One of the reasons why I am interested in DO also is because of OMM. But question, are OMM's used frequently?
No, OMM is not used frequently by practicing DO's. A minority of DO's use it regularly. I think it's unfortunate, but it is the reality right now, since it is rather useful as an adjunctive mode of therapy. However, it is also true that it does not lend itself to all specialties, as it will become apparent as you learn more about medicine.
Can a DO do EVERYTHING an MD can do? for example, a pediatric MD is the same as pediatric DO except the pediatric DO got an additional training in OMM? is an MD surgeon basically the same as a DO surgeon?
Okay, I am choosing to answer your question because I think it is an honest one. We get this one frequently and sometimes my emotions get the better of me when I hear it. To ask such a question is to be ignorant of modern medicine, but I know that many still are, and I understand. Sadly, today, even after more than a century of presence, DO's are still not as well recognized as their peers, probably by virtue of their minority status among practitioners of medicine and by the subborness of the old-schoolers and the more conservative among us, who attempt to draw out the few, insignificant remaining distinctions in order to preserve the status quo of our separateness. Well, as Plessy vs. Ferguson taught us, separate is not equal. I think until we come to terms with the fact that there is virtually no difference between us and allopathic physicians, except for a few bits of history and a therapeutic modality that anyone can learn, and we keep spending our energy preserving the past, that is exactly where we will remain. We can be guided by history, but we must not be limited by it.
Anyway, enough of politics. To answer your question, yes, DO's are virtually identical to the MD. You won't be able to tell the difference a majority of the time, unless the DO is using OMM, or he tells you his degree. With the exception of that, both receive equivalent training and more importantly, perhaps, practice to the very same standard of care. The only difference, today, is that DO's are required to learn OMM in medical school. This does not mean that practicing DO's use it, simply that they are required to learn it and tested on it. A DO pediatrician, or surgeon, or whatever specialty, is completely and utterly equivalent to an MD pediatrician, or surgeon, or whatever specialty. There can be NO doubt about it.
. But she was an FP and used it quite frequently.
