telling people I'm a med student even if they don't know what DO means

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You're not in a court of law. You're talking to some idiot at a mixer. Say what you want.

I lol'd

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From my experience, most people don't know a lot of pre-meds and when you tell them you're going to medical school it just doesn't compute. I've been asked "oh, what will you study?" or "so what will you do with that?" quite a few times after telling people I'm going to be attending medical school. A while ago I took an EMT class and we had to share our career goals. Afterwards one of the guys in my squad came up to me and was like "holy crap, you're trying to become a doctor??? I've never, ever met anyone who has even thought of that, that's so crazy, wow I can't imagine... etc." It just totally blew his mind. I responded "well, you've met doctors before right? It's not that unheard of..."
 
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One of our medics after bringing us a pt to the ED congratulates me on getting into medical school:

Medic: congrats on getting in brother, I should have for ahead and went to med school. But I see all these doctors with no life and I'm like no way man. (coming from a paramedic who works a couple 48hr shifts a week)

Me: thanks man, it's never to late, you should go back.

Medic: nah I'm too old. Yeah so Dr. X he's a DO cause he didn't do residency.

Me: .... Uhhh no he's an MD that didn't do residency (in the olden days) and isn't board certified. DO's most certainly do residencies,an even do MD residencies as well.

Medic: well he must have been a DO at one time because that's what his sign use to say outside his office.

Me: That's weird,I've never heard of someone going to DO school and then MD school...because they are practically the same.... Nvm I gotta go take a dump. See ya.


Little did he know I've heard this rumor before and asked said Dr about it a year or two ago. He is an MD. Always was. Stupid people.
 
The DO I shadowed before applying to med school said that back in the day he could have payed like $100 to change his DO to MD in CA.
 
The DO I shadowed before applying to med school said that back in the day he could have payed like $100 to change his DO to MD in CA.

If you learn about the history of D.O. and M.D. you would understand what the significance of that was, but ill try to give you a brief run down...


WWII, Osteopathic Doctors are petitioning the military to be recognized as equal to MD and therefore be able to go overseas in aid.

M.D.'s say hell no we won't go if the DOs are allowed. Seeing as at the time the numbers of MDs >>>>>>> DOs, the military barred DOs from participating but in turn, took a lot of the primary care MDs from small towns and even larger cities leaving them with no medical care.

Common folk were forced to overcome the stigma of DOs and found out they were the sh*$ and so even when the MDs returned from war, the DOs had established a stronghold.

Fast forward a few years, the DOs stronghold was well in place and so the MDs tried a "peace" making move to turn the DOs over to MDs and offered them a trade: for $100 and a 8 hour or so Saturday course, they could become an MD.

Well, DOs said shove it (for the most part) however they used this offer to petition the higher courts and state legislators saying that if the MDs recognize them as equals, why won't the states. From that point on, the states started recognizing the DO profession as full fledged physicians.
 
Here's two daily battles I face...


Convo 1
So... what are yah doing with your life right now?

I am attending medical school.

Oh.. so you have another 8 years of school now?

No... I have 4 years, 2 years of class and 2 years of clinical training; then is residency which is a job.

Residency? that is still schooling.

No. Residency is a job, you are fully licensed after your first year and are paid...

Gah, I wouldnt go to school for 12 years.




Conversation 2
So, what you doing with your life?

I am going to medical school...

Oh, how long is it?

4 years

So you waisted all that time getting your biology degree and are starting over?

No, you have to have a bachelors to get into medical school...

No you don't! My friend got her nursing degree in 4 years.

That is for nursing school, this is to be a physician.

Oh, well, okay then. Still don't see the difference.
 
What might be worse is explaining the extreme simplicity of a 7 year program to everyone...

Q: Where are you going to college?

A: I'm going to a combined medical program at NSU. I spend three years at undergraduate and four at medical school.

Q: But, why do you graduate before everyone else?

A: Because it's a combined program.

Q: (Jokingly) Oh well you can help me in my old age!

A: You'll be dead by then... (What I really say): Ha.

I think I am going to resort to just saying I'm going to _______ University from now on.
 
Here's two daily battles I face...


Convo 1
So... what are yah doing with your life right now?

I am attending medical school.

Oh.. so you have another 8 years of school now?

No... I have 4 years, 2 years of class and 2 years of clinical training; then is residency which is a job.

Residency? that is still schooling.

No. Residency is a job, you are fully licensed after your first year and are paid...

Gah, I wouldnt go to school for 12 years.




Conversation 2
So, what you doing with your life?

I am going to medical school...

Oh, how long is it?

4 years

So you waisted all that time getting your biology degree and are starting over?

No, you have to have a bachelors to get into medical school...

No you don't! My friend got her nursing degree in 4 years.

That is for nursing school, this is to be a physician.

Oh, well, okay then. Still don't see the difference.

Both of those conversations sound horrible... thankfully most of the people I talk to know what medical school is ><
 
so, what line of work are you in?
"i'm in medical school"

oh great! my cousin is a doctor, she's a nurse practioner
uhhh....what medical school did she go to?

well, i just told you she's a nurse
:confused:

ya, my dog's a doctor. he has his PhD in english
 
Common folk were forced to overcome the stigma of DOs and found out they were the sh*$ and so even when the MDs returned from war, the DOs had established a stronghold.

So bossss:cool:
 
Is it improper to explain that a DO is basically an MD degree mixed with a bit of PT?
 
Is it improper to explain that a DO is basically an MD degree mixed with a bit of PT?

My explanation makes the most sense:

1.) If they want the full story:

There are two degrees in the US that one can obtain to become a medical doctor, there is an MD and DO (MD stands for doctorate of medicine...not medical doctor). The difference is historical in nature, as allopathic medicine in the 1800 and 1900's were not EVIDENCED-BASED. Osteopathic emerged with treatment modalities that were safer to use (OMT...no cyanide, no blood letting, no unsterile surgeries). Allopathic medicine eventually became more evidenced based through research and now osteopathic medicine, although a bit late, has caught up and now practice under the same standard of care as all physicians. However, there are still a minority of DO's who prefer to use OMT as part of their daily practice as an adjunct to evidence-based medicine but that is becoming less and less as osteopathic medicine catches up with allopathic. Practically speaking, they are now pretty much the same. There are two medical degrees because of historical reasons, not practical reasons. (the AOA would disagree with this, but they like to avoid reality)

2.) Short-version:
There are two degrees in the US to becoming a medical doctor. One is an MD, the other is a DO. The difference is that DO's have to take classes in neuromuscular medicine/manual medicine. Otherwise everything else is the same. Classes, rotations, and residency. An MD or DO can practice in any specialty.
 
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Is it improper to explain that a DO is basically an MD degree mixed with a bit of PT?

I usually say neuromuscular medicine or manual medicine. And that is usually followed with what is that?...in which case, I will say it is a combination of physical therapy, sports medicine, massage..etc.
 
I don't even mention OMM at all - I just say that being a physician is a single profession with two franchises, a big one and a little one...
 
Story 1:
Prof: So what are you going to do?

Me: I'm going to medical school. I'm going to be a doctor

Prof: Is that a master's degree?

Me: ummmmmmmmm no it's a doctorate.

Prof: Oh, okay.

Story 2:
While wearing a t-shirt that says osteopathic medicine on it:

Woman: What is osteopathic medicine?

Me: Similar to M.D.'s but I'm trained in additional techniques.

Woman: I'm in grad school working on my master's in Osteoarchaeology and wondered if they were related.
 
Just thought I'd throw my example in: Background is I just gave my 3 weeks notice and have been informing my employees that I'm going to medical school.

Me: Next Friday is my last day here.

Him: Oh did you find something else?

Me: Well I'm going to medical school starting in July.

Him: Oh my daughter did that. She graduated from (four year university w/ a BA) last year. Didn't you already go to college?

Me: Yes, but now I'm going to medical school. It's a doctorate, not a bachelor's; you need a bachelor's to go to medical school.

Him: That seems silly, my daughter just went for four years and you're going to go for eight?

Me: Yeah...I guess I just like the academic environment....
 
Just thought I'd throw my example in: Background is I just gave my 3 weeks notice and have been informing my employees that I'm going to medical school.

Me: Next Friday is my last day here.

Him: Oh did you find something else?

Me: Well I'm going to medical school starting in July.

Him: Oh my daughter did that. She graduated from (four year university w/ a BA) last year. Didn't you already go to college?

Me: Yes, but now I'm going to medical school. It's a doctorate, not a bachelor's; you need a bachelor's to go to medical school.

Him: That seems silly, my daughter just went for four years and you're going to go for eight?

Me: Yeah...I guess I just like the academic environment....
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:i bet you got tired of responding to their ignorance
 
Man: So, you graduated from school? What are you doing now?

Me: Yeah, I graduated, but now I'm headed to medical school.

Man: Oh, to be a doctor?

Me: That's right. (Very proud of the old man at this point.)

Man: Great! Where are you going to school, [insert name of local, non-academic community hospital]? Will you be a surgeon, or just an MD?

And he was doing so well...
 
Man: So you are going to med school?

Me: Yes

Man: What kind of doctor do you want to be?

Me: Not sure, I am interested in a few things but I have always liked anesthesiology.

Man: One of my friends is an anesthesiologist, and he makes a lot of money. My other friend is an MD.

Me: huh?


The general public is so dumb sometimes. Apparently an anesthesiologist is not a doctor....
 
Man: So you are going to med school?

Me: Yes

Man: What kind of doctor do you want to be?

Me: Not sure, I am interested in a few things but I have always liked anesthesiology.

Man: One of my friends is an anesthesiologist, and he makes a lot of money. My other friend is an MD.

Me: huh?


The general public is so dumb sometimes. Apparently an anesthesiologist is not a doctor....



Sometimes? :laugh:
 
Man: So you are going to med school?

Me: Yes

Man: What kind of doctor do you want to be?

Me: Not sure, I am interested in a few things but I have always liked anesthesiology.

Man: One of my friends is an anesthesiologist, and he makes a lot of money. My other friend is an MD.

Me: huh?


The general public is so dumb sometimes. Apparently an anesthesiologist is not a doctor....


i frequently hear nurse anethesists referred to as anesthesiologists. permaybehaps this is what he was referring to?
 
i frequently hear nurse anethesists referred to as anesthesiologists. permaybehaps this is what he was referring to?

Conversation between a radiologist I know and an older woman at a social event:

Woman: "what do you do?"

Rad: "I'm a radiologist"

(I think there must have been some conversation in between here)

Woman: "Oh, my daughter is a radiologist too, but it only took her two years"

(clearly describing a rad tech)
 
i frequently hear nurse anethesists referred to as anesthesiologists. permaybehaps this is what he was referring to?

hehe it's no accident as that's what the profession wants. They call anesthesiologists "MDAs" so that patients view MDA versus CRNA as merely academic terms that are more or less equals...

it's also why the nurse anesthteist lobby has required all CRNA students to get a nursing "doctorate" (which can be completed online) by 2025, as a means to further deceive patients into their credentials
 
When dealing with people with half a brain, I usually just tell them I am going to med school, which is followed by them asking what I want to specialize in or what kind of doctor I want to be. To the later, I usually reply "a good one." When I tell them I'm keeping an open mind to specialties, etc., more often than not, people give me unsolicited advice to go into derm :sleep:
 
I told someone I was going on a medical school interview, he asked if the interview was to work at a hospital. Even after trying to explain the admissions process, he thought I was applying for an administrative job in a hospital. A few weeks later, after getting into the school, I told a friend that I got in and she asked if I was going to get my PhD. I guess I take for granted my familiarity with healthcare professions and schooling.
 
I told someone I was going on a medical school interview, he asked if the interview was to work at a hospital. Even after trying to explain the admissions process, he thought I was applying for an administrative job in a hospital. A few weeks later, after getting into the school, I told a friend that I got in and she asked if I was going to get my PhD. I guess I take for granted my familiarity with healthcare professions and schooling.

Yeah, it's easy to forget how much time we've all invested into learning the ins/outs of the medical education system as we progress through college and medical school.

The general public is fairly oblivious to this stuff, but why shouldn't they be? They haven't been fixated and immersed in this process for the amount of time most of us have. It seems threads like these just serve as an outlet for us all to stroke our egos at how little the "common man" knows about the world.

I'm guilty of the same thinking, so I guess I'm just feeling introspective. Meh, carry on...
 
Yeah, it's easy to forget how much time we've all invested into learning the ins/outs of the medical education system as we progress through college and medical school.

The general public is fairly oblivious to this stuff, but why shouldn't they be? They haven't been fixated and immersed in this process for the amount of time most of us have. It seems threads like these just serve as an outlet for us all to stroke our egos at how little the "common man" knows about the world.

I'm guilty of the same thinking, so I guess I'm just feeling introspective. Meh, carry on...


nah dude your absolutely right...i think we all get lost in this bubble and forget that most people dont know and dont give a damn about this whole med school process...i personally don't see it as being the "common man" not understanding the glorious road of the doctor...i'm a common man...i honestly dont think of myself as being smarter than anyone else, or more capable...i've just been exposed to the dangers of not getting a higher education for years.....we are lucky as hell to be in the position we're in...we complain about a FM salary being 130k when the average income in the whole nation is 30-35k...we have our heads up our asses..we care so much about school names...gpa numbers...mcat scorse..usmle scores...residency positions...salaries...$$....and its like, who really cares? there's so much bull**** we worry about, because we are just surrounded by other people who worry about this bull****.
i guess it's because alot of my friends are kinda poor and come from broken homes, so just being in a grad school is considered a "success" to me....but i think REAL SUCCESS is just being happy with yourself...ok im going on a tangent here, anyways u get my point
 
nah dude your absolutely right...i think we all get lost in this bubble and forget that most people dont know and dont give a damn about this whole med school process...i personally don't see it as being the "common man" not understanding the glorious road of the doctor...i'm a common man...i honestly dont think of myself as being smarter than anyone else, or more capable...i've just been exposed to the dangers of not getting a higher education for years.....we are lucky as hell to be in the position we're in...we complain about a FM salary being 130k when the average income in the whole nation is 30-35k...we have our heads up our asses..we care so much about school names...gpa numbers...mcat scorse..usmle scores...residency positions...salaries...$$....and its like, who really cares? there's so much bull**** we worry about, because we are just surrounded by other people who worry about this bull****.
i guess it's because alot of my friends are kinda poor and come from broken homes, so just being in a grad school is considered a "success" to me....but i think REAL SUCCESS is just being happy with yourself...ok im going on a tangent here, anyways u get my point

You're right. We are lucky as hell and we shouldn't forget it. That being said, some of the 'bull****' up there is bull**** everyone worries about, no matter their income level. 30-35k may be the average salary in the US, but remember that the average debt in the us isn't between 160-180k like it is for graduating medical students. You'd better believe that every working stiff out there (including us future docs) worries about job security, salary, and how they're going to get a decent job if they're just out of school. It just so happens that those of us in the medical field have a different way of approaching those things; wrapped up in jargon and the bureaucratic intricacies of our healthcare system, but the point is the same.

Someone else on SDN said it first, but while you may be a doctor, you are also doing a job-and all of the lovely 'worries' that entails still apply. You'd be a fool to just blow them off like that.

Also, on an aside, I don't know of a place where grad school isn't considered a success.
 
I don't tell anybody that I'm a medical student unless they really push me for the information--graduate student is all they usually get from me. So many people, especially one's you're meeting for the first time, seem to think that just because I'm a a med student that I'm some sort of pompous, egotistical, workaholic ******* (unless they're a med student as well.)
 
I don't tell anybody that I'm a medical student unless they really push me for the information--graduate student is all they usually get from me. So many people, especially one's you're meeting for the first time, seem to think that just because I'm a a med student that I'm some sort of pompous, egotistical, workaholic ******* (unless they're a med student as well.)

Well? Aren't ya? ;)
 
This one is classic...

A: So what are you doing these days?

B: I'm attending medical school this July

A: Oh how exciting! You're going to be an MD!

B: -_-"" well actually I'm going to an osteopathic medical school.

A: Oh whats that?

B: blah blah blah.....
 
.
 
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This one is classic...

A: So what are you doing these days?

B: I'm attending medical school this July

A: Oh how exciting! You're going to be an MD!

B: -_-"" well actually I'm going to an osteopathic medical school.

A: Oh whats that?

B: blah blah blah.....

I was shadowing a DO and one of his patients, in response to a surprising bit of information about his condition, said "Well I guess you'd know better. I'm not the one with the MD behind my name!".
 
Today a co-worker asked me what my major will be and if I'll be a pharmacist.
 
2.) Short-version:
There are two degrees in the US to becoming a medical doctor. One is an MD, the other is a DO. The difference is that DO's have to take classes in neuromuscular medicine/manual medicine which has no evidence to support it, at the expense of time that could have been allocated to biochemistry/pharmacology. Otherwise everything else is the same. Classes, rotations, and residency. An MD or DO can practice in any specialty.

There's a document online that compares hours of training between MDs, DOs and I want to say NDs and it shows that DOs lose about 200 hours from Biochem/pharmacology which is reallocated to OMM.

It bothers me when I see people write "... MD = DO except DOs take extra..." no you don't take "extra" you sacrifice another part of your medical education for OMM.

This said, I believe DOs to be the legal and professional equivalent to MD and should be treated as such, I am not however going to mince words or let misinformation fly.
 
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There's a document online that compares hours of training between MDs, DOs and I want to say NDs and it shows that DOs lose about 200 hours from Biochem/pharmacology which is reallocated to OMM.

It bothers me when I see people write "... MD = DO except DOs take extra..." no you don't take "extra" you sacrifice another part of your medical education for OMM.

This said, I believe DOs to be the legal and professional equivalent to MD and should be treated as such, I am not however going to mince words or let misinformation fly.

link it
 
There's a document online that compares hours of training between MDs, DOs and I want to say NDs and it shows that DOs lose about 200 hours from Biochem/pharmacology which is reallocated to OMM.

It bothers me when I see people write "... MD = DO except DOs take extra..." no you don't take "extra" you sacrifice another part of your medical education for OMM.

This said, I believe DOs to be the legal and professional equivalent to MD and should be treated as such, I am not however going to mince words or let misinformation fly.

I've seen this too, but does the loss of 200 hours in those subjects really make a difference on their ability to become a physician?
 
I've seen this too, but does the loss of 200 hours in those subjects really make a difference on their ability to become a physician?

Never said it did.

Kcin - I will find it when I get the time, like I said I'm not knocking osteopaths, just the idea that they receive "extra training" they don't the time they spend on OMM has to come from somewhere.
 
It bothers me when I see people write "... MD = DO except DOs take extra..." no you don't take "extra" you sacrifice another part of your medical education for OMM.

DO schools do generally teach a little less genetics, embryology, and biochem. If DO schools lose about a lecture or so per week to OMM, it might be close to 200 lecture hours total over the first two years. But DO students also spend extra hours in OMM lab while MD students are home studying, so the total net hours at school might actually be higher overall for DO students.
 
There's a document online that compares hours of training between MDs, DOs and I want to say NDs and it shows that DOs lose about 200 hours from Biochem/pharmacology which is reallocated to OMM.

It bothers me when I see people write "... MD = DO except DOs take extra..." no you don't take "extra" you sacrifice another part of your medical education for OMM.

This said, I believe DOs to be the legal and professional equivalent to MD and should be treated as such, I am not however going to mince words or let misinformation fly.

Curriculum varies from school to school. Saying all DO schools have inherently less of any given subject is a blanket statement, and I'd like to see the link as well. If there really was such a big discrepancy in the different models, I doubt DOs would have the ability to sit for the USMLE.
 
There's a document online that compares hours of training between MDs, DOs and I want to say NDs and it shows that DOs lose about 200 hours from Biochem/pharmacology which is reallocated to OMM.

It bothers me when I see people write "... MD = DO except DOs take extra..." no you don't take "extra" you sacrifice another part of your medical education for OMM
.

This said, I believe DOs to be the legal and professional equivalent to MD and should be treated as such, I am not however going to mince words or let misinformation fly.


First year @ TCOM starts July 25th and ends June 8th.
For comparison UT Houston starts Aug 15th and ends May 18, 2012.
I just found your 200+ hours no sacrificing here.
 
i made this thread...and now i want it killed......only been a few months and im already tired and sick of DO and MD comparison talks....lets make a toast to end this discussion, and all future debates....we are all med students, and im happy to say ill be a doctor...in the end thats all that matters.
one
 
i made this thread...and now i want it killed......only been a few months and im already tired and sick of DO and MD comparison talks....lets make a toast to end this discussion, and all future debates....we are all med students, and im happy to say ill be a doctor...in the end thats all that matters.
one

Well said.
:laugh:You have terrible luck with your threads.
Never a dull moment on SDN...
 
"So, what are you doing these days?"

"I'm applying to medical school this summer."

"Oh, so what are you trying to be?"

"A doctor."

"Oh."
 
Last night, I talked with a guy online that I used to play an online game with about 10 years ago.

"What are you doing these days?"

"I'm in medical school."

"You're trying to be a doctor or you're in real medical school?"

"Uh..? I'm in medical school. I'll be a doctor in a couple years."

"Oh, what kind of doctor do you want to be?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe an anesthesiologist?"

"Anesthesiology isn't a PhD"

"Yeah, it's a residency program after you get your MD"

"No, it's a 5 year college program. My best friend is an anesthesiologist."

"Sounds like you're talking about a CRNA. Your friend is probably a nurse"

"No, he has a masters in anesthesiology. You don't get that from medical school."

He went on to argue with me about psychiatry and how family docs have the best lifestyles and great salaries. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was a big shot executive with Target. He said they recruited him his freshman year in college. After some questioning, I found that "executive" is part of his job title at Target and that he's an assistant manager of some section of the store. lol.
 
Last night, I talked with a guy online that I used to play an online game with about 10 years ago.

"What are you doing these days?"

"I'm in medical school."

"You're trying to be a doctor or you're in real medical school?"

"Uh..? I'm in medical school. I'll be a doctor in a couple years."

"Oh, what kind of doctor do you want to be?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe an anesthesiologist?"

"Anesthesiology isn't a PhD"

"Yeah, it's a residency program after you get your MD"

"No, it's a 5 year college program. My best friend is an anesthesiologist."

"Sounds like you're talking about a CRNA. Your friend is probably a nurse"

"No, he has a masters in anesthesiology. You don't get that from medical school."

He went on to argue with me about psychiatry and how family docs have the best lifestyles and great salaries. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was a big shot executive with Target. He said they recruited him his freshman year in college. After some questioning, I found that "executive" is part of his job title at Target and that he's an assistant manager of some section of the store. lol.

OMG LOL REALLY? LOL

You're so right, Your job is so much more important than his and that obviously makes you the superior being, I'm surprised you didn't tell him to know his place.

Seriously, I just read this entire thread and I'm shocked by how condescending some of you people are. Not everyone knows about Medical school or what it entails yet you jump on these people calling them "stupid". I pray for the sake of your future patients you don't have these delusions of you being somehow superior to someone because they don't make as much money as you, or they don't have a piece of paper with "MD" on it.
 
OMG LOL REALLY? LOL

You're so right, Your job is so much more important than his and that obviously makes you the superior being, I'm surprised you didn't tell him to know his place.

Seriously, I just read this entire thread and I'm shocked by how condescending some of you people are. Not everyone knows about Medical school or what it entails yet you jump on these people calling them "stupid". I pray for the sake of your future patients you don't have these delusions of you being somehow superior to someone because they don't make as much money as you, or they don't have a piece of paper with "MD" on it.

I dont think anyone on here thinks they are above ANY other profession (at least I hope not). Regarding the post you responded to, I would indeed have to agree with the posters frustration. The guy DOES sound like a ***** (again this doesnt mean we think we are above him). He is an idiot not because of his wrong comments, but because he tried to argue with a medical student about something he has no place in arguing for. Only an idiot would try to argue with a medical student about something in the medical field (when he isnt even in the medical field), especially something as clear cut as that argument. :laugh:

I wouldn't tell a fireman that my friend "tom" is a fireman because Tom runs around his backyard with the house hose and a plastic fireman helmet. Just as ridiculous that some guy thought his friend is an anesthesiologist because we got a masters.
 
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The post I was replying to and several others here called out the job of the person they were "arguing" with.

Just because you have MD after your name doesn't give anyone the right to look down on anyone else. I'm shocked that other DO students engaged in this very action when some MDs erroneously look down upon DOs.

A piece of paper does not make you smarter or superior to any person. You are no better and no worse than the garbage man or the cashier at Burger King.
 
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