Where do D.O.'s usually work?

[jimmmmyi]

Hey everyone! I am from California, and I don't normally see many D.O.'s working at the hospitals I've been to, such as UCSF, Kaiser, or other big hospitals. Is this because D.O.'s are scarce in California, particularly in bigger cities or is it because D.O.'s typically go into private practice? Do hospitals prefer MD's over DO's? Ideally I would like to be a physician in a hospital in a city because I like working with a team of professionals and clinicians/researchers in many specialities. I'd rather not work in private practice, so this information would be very helpful for me to decide whether or not I wanna apply DO. Also, do big research hospitals such as UCSF, UCLA, Columbia, etc. have residency spots that allow DO's to apply for? I've read a couple posts and people seem sensitive when it comes to MD vs. DO. I just want some objective comments/information please...no bashing MD's or DO's. Thanks!

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[pguin]

im not saying this in an offensive way to you at all but your question really shows the only problem that I see in the DO degree. The majority of the public without a medical education have no idea what a DO is and how they differ from MD's. You definately need to research the issue a lot more before you decide to apply to a DO school. However, heres some points that might be able to help you just a bit.

*MD's and DO's work side by side in every single specialty. DO's can work in any hospital and I'm positive that many DO's work in the hospitals you mentioned. You may not have seen them because DO's are only 10% of the physician population and allopathic and osteopathic grads in a hospital dont call each other DO and MD, they call each other doctor.

*DO's tend to go into primary care fields (though they are by no means required to) so I guess they have more of a tendency to be in private practice but many many many still work in large hospitals

*A DO must pass COMLEX boards to graduate and enter a DO residency, however they can also take the USMLE and enter an MD residency if they choose to. An MD can not enter a DO residency because of the lack in training in OMT. Some MD residencies may show some preference to MD's but in general a highly qualified DO can get the same top residencies that a highly qualified MD gets.

*If you feel you want to go into research then an MD program may be a better fit. DO programs do have research opportunities but it is not as high a priority as in MD programs.

*DO's have a different philosophy towards medicine but theres probably 400 posts on here so I wont go into it. It really just becomes a matter of preference and which is a better fit for you. They'll both give you all the education that you need.

*The DO vs MD fight is something that doesnt really exist in the professional world any more. Its now just confined to SDN. I have heard of older MD's who have some prejudice against DO's but luckily they're dying off.

These are just my opinions in reference to the questions that u asked, hoped this helps a little.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Hey everyone! I am from California, and I don't normally see many D.O.'s working at the hospitals I've been to, such as UCSF, Kaiser, or other big hospitals. Is this because D.O.'s are scarce in California, particularly in bigger cities or is it because D.O.'s typically go into private practice? Do hospitals prefer MD's over DO's? Ideally I would like to be a physician in a hospital in a city because I like working with a team of professionals and clinicians/researchers in many specialities. I'd rather not work in private practice, so this information would be very helpful for me to decide whether or not I wanna apply DO. Also, do big research hospitals such as UCSF, UCLA, Columbia, etc. have residency spots that allow DO's to apply for? I've read a couple posts and people seem sensitive when it comes to MD vs. DO. I just want some objective comments/information please...no bashing MD's or DO's. Thanks!

There is actually a big population of DOs in CA. Check out Western's and Touro-MI's match list. There are many CA hospitals.

 

[jkhamlin]

Hey everyone! I am from California, and I don't normally see many D.O.'s working at the hospitals I've been to, such as UCSF, Kaiser, or other big hospitals. Is this because D.O.'s are scarce in California, particularly in bigger cities or is it because D.O.'s typically go into private practice? Do hospitals prefer MD's over DO's? Ideally I would like to be a physician in a hospital in a city because I like working with a team of professionals and clinicians/researchers in many specialities. I'd rather not work in private practice, so this information would be very helpful for me to decide whether or not I wanna apply DO. Also, do big research hospitals such as UCSF, UCLA, Columbia, etc. have residency spots that allow DO's to apply for? I've read a couple posts and people seem sensitive when it comes to MD vs. DO. I just want some objective comments/information please...no bashing MD's or DO's. Thanks!

Chances are you have seen DO's and didn't know it. It's kind of like a Big Foot sighting, it happens really fast and it's kind of blurry.

 

[harrypotter]

Chances are you have seen DO's and didn't know it. It's kind of like a Big Foot sighting, it happens really fast and it's kind of blurry.

omg, i love it!

 

[Playmakur42]

Where do DO's work?

In the hospital, they are required to stay in the basement. Their offices are next to the maintenance guys office and the morgue and they are required to enter the hospital through the back door by the dumpster so that none of the patients see them. They are allowed on the above ground floors one at a time to visit the cafeteria, and only for brief (15 minute) intervals, and they must wear scarlet colored scrubs with the letters "DO" on them in really big yellow letters.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. DO's are basically the same as MD's. Go to "search" or "FAQ's" and you will find an encylopedia of posts describing the minor differences between the two. Pay no mind to the rude comments, just focus on the well written informative posts when you're reading them and you should find the answers you seek.

 

[DrMom]

duplicate thread in Osteo, so closing this one.