I'm really sad that arrogant, judgmental people are allowed to become doctors. My goal in becoming a physician is to heal and help people. I want to be a doctor who listens to my patients. How can we care for our patients if we think we are better than them, or better than other doctors for that matter? In becoming physicians we should strive to strengthen each other and our patients.
I'm a first year at an osteopathic medical school. I applied to both allopathic and osteopathic institutions and withdrew my applications from allopathic schools when I found out about the philosophy behind the D.O. initials. I was a strong applicant, but decided I wanted to be in school with like minded individuals. My fellow classmates are incredibly supportive of each other and will make amazing doctors...and it is not because they had outstanding MCAT scores (though many of them did). They care about people and want to practice medicine for all of the right reasons. We have MD faculty, in addition to our DOs. I respect both, and respect any doctor who can humble himself in a way that allows him to care for patients' mind, body and spirit.
Osteopathic medicine is not just about OMM...it is a philosophy. This philosophy is not unlike anything many MDs practice, but it is our approach to our patients that sets us apart. The body is a unit...with structure and function being entirely interrelated. DOs study the same medicine, but approach it differently...and approach patients differently.
I have great respect for MDs, and believe that any MD can adopt this same philosophy and employ it in their practice without attending a DO school. But for all of you applicants out there...DO school is about being with like minded individuals and approaching medicine from a particular philosophy with the patient at the center of it all. Regardless of what schooling you choose...the patient should always remain at the center, or maybe medicine isn't the field for you.
Look, I'm thrilled that you're so passionate about your profession. If anything, I find that a lot of students who go to DO or Carib schools who had originally applied to (and preferred) US-MD schools are incredibly passionate and committed because they realize they'll have to work harder to achieve the same goals. I applaud commitment and work ethic in general, so yay.
On the other hand, I'm kinda sick of reading about how DOs have a "different philosophy" that allows them to treat patients differently, with more compassion or whatever; to then read a couple of posts later that DOs and MDs are exactly the same and anyone who doesn't think so is a frickin idiot.
I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways. You're either the same or you're not. Spouting stuff about "different philosophies" and "different ways of looking at patients" and a "more holistic admission practice" implies that you're not, in fact, the same as MD schools, in which case you'll have to accept that some people think your way is stupid and/or not valid. But of course as soon as someone says something like "the philosophy isn't for me" then 10 DO students come in and talk about how the philosophy is the same and we're all trained the same so we're ignorant *****s. I'm sorry, but you have to choose, you're either equal or you're not.
Personally, I've worked with both DOs and MDs and I have met great and terrible doctors from both walks of life. One of the DOs I worked with hated being a DO and insisted that she wanted to have "Dr. X" on her coat instead of "X, DO". Others were incredibly proud of their background. But for the most part, no one talked about it because there was more important stuff to talk about- patient care. And for that matter, it's the same deal with IMGs. Once you have your training and board certification, no one cares.
Also, implying that DO > MD because of OMM is hilarious. So wait, does my research project give me extra points? What about my electives? I took a healthcare econ class last semester, if I count that plus my research project, does that mean that my MD > your DO? Maybe I should add more electives, then my MD >>> every MD evar.
And finally, as for admissions. It's nice to think that they look at students more "globally" while MD schools only care about numbers. It's a nice thought that's common about both DO applicants and, actually, Carib applicants (read any of their admission pages- that's their "admission philosophy" too, and they too love non trads cause of their "enriching life experiences"). I'm not saying that it's categorically false. But to generalize the 100+ MD schools in this country as number ****** while DO schools are the Mother Theresas of the admission process is, well, ignorant, to use a much abused word on this thread (not to mention the fact that it underscores inequality yet again!). I'm a non-trad with life experiences and go to an MD school. As are all the other non-trads with life experiences at my MD school. I don't know that many students at DO schools, so all the people I know who were like me...are at MD schools. Not everyone had great numbers (myself included). We all just had a good "package" that the MD schools we got into liked. It's that simple. I can assure you, if MD schools had a numbers-only admission process, I wouldn't be where I am now.
If you're doubting my words, spend a couple of hours looking through some pre-allo threads. You'll find tons of examples of kids with amazing numbers who didn't get into the schools they wanted and are wondering wtf happened there. Usually the answer has to do with the "intangibles"- personality, recommendations, life experiences. All those things you seem to imply are exclusively used in DO schools. I'd love for you to write in one of those threads "well, it's cause MD schools only care about one thing". I'm sure their 3.9/40 selves will find that to be a riot.
Oh, and I do love that the person who talked a big talk about our ignorance and arrogance is a pre-med who hasn't started med school yet. Cool.
