Why D.O.?

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ericK14

ericK14

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I'm just curious why anyone who wants to comment decided to choose DO over MD? Id like to hear people's perspective on this, because this is something my friend mentioned to me today about DO, and people also mentioned this to me on previous topics. I've looked it up, but I'm still a little confused on the differences.
 
I dig the philosophy behind it all.

Not to mention every single student of these schools I have met and the practitioners I have met have been excellent. I shadow a dermatologist (DO) who is a preceptor for many different med students (MD & DO) and the DO students always seem more on the ball, and usually more mature, than the MD students (I'm not saying they're all bad but so many are quiet and shy and not nearly as focused on the pt as they should be). This doctor and a few other DO's I have either visited for my own personal care or just to briefly shadow have all been absolutely incredible. I know it's a small sample but they just all seem to have better bedside manner and are more interested in the patient as opposed to solving the mystery of their diagnosis. That type of medicine, with pt comes first, seriously matters to me, and that is the type of medicine I want to practice.

This is from someone who, up until about 5 months ago, was dead set on MD by the way.

Honestly, I would rather have a DO as my doctor, so why would I want to be a doctor that I wouldn't choose?
 
DetectiveAlonzo said:
do you have a reason for Why medicine first? Suggest you do some real soul-searching and figure that out first.
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I have my reasons for medicine, i want to help people, I want to make a difference and hopefully if I get into research, I can make a discover to help cure something. I for one wasn't trying to be rude about this subject, in just this month, I just found out about DO, I was intrigued. I only thought it was MD, I didn't know about DO.
 
igor_raptor said:
I dig the philosophy behind it all.

Not to mention every single student of these schools I have met and the practitioners I have met have been excellent. I shadow a dermatologist (DO) who is a preceptor for many different med students (MD & DO) and the DO students always seem more on the ball, and usually more mature, than the MD students (I'm not saying they're all bad but so many are quiet and shy and not nearly as focused on the pt as they should be). This doctor and a few other DO's I have either visited for my own personal care or just to briefly shadow have all been absolutely incredible. I know it's a small sample but they just all seem to have better bedside manner and are more interested in the patient as opposed to solving the mystery of their diagnosis. That type of medicine, with pt comes first, seriously matters to me, and that is the type of medicine I want to practice.

This is from someone who, up until about 5 months ago, was dead set on MD by the way.

Honestly, I would rather have a DO as my doctor, so why would I want to be a doctor that I wouldn't choose?
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Thank you, my friend was telling me that as DO in med school, you do 200 more hours on hand training in rotations, I don't know if it's true, but I find that more cultivating because of the experience. And that's pretty sweet that they are speaking up instead of staying quite. I know I like to talk and speak my mind if I'm right or wrong.
 
ericK14 said:
Thank you, my friend was telling me that as DO in med school, you do 200 more hours on hand training in rotations, I don't know if it's true, but I find that more cultivating because of the experience. And that's pretty sweet that they are speaking up instead of staying quite. I know I like to talk and speak my mind if I'm right or wrong.
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Okay, so you're talking about osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). I have personally never seen it, but I wouldn't mind additional training in something that a pt might want some day. It is another skill, you know?
 
igor_raptor said:
Okay, so you're talking about osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). I have personally never seen it, but I wouldn't mind additional training in something that a pt might want some day. It is another skill, you know?
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Like I said, I heard it from a friend, I'm not 100% where he got the info or from who, he was telling me stuff about DO med school and he said something about more hands on experience.
 
The 200 extra hours is usually referred to OMM, which is manual manipulation of the spine and associated structures.

I suggest reading the College Information Book (CIB) on AACOM's website and/or buying/borrowing The DO's: Osteopathic Medicine in America, just to get a glimpse at where we've gotten with osteopathic medicine in <200 years of practice
 
Let's be honest. Most people go to a DO school because they couldn't get into an MD school. There are people who go into osteopathic medicine because they have a genuine interest in OMM and holistic medicine but they are far and few in between. This is in no way meant to disparage DO students and physicians since many of the best physicians I know are DOs but let's look at the facts when it comes to why people end up going to DO school.
 
Location (closer to family) and price (less than private MD) were what decided it for me. My #1 DO school was roughly 600 miles closer to home and 25% cheaper than the nearest MD school I was accepted to.

I would not have gone DO over MD if I was not relatively certain that I could accomplish my goals regardless of the degree.
 
CUNYguy said:
The 200 extra hours is usually referred to OMM, which is manual manipulation of the spine and associated structures.

I suggest reading the College Information Book (CIB) on AACOM's website and/or buying/borrowing The DO's: Osteopathic Medicine in America, just to get a glimpse at where we've gotten with osteopathic medicine in <200 years of practice
Click to expand...

I'll into the book and I'll check out that website. And thank you for the clarification on OMM.
 
Its that time of the year again where peeps are looking for help answering their DO prompts. Aint no shame in yo game shorty. Do yo thangggg.
 
In my case, I am not a fan of big city living and there are quite a few DO schools in relatively rural areas. As another student mentioned, cost was also a factor, the MD school that offered me a timely invitation (I did get another MD invitation, but only after I had invested a significant amount of money, time and logistics into the DO school that I selected so I declined) would have cost me $60,000 per year just in tuition. So overall, DO school was an option that was about $12,000 per year cheaper, allows me to live in an environment that I enjoy, and fulfill my goal of become a physician.
 
This is something you have to come up with yourself. Most applicants have some DO shadowing to talk about their interest in DO from a more personal perspective, instead of mentioning it in general terms. It would be a hard sale to the admissions if all you have for "why DO" is the usual "holistic" mumbo jumbo.
 
s5260205 said:
This is something you have to come up with yourself. Most applicants have some DO shadowing to talk about their interest in DO from a more personal perspective, instead of mentioning it in general terms. It would be a hard sale to the admissions if all you have for "why DO" is the usual "holistic" mumbo jumbo.
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It's like is said, I wasn't trying to offend anyone in how I phrased it, I should have said differently, but like someone mentioned here like I did, I never knew about DO, I just recently found about this, did some research on it. I'm still looking at differences between DO and MD. I don't even know if we have much where I live but that's on my end to look up and like you mentioned, shadow one will give me a better view on things and talking to one to.
 
jamcat said:
Some of us are just curious and mean no harm! 😉

I for one had never even heard of DO before I came to SDN; I guess there just aren't as many DOs in my region. Take pity on us newbies!
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It all turns out innocent...but within hours the trolls will be swarming.
 
I was born and raised in Kirksville, MO (birthplace of Osteopathic medicine) and my father is a DO. DOs were all I knew existed until I was maybe 12 or so. All my doctors (prior to Japan) have been DOs. I've experienced OMM (though only for lower back) and was incredibly impressed by the results. A former professor and my mentor is a DO, and shadowing him has been the most eye-opening medical experience I've had.

I've seen what DOs are first hand for all my life and I like the medicine they practice. They do attes to you as a person, not just as a set of symptoms. Pretty much EVERY doctors office in Kirksville had a sign at the front desk that said "we are sorry if we are running behind, but we will give you the same time and courtesy as everyone else". Meaning, doctors weren't in and out in 5 minutes. My dad often spent 20-30 minutes per patient. Obviously there can be other problems with spending that much time, but you didn't have to worry about them just buzzing in, writing a script and leaving.

That's the type of medicine I know, like and want to practice. That's why I want to be a DO.
 
Monkitty said:
I was born and raised in Kirksville, MO (birthplace of Osteopathic medicine) and my father is a DO. DOs were all I knew existed until I was maybe 12 or so. All my doctors (prior to Japan) have been DOs. I've experienced OMM (though only for lower back) and was incredibly impressed by the results. A former professor and my mentor is a DO, and shadowing him has been the most eye-opening medical experience I've had.

I've seen what DOs are first hand for all my life and I like the medicine they practice. They do attes to you as a person, not just as a set of symptoms. Pretty much EVERY doctors office in Kirksville had a sign at the front desk that said "we are sorry if we are running behind, but we will give you the same time and courtesy as everyone else". Meaning, doctors weren't in and out in 5 minutes. My dad often spent 20-30 minutes per patient. Obviously there can be other problems with spending that much time, but you didn't have to worry about them just buzzing in, writing a script and leaving.

That's the type of medicine I know, like and want to practice. That's why I want to be a DO.
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Thank you, this was very informative from a first hand approach.
 
As a military servicemember, I chose DO (despite MD acceptances) because I want to have the extra training that will enable me to treat/diagnose with my hands (e.g., OMM/OMT). When you are deployed or in an austere environment, you don't always have the luxury of fancy diagnostic equipment, let alone the time to utilize it. Just n=1.

Edit: this is NOT meant to be insulting to MDs or a dig at their professional background/training. A majority of my relatives and co-workers are MDs. After my own personal research (e.g., reviewing the available English literature, working in OMT clinics, etc.), I want to have the 200 hours of additional training for use in the future. This is my personal opinion as one user on SDN.
 
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wxman393 said:
As a military servicemember, I chose DO (despite MD acceptances) because I want to have the extra training that will enable me to treat/diagnose with my hands (e.g., OMM/OMT). When you are deployed or in an austere environment, you don't always have the luxury of fancy diagnostic equipment, let alone the time to utilize it. Just n=1.

Edit: this is NOT meant to be insulting to MDs or a dig at their professional background/training. A majority of my relatives and co-workers are MDs. After my own personal research (e.g., reviewing the available English literature, working in OMT clinics, etc.), I want to have the 200 hours of additional training for use in the future. This is my personal opinion as one user on SDN.
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I just found out that as a DO you spend more time with the patient instead of just being in and out and handing them a prescription.
 
DO= Doctor
ericK14 said:
I just found out that as a DO you spend more time with the patient instead of just being in and out and handing them a prescription.
Click to expand...

Ok this is a myth.

A DO=MD in practice and some go on to using OMT. Everything else about the profession is idealized but not really true in practice from my chats with DO physicians. What others are saying about location or state school tuition or connections would be the reasons to go to DO school.
 
ericK14 said:
I'm just curious why anyone who wants to comment decided to choose DO over MD? Id like to hear people's perspective on this, because this is something my friend mentioned to me today about DO, and people also mentioned this to me on previous topics. I've looked it up, but I'm still a little confused on the differences.
Click to expand...

People at DO schools are way more approachable than those at MD schools, I know because I went to an elite top 3 Ivy League university that has one of the best MD schools in the country. I recall the people there were very hard to approach if you were not a physician or an academic. At my DO school everyone is approachable, DOs tend to be more patient oriented than MDs. Our training philosophy is different from MDs, most MDs come from schools where research is the main focus of the school, DO schools tend to focus on patient centered care.

Coming from an elite school, I feel my professors and fellow students are way more accessible and easy to speak with compared to where I went for undergraduate studies.

I originally wanted go the MD route, and got into DO schools instead. It turned out to be a blessing.
 
ericK14 said:
I just found out that as a DO you spend more time with the patient instead of just being in and out and handing them a prescription.
Click to expand...

Be careful making this blanket statement. The DOs I knew and went to growing up, were generally speaking just great doctors. Any great doctor (DO or MD) will try to make as much time available for their patient as possible. Further, just because a doctor is in and out with a prescription doesn't necessarily mean they are bad, or not-great; it's more nuanced then that.
 
Monkitty said:
Be careful making this blanket statement. The DOs I knew and went to growing up, were generally speaking just great doctors. Any great doctor (DO or MD) will try to make as much time available for their patient as possible. Further, just because a doctor is in and out with a prescription doesn't necessarily mean they are bad, or not-great; it's more nuanced then that.
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You're right about that, I was being stupid I guess; cause I didn't realize that my doctor who is an MD actually takes his time with me when I visit him.
 
What was everyone's or anyone who's willing to share GPA when applying to DO schools? I'm just trying to see if I'll need to do a post bacc if I decide to switch out of PharmD and go into pre med. Currently I have a 3.2 as a second year (sophomore).
 
Lord_Vader said:
Let's be honest. Most people go to a DO school because they couldn't get into an MD school. There are people who go into osteopathic medicine because they have a genuine interest in OMM and holistic medicine but they are far and few in between. This is in no way meant to disparage DO students and physicians since many of the best physicians I know are DOs but let's look at the facts when it comes to why people end up going to DO school.
Click to expand...
That hurts
 
ericK14 said:
What was everyone's or anyone who's willing to share GPA when applying to DO schools? I'm just trying to see if I'll need to do a post bacc if I decide to switch out of PharmD and go into pre med. Currently I have a 3.2 as a second year (sophomore).
Click to expand...

Bruhhhhhhhh.

You have TWO WHOLE YEARS OF UNDERGRAD LEFT TO RAISE YOUR FRICKIN' GPA.

Get to the MCAT first.

Baby steps little man. Baby steps.
 
DetectiveAlonzo said:
Bruhhhhhhhh.

You have TWO WHOLE YEARS OF UNDERGRAD LEFT TO RAISE YOUR FRICKIN' GPA.

Get to the MCAT first.

Baby steps little man. Baby steps.
Click to expand...
giant-baby-6.jpg


That's a giant step...
 
DetectiveAlonzo said:
Bruhhhhhhhh.

You have TWO WHOLE YEARS OF UNDERGRAD LEFT TO RAISE YOUR FRICKIN' GPA.

Get to the MCAT first.

Baby steps little man. Baby steps.
Click to expand...

Lol thank you. I just worry, like I said before, I'm trying to figure out if I should accept my schools pharmacy program or go into something I really love as a doctor in the DO field. But I worry about my gpa. Food for thought I guess
 
Whichever one you choose, make a decision and stand by it because once you go that route it will be VERY hard to turn back. I advise you to do some soul-searching like I said above and figure it out. Both routes are reputable, noble, and allow you an avenue to be successful in as long as you WANT to be there. Main thing is that you enjoy it. Good luck little man.
 
Well currently the SOAP 2015 thread is filled by a few DOs and MDs gunning for competitive residencies...and a TON of IMGs begging for FP/IM. I feel horrible for them...but it needs to be a lesson learned by EVERY pre-medical student. Do NOT go IMG.

The best reason for becoming a DO is so that you don't have to be an IMG to become a physician.
 
j4pac said:
Well currently the SOAP 2015 thread is filled by a few DOs and MDs gunning for competitive residencies...and a TON of IMGs begging for FP/IM. I feel horrible for them...but it needs to be a lesson learned by EVERY pre-medical student. Do NOT go IMG.

The best reason for becoming a DO is so that you don't have to be an IMG to become a physician.
Click to expand...

What's IMG?
 
@ericK14 Boy you have a LOTTTTT to learn.

AMG = american medical grad (MD or DO here in good ol' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

IMG = International medical grad (think of the carib schools)

FMG = foreign medical grad (China, Russia, India, rest of the world..)
 
DetectiveAlonzo said:
@ericK14 Boy you have a LOTTTTT to learn.

AMG = american medical grad (MD or DO here in good ol' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

IMG = International medical grad (think of the carib schools)

FMG = foreign medical grad (China, Russia, India, rest of the world..)
Click to expand...

I know, I'm sorry. I'm a rookie to all this. But thank you.
 
As previous mentioned...all the reason you need to become a DO can be found in the SOAP 2015 post on the ERAS/NRMP thread.

I already told you reason #1.

Reason #1. So you don't need to become an IMG to become a physician.

I just ran across reason #2 reading the SOAP 2015 post.

Reason #2. So that you have the ability to scramble twice, and have a GUARANTEED PGY-1 year.

This is something that not even the AMGs can day. They might argue that they don't need to because of their 95% match rate. Well...times are changing. This year was absolutely brutal for the NMRP match. As the DOs get stronger and the number of IMG applicants is exploding...there are not enough ACGME seats for AMGs. And watching the SOAP is like watching hunger games...incredibly poor odds.

Could you imagine as an MD landing your dream PGY-2 residency...only to find out that there are no ACGME PGY-1 programs you can fill? Now you have to pray for a miracle and someone to drop...otherwise, you will now be able to go to your dream PGY-2 gig. You want to talk about a nightmare.

DOs, on the other hand, casually get to pick from hundreds of open spots AFTER the DO scramble.

I hear the ghost of ChrisGriffen whispering over my shoulder, "I told you the ACGME merger was a bad thing." He was right...we were wrong.
 
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