Yes this is true but what is more important and something noone thinks as premed is pick schools that have their own residencies in these specialized fields. This way you have much higher chance of getting into these fields esp from the DO side. I have myself deliberated this but I feel that if you go into primary care, your chances of subspecialty are still there to make you feel adequate. Surgery is still too far away to be set on for sure in my opinion and if you are too concerned then try going into more established DO programs like PCOM that basically match you into every field across the board. Beyond that even if you attend an up and coming school, as long as faculty and administration are top notch and you do really well on boards, you are bound to have opportunities that will lead you towards your ultimate destination. That's just my opinion. A learned administration can weigh in.
There are DO's who "outmatch" MD's every year, and vice versa. For some reason, everyone wants what's easiest.
Hard truth: you are going to have to bust tail either way. My old roommate, before starting medical school, was set on becoming a neurosurgeon. He is now in FM residency in the boonies down south (horrible board scores). Just because he went MD didn't mean automatic success.
*If you want it, you will get it if you work hard enough*. It's that simple.
I can't believe the bickering that goes on over a profession that is supposed to be about helping people. MD/DO:
-Same pay
-Same privileges
-Same specialties
-Same outfit
-Same title (DOCTOR)
"Well, the average MCAT score and GPA is lower on the DO-side of the table!".
Grow up. I forget the exact statistics, but 2/3 of MD student's parents make over 150K and nearly the same quantity have at least one parent as a physician. A lot more goes into becoming a doctor than MCAT and GPA, and both of the aforementioned have lots to do with SES and accompanying opportunities. I know FAR too many knuckleheads who got an MD acceptance for reasons other than merit to consider MD>DO (especially since Caribbean gets an MD).
That is my rant for the day. I apologize. But for those of you going the DO route either by choice or by force, just know that this 'stigma' doesn't exist in the real world (i.e. in the clinic or the hospital). You are a physician and your colleagues, patients, and fellow staff members will treat you as such. You will find DO's as presidents, chiefs, etc. People may be willing to be elitists behind their computer screens, but that's usually as far as it goes. And if it doesn't stop there, that person isn't worth your time to begin with.
Be thankful that you have an opportunity to become a doctor and run with it.
