Transfering from DO-MD school

[combatwombat]

In doing background research while filling out apps, I noticed one MD school that accepts transfer students from DO schools, typically after they complete their second year (linky). I never really thought it was possible to transfer from DO-MD. Does anybody know more about this option? I imagine it's more difficult than it sounds.

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[Law2Doc]

In doing background research while filling out apps, I noticed one MD school that accepts transfer students from DO schools, typically after they complete their third year (linky). I never really thought it was possible to transfer from DO-MD. Does anybody know more about this option? I imagine it's more difficult than it sounds.

Not sure how this is nontrad specific. However, transferring in med school is extremely rare (not the same animal as undergrad at all), and going from DO to MD is even rarer. Most med schools only allow people to transfer after at least two years and satisfactory completion of USMLE Step 1, only allow transferees if they have a spot (most places will have 2 or fewer open slots each year), only select the best of the potential transferees, and only only only allow people to transfer for a bona fide reason, such as a spouse being transferred, the need to be closer to an ailing close relative, significant health reasons, and the like. So it's not something you can bank on. And very hard to transfer uphill -- ie to a school you would not have gotten into in the first place. I think it's so rare to go from a DO to MD school for your fourth year that it's not even worth mentioning. Sure it's happened, but meteors have struck houses too, that doesn't mean you should go hide in the basement. Things that are so rare can be deemed irrelevant. You should consider transferring from a DO school to an MD school for your fourth year irrelevant. Don't go to med school thinking this will be an option. Most med schools won't even be taking more than 1-2 allo-allo transferrees, and they will all be "forced" to relocate due to a spouse's job transfer. And those folks still have to beat out all the other forced transferrees. Don't kid yourself that this happens in any number, or that you can somehow turn your DO degree to MD by graduation. If you think DO is inadequate for your purposes, then don't apply to DO. I also would suggest that since 4th year is when you generally apply for the match, you will still be applying with 3 years of osteo stats, and so you will have the same luck as if you had applied to residencies directly from the osteo school, but will have more to explain.

 

[combatwombat]

Not sure how this is nontrad specific.

I thought posting in either of the osteopathic forums would be 1)be insulting to some of the serious osteopathic people and 2) attract comments from smacktards who do not respect osteopathy

I also would suggest that since 4th year is when you generally apply for the match, you will still be applying with 3 years of osteo stats,

I think SUNY Buffalo accept students who have completed their 2nd year, so it would be for the 3rd year.

Thanks for the comments though, I wasn't expecting it to be a likely possibility

 

[ShyRem]

It is difficult to transfer. At best. Generally you have to have some incredible reason and the blessings of both deans. I would imagine getting the blessing from your original DO school dean would be... well... at the very least incredibly expensive, and more realistically you'd have a better chance winning the lottery.

I personally know of only one such transfer, and that was for a student whose mother was dying of cancer. Even with that, the student had to make an extremely good case for why they just didn't take a leave of absence for a year (I don't know how they did that, but apparently it worked). And frankly, while many many people ask about the possibility of transferring, I haven't actually heard of any success stories other than the one I already mentioned (and that wasn't on SDN).