Cristonda
New Member
I've been doing research and asking current MD and DO doctors and even current med students and I really don't know which route to go. Can anyone please help me by giving me some advice?
Do you think people actually read the TOS when they create an account?Why did you post this in both the MD and DO forums?
DO by far and away is the better option. Cheaper and way better chance of landing a desired specialty especially if you go to one of the more established DO programs.
Not to sound rude, but are you sure you actually researched this thoroughly? This topic has been beaten to death, not only here, but all over the internet.
Why did you post this in both the MD and DO forums?
The premed subreddit has a very good stickied post on why the Carribean schools can be sketchy. I’d read it if you haven’t yet. As for “SGU having a 93% match”, think to yourself (or better read the subreddit post and do better research) how many students SGU failed out before even getting a chance to apply to match. Compare that to the attrition rate at the newest DO school (most US schools have very few fail out of their class while carribean schools have up to a 50% attrition rate...which they don’t post). AAMC and AACOMAS have very transparent data on their sites regarding every school’s enrollment numbers year by year and a ton of other very useful numbers/data.Well only because currently I got accepted to one of the newer DO schools where their graduating class is waiting for a match (so they don't have their stats yet). In avg they say DO match rate is ~80%. But SGU has 93% match rate.
Is avg DO match rate really that low? Anyone knows which school contributed the most to such a bad match rate?Well only because currently I got accepted to one of the newer DO schools where their graduating class is waiting for a match (so they don't have their stats yet). In avg they say DO match rate is ~80%. But SGU has 93% match rate.
Honestly, be skeptical of most numbers presented by most schools. They will not exactly be the truth depending on how they spin it. DO schools tend to stretch the truth slightly but I wouldn't be surprised if Caribbean schools really are stretching the truth.Well only because currently I got accepted to one of the newer DO schools where their graduating class is waiting for a match (so they don't have their stats yet). In avg they say DO match rate is ~80%. But SGU has 93% match rate.
Well only because currently I got accepted to one of the newer DO schools where their graduating class is waiting for a match (so they don't have their stats yet). In avg they say DO match rate is ~80%. But SGU has 93% match rate.
Is avg DO match rate really that low? Anyone knows which school contributed the most to such a bad match rate?
I think it's 80ish% for preferred specialties (at a specific program that applicants rank 1st on their list). The overall match rate is much higher.
Ic, also when you type into Google "Osteopathic School average match rate" it will give you 82% as the result. Not sure why but it can be quite misleading for prospective applicants.
Are carribean schools considered IMG? Based off NRMP, IMGs had a 59% match rate, compare that to the 84% for US DO in 2019
How should we go about this comment?MD is more prestigious than DO, so I guess that would be the only plus of going to carib. However, if that is the reason why you want to go to the carib, just to get "MD", your kinda screwed when people ask which med school you went to as even in the general public US medical schools (including DO) > MD carib
Nevermind I misread your comment, plus I quoted it b4 you added the chunk.what you mean? You also left a good chunk of what I said out too...
An unemployable Caribbean MD is not very prestigiousMD is more prestigious than DO, so I guess that would be the only plus of going to carib. However, if that is the reason why you want to go to the carib, just to get "MD", your kinda screwed when people ask which med school you went to as even in the general public US medical schools (including DO) > MD carib.
What would I do if I was in your shoes? I would prob pick US DO as it gives greater freedom for residency spots
A doctor read your comment and disagreed with the basic pointYou would think medical students know how to read the entire comment
Check this out, I read it when I was having similar deliberations. He's a bit dramatic, and he did ultimately match cardiology, but it gives you some of the negatives of actually living in the carib and the whole experience: Million $ Mistake
If you really want to do the uber residencies (derm, ortho, neurosurg, ENT, Otho etc,) then I would take an SMP and reapply to US MD. The possibility of absolutely killing your boards and still not getting into what you truly want to do I think is enough to wait a couple years. A big part of what helped me accept and like the DO route is I have a good idea of what I want to go into, and from what I have read and who I have spoken to I see that DO's don't have trouble matching in those areas. Also you have to consider that there is no guarantee you do well in the SMP and then you are in a really rough spot.
I've been doing research and asking current MD and DO doctors and even current med students and I really don't know which route to go. Can anyone please help me by giving me some advice?
I'd read this post by @hallowmann to understand the DO match rate:
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DO Match Rate 2019
A few things: -Here are the 2016-2018 threads for reference - DO match rate 2016, DO match rate 2017, DO match rate 2018 -These numbers are all based on published reports. Reports sometimes have errors. Either way, hopefully this is useful. -This says nothing about the type of GME attained. Some...forums.studentdoctor.net
I think the 80% match rate you guys are referring to is only for the NRMP match, but DO still had the AOA match rate as well last year. On top of that there's also the military match. Overall I think the match rate for DOs was well over 93%, and the DO placement rate was 98%. We will know the true NRMP match rate for DOs this year since this is the year we finally have a complete residency merger between ACGME and AOA with only one match system.
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That 93% match rate is a statistic that requires context. It may be 93% percent for the final set of students that made it it to the fourth year and were able to put out an app to ERAS, but when you account for the many students that fail out of the program over the years, it really paints a bleak picture. I won’t lie though, if you make It through the academic slaughter house that is SGU or Ross, you do stand a decent chance at matching into programs that are the least desirable to US grads.
But what about those juicy initials you can get at the end of your name if you just risk going to the Caribbean??The choice is pretty clear after all these helpful answers which are basically facts and noncontestable. If you still are not sure at this point, I question your ability to practice evidence based medicine...
I've been doing research and asking current MD and DO doctors and even current med students and I really don't know which route to go. Can anyone please help me by giving me some advice?
Rule of Acquisition #109: Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.But what about those juicy initials you can get at the end of your name if you just risk going to the Caribbean??
I'd rather have the pile of jokes I have developed about the initials at the end of my nameBut what about those juicy initials you can get at the end of your name if you just risk going to the Caribbean??
I don't know why this thread is getting hostile. To answer your question, you should always go US DO over Caribbean if you want to practice in US.
Especially when this topic has become a weekly postNot hostile, more like tough love. The consequences of choosing carib can be pretty dire.
natmatch.com
Lol no US DO school match rate is 80%. Try upwards of 98%.Well only because currently I got accepted to one of the newer DO schools where their graduating class is waiting for a match (so they don't have their stats yet). In avg they say DO match rate is ~80%. But SGU has 93% match rate.
Match rate is 80%. Placement is 98%. Different things but both result in a job come July 1. The absolutely only thing Caribbean would be bragging about is 95% of people allowed to end the match. Not the fraction of people that started M1Lol no US DO school match rate is 80%. Try upwards of 98%.
Match rate is way more than 80% including all the different match systems. I believe @hallowmann calculations put it somewhere between 88-95%. And yes, placement (not match) rate is 98%.Match rate is 80%. Placement is 98%. Different things but both result in a job come July 1. The absolutely only thing Caribbean would be bragging about is 95% of people allowed to end the match. Not the fraction of people that started M1
Match rate is way more than 80% including all the different match systems. I believe @hallowmann calculations put it somewhere between 88-95%. And yes, placement (not match) rate is 98%.
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I've been doing research and asking current MD and DO doctors and even current med students and I really don't know which route to go. Can anyone please help me by giving me some advice?
Well only because currently I got accepted to one of the newer DO schools where their graduating class is waiting for a match (so they don't have their stats yet). In avg they say DO match rate is ~80%. But SGU has 93% match rate.
I'd read this post by @hallowmann to understand the DO match rate:
![]()
DO Match Rate 2019
A few things: -Here are the 2016-2018 threads for reference - DO match rate 2016, DO match rate 2017, DO match rate 2018 -These numbers are all based on published reports. Reports sometimes have errors. Either way, hopefully this is useful. -This says nothing about the type of GME attained. Some...forums.studentdoctor.net
I think the 80% match rate you guys are referring to is only for the NRMP match, but DO still had the AOA match rate as well last year. On top of that there's also the military match. Overall I think the match rate for DOs was well over 93%, and the DO placement rate was 98%. We will know the true NRMP match rate for DOs this year since this is the year we finally have a complete residency merger between ACGME and AOA with only one match system.
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Yup, details can be found in the thread below. The rate is somewhere in the 85-95% range for this past year, and most likely has been something like 87-89% for the last 4 yrs at least.
![]()
DO Match Rate 2019
A few things: -Here are the 2016-2018 threads for reference - DO match rate 2016, DO match rate 2017, DO match rate 2018 -These numbers are all based on published reports. Reports sometimes have errors. Either way, hopefully this is useful. -This says nothing about the type of GME attained. Some...forums.studentdoctor.net
OK, so I actually read this thread for the first time, so let me get up to speed:
To be honest, I was in your same shoes for a brief period of time, because I didn't know much about the DO degree. I quickly learned that the choice is obvious.
If your goal is practice medicine in the US, you need to go to medical school here. The facts have already been presented, so I won't rehash all of them, just fill in some gaps. Your chances of finishing medical school let alone placing in a residency from a Carib school (even the best Carib school) is on the order of 65%, if not lower. You'll also spend more for an even harder time attaining a residency, and there is a very large group of people that graduate from schools like SGU with no residency, and they literally work in fast food or jobs completely outside of medicine. If you search for those stories, you'll find them easily.
Even if you want to work abroad, going Carib is the wrong choice. I assumed initially, again until I actually researched it, that an MD degree is an MD degree, but the truth is most countries, including the US, view the Carib MD degree as generally much lower than other degrees. When I actually compared head-to-head the number of countries that were willing to license US DOs compared to MD from SGU, more countries still recognized the US DO degree, and that number is only increasing.
As far as how you'll be viewed, most people won't care. The less you care, the less you'll notice it. I'm pretty happy with my degree, and honestly the only times patients bring it up is when they comment on how much they love their DO PCP or how their daughter is in DO school now.
You've already been told, but that information is false. SGU at best can claim a placement rate somewhere in the 75-80% range. That completely ignores the 20-25%+ of people that are kicked out from each class.
To clarify some numbers, they actually accept on the order of 1800-2000 per academic year (spread across the semesters), so the first 5 terms have far more students than the 3rd and 4th year, but they are weeded out. Can you imagine dropping on the order of $90k/yr tuition alone (SGU's actual cost, but they divide it into weird length "terms" to make it seem like less - first 2 yrs tuition is >$180k and the whole 4 years is >$330k in tuition alone) only to be kicked out before you're even allowed to sit for USMLE Step 1? Plenty of SGU students experience that.
DO, even a brand new DO school, is a far safer bet than any Carib school. Average attrition at DO schools is ~7-8%, some with as little at 3-4% and others (the biggest offenders) closer to 12%. They all pale in comparison to even the best Carib MD school, which is at least double or triple that.
As far as the DO match rate on the NRMP report, that match rate include DO graduates, which generally bring down the match rate. To give you an idea, the US MD senior NRMP match rate is on the order of 93-95%, but if you incorporate US MD graduates, it pulls the average down to 90-91%. The true DO match rate is in the high 80s, with placement in the high 90s (i.e. similar to US MD senior placement rates). You can get more info in my thread about the DO match rate in 2019 (and links to the 2016-2018 threads as well).
See above. The match rate reported by the NRMP match report is actually flawed in that it incorporates the DO graduate match rate with the DO senior match rate. Its all explained in my thread that you quoted.
Can you please clarify the difference between match and placement
Can you please clarify the difference between match and placement
NO, If you can make it to match day in the Caribbean, you're more likely to match into primary care programs at undesired locations and/or IMG malignant sweatshops. At least with DO you can also match some programs outside of primary care, and primary care programs in better locations.Would you all say though in the long run Carribbean MD is better than DO? esp if one can make it through school to match day?
No. What’s better about it?Would you all say though in the long run Carribbean MD is better than DO? esp if one can make it through school to match day?