What specialties favor MD instead of DO?

[Laurenxxxx]

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This may have been asked somewhere. If so, I apologize, I couldn't find it.

I often hear people say it "depends on what specialty you want to go into" when comparing MD vs DO. If DO are allowed at any and all specialties, there has to be at least a few specialties that highly prefer MD, since people claim that to be true. I'm wondering what those specialties are or if it really is a fair game for all. Also, anyone know specifically if pediatric hem/onc favors MD?

 

[studentp0x]

Ortho, plastics, neurosurgery are things that come to mind. Fellowship like peds surgery as well.

 

[uvrsol]

i wanna know too.. Does Hematology/Oncology in general favor MD?

 

[darklabel]

i wanna know too.. Does Hematology/Oncology in general favor MD?

This document should tell you the answer. Overall, not many DO's go for fellowships for whatever reason compared to USMDs. Also, being a USIMG puts you at a disadvantage when applying for fellowship as well.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uplo...ng-Service-1st-Edition-Published-May-2013.pdf

Go ahead and read that. Overall, it is in your best interest to go to an MD school to subspecialize. Hematology/Onc has been gaining steam lately as well as IM since it seems people are trying to find specialties with a favorable lifestyle.

 

[mvenus929]

Also, anyone know specifically if pediatric hem/onc favors MD?

To do Peds heme/onc, your first need to do Peds. Peds is generally less competitive for DO students, but it depends on where you are looking at. The top programs tend not to favor DO applicants.

Heme/Onc is not one of the most competitive peds specialties, and at least one PD for a peds heme/onc fellowship is a DO, so I'm sure you can get one if you wanted. Depends on what your CV looks like at that point.

But, across the board, more opportunities will be available to you with an MD.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Radiation Oncology... mainly because their are no DO residencies in this specialty.

 

[mysdnhandle]

.

 

[username456789]

Dermatology.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Radiation Oncology... mainly because their are no DO residencies in this specialty.

Is hematology/oncology as lifestyle friendly as rad onc?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Is hematology/oncology as lifestyle friendly as rad onc?

No.

While not all heme/onc is chemotherapy, when you have patients on that treatment they can become very ill and require hospitalization which is unusual in radiation oncology.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

No.

While not all heme/onc is chemotherapy, when you have patients on that treatment they can become very ill and require hospitalization which is unusual in radiation oncology.

That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Ismet]

Is hematology/oncology as lifestyle friendly as rad onc?

No.
While not all heme/onc is chemotherapy, when you have patients on that treatment they can become very ill and require hospitalization which is unusual in radiation oncology.

Plus there's the heme side, which includes sickle cell crises. I had a week of peds heme/onc and our hospital sees a lot of sickle cell kids for pain management...it's scary how fast they can decline to acute chest and possibly PICU. Of course I didn't get a great insight into the field from just a week, but it was a hectic week and I wouldn't say it's extremely lifestyle friendly. Probably not as time-demanding as other sub-specialties though.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Plus there's the heme side, which includes sickle cell crises. I had a week of peds heme/onc and our hospital sees a lot of sickle cell kids for pain management...it's scary how fast they can decline to acute chest and possibly PICU. Of course I didn't get a great insight into the field from just a week, but it was a hectic week and I wouldn't say it's extremely lifestyle friendly. Probably not as time-demanding as other sub-specialties though.

¡Gracias! I guess I was caught off guard when I first learned of rad onc's hours. I initially thought they would be similar to medical oncology etc.

 

[Law2Doc]

Radiation Oncology... mainly because their are no DO residencies in this specialty.

Not really the reason -- most DOs don't go to osteopathic residencies for any specialty -- there are too few such spots. Rad onc tends to take top allo students with extensive research and publications. More than a few PhDs go this route. Since osteo lags behind allo in research opportunities, the specialties that essentially require extensive research will always be full of allo grads. Certainly being unable to find good mentors could hurt, and I don't know how you'd ever know you'd like that field without exposure, but not being a PhD or having a page of publications on cancer research in your CV is usually the bigger difference.

In general the more competitive specialties in the allo match are heavily skewed toward allo grads. DOs are plentiful in all of the primary care fields and have made huge inroads into specialties like EM. DOs have a handful of their own spots in competitive things like eg derm, but if you think you want to gun for derm you'd usually rather be in a bigger pool with more spots, so you aren't putting all your eggs in one basket.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Not really the reason -- most DOs don't go to osteopathic residencies for any specialty -- there are too few such spots. Rad onc tends to take top allo students with extensive research and publications. More than a few PhDs go this route. Since osteo lags behind allo in research opportunities, the specialties that essentially require extensive research will always be full of allo grads. Certainly being unable to find good mentors could hurt, and I don't know how you'd ever know you'd like that field without exposure, but not being a PhD or having a page of publications on cancer research in your CV is usually the bigger difference.

In general the more competitive specialties in the allo match are heavily skewed toward allo grads. DOs are plentiful in all of the primary care fields and have made huge inroads into specialties like EM. DOs have a handful of their own spots in competitive things like eg derm, but if you think you want to gun for derm you'd usually rather be in a bigger pool with more spots, so you aren't putting all your eggs in one basket.

I actually know what you are mentioning here and I probably should have been more specific. If looking at it from a general stand point both AOA and ACGME, the DO grads at least have a "semi-decent" chance only if they are aiming for AOA competitive residencies. Of course, I understand there are less AOA residencies. If the comparison were just MD graduates to ACGME residencies and DO graduate to AOA residencies, then MD graduates would still have a greater percentage of matches. However, if we are talking about it from the stand point of "just matching," (including AOA and ACGME) then a DO graduate matching into dermatology or urology would have a better time than the DO graduate matching into radiation oncology (because there are only ACGME spots). In the end, you are correct the difference in research opportunities is far different between MD schools and DO schools. This the large part of the equation that makes it hard for those DOs that are interested in radiation oncology to match.

 

[airplanes]

Ophthalmology. It would a long shot,

 

[Goro]

When I was a lab tech back at Sloan-Kettering, the peds heme/onc people had the blackest senses of humor I've ever seen. Dealing with dying children is not exactly what I'd call lifestyle friendly.

Is hematology/oncology as lifestyle friendly as rad onc?

Concur with my learned colleague. Most of my students self-select for Primary Care.

Not really the reason -- most DOs don't go to osteopathic residencies for any specialty -- there are too few such spots. Rad onc tends to take top allo students with extensive research and publications. More than a few PhDs go this route. Since osteo lags behind allo in research opportunities, the specialties that essentially require extensive research will always be full of allo grads. Certainly being unable to find good mentors could hurt, and I don't know how you'd ever know you'd like that field without exposure, but not being a PhD or having a page of publications on cancer research in your CV is usually the bigger difference.

In general the more competitive specialties in the allo match are heavily skewed toward allo grads. DOs are plentiful in all of the primary care fields and have made huge inroads into specialties like EM. DOs have a handful of their own spots in competitive things like eg derm, but if you think you want to gun for derm you'd usually rather be in a bigger pool with more spots, so you aren't putting all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

When I was a lab tech back at Sloan-Kettering, the peds heme/onc people had the blackest senses of humor I've ever seen. Dealing with dying children is not exactly what I'd call lifestyle friendly.



Concur with my learned colleague. Most of my students self-select for Primary Care.

Not really the reason -- most DOs don't go to osteopathic residencies for any specialty -- there are too few such spots. Rad onc tends to take top allo students with extensive research and publications. More than a few PhDs go this route. Since osteo lags behind allo in research opportunities, the specialties that essentially require extensive research will always be full of allo grads. Certainly being unable to find good mentors could hurt, and I don't know how you'd ever know you'd like that field without exposure, but not being a PhD or having a page of publications on cancer research in your CV is usually the bigger difference.

In general the more competitive specialties in the allo match are heavily skewed toward allo grads. DOs are plentiful in all of the primary care fields and have made huge inroads into specialties like EM. DOs have a handful of their own spots in competitive things like eg derm, but if you think you want to gun for derm you'd usually rather be in a bigger pool with more spots, so you aren't putting all your eggs in one basket.

Good point. Lifestyle friendly is definitely not a good way to describe it (even if it had less hrs).

 

[Psai]

All of them

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

All residencies give preference to US MD candidates, except for PM&R where DOs are treated equally. Surgical specialties (Ophth, ENT, Derm, Ortho, etc.) strongly prefer MD candidates, although DO have success in general surgery and OB/GYN. Radiology is pretty open to DO now that we're displacing the caribbean graduates. All other specialties are very much DO attainable with family medicine being easiest.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Concur with my learned colleague. Most of my students self-select for Primary Care.

I was actually quite surprised at the number of people into primary care when I came in. Ironically, these kids tend to be the higher stat ones (3.8+, 30+) too. While I do think DO is backup to some, I've seen a very large number that really think of it as equal or prefer it.

 

[DermViser]

When I was a lab tech back at Sloan-Kettering, the peds heme/onc people had the blackest senses of humor I've ever seen. Dealing with dying children is not exactly what I'd call lifestyle friendly.

For good reason. It's bc they're constantly surrounded by death.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I was actually quite surprised at the number of people into primary care when I came in. Ironically, these kids tend to be the higher stat ones (3.8+, 30+) too. While I do think DO is backup to some, I've seen a very large number that really think of it as equal or prefer it.

The person you described fits me pretty well 😛.

I know others that are like this too.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

All residencies give preference to US MD candidates, except for PM&R where DOs are treated equally. Surgical specialties (Ophth, ENT, Derm, Ortho, etc.) strongly prefer MD candidates, although DO have success in general surgery and OB/GYN. Radiology is pretty open to DO now that we're displacing the caribbean graduates. All other specialties are very much DO attainable with family medicine being easiest.

Good post agreed.