Why did you apply to a D.O. School?

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Why are you applying to DO schools?

  • I believe OMT is a valuable treatment option.

    Votes: 11 10.8%

  • I want to increase my odds of acceptance.

    Votes: 45 44.1%

  • I appreciate DO philosophy of holistic medicine, hesitancy to use drugs, etc.

    Votes: 28 27.5%

  • I want to stay in my area, more DO schools in my area (i.e. Midwesterners).

    Votes: 7 6.9%

  • I’ve had good experience with DO’s/other.

    Votes: 11 10.8%
  • Total voters
    102
  • Poll closed .
G

GeorgeFoster

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So recently, with the application cycle now officially in full swing, I've noticed a disturbing trend in some of the "What are my chance's thread." in Pre-Allo. Namely, a lot of people list their schools and then add

"and with maybe some D.O. schools thrown in as back up options"

I also remember reading an AOA article on surveying DO school graduates a few years back that showed a large majority of students had little intention of using OMT during their future practice, even in specialties where OMT sorta makes sense (like Ortho or IM opposed to Derm or Neuro).

So I'd like to get a sense why people ARE applying to DO schools, just because morbid curiosity makes me wonder if most people are simply interested in *safeties.* I mean, part of me is glad that people who are determined to become doctors no mater where they have to go are getting their chance, but another part of me really wishes that schools were better able to weed out applicants who arn't genuinely interested in being a DO.
 
Multiple options would have been nice, I chose DO schools for multiple reasons including philosophy, experience with DO's, treatment options, more accepting of non-trad applicants and looking at the "whole picture" and I'll have a better GPA with them over AMCAS. :laugh:
 
mshheaddoc said:
Multiple options would have been nice, I chose DO schools for multiple reasons including philosophy, experience with DO's, treatment options, more accepting of non-trad applicants and looking at the "whole picture" and I'll have a better GPA with them over AMCAS. :laugh:
Click to expand...


I, too, require multiple options. 👍

I also agree that #3 should be re-worded and/or tossed out. Comprehensive is more accurate and doesn't account for any unnecessary parallels.

Don't make me get Hazelton in here... 😀
 
Choosing to even acknolwedge DO was an uphill battle for me. I grew up in a household with a father who for a very very very long time did not accept DOs as the same level as MDs. (My dad is approaching 70) During his era DO schools were loaded with students who could not get into allopathic. The facilities were crap and the classes were large. This resulted in many of the guys then also getting the lower end residencies. Things have changed since then, and my dad has acknowledged DOs as equals after working with them in the midwest for 20 years.

In addition, I have very good experiences with DOs. I do like that there is a larger amount of non-trads. I feel their experiences and perspective are valuable compared to many allopathic schools with 22/23 yearolds who have been kind of funneled in. I am not some OMT addict, but I am curious...especially with my fairly chronic pains. I intend to apply to both allopathic and osteopathic....if faced with multiple acceptances (pretty low chance) I will guage which one is the better fit for me at the time. Ex. If I were accepted to say RFU and Nova...I'd pick Nova due to proximity to family, connections to residency programs, etc. (The residency deal isn't through Nova as much as my Dad's connections from the past). FSU versus Nova? That situation I'd probably go with FSU due to even better proximity, area I'd like to practice in, general attitude at the school, and of course price.
 
Sorry for the wording on option three. As my attempts at writing my PS have proven, my writing skills have gone steadily downhill since graduation. Basically I was referring to a grab bag of minor "philosophical" difference that differentiate DOs and MDs, such as the "hands on approach other than OMT," "looking at the whole picture" "more likely to use CAM" etc.

I just wanted the primary reason for applying DO specifically, since most people apply to best increase their chances (or they'd be crazy), but only a few people would say increasing admittance chances was their PRIMARY reason.
 
MossPoh said:
Choosing to even acknolwedge DO was an uphill battle for me. I grew up in a household with a father who for a very very very long time did not accept DOs as the same level as MDs. (My dad is approaching 70) During his era DO schools were loaded with students who could not get into allopathic. The facilities were crap and the classes were large. This resulted in many of the guys then also getting the lower end residencies. Things have changed since then, and my dad has acknowledged DOs as equals after working with them in the midwest for 20 years.

In addition, I have very good experiences with DOs. I do like that there is a larger amount of non-trads. I feel their experiences and perspective are valuable compared to many allopathic schools with 22/23 yearolds who have been kind of funneled in. I am not some OMT addict, but I am curious...especially with my fairly chronic pains. I intend to apply to both allopathic and osteopathic....if faced with multiple acceptances (pretty low chance) I will guage which one is the better fit for me at the time. Ex. If I were accepted to say RFU and Nova...I'd pick Nova due to proximity to family, connections to residency programs, etc. (The residency deal isn't through Nova as much as my Dad's connections from the past). FSU versus Nova? That situation I'd probably go with FSU due to even better proximity, area I'd like to practice in, general attitude at the school, and of course price.
Click to expand...

Well said and thanks for including that personal anecdote. Very informative. I'm in agreement and I'm also a non-trad. 👍

Just wait. Things are changing so rapidly, there will be no discernible difference in the near future and most likely a concerted effort by the public to find those practitioners who have more weapons in their cache. I predict that, based on the ongoing upward trend and research grants, all U.S.-based, non-profit schools will be on a more level playing field before you know it. Undoubtedly, there will be no ability for ill-informed premeds to make sweeping mis-characterizations of anyone in this particular medical forum.
 
I initially did not apply to DO last year and it was a big mistake. I learned more about the profession, read some of the better posts on SDN (Hazelton et al...), looked up the match lists, spoke with attendings. The final straw was my interview at TCOM. Not only would I consider it an option now, I now consider it a very strong option.

I've got a decent background in manual therapy from my PT degree and am really excited about the prospect of learning OMM regardless of how much I utilize it in the clinic.
 
I wish I had gotten a chance to shadow a D.O. who actually used OMM... it seemed like the ones I observed were from the batch of "this is the only place I could get in" group.... I asked them about it, and they said the philosophy was great.. but this one guy said "I was just never any good at it, so I never use it"
 
ahaydt said:
If you haven't seen a DO yet about the pains, and want to see if OMT helps, go for it. The DO I've shadowed did a lot of OMT and it worked wonders on all the people I saw have it done.
Click to expand...

Yea. I spend about 15 minutes every morning just stretching/popping everything as is. When in high school I always though that they were idiots about the proper maintence of your lower back during drumline. At the time running around with a 50 to 70 lbs drum mounted didn't seem to do much....my powerlifting, dislocated shoulders, and shot knees haven't helped my cause either. 😛 I am excited because I live in a very, very, very, very small town outside Tallahassee, and there is a new DO starting up an office. First doctor in this town actually. Hopefully he is a good guy!
 
Why would I apply DO? Because the DO degree would make me eligible to practice as a physician in the US.
 
I won't try to hide the fact that I'm aiming for an M.D., but I'll go D.O. if I have to. I had a teacher who dropped out of Ross after a year-faculty support sucked and he came back to teach. He told me it was a mistake to go foreign, and now at 27 he's applying to D.O.-told me it's what he should've done in the first place, but he was all worked up about the name. Not to mention the fact that D.O. programs, while difficult to get into allo residencies, have their own residencies. I can't see myself going international. This is just one person's advice, but I'm taking it. And last time I checked both D.O.'s and M.D.'s are called "Doctor".
 
walkoffhr said:
So....#2 then.🙄
Click to expand...

Yeah, so? Why the eye-rolling? This is a poll and a thread, meaning I don't just have to vote, rather I can actually voice my answer as well. 🙄 right back at you.
 
1. There is no such thing as an osteopathic "philosophy"
2. Every competent physician, regardless of degree, looks at the "whole person"...you cant do an appropriate history & physical exam without doing so
3. DOs are not reluctant nor hesitant to use medications when appropriate...that would be against Standard of Care
4. CAM, or whatever you want to call it, is not part of the DO curriculum, unless you include OMT as alternative (I prefer 'complementary')
5. Other than OMT I dont see how DOs are any more "hands on" than MDs...and most DOs dont use OMT in their practices
6. DOs are not necessarily nicer, kinder, gentler physicians
 
DO's get no respect. Everyone wants to be an M.D. that orders meds for every little thing instead of a doctor that sees a patient as a whole and not a sum of parts.
 
Zolar Czakl said:
Yeah, so? Why the eye-rolling? This is a poll and a thread, meaning I don't just have to vote, rather I can actually voice my answer as well. 🙄 right back at you.
Click to expand...

Your verbosity deserves the 🙄. I voted #2 as well buddy.
 
umean2tellme said:
DO's get no respect. Everyone wants to be an M.D. that orders meds for every little thing instead of a doctor that sees a patient as a whole and not a sum of parts.
Click to expand...

You have no idea what youre talking about.
 
Has The Whole World Gone Crazy? Am I The Only One Who Gives A **** About The Rules? Mark It Zero!

:hijacked:
 
Yeah, well, I still j***-off manually.
 
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