Top DO schools

[gmcguitar4]

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I was just wondering what the top 5 DO programs are? Or if anyone knows where to find a ranking of DO schools?

I understand that when choosing a school you choose which one is best for you based on program, cost, location, etc, but I just wanted to know if there were rankings out there.

Do DO or MD residencies consider some DO programs more prestigious than others?

 

[DrWily]

I was just wondering what the top 5 DO programs are? Or if anyone knows where to find a ranking of DO schools?

I understand that when choosing a school you choose which one is best for you based on program, cost, location, etc, but I just wanted to know if there were rankings out there.

Do DO or MD residencies consider some DO programs more prestigious than others?

Not ranked. General opinion is that more established (older) schools are better because of long-standing connections with hospitals for better clinical rotation sites.

 

[Mbeas]

Not ranked. General opinion is that more established (older) schools are better because of long-standing connections with hospitals for better clinical rotation sites.

inb4whataretheolderDOschools

 

[techko]

I was just wondering what the top 5 DO programs are? Or if anyone knows where to find a ranking of DO schools?

I understand that when choosing a school you choose which one is best for you based on program, cost, location, etc, but I just wanted to know if there were rankings out there.

Do DO or MD residencies consider some DO programs more prestigious than others?

there is no ranking.. usnews does rank some programs.. mds are definitely familiar with des moines, phila. and the older state funded do schools

 

[FrkyBgStok]

There a thousand threads like this, most with the exact same thread title, so a search should have been very very easy.

 

[drgioiadds]

The top DO school is the one that is the right fit for you. Your education is your responsibility and what you make of the school experience. The dental school I went to was not a top performer on the national boards, but worked hard and scored very well. If you are proactive, you'll do well no matter where you go.

 

[DocEspana]

 

[gmcguitar4]

yea but it was way less effort to just post on here 🙂.

I understand that it depends on how well I did..but when you apply to residency or fellowship from MD --> MD they 100% factor in what program you came from. So I guess if you are going from DO --> MD they just see you as a DO in general. and DO --> DO its just a matter of how well you did and the program does not factor in too much.

 

[munchymanRX]

yea but it was way less effort to just post on here 🙂.

I understand that it depends on how well I did..but when you apply to residency or fellowship from MD --> MD they 100% factor in what program you came from. So I guess if you are going from DO --> MD they just see you as a DO in general. and DO --> DO its just a matter of how well you did and the program does not factor in too much.

Depends on the program. Some don't even take DOs and some don't even care what program you came from-only how you did on boards and in rotations.

I'd say that the more popular a program is with applicants, the more criteria they're going to use to narrow their field.

Also, for what it's worth, the AOA does not provide residencies in every specialty. There are some that require you to go DO--->MD in your postgrad years.

 

[painmd87]

Also, for what it's worth, the AOA does not provide residencies in every specialty. There are some that require you to go DO--->MD in your postgrad years.

It would be helpful to list these.

Off the top of my head, I came up with:

Pathology
PM&R (in name)

 

[willen101383]

It would be helpful to list these.

Off the top of my head, I came up with:

Pathology
PM&R (in name)

Rad onc.

 

[lolcat]

Quick question for you guys. I really don't care whether I go MD or DO route, but due to my poor grades my first 3 semesters, it looks like I will have to go the DO route, which I'm fine with. I took take an extra year and improve my app but I want to get started as soon as I can.

Thing is that I'm really interested in surgery and was wondering if I would be at a disadvantage if I chose the DO route (in terms of residency). Should I go ACGME or AOA?

 

[Nymphicus]

right on schedule

 

[Mbeas]

Quick question for you guys. I really don't care whether I go MD or DO route, but due to my poor grades my first 3 semesters, it looks like I will have to go the DO route, which I'm fine with. I took take an extra year and improve my app but I want to get started as soon as I can.

Thing is that I'm really interested in surgery and was wondering if I would be at a disadvantage if I chose the DO route (in terms of residency). Should I go ACGME or AOA?

Well, obviously you would be at a disadvantage as a DO entering the preferred ACGME route. Either way, surgery is hard to match, with ACGME being harder than AOA.

 

[lolcat]

lol thanks, and my bad for hijacking the thread... just didn't want to make a new one.

I'm going to search for threads that show any disadvantages on going AOA vs ACGME.

 

[gmcguitar4]

http://opportunities.osteopathic.org/search/search.cfm

 

[munchymanRX]

This thread is moot. Everyone knows you're better off going to SGU or Ross over US DO..... WHAT NOW!? 🙄

 

[FrkyBgStok]

this thread is moot. Everyone knows you're better off going to sgu or ross over us do..... what now!? 🙄

oh no you di'int!

 

[drgioiadds]

DDS or DMD? LOL

 

[DocEspana]

Janitor vs custodian.

just kidding, we all know janitor is just a local us offshoot of custodian with American sweeping rights, but totally useless if you ever want to work overseas.

 

[Dissected]

Quick question for you guys. I really don't care whether I go MD or DO route, but due to my poor grades my first 3 semesters, it looks like I will have to go the DO route, which I'm fine with. I took take an extra year and improve my app but I want to get started as soon as I can.

Thing is that I'm really interested in surgery and was wondering if I would be at a disadvantage if I chose the DO route (in terms of residency). Should I go ACGME or AOA?

No disadvantage either way as long as you go to a strong residency. Both AOA and ACGME have strong and weak programs. Might be hard to match ACGME surgery, but there are a handful of DO's that do it every year.

 

[drctother]

I was just wondering what the top 5 DO programs are? Or if anyone knows where to find a ranking of DO schools?

I understand that when choosing a school you choose which one is best for you based on program, cost, location, etc, but I just wanted to know if there were rankings out there.

Do DO or MD residencies consider some DO programs more prestigious than others?

To be honest, one of the most prestigious DO schools is Alaskan Osteopathic University. Its just opening, but its been quite a big deal in the medical world since most of its faculty consists of MD profs from Harvard, Cornell, etc.

Check it out

 

[I Do Not Get It]

DDS or DMD? LOL

You're implying that MD and DO are the same degree, they are not. DDS and DMD are both accredited by the same organization - the schools that award the DMD do so because they award all their degrees in Latin. So DDS and DMD are the same exact thing and the difference between the two are non-existent.

DO and MD are not accredited by the same organization. COCA vs. the LCME which have very different standards. The DO and the MD degree are different, hence why DOs are "osteopathic" rather than traditional physicians. I'm not making a comment about quality of education I'm simply saying that they are different.

As to the original post, It is impossible to have a clear cut rankings as no DO schools are ranked. When it comes to "prestige" which I assume you're alluding to, the olders likely have more. But ultimately it's a lot like being the skinniest kid at fat camp.

 

[DocEspana]

You're implying that MD and DO are the same degree, they are not. DDS and DMD are both accredited by the same organization - the schools that award the DMD do so because they award all their degrees in Latin. So DDS and DMD are the same exact thing and the difference between the two are non-existent.

DO and MD are not accredited by the same organization. COCA vs. the LCME which have very different standards. The DO and the MD degree are different, hence why DOs are "osteopathic" rather than traditional physicians. I'm not making a comment about quality of education I'm simply saying that they are different.

As to the original post, It is impossible to have a clear cut rankings as no DO schools are ranked. When it comes to "prestige" which I assume you're alluding to, the olders likely have more. But ultimately it's a lot like being the skinniest kid at fat camp.

Their standards are not any different. COCA standards are built around LCME standards, clause for clause with only different word choice. The one major exception, no ban on for-profit education, comes from a loophole due to the wording not being strong enough.

(sorry, I had to. saying COCA and LCME standards are different is only true if you're expecting verbatim 100% identical wording. Outside of that, they are the same in every way)

 

[poopyhead]

Their standards are not any different. COCA standards are built around LCME standards, clause for clause with only different word choice.

Hrm....very few DO schools have strong (basic) research programs/NIH funding. Also, they rarely have their own hospitals. Are these not part of the accrediting standards 😕

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Hrm....very few DO schools have strong (basic) research programs/NIH funding. Also, they rarely have their own hospitals. Are these not part of the accrediting standards 😕

NIH funding/research programs : For the most part this is not part of the accreditation, but it's probably somewhere up there..
Own Hospitals: No, many USMD schools do not have their own teaching hospitals.

 

[DocEspana]

Hrm....very few DO schools have strong (basic) research programs/NIH funding. Also, they rarely have their own hospitals. Are these not part of the accrediting standards 😕

Nope. Despite tons of people on here asserting the only thing holding back LCME accreditation is a lack of research and NIH funding, its totally nonsense and is nowhere on the LCME standards.

now I will say that a lack of research *does* hold up schools...but that's because the home institution agrees to have the medical school (which dont generally make a ton of money on their own) only on the condition that there be significant research there and a high percent of the research money goes into slush funds rather than medical school specific funds. This is so the undergrads/grads can use the medical research labs (saves some money on resource utilization since ugs/grads will use any machines the future docs are too busy to use) and because research = $$$ for the home institution. It's the home institutions desire for a larger cut of the research money than the medical school desires to give that often holds allopathic schools in contract limbo. It has nothing to do with accreditation.

and as was said above. Plenty of MD schools have no affiliated university hospital. They just are the minority, but far from an insignificant number. If nothing else, it is not part of the accreditation requirements set forth (this I know, Im currently working with COCA, and LCME to try to put this exact stuff into both of their requirements to prevent some shenanigans that are going on with offshore schools)

 

[poopyhead]

So, current DO schools can pass LCME accreditation standards as is (not counting RVU)?

If so, is it safe to assume DO schools deliberately chose to be DO schools, rather than MD schools?

 

[costales]

now I will say that a lack of research *does* hold up schools...but that's because the home institution agrees to have the medical school (which dont generally make a ton of money on their own) only on the condition that there be significant research there and a high percent of the research money goes into slush funds rather than medical school specific funds.

FWIW This was highlighted in the recent decision by the Association of American Universities to boot out the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, which had been a member for over 100 years. A major reason was that Nebraska couldn't count the medical research funding at its medical school because it was a separate institution in Omaha. See
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/education/03aau.html
http://journalstar.com/news/local/education/article_d9eca939-b681-535d-ad1a-a98d9ef3b01e.html

 

[DocEspana]

So, current DO schools can pass LCME accreditation standards as is (not counting RVU)?

If so, is it safe to assume DO schools deliberately chose to be DO schools, rather than MD schools?

They would pass if the LCME were the body evaluating them. Though I would not go as far as to suggest the second part. There is mucho politics, and you'll find that many schools arose as opportunity presented itself. The state (or region, in some cases) began investigating the possiblity of a new school and the local osteopathic society jumped on the opportunity and facilitated it with the express intent of doing it quicker than any allopathic competitor. The urge to expand the osteopathic practice lead to many schools being osteopathic because the osteo society/vested interests were willing to sacrifice ideal results for the ability to be the first proposal out of the gates. Not that any of those sacrifices would break any accreditation requirements, just not the ideal. Early bird gets the worm so to speak.

The examples im thinking of fall along the lines of while a potential allopathic school is locked in a contract disagreement with a major university over how much research they can guarantee in years 1, 2 and 3 of existence, the potential osteopathic school is pitched to smaller schools desperate for the affiliation who will accept whatever is offered, avoiding the entire quagmire the allopathic schools face, but leaving them with no university support for research once they open.

 

[poopyhead]

The urge to expand the osteopathic practice lead to many schools being osteopathic because the osteo society/vested interests were willing to sacrifice ideal results for the ability to be the first proposal out of the gates. Not that any of those sacrifices would break any accreditation requirements, just not the ideal. Early bird gets the worm so to speak.

Would you be able to elaborate? Or is that information not suppose to be public?

Thanks for all the info btw. 👍

 

[DocEspana]

Would you be able to elaborate? Or is that information not suppose to be public?

Thanks for all the info btw. 👍

edited my post above to expand a bit. This is just from conversations between various osteopathic school students and allopathic school students at national meetings. I like to ask how your school ended up being formed (clearly a more pertinent question with newer schools) cause there is always a story. As there was with mine (but touro's story is dull. it was all because of a rich mother institution and two highly interest DOs meeting up and making it happen. Other places have much more fun stories of institutions screwing over other ones to get the school in their system)