Voluntary Survey about Osteopathic Medicine

[wsingh]

I am trying to conduct a poll among the MD's and MD medical students, and trying to find out how they view DO's. I'd appreciate your respones and comments.

1. Do you consider DO's to be physicians?

2. Would you feel comfortable seeing a DO as a patient?

3. Would you feel comfortable working with a DO?

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[Castro Viejo]

In order to avoid another us vs. them debate, I strongly discourage any responses to this thread.

It's been four days since its posting, and still no one has replied. I'm glad.

Tim of New York City.

 

[galadriel]

Good for you Tim. What others think, especially what MDs think, is irrelevant. If you want to be a DO, be a DO. If you are asking these questions because you are concerned about your status, then it is already clear that DO is not for you. DOs are licensed physicians, they treat patients in the same way that MDs do, but they may also use manipulation techniques. The admission requirements to osteopathic medical schools are the same as those for allopathic medical schools. In some medical schools, the osteopathic medical school is on the same campus as the allopathic medical school. Many osteopathic medical school graduates do residencies in allopathic hospitals. I am not an osteopath nor an MD, but a retired premed advisor with 4 decades of experience.

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[Henry]

Wsingh,
Be proud of yourself, MD or DO, when you become a physician. I am currently rotation at UMDNJ-SOM as a third year (I am from NOVA), all my attendings are MDs. All I can say is they treat us as THE MEDICAL STUDENTS. They want us to learn well and able to take care of our patients when we get out.

Some people just enjoy to discriminate others for any reason they can find. For instance, even among MDs, someone from Harvard may "look down" students from SUNY!!!!!!!

Wsingh, just relax and you'll be fine.

 

[otis]

I think it depends on the institution that you work in also. I have worked in a number of community hospitals with some excellent DO's, board certified in Pulmonology and Critical Care medicine...treated with the utmost respect. I would go to them in a heartbeat. However, in the big academic city hospitals there may definately be some bias against them.

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[reed0104]

I consider D.O.'s to be VCR repairmen. Even though they spend 4yrs in med school, are eligible to practice medicine in all 50 states, and spend 3-8 yrs in residency like M.D.'s.

They obviously aren't taught the "secrets" of medicine like the M.D.'s

D.O.'s just are wannabe M.D.'s

 

[lumanyika]

They obviously aren't taught the "secrets" of medicine like the M.D.'s

D.O.'s just are wannabe M.D.'s[/B][/QUOTE]


hey Reed,
could you expound on these "secrets" that you are refering to??


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TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN,MUCH IS EXPECTED.

 

[Castro Viejo]

Is there any point in having one of these pop up YET AGAIN?

Ridiculous.


Tim of New York City.

 

[WishUponAStar]

;-)

Look Tim only had 34 posts back then.

Look at how time flies.

W.U.A.S.

 

[Brennan]

Hmmm...they both have the same requirements and the same first two year curriculum.
DO's can enter MD residencies and MD's can learn OMM.....
Reed0104 you must of over looked this easily found information.....dont go into research my friend. Although i think some of both, MD's and DO's, can fix VCRs.

 

[deleted4401]

Reed's post = sarcasm

Read it again, with this insight....

Simul

 

[turtleboard]

Originally posted by WishUponAStar:
•;-)

Look Tim only had 34 posts back then.
•

Well, actually, that's only my superman account. My "turtleboard" account has 1300+ posts right now, although with people like Kim Cox, that means squat nowadays.

 

[jf]

I love how immature pre-meds think they know it all about medical school and medicine in general. I guess when you go from high school to college to med school you haven't had the opportunity for your testicles to drop, so to speak. This DO bashing thing really needs to stop. Have any of you bashers ever been seen by a DO? I am sure many of you have and didn't even know it. There are no magical secrets that MD's learn over DO's. Both are equally qualified and have the same rights and responsibilities. What differs is the philosophy of teaching and thinking, as well as OMM.

Take it from a paramedic of 4 years, I have been dealing with DO's and MD's for many years on a professional level and there is really not much of a difference. In fact, my primary care physician is a DO. I like his philosophy of medicine and his compassion.

So for all you pre-meds that think you know what you are talking about, try growing up and worry about becoming a physcian, not whether you'll be a DO or MD.

 

[EUROdocMOM]

I am working in a military health clinic, and many of the patients don't know whose a DO, MD, NPor even a PA! They receive good medical attention and everyone's happy.
All of the docs seem to treat eachother with respect, and consult eachother as equals.
Is this the atmosphere in general in primary care or just unique to military medicine?

 

[Popoy]

Look at the original poster of this.... it was back in Sept 2000!!! Chill peeps!!!

I think WishUponAStar just wanted to show that Tim W had only 34 postings before.... not to have another discussion about them vs. us, etc....

 

[Brennan]

You know reading reed as sarcasim really did make me drop to one knee laughing..thanks for the enlightenment....

 

[bluejay]

does anyone out there think that there is any distinguishable features between DO's and MD's in practice? Yes, DO's have OMM; that is different, but I believe that many MD's have similar medical philosophy's as that of Dr. Still and Osteopathy. I think the bottom line is the mind set and value system of the physician, not the degree. There are DO's out there who never use OMM, and there are very holistic MD's, it just depends on the person. What do you all think? I'm interested in comments.

 

[Popoy]

bluejay, I suggest you search through the pre-osteo and osteo forums regarding this matter. There has been issues about how osteopathic physicians can keep their autonomy from allopathic physicians before. Your questions are the current subject of a book called "Osteopathic Medicine: A Reformation in Progress." I highly suggest reading it if you have time.

 

[kris]

I'm going to an allopathic school, but I plan on seeing a DO pronto for thoracic outlet syndrome--the one thing that has kept me from continuing my life-long love--swimming.

As long as DO treatment makes some sort of sense to me, I'll try it. I've never been one to stay within boundaries for their own sake.

--kris

 

[daveshnave]

I tend to believe that all of the bad rap that DO's receive comes completely from a small portion of the MD community, most of which don't know any better about osteopathic medicine, and 100% of which are pathetic human beings who need to knock others to make themselves feel worthwhile and valuable. Some MD's like to think of themselves as an "old boy's club" (sorry... using this phrase to make a point, not to exclude women), and therefore view DO's as inferior. But where is the basis for this really? Many, if not most, DO's go through the same allopathic DO residency programs. In this sense they are obviously as competent as an MD to practice medicine. What it really comes down to is the fact that some (not all) DO schools have lower average GPA/MCAT scores for matriculants. Come on, really... aren't we mature adults here? DO's must still pass the medical boards, and are therefore as equally qualified to practice medicine as an MD. Not to mention, the last time I checked, a person's grades have no bearing on whether or not he/she will make a great physician or not (as much as some status-driven MD's would like to believe ). While interviewing this past year at med schools, I remember one person in particular who really got under my skin. I hope for the sake of medicine in general this person was not accepted, but alas I do not know. Anyway, we started discussing MD's vs DO's, and I was explaining to him how I respect the DO philosophy and how I think some MD's wrongfully disrespect it. Anyway, this guy had the audacity to try to tell me that since they learn one more course in OMT, they therefore do not have as much time to devote to their other basic science courses, and therefore will probably receive lower grades/board scores. He then continued to relate this to their ability to become quality physicians, and summed up his argument by asking "Wouldn't you obviously want to be seen by the physician who had the higher board scores?" Frankly, I was dumbfounded, and really questioned whether or not this guy just liked to argue or if he actually believed the BS he was espousing as the truth. I must say it was at that moment I was ashamed to be interviewing at an MD school with someone like him. As a future MD, I'd be proud to work alongside a DO, and would actually be curious to learn OMT, whereas I must admit that if this guy was accepted to that school as an MD I would be appalled to ever have to work alongside this ignorant cretin. In the words of Rodney King, "Can't we just all get along?"

 

[kris]

Daveshave,

Where did you get this from:

My philosophy on life: "Go that way really fast; if anything gets in your way--- turn."

My swim teammates used to say this to me before every race. I never did find out what it was from.

-kris

 

[daveshnave]

Kris-
It's from the classic 80's movie "Better Off Dead" starring John Cusack.... and I emphasize the word classic. Anyway, in the movie they relate this phrase to a downhill ski race, so I can see how your friends would mention this while you were racing also (swimming). Check the movie out if you get a chance, but I will warn you that you probably won't like it if you're not into cheesy coming-of-age 80's comedies ala John Hughes.

 

[kris]

Originally posted by daveshnave:
•Kris-
It's from the classic 80's movie "Better Off Dead" starring John Cusack.... and I emphasize the word classic. Anyway, in the movie they relate this phrase to a downhill ski race, so I can see how your friends would mention this while you were racing also (swimming). Check the movie out if you get a chance, but I will warn you that you probably won't like it if you're not into cheesy coming-of-age 80's comedies ala John Hughes.•

Ah! I'll go rent it tonight. I graduated HS in `87, so I'm sure I'll appreciate the flick.

Thanks!
--kris

 

[Jamier2]

Originally posted by EUROdocMOM:
•I am working in a military health clinic, and many of the patients don't know whose a DO, MD, NPor even a PA! They receive good medical attention and everyone's happy.
All of the docs seem to treat eachother with respect, and consult eachother as equals.
Is this the atmosphere in general in primary care or just unique to military medicine?•

Well, your summation that many patients don't know if their doc is a MD or DO is definitely correct. My daughter had a liver transplant, and I didn't find out until this year that her surgeon was a DO. We did know who was a PA, but it wasn't a military institution.

Actually, before I found some of the pre-med forums on the net, I didn't even know there were two "kinds" of physicians. I think your statement that "They receive good medical attention and everyone's happy," is very accurate concerning the general public's perceptions of physicians. Most people don't care, as long as their physician is licensed. Beyond that, the only determinant of their choice of physician is quality of care and personality (bedside manner, etc.).

I agree with others, be proud to be a physician of either "kind", and do your best for your patients.

 

[LisaB]

Wow,

From reading these post, I am confident to say the future of healthcare looks very promising