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- Feb 11, 2015
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The biggest problem with DO school for those who want to do allopathic residency is the emphasis on OMM, in my opinion. You only have limited time in a day and if you spend time studying OMM then by definition you have less time for USMLE.
So, you do worse on the USMLE then you could have otherwise done. You also do worse on the COMPLEX because you spend time on the USMLE. In other words, you cannot devote time to mastering one exam like an MD student can. So you end up with lower scores on both exams then you otherwise could have done had you focused on one.
This negatively impacts your chance at a selective allopathic residency. And worst comes to worse, say you are dismissed from residency, a lower USMLE score would make it harder to get into another residency, as step 1 is still considered in such situations and transferring.
DO is like having two weights around you in a race. Many have a negative perception of DO in the first place (which I believe is unwarranted as med school admission is so much luck). And then OMM prevents you from doing your absolute best in the most objective tool residencies use to evaluate you. When you factor in less access to rotations and research that DO schools have compared to even low-tire MD schools, it really is an uphill battle. You have weights around you and dress shoes while the other runners have Nikes...
So, you do worse on the USMLE then you could have otherwise done. You also do worse on the COMPLEX because you spend time on the USMLE. In other words, you cannot devote time to mastering one exam like an MD student can. So you end up with lower scores on both exams then you otherwise could have done had you focused on one.
This negatively impacts your chance at a selective allopathic residency. And worst comes to worse, say you are dismissed from residency, a lower USMLE score would make it harder to get into another residency, as step 1 is still considered in such situations and transferring.
DO is like having two weights around you in a race. Many have a negative perception of DO in the first place (which I believe is unwarranted as med school admission is so much luck). And then OMM prevents you from doing your absolute best in the most objective tool residencies use to evaluate you. When you factor in less access to rotations and research that DO schools have compared to even low-tire MD schools, it really is an uphill battle. You have weights around you and dress shoes while the other runners have Nikes...