What Did You Ask Your D.O.?

[Ms.DNA]

Hi. I have my first meeting (Shadowing) with a D.O. in my area this Thursday. I basically wrote him a letter, attached my CV and followed up with a call. I have a great list of questions for him, but was wondering if any of you who have done this already have a "most useful" question that you asked a D.O. Perhaps I can add it to my list. He asked me to come in with a list of goals. Besides seeing a D.O. at work, seeing how he applies the philosophy, and learning about his experiences as a D.O. in New England, should I focus on any other aspects... Thanks for your advice and any great questions that you can suggest I ask. I'm really excited to meet him and can not wait to confirm that this is the field for me!


[This message has been edited by Ms.DNA (edited 12-04-2000).]

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[WishUponAStar]

Hello,

It is great to see how excited you are about the profession! I'll give you my perspective on things.

What interests me most about osteopathy is the focus on primary care. More specifically, the focus on the state of "wellness". It is true that the training you receive as a doctor is only part of what will make you a physician. The rest of the philosophies are going to be what you develop with time and experience.

I am very interested in patient education. I hope to someday become the type of doctor who can integrate patient education into a standard office visit. I want them to leave understanding why they were prescribed the medicine they were prescribed. I want to bestow upon them a sense of duty to their own wellness. Prevention as well as cure!

I'll just have to figure out how to incorporate that into a 15 minute office visit. ;-)

W.

P.S. I won't ramble any more. I promise

 

[Dr JPH]

Hi There:

Here are a few questions you may want to ask:

1. What is it that drew YOU to Osteopathic Medicine?

2. How often, or if at all, do you use manual medicine (OMM) in your practice?

3. How do you feel the Osteopathic philosphy has benefitied you and your patients?

4. How are you received by your patients, particularly the ones who are not familiar with what a D.O. is?

5. Have you seen a positive trend in patient education concerning Osteopathic Medicine?

6. What do you see as the future of Osteopathic Medicine?

7. How do you consider yourself different from an MD, if you do consider yourself different at all?

8. What is the strongest aspect of Osteopathic medicine that appeals to patients?

9. Would you mind spending more time with me, maybe during a lunch break, so that I could discuss my future and interest in Osteopathic Medicine more with you?

10. Do you feel that you could write me a strong letter of recommendation? (save this one for later)

My advice...enjoy the experience. Have fun with it...I did.

Don't be afraid to talk to the doctor on a personal level about your goals.

Best of luck to you!

------------------
Joshua Paul Hazelton, CNA, EMT-B
[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (2002)
"D.O. Wannabe"

 

[Ms.DNA]

Wow. Great advice and questions. Just another quick one. Do you tell the D.O. right up front that you will be asking them for a recommendation? I feel a little awkward about this. Was this letter always a requirement, in other words, is it likely that this D.O. had to get a letter when he was applying as well? I don't want to give him the impression that all I want is a letter. More than the letter I just want to educate myself.
Thanks so much!

 

[melancholy]

Originally posted by Ms.DNA:
Wow. Great advice and questions. Just another quick one. Do you tell the D.O. right up front that you will be asking them for a recommendation? I feel a little awkward about this. Was this letter always a requirement, in other words, is it likely that this D.O. had to get a letter when he was applying as well? I don't want to give him the impression that all I want is a letter. More than the letter I just want to educate myself.
Thanks so much!

That observation sounds about right.. and it makes sense the more you think about it... that the D.O. you're talking had to go through the same process of attaining a recommendation letter from a D.O. (or an allopathic physician in some cases) in order to apply to D.O. schools. I did come up with a lot of roadblocks with D.O.'s who said they were too swamped with med students or work to allow me to shadow them, but they would've been happy to chat with me. I came up with a few D.O.'s who I could never directly get in touch with over the phone and I never did get any responses from their secretaries or voice mails. (Somewhat expected). In the end, I attained my letter though, but I was honest with the folks at my interview at COMP and I think they appreciated the fact that I was persistent in finding a D.O. who would write a letter on my behalf.
Opps.. sorry for rambling. In any case, when you first talk to your D.O., just reintroduce yourself and what your status is with applying to D.O. schools... if you feel comfortable, you probably should mention the letter of recommendation requirement. Who knows.. maybe your D.O. will reminisce on his/her experiences of trying to find a D.O. letter too, but at least you're being honest with them. I think if you ask them intelligent questions and show genuine interest in the short time available, it will definitely help out a lot more. Good luck with the doctor!

 

[Dr JPH]

I am not sure if the previous poster said this (sorry, don't have time to read it all now!), but I am sure that the doc knows you need letter.
As long as you are polite and ask in a respectful manner and present yourself professionally, I can't imagine why they would say know.
Get to know him/her first...and make sure they know you!

Best of luck to you!


------------------
Joshua Paul Hazelton, CNA, EMT-B
[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (2002)
"D.O. Wannabe"

 

[adismo]

The best approach is the direct approach:

"Hello, I am a graduate student looking to shadow a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. I am interested in the field. Is the doctor in today?"

...or at least in my case it was. I had called about eight offices until I found a DO that let me shadow him. And this is on the west coast, where DO's are few and far between.

Here's another question that deserves asking?

"What $80,000 luxury or sports vehicle did you purchase and why?"

"Have you ever considered the Porsche? why or why not?"

Anyways, good luck.