What's the difference

[Vikramjeet]

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I'm still confused about what's the difference between being an DO or MD? Please help.

 

[stoic]

straight from the AOA website:

D.O.s and M.D.s are alike in many ways:

* Applicants to both D.O. and M.D. colleges typically have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on scientific courses.

* Both D.O.s and M.D.s complete four years of basic medical education.

* After medical school, both D.O.s and M.D.s can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine -- such as psychiatry, surgery or obstetrics -- after completing a residency program which requires an additional two to six years of training.

* Both D.O.s and M.D.s must pass comparable state licensing examinations.

* D.O.s and M.D.s both practice in fully accredited and licensed health care facilities.

* D.O.s comprise a separate, yet equal branch of American medical care. Together, D.O.s and M.D.s enhance the state of care available in America.

D.O.s bring something extra to medicine:

* Osteopathic medical schools emphasize training students to be primary care physicians.

* D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they assess the overall health of their patients including home and work environments.

* Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive health care.

* D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system -- your body?s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of its body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an injury or illness in one part of your body can affect another.

* Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose injury and illness and to encourage your body?s natural tendency toward good health. By combining all other medical procedures with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

I still love the 0 posts people asking these questions.... The above post explains it all. If the search on SDN, aacom website and google don't help you, I don't know what to say...but, uhmmm.... trolls starting MD vs. DO threads are getting old 🙄 If you're not, then try the sources I mentioned, they've got some of the best descriptions about Osteopathy out there.

 

[Luck]

I'm still confused about what's the difference between being an DO or MD? Please help.

An MD has the possibility of being as good of a physician as a DO. An MD learns everything a DO does minus the OMM. All premeds should know that if you can't get into a DO school, an MD school may be used as a good back up. 😛

 

[kaikai128]

An MD has the possibility of being as good of a physician as a DO. An MD learns everything a DO does minus the OMM. All premeds should know that if you can't get into a DO school, an MD school may be used as a good back up. 😛

I love a sense of humor.

Seriously: OP...research it. The information on here is mostly on more specific things...and a lot of people who are going to be prejudice on one side of the topic or another....this is not the best place to look if you are wanting to really find out good info about the differences.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

An MD has the possibility of being as good of a physician as a DO. An MD learns everything a DO does minus the OMM. All premeds should know that if you can't get into a DO school, an MD school may be used as a good back up. 😛

 

[Fermata]

The two degrees are much more similar than they are different.

 

[fullefect1]

"* D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they assess the overall health of their patients including home and work environments."

I think they should take this off their site. So many DO's go into MD residencies, and I have had a couple of MD doctors in my day and they also treated me as a "whole person". I don't think you can just treat specific symptoms or illnesses while being a primary care doctor.

 

[cdreed]

Read The DOs by Gevitz. You will find many answers there. If you are truly interested in osteopathic medicine, then you will eventually read it anyway.