Why do people choose D.O.?

[azngal2006]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Just wondering, do people who are in D.O. programs choose it because they like the training or is it because they couldn't get into medical school in the US?

Also, if you can't get into a med school in the US, would you choose D.O. in the US or go to a foreign grad school and get MD and take your chances coming back to US to match?

For those who are D.O., do you have a lot of problems with people recognizing your degree, people thinking of you as a doctor, and getting a fellowship?

 

[Cali2007]

What's the meaning of DO?

 

[gagolden]

Im a DO (or will be) and chose DO over MD cause I wanted to manipulate in addition to reg med. Ive had no problems getting interviews, even without the USMLE at AMA programs. We will see about the match. No one asks me anything about "are you a doctor? or other stuff like that. The only people who have ever said anything are MD students and the occasional doc who ask why I went DO.

There are lots of people in my school like me. In addition, there are people in my class who went after getting rejection from MD schools.

 

[jhug]

so many things are wrong about this post...
a) location???
b) DO schools are in the US
c) there is no such thing as an AMA program
d) location???

 

[Atlas]

Just wondering, do people who are in D.O. programs choose it because they like the training or is it because they couldn't get into medical school in the US?

Also, if you can't get into a med school in the US, would you choose D.O. in the US or go to a foreign grad school and get MD and take your chances coming back to US to match?

For those who are D.O., do you have a lot of problems with people recognizing your degree, people thinking of you as a doctor, and getting a fellowship?

Ok...I'm sure there is a previous post about this somewhere. First, DO's are AMERICAN graduates! What you mean to say is that they are non-allopathic because in this country there are two recognizable types of degrees (obviously). Nowadays there is little difference between the two (kinda like DDS and DMD but with some variations in training). I chose DO over MD FYI because I felt most comfortable at the DO school and liked the faculty - all important criteria in my book. I don't necessarily have a problem with people not knowing what a DO is. I get frustrated at first but then remember that only 30% of the US actually knows what a DO is and then I educate them and they seem accepting of the facts. In fact, I'm lucky because there are many DO's where I live so I don't get that "What's a DO?" melarchy very often. Getting a fellowship is no problem - depending on whether you deserve it. If you work hard and have an impressive CV you can get just about anything! For most things in IM, it's not even an issue. The only specialty that it might be a disadvantage would be GI but GI is even ridiculously competitive for ALLOPATHIC US GRADS to get, so we don't sweat it. Plus, it's actually nice being a DO because we have our own residencies in all the specialties if you are interested in them and you stand a better chance of doing what you want to do - even GI! Have a nice day!

 

[double elle]

Just wondering, do people who are in D.O. programs choose it because they like the training or is it because they couldn't get into medical school in the US?

I was under the impression that if you didn't get into a US school, you simply went to the Carribean. 🙂

 

[Pyroclast]

Just wondering, do people who are in D.O. programs choose it because they like the training or is it because they couldn't get into medical school in the US?

I was under the impression that if you didn't get into a US school, you simply went to the Carribean. 🙂

I think that was the OP's point. He's(?) asking if people couldn't get into a US med school, did they face the choice of going to a DO school or else going to a Caribbean med school, and just decide on the DO school as the lesser of two evils. The problem I have with it is that I always considered DO schools to be medical schools, since they teach their students medicine and produce physicians. But I think the OP was clear in his(?) understanding that DO schools are found in the US and produce American graduates.

 

[Claymore]

Also, if you can't get into a med school in the US, would you choose D.O. in the US or go to a foreign grad schoolQUOTE]

Uhh, schools that grant the degree of DO are medical schools. Do a little research, this topic has only been discussed, oh, say a million times.

 

[screamineagle]

I can tell you that the majority of people in my class applied to both MD and DO programs and got into both yet chose to go to my school b/c it was a better fit for them. Coming from Boston (where there are very few DO's) and going back to do rotations there even at the big names like Mass General & Tufts, etc. I have had no problems. As a matter of fact, when being compared to the Harvard/Tufts students I have always been told that I am on the same level if not above it. As far as getting into residency, etc, I didn't take the USMLE and applied only to the allopathic programs. So far, I have 11 interviews. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

 

[viostorm]

This is probably a better post for the pre-med forums.

1) An allopathic (MD) degree is better for most surgical and competitive residencies. They still have a bias against DO's (although probably unjustified). If you want IM, FP and other non-competitive residencies it makes no difference.

2) If you can't get into a US MD program and want one, I'd probably recommend a DO program over a foriegn program, strictly because there are various legal hurdles for a FMG to practice in the US.

If you want to be the most competitive applicant, I would rank your choices as follows:

1) US MD
2) US DO
3) Carribean

If you want to be the best doctor, its mostly what you put into it. The school really doesn't teach you that much, which is why many students don't even go to class.

 

[azngal2006]

I am fully aware of what a D.O. degree is, I was just asking how people felt about the degree. I am an MD graduate, I am chief resident of a very well known residency program in Los Angeles that many of you probably applied to - and I must say that our program actually has a bias, and we have not accepted a D.O. candidate for admission in the years I've been here. In fact, there is comments from our program director that "oh it's a D.O. student, forget it". That is why I am asking your take on it.

One of my best friends has a D.O., and she got into a top notch fellowship for nephrology, so I know it can be done to get into a good residency and fellowship. My point is that there are still those "old school" program directors out there who are extremely biased. As part of the admission committee at my program, I can tell you all that we screen out many foreign grads and D.O., we seem to give preference to American grads with MDs first, and we do occasionally grant interviews to outstanding FMGs with great research (like for instance we are going to interview a guy who was a CT surgeon in his country, was actually the personal surgeon to a politician there, etc) and to D.O. who went above and beyond (we like ones who have done rotations at our hospital or have published or done meaningful research). IN TERMS OF RANKING, I really don't know how we're doing it, as this is my first year - but from last year's chief residents, I've been told that the ranking is usually very skewed to AMGs with MDs - but then again we get fantastic candidates and it's hard to choose.


There are the so-called "D.O. friendly" residency programs - for instance the VA system and county hospital residency programs are very D.O. friendly - so there is a difference in reality.

So it is still a struggle, for a D.O. in getting a residency or fellowship, but if you work hard, you'll get there. I think the IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE comes once you are finished with your training and you are applying for a job. By then everyone has proven themselves and been trained. Only problem is if you are applying for a job in Bel Air or Beverly Hills for IM, and your patients are the snobby types and look up your degree or where you graduated - but most of the time it's not an issue.

 

[allendo]

I am fully aware of what a D.O. degree is, I was just asking how people felt about the degree. I am an MD graduate, I am chief resident of a very well known residency program in Los Angeles that many of you probably applied to - and I must say that our program actually has a bias, and we have not accepted a D.O. candidate for admission in the years I've been here. In fact, there is comments from our program director that "oh it's a D.O. student, forget it". That is why I am asking your take on it.

One of my best friends has a D.O., and she got into a top notch fellowship for nephrology, so I know it can be done to get into a good residency and fellowship. My point is that there are still those "old school" program directors out there who are extremely biased. As part of the admission committee at my program, I can tell you all that we screen out many foreign grads and D.O., we seem to give preference to American grads with MDs first, and we do occasionally grant interviews to outstanding FMGs with great research (like for instance we are going to interview a guy who was a CT surgeon in his country, was actually the personal surgeon to a politician there, etc) and to D.O. who went above and beyond (we like ones who have done rotations at our hospital or have published or done meaningful research). IN TERMS OF RANKING, I really don't know how we're doing it, as this is my first year - but from last year's chief residents, I've been told that the ranking is usually very skewed to AMGs with MDs - but then again we get fantastic candidates and it's hard to choose.


There are the so-called "D.O. friendly" residency programs - for instance the VA system and county hospital residency programs are very D.O. friendly - so there is a difference in reality.

So it is still a struggle, for a D.O. in getting a residency or fellowship, but if you work hard, you'll get there. I think the IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE comes once you are finished with your training and you are applying for a job. By then everyone has proven themselves and been trained. Only problem is if you are applying for a job in Bel Air or Beverly Hills for IM, and your patients are the snobby types and look up your degree or where you graduated - but most of the time it's not an issue.

I actually know plenty of D.O. grads who matched university Im! Furthermore, Cali is known for being D.O. unfriendly.

 

[Faebinder]

I actually know plenty of D.O. grads who matched university Im! Furthermore, Cali is known for being D.O. unfriendly.

I think Cali is EVERYONE unfriendly.... just how many other states do you know that requires a PTAL despite having an ECFMG certificate?

 

[jigganut]

I am fully aware of what a D.O. degree is, I was just asking how people felt about the degree. I am an MD graduate, I am chief resident of a very well known residency program in Los Angeles that many of you probably applied to - and I must say that our program actually has a bias, and we have not accepted a D.O. candidate for admission in the years I've been here. In fact, there is comments from our program director that "oh it's a D.O. student, forget it". That is why I am asking your take on it.

One of my best friends has a D.O., and she got into a top notch fellowship for nephrology, so I know it can be done to get into a good residency and fellowship. My point is that there are still those "old school" program directors out there who are extremely biased. As part of the admission committee at my program, I can tell you all that we screen out many foreign grads and D.O., we seem to give preference to American grads with MDs first, and we do occasionally grant interviews to outstanding FMGs with great research (like for instance we are going to interview a guy who was a CT surgeon in his country, was actually the personal surgeon to a politician there, etc) and to D.O. who went above and beyond (we like ones who have done rotations at our hospital or have published or done meaningful research). IN TERMS OF RANKING, I really don't know how we're doing it, as this is my first year - but from last year's chief residents, I've been told that the ranking is usually very skewed to AMGs with MDs - but then again we get fantastic candidates and it's hard to choose.


There are the so-called "D.O. friendly" residency programs - for instance the VA system and county hospital residency programs are very D.O. friendly - so there is a difference in reality.

So it is still a struggle, for a D.O. in getting a residency or fellowship, but if you work hard, you'll get there. I think the IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE comes once you are finished with your training and you are applying for a job. By then everyone has proven themselves and been trained. Only problem is if you are applying for a job in Bel Air or Beverly Hills for IM, and your patients are the snobby types and look up your degree or where you graduated - but most of the time it's not an issue.

im curious, why is it that your program didnt fill last yr? seemed like the first time that this happend, being such an outstanding well known program.

 

[Aloha Kid]

Azngal2006,

I think you'll find as you do more research and as you come to know a few DO physicians personally, that the differences really pale in comparison. True, there are many of us who become DOs as somewhat a last resort, however, there are many of us that are DOs out of our own choice.

I do think its a shame your program has such bias against DOs. Your program may have bypassed many exceptional DO candidates. In the long run, this may return to haunt your program. I personally don't believe you were looking down on the DO profession but rather, was honestly attempting to investigate further into the matter. There are numerous posts on this forum regarding the issue.

 

[Jiminy Cricket]

What's the point of this question.

Its obvious, MD programs hard to get into so better to not waste years trying to get in if your grades are a little less, may as well do DO or go to the Carribean.

Either way, its all the same....what matters in the end is your board scores.

Few DO's become DO's by choice....if they do they'd practice a lot more OMM than they do. But in the end they become competetive docs who get jobs, so who cares. I think the stigma against DO's is decreasing every year....most patients dont even know the difference, i'm not sure if I do either (outside of OMM and philosophy crap). Its another route to becoming a physician, that's it.