publications under my belt to wow the allopathic admissions committees. But it doesn't matter to me, because I know what I am capable of, and I am not worried about DO school "holding me back". I'd rather start my residency 2 years early then blow $50,000+ and precious time obsessing over prestige.

For the majority of those wanting to enter the medical field, an osteopathic degree is more than good enough, provided you are motivated enough to succeed. For those who wish to have a career in medical research, academic medicine, or be nationally famous neurosurgeons, sure. Go to MD schools. Go to Harvard, if that tickles your fancy.

But I, presumably like most DO students, don't care. I want to be a doctor ASAP, and medical school is just a means to an end. I may have to work slightly harder to be where I want to be, but that's something that I, personally, am willing to do.
 
Khirurg said:
"Prestigious" just means very specialized field. For example, Rad Onc. Something sought after. Believe me, when you like some field, want to pursue it and realize, that, although a good candidate, u will have trouble making it, because of your degree, you will understand where i am coming from. My point was not to make anyone feel bad. But when faced with a choice, like the original author of this thread was, one should make an informed decision, not one based on emotions. I had no choice like that. I am happy where I am after these years. DO school gave me an opportunity to be a doc and do what i like. Would i do it again? Sure! But if had a choice, i would pick allopathic school, because it would give me more opportunities, and wouldn't pose few of the unnecessary difficulties that i had to overcome on the way. That's just a fact of life.
Click to expand...

Complete poppycock. That's right. I said it. Complete and utter poppycock. Why? because yoyre under the same delusion that DO students who think there is zero difference in degree arw under. You're convinced (as are 4 out of 5 people) that you'll be double boarded radiation oncology and plastics and you're the greatest out there and will break every statistical truth out there that no one talks about. By that I mean....

TwinsFan said:
I think there are some things that usually seem to get missed here...

The large majority of all medical students will go into non-prestigious residencies, and most will do primary care. Period. Regardless of school. Some of this may be because they love primary care or rural and some of this may come the fact that half of all medical students will be in the bottom half of their class and half will have an average or below average COMLEX/Step scores. These halves will not always overlap, some people in the lower third will have high board scores and some in the upper third will have low board scores. But, by definition, half will make up the bottom. These people have little shot at "prestigious residencies," whether they go DO or to MD school.

Most people who apply never get in, and for those who barely get in they are competing with a large pool of 3.8+/33+ people who are in med school to even be above average. It seems highly presumptuous to me that most people think will be in the top part of the class and will even be competitive for these "highly prestigious" residencies. Going to a school that is less competitive could make it easier to rank higher in the class. Average students will have average choices. Unless your talking about Stanford vs. RVU, the school will not vastly limit your options, your performance or lack thereof will.

It is absolutely ridiculous to think that the name of the school is the difference between being radiation oncology competitive and being "forced" into primary care. It is one small to moderate factor on a long list that make up how competitive you are for residencies. And for most people I think fit or location would make a hell of a lot more of a difference facilitating overall success than the name of the school or the letters behind it.
Click to expand...

... That.

Guy took the words right out of my mouth. Pretty sure I said something similar without the eloquence earlier in this thread. Glad to see someone else understands ot requores being something special among a pool of people who are already something special. When youre talking prestigious your degree means nothing. It's your scores and your intangibles. You run the AMA is an intangble. Assisted on dick cheneys last cardiac cath? You get what you want. You are coauthor on an article that changed how prostate cancer is surgically treated? Urology at emory. Went to a top 10 school and finished in the top 25% is the same thing. You want ambitious, actually be good enough. Few people can be. You want prestogious? Be *unique*.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
thoughts on specialized LOR to dream med school from a DO doctor who attended there?
Replies
2
Views
688
ecobio
ecobio
H
are DO graduates who are not citizens considered IMG?
Replies
7
Views
1K
havil
H
H
  • Question Question
Dean at DO School Said “Impossible to Get In with uGPA Below 3.45” — Thoughts?
Replies
16
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Ho0v-man
DO vs Carib MD podcast episode
Replies
3
Views
985
Ho0v-man
Ho0v-man
C
Thoughts on VCOM-Virginia?
Replies
6
Views
755
flowers
F
Top