why do MD's look Down on DO's?

[Mr Kenobi]

where is that from?

HalfLife2

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[Didierdrogba]

hey guys, a little off topic, but please troll here:

is a DO looked down upon

 

[beBrave]

After consulting various MD's and DO's both on and off SDN, I finally have a definitive answer. Predominantly MD's do not look down on DO's, how could they considering that by all legal and academic standards the two degrees are 100% equal. It is the DO's (mainly pre-med and med students) themselves that foster and nurture fears of rejection and the inability to be taken seriously in the medical field. Usually this works itself out during an internship.

If a DO intern is still concerned about DO vs MD then their attending must be a really kind soul who makes sure that they find time to develop adequate social bonds in between rounds (sarcasm). By the time you become a Physician, you'll simply stop caring; oh wait, that's assuming the Pre-meds creating a new thread daily about this topic actually make it into med school and then there's that whole thing about passing exams. I previously wondered why the Mod's don't just auto-lock these threads, especially when lee addressed this issue back in 2004 and sticky'd it however I finally realized that they just gave up because this is the question that will never end. I find it interesting when looking back at similar threads going back many years and noticing that many of the original posters have not updated their status to Med students.

 

[GypsyHummus]

from what ive observed and also asked about, most doctors dont nessacerially "Look Down" on DOs unless they have a complex. My Family doc, who is an MD, told me to apply to both DO and MD schools and is very pro DO. My uncle on the other hand, does not like DOs, and will not allow them in his fellowship. he told me to apply to the Caribbean over osteopathic programs, but that's not going to happen lol

 

[beBrave]

from what ive observed and also asked about, most doctors dont nessacerially "Look Down" on DOs unless they have a complex. My Family doc, who is an MD, told me to apply to both DO and MD schools and is very pro DO. My uncle on the other hand, does not like DOs, and will not allow them in his fellowship. he told me to apply to the Caribbean over osteopathic programs, but that's not going to happen lol

There are from time to time misinformed Physicians. You must remember that being a Doctor means that you are an expert on medicine however this does not necessarily translate to academia. If he publicly admitted that he was showing bias against DO's, it would not be acceptable. A Doctor that recommends a Caribbean medical school vs a DO program shows how little they know. Thankfully he isn't on a licensing board or else any John or Jane Doe with MD colored in crayon on a sheet of paper would be treating patients without their education properly verified in comparison to a DO who has taken all the necessarily course work that Physicians are required to and have passed the required exams within the U.S.. I recommend that you pay no attention to your uncle that doesn't like DO's. BTW you will also meet DO's that don't like MD's. In this world not everyone is going to like everyone but thankfully, the vast majority in the medical field will be professional and not let personal feelings or lack of proper knowledge on a specific subject guide them.

 

[GypsyHummus]

There are from time to time misinformed Physicians. You must remember that being a Doctor means that you are an expert on medicine however this does not necessarily translate to academia. If he publicly admitted that he was showing bias against DO's, it would not be acceptable. A Doctor that recommends a Caribbean medical school vs a DO program shows how little they know. Thankfully he isn't on a licensing board or else any John or Jane Doe with MD colored in crayon on a sheet of paper would be treating patients without their education properly verified in comparison to a DO who has taken all the necessarily course work that Physicians are required to and have passed the required exams within the U.S.. I recommend that you pay no attention to your uncle that doesn't like DO's. BTW you will also meet DO's that don't like MD's. In this world not everyone is going to like everyone but thankfully, the vast majority in the medical field will be professional and not let personal feelings or lack of proper knowledge on a specific subject guide them.

Yeah, I think it's also a regional thing too. Where I live, we don't have a DO school, so a lot of people don't know what a DO is. So there is a bit of discrimination, but it's prolly not as pronounce in other places.

Funnily enough, the only person in my family that doesn't have a problem with DO school is my grandma. She said "if they do the same thing, why would you care. Big deal" lol, love my grandma.

 

[beBrave]

Yeah, I think it's also a regional thing too. Where I live, we don't have a DO school, so a lot of people don't know what a DO is. So there is a bit of discrimination, but it's prolly not as pronounce in other places.

Funnily enough, the only person in my family that doesn't have a problem with DO school is my grandma. She said "if they do the same thing, why would you care. Big deal" lol, love my grandma.

No one in your family has a problem with DO's (they just don't know it). Chances are they have been treated by DO's at various points in their lives. It is near impossible to know if a person if a DO when visiting a hospital. Your grandmother has simply lived long enough to make this observation and conclude the obvious. I'll get my hand slapped by some of the residents and attending's for saying this, but if a person walks into the hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain and reporting blood in their stool, but then request a real Doctor because they don't want to be seen by the attending DO (oh they should be so lucky), I sincerely believe it is the attending's duty to follow through and get him/her an MD intern. In a busy hospital where everyone feels like their issue is the most important thing in the world (paper cuts included), many DO's won't waist time on someone ignorant. Kinda sad that the same person is likely to let a nurse practitioner do a full examination (without ever daring to question her/him).

 

[GypsyHummus]

Kinda sad that the same person is likely to let a nurse practitioner do a full examination (without ever daring to question her/him).

This part is so sad, but it is also true. I have witnessed it. My mom, HATES the whole DO thing because she believes they are just people who couldnt cut in in real medicine.

Oh well, her loss.

 

[NeuroLAX]

This part is so sad, but it is also true. I have witnessed it. My mom, HATES the whole DO thing because she believes they are just people who couldnt cut in in real medicine.

Oh well, her loss.

Sometimes you just can't fix ignorance. Is she the type of person that looks up where her physician went to school? I hope she was treated by a Carib grad at one point so you can throw it in her face and show her just how ignorant she is when she says crap like that.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Sometimes you just can't fix ignorance. Is she the type of person that looks up where her physician went to school? I hope she was treated by a Carib grad at one point so you can throw it in her face and show her just how ignorant she is when she says crap like that.

Nope, just looks at the letters behind the name. She doesnt like Carrib grads, but she will never know that they are treating her.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Nope, just looks at the letters behind the name. She doesnt like Carrib grads, but she will never know that they are treating her.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Yeah, she was like "You should only be looking at DO schools if you get rejected 3 times. DOs cant do surgery can they?"

Sure mom, whatever you say.

 

[NeuroLAX]

Yeah, she was like "You should only be looking at DO schools if you get rejected 3 times. DOs cant do surgery can they?"

Sure mom, whatever you say.

Oh Lord... sorry I feel bad for you. I hope you at least attempt to correct her with the facts of life.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Oh Lord... sorry I feel bad for you. I hope you at least attempt to correct her with the facts of life.

Eh, u kinda just have to let it run the course. In the end, as long as I get to heal people, I could care less about what she thinks.

 

[beBrave]

Eh, u kinda just have to let it run the course. In the end, as long as I get to heal people, I could care less about what she thinks.

Parents can honestly be the worst influences in a persons life. Thankfully despite your mothers and uncles influence, you were able to keep a rational head.To be fair, a lot of people still have a limited perspective on many things. No matter how many times you may explain that the sky is blue, if they believe its green then you better be sure that they are going to defend that belief until the death of them (and I mean that literally). Once you stop caring what others think of you or your decisions, you have taken the first step towards obtaining true happiness.