Why do so many people try to equate DO with MD?

[anon311]

---

Members do not see this ad.

A few months ago I posted on here asking a variant of the MD vs. DO question. One of the more helpful responses referred me to Norman Gevitz's book, DOs: osteopathic medicine in America. I just finished reading it and while parts of it were pretty boring, I think it should be nearly required reading for people applying to allopathic or osteopathic programs.

Towards the end of the book Gevitz makes an argument that DOs have two choices: try to assimilate and blend in with MDs, or try to distinguish themselves. He explains why the first option is bad - and I agree: the historic differences between the two letters "DO" and "MD" will always prevent the public from really believing that the two are equal. The second option is to highlight the differences between DOs and MDs, and try to carve out a niche that's slightly different. Gevitz argues that DOs could make an argument that they're better than MDs in certain ways, while maintaining that there's obviously plenty of overlap. He points out that Americans spend millions on "alternative" medicine, so they clearly value choice and might respond well to such a distinction.

Judging by past MD vs. DO discussions on this board, it appears that people prefer the first option of assimilation (i.e., practically every response from DOs/pre-DOs is that the two are basically the same). Why is that? Wouldn't accentuating the differences, however subtle, make more sense professionally?

 

[DrMattOglesby]

perhaps why so many make the argument that they are [practically] identical is because of the infrequent application of OMM by a large majority of DOs?
Nice perspective to bring to the board though...

 

[DrMidlife]

What Gevitz recommends, and what premeds here think, overlap VERY LITTLE with the interests of the AOA and DOs in practice. Idealism isn't a factor here.

Regardless of how we got here, the DO "industry" owns 20% of the US medical student market, and has a long and old list of assets such as 5% of physicians in practice, and established state and international licensing capabilities, and traction in ACGME residency programs. Interested parties (AOA leadership, DO school leadership, DOs in practice) are going to fight like crazy to protect that territory. Wouldn't you?

Defending OMT against PT and chiropractic and naturopathy and homeopathy is clearly not something DOs have to do to survive, or interested parties would invest in that defense with much more rigor.

Defending the existence of DO in the absence of compelling reasons for DO to exist doesn't need to be done for DO to survive. I don't mean to be overly cynical, but it's worthwhile to compare the existence of DO to the existence of Chrysler. Do we need 3 major car companies in the US? Are Chrysler's products awesome enough to justify its existence? Doesn't matter. There are sufficient numbers of interested parties with territory to protect (dealers, owners, investors etc.) that Chrysler simply will continue to exist for the imaginable future.

The existence of DO as an industry is protected by continuing to enroll students, and by continuing to defend existing recognition of the DO degree at the state licensing level. That's all that's necessary, so that's all that's likely to be done.

My $.02.

 

[binko]

He points out that Americans spend millions on "alternative" medicine, so they clearly value choice and might respond well to such a distinction.

I agree with this.

I just found out Gevitz is at OUCOM, too. 👍

 

[engineeredout]

I don't mean to be overly cynical, but it's worthwhile to compare the existence of DO to the existence of Chrysler.

Man I hope osteopathic medicine fares better

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Man I hope osteopathic medicine fares better

I hear the AOA needs bailout money. 🙁

 

[Mohammed1989]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

 

[Bacchus]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

There are too many intangibles to tell you straight up I'd take X over Y.

 

[MossPoh]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

It depends on the program. Right now the program I'm waiting on is an MD but I have my deposits in at a DO. This doesn't have as much to do with the letters as the fact it is closer to my parents and about 11,000 less a year with cheaper housing. The rotations are actually better at the DO school I'll most likely attend and the matchlists are fairly comparable. I know people that turned down MD for DO and I know people that refused to apply DO and every combination imaginable.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

I would have attended my state MD school at the drop of a hat, had I gotten in. The main reason - $$. Tuition at my state school is 25,000 less PER YEAR than at ATSU-SOMA, where I am matriculating this year. It would have been really nice to get in.

However, there are so many things that are very appealing about the DO program that I'll be starting this fall. I'm looking forward to being with more non-trad students, people interested in working in CHC's, and the adventurous type of people that want to be pioneers in an extremely new, different school. I'm not interested in research, at all, and my state school would have required it of me. I'm interested in being with other smart people who had a life outside of their undergrad premed experience - which in most cases, means people with lower GPA's, which my DO school certainly has, haha.

I never really took the actual degree that I would get into consideration, although I would say that it has been annoying explaining to friends and family what a DO is. So, if everything else were equal (tuition, program, calssmates, etc., which they're NOT, this comparison is pretty much useless, as others above have said) I would take MD, just to have to not explain to people what a DO is, haha.

 

[Anita817]

Out of my top three choice schools, two are DO, one is MD. The MD school is number three, and the reasons it even made the list are pragmatic (cost, proximity to home, familiarity with the rotation sites, etc.) It seems I am an anomaly in the SDN world, but I WANT to be a DO--everything from my liberal arts education to my interest in alternative medicine, and from my interest in primary care to the fact that I was raised with a specialist DO points me in that direction. If I end up at an MD school by the fall of 2010, it will be begrudgingly.

 

[235750]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

I dislike these MD/DO threads, but I'll comment as I think it'll help give another perspective on the issue

I personally see no practical difference in the MD/DO degrees. I chose the medical schools I wanted to attend based off proximity to family and school facilities. That's it.

My top 4 schools from highest to lowest: PSU, PCOM, Drexel, Commonwealth

I was accepted to PCOM, Drexel, and commonwealth. However commonwealth is new with no reputation. Also, when I interviewed they said they'd be in a community college for a while. They had lovely pictures of what the completed school will look like, but I expect a finished school when I start, and I don't care how cheap they said it would be for the inital class. It is also further away from my wife to be.

Drexel's not very impressive. I personally would consider it to be one of the poorest MD schools in the US. BUT of course, the standard in the US is extremely high so it is still a decent school..comparing medical schools in the US is like judging a Miss USA contest: even the contestant who's last place is still pretty attractive 🙂. If you tour queen lane and look at the labs, I think you can see the lower quality, not to mention what passes for a gym in the basement. Hahneman (sp?) hospital isn't that great either, and that's kind of their main selling point

If you ignore the DO/MD degree, I would argue that PCOM has better facilities than Drexel. I really wanted PSU, but I didn't get that. I work here and have taken classes at Hershey so I've seen first hand the hospital and school for myself so I know how great it is. That said, my second choice was PCOM and I'm very happy with my decision.

Keep in mind that the gap in tuition from state school to private school is pretty minimal in most (but not all) cases. If you're a PA resident, PSU, for example, is only 7K cheaper per year in the total cost of attendance (COA) than PCOM, and Philadelphia is a much more expensive place to live than Hershey. Honestly, choosing the right medical school is so important I would ignore tuition entirely...but that's just me.

The best piece of advice I can give you is: when you tour a medical school, try to forget what degree they give and compare the basics. Keep an open mind.

Good luck

 

[MossPoh]

He had pretty much the same top list. I got no love from any of those places though, mainly because I just graduated college in PA and wasn't a resident.

 

[fahimaz7]

MD schools are integrating OMM into their curriculumn.. Then what?

 

[DO2Be2013]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

I think most people with acceptances to D.O. schools, let's be honest, could likely have gotten acceptance to any of the Caribbean schools like SGU or Ross if just having the "M.D." were so critically important to them. Although not everyone is willing to uproot their lives and live in a third world country for two years or to face the IMG/FMG barriers.

Personally, I applied only to D.O. programs because I have D.O. family members and really wanted to go to a specific D.O. school (which I got) so I can't really answer your question. I know I could have gotten into a Caribbean school for sure, though, so in a way I picked D.O. over M.D. (kind of).

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

I think most people with acceptances to D.O. schools, let's be honest, could likely have gotten acceptance to any of the Caribbean schools like SGU or Ross if just having the "M.D." were so critically important to them. Although not everyone is willing to uproot their lives and live in a third world country for two years or to face the IMG/FMG barriers.

Personally, I applied only to D.O. programs because I have D.O. family members and really wanted to go to a specific D.O. school (which I got) so I can't really answer your question. I know I could have gotten into a Caribbean school for sure, though, so in a way I picked D.O. over M.D. (kind of).

Good point.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

MD schools are integrating OMM into their curriculum.. Then what?

Really?

 

[Slack3r]

MD schools are integrating OMM into their curriculumn.. Then what?

I'm not sure I believe this.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Quick question for everyone, its really out of curiosity. What program would you take if you were accepted to both a MD and a DO? Which one would you want to pursue. Be honest

Honestly, the further I get into this process of actually calling myself a god damn doctor, the more I laugh at these MD vs DO threads. I can't even express how difficult acing 4 years of college while balancing ECs, then studying for months for the MCAT, taking that beast -retaking it (personal anger) - then setting up all these application services while asking for LORs really is. With that said, it's only going to be more difficult to get in, and the most difficult to do well in med school. With all this considered, you can be confident that less than 2% of the population could handle and complete all this. So being in that minority after everything you put in, JUST to bitch and split hairs about a degree seems so pointless to me.

To answer your question ... I'm just applying now ... but my top rankings is my home state, and I have a DO school ranked highest due to living situation and agreements with parents for payment.

 

[rkaz]

I think most people with acceptances to D.O. schools, let's be honest, could likely have gotten acceptance to any of the Caribbean schools like SGU or Ross if just having the "M.D." were so critically important to them. Although not everyone is willing to uproot their lives and live in a third world country for two years or to face the IMG/FMG barriers.

It depends. I applied to US MD and DO schools with only 1 foreign MD school (SGU) as a backup. I got into SGU for this fall, but turned it down and plan to matriculate at AZCOM (a DO school). I feel that AZCOM may be a better fit for me, as I will be back in my family's city where I grew up. Plus I want to learn OMM. On the other hand, one of my future classmates who get into AZCOM this year was rejected twice by SGU (he would have certainly gone to SGU had he got in as he wanted to be an 'MD', although now he has accepted that AZCOM will likely give him better opportunities after seeing both match lists). So things aren't conclusive.

 

[Mohammed1989]

Very interesting answers! 😀 Well my answer is if I am accepted to both programs, I'm going to pursue DO. Now my reason why I am going for DO, I love the OMM approach. I mean sure MD is known more around the world but it's not like I am going to be a doctor in every country. The reason I asked this question was because I actually overheard a kid in school say this and I was shocked. Besides that I think in a DO school you will learn more.

 

[Anita817]

Just for the record, you did post this on a pre-DO board. I'm sure the responses would have been more...how do you say... otherwise biased... had you posted this in pre-MD.

 

[Isoprop]

The difference between an MD and DO education is shrinking. I mean, if MD schools start teaching OMM, what's left? It's hard to accentuate the differences when there's hardly anything left to differentiate them.

I don't think DOs should practice differently from MDs just for the sake of being different.

 

[Delphine]

Out of my top three choice schools, two are DO, one is MD. The MD school is number three, and the reasons it even made the list are pragmatic (cost, proximity to home, familiarity with the rotation sites, etc.) It seems I am an anomaly in the SDN world, but I WANT to be a DO--everything from my liberal arts education to my interest in alternative medicine, and from my interest in primary care to the fact that I was raised with a specialist DO points me in that direction. If I end up at an MD school by the fall of 2010, it will be begrudgingly.

I am the same. Liberal arts, interest in alternative medicine, DO mentor...

Had good enough scores to go MD, but could not figure how to write a PS which did not include osteopathic principles so I did not.
And stayed true to my heart.... since when I decided to do a post-bac it was because I wanted to be an osteopathic physician. & needless to say I applied only to DO schools.

Rare but they/we are out there.

🙂
And of course to each his/her own.

 

[DO2Be2013]

It depends. I applied to US MD and DO schools with only 1 foreign MD school (SGU) as a backup. I got into SGU for this fall, but turned it down and plan to matriculate at AZCOM (a DO school). I feel that AZCOM may be a better fit for me, as I will be back in my family's city where I grew up. Plus I want to learn OMM. On the other hand, one of my future classmates who get into AZCOM this year was rejected twice by SGU (he would have certainly gone to SGU had he got in as he wanted to be an 'MD', although now he has accepted that AZCOM will likely give him better opportunities after seeing both match lists). So things aren't conclusive.

Right. Which is why I used both "most students" and "likely" as qualifiers.😉

 

[binko]

I, for one, would be thrilled if MD-granting schools were to start teaching OMM and other osteopathic principles, and we could all just be one big happy doctor family... except the chiropractors of course.

 

[Sugarrush]

I was at a dinner party for a graduation last night and I mentioned I was going to an Osteopathic medical school in July.

"Osteopathic what's that?"

"It's a newer form of medicine, only a hundred or so years old. I receive all the training of an MD, and then extra on top of that."

"Oh, that's sounds like a good idea, I think I might want to start seeing one of those"

 

[Melicopter]

If allopathic schools were to teach OMM, I would be all for it.

In answer to the original question, I consider myself a decent candidate for either MD or DO schools but I am only applying DO.

I considered going the NP route once, but I'm the type of person who would be constantly annoyed that someone else knew something I didn't. I believe I would feel the same way as an MD if I had a patient with back pain... knowing that someone else could handle this and I couldn't.

So I agree with parts of what a lot of you have said. If I could learn decent OMM at an MD school, I'd do that for a couple of reasons. One is that the only medical school in my state is allopathic, and has a very good reputation. The other has already been mentioned, which is that I'm tired of explaining the difference to everyone.

I just want to be a doctor, and to be the best equipped I can be. I don't care what the title is. But I think a DO education would make me best equipped.

 

[Mohammed1989]

I was at a dinner party for a graduation last night and I mentioned I was going to an Osteopathic medical school in July.

"Osteopathic what's that?"

"It's a newer form of medicine, only a hundred or so years old. I receive all the training of an MD, and then extra on top of that."

"Oh, that's sounds like a good idea, I think I might want to start seeing one of those"

Hey whats osteopathic medicine? I am so confused 😕 isn't this the thread for the practice of the great MD schools?





joking joking joking 😀, I think you guys might have got a little mad with that statement. Well yeah a lot of people do not know what a DO actually is, today a friend of mine told me a story about his cousin being rejected from all the MD schools he applied to. He had a 3.9 GPA and 30 on the MCAT but I guess his MCAT wasn't good for the MD schools he applied to. (Don't know where he applied) Well with these stats and some e.c. work done on the side I think this would be great for DO but sad part he had no clue what a DO is.

I guess to most people it's either MD or bust

Well to me it's DO or bust 🙂

 

[The Poet Sings]

Hey whats osteopathic medicine? I am so confused 😕 isn't this the thread for the practice of the great MD schools?





joking joking joking 😀, I think you guys might have got a little mad with that statement. Well yeah a lot of people do not know what a DO actually is, today a friend of mine told me a story about his cousin being rejected from all the MD schools he applied to. He had a 3.9 GPA and 30 on the MCAT but I guess his MCAT wasn't good for the MD schools he applied to. (Don't know where he applied) Well with these stats and some e.c. work done on the side I think this would be great for DO but sad part he had no clue what a DO is.

I guess to most people it's either MD or bust

Well to me it's DO or bust 🙂

for me its DR or bust! it seems more likely that i'd get into a do school (thank God for grade replacement haha), and that is my preference, but i only found out about the do degree like... last year. it needs to be more prevalent, really.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Honestly, the further I get into this process of actually calling myself a god damn doctor, the more I laugh at these MD vs DO threads. I can't even express how difficult acing 4 years of college while balancing ECs, then studying for months for the MCAT, taking that beast -retaking it (personal anger) - then setting up all these application services while asking for LORs really is. With that said, it's only going to be more difficult to get in, and the most difficult to do well in med school. With all this considered, you can be confident that less than 2% of the population could handle and complete all this. So being in that minority after everything you put in, JUST to bitch and split hairs about a degree seems so pointless to me.

To answer your question ... I'm just applying now ... but my top rankings is my home state, and I have a DO school ranked highest due to living situation and agreements with parents for payment.

I totally agree. I'm getting to the point that I don't even necessarily try to explain the MD/DO differences to people when they ask. Why? Because no matter how well I do it lots of people still don't seem to get it. But frankly I've decided I'm not going to feel shorted if some random relative doesn't think I'm a real doctor because I'm a DO. I'm still going to go one day and write prescriptions, council patients on their health, and perhaps even do surgery. I'm going to do the exact same things any MD is able to do and make the same salary doing it. At this point, that sounds good enough to me.

 

[Semicolon]

If allopathic schools began integrating OMM into their curriculum, then the next logical step (after the controversy) would seem to be a merger, since so many believe that the only remaining difference is OMM. Somehow I don't see this happening, though...

 

[liquid8r]

First off, as an American, I feel proud that osteopathic medicine originated here (in the midwest, literally only several hours from me!). We have all heard phrases such as...

It's as American as Apple Pie or baseball or....osteopathic medicine!

The major reason, I feel, osteopathic medicine is still a relevant field and one of only two viable degree options to be a US physician (also MBBS) is because of the great numbers of DO's that enter primary care....readily and often enthusiastically.

I had a conversation with a physician (MD) over lunch one day and we spoke at great length about this. The motivation for a physician to specialize these days is great. I do not hold anything against any of you who possess this as your primary goal in medical school. With mounting tuition, malpractice fees, reimbursement, prestige, lifestyle, etc., I see the motivation. However, without primary care docs our health care system who most certainly collapse, especially in rural, underserved areas. They are the gatekeepers and state/federal governments are well aware of this.

Enter the DO, who, while the minority in a largely MD profession, actively takes on the primary care field in far greater numbers than MD's proportionally. Until DO's begin to specialize and subspecialize in far greater numbers, only then will the profession fail to have a useful need to be distinguished from its allopathic counterpart. This is beginning to happen, btw.

 

[Isoprop]

Something I've never been able to understand is the real difference between MD and DO current "philosophy." I hear the buzz word all the time: "holistic" medicine. But practicing holistically is the hallmark of a good doctor, not just a good DO.

Aside from manipulation, how can someone determine if a FP is a DO or MD from how they practice medicine without looking at the initials?

 

[Isoprop]

...but I WANT to be a DO--everything from my liberal arts education to my interest in alternative medicine, and from my interest in primary care to the fact that I was raised with a specialist DO points me in that direction. If I end up at an MD school by the fall of 2010, it will be begrudgingly.

I am the same. Liberal arts, interest in alternative medicine, DO mentor...

...but could not figure how to write a PS which did not include osteopathic principles so I did not.

If a person rejects alternative medicine, should that person avoid going to DO schools?

Also, I'm curious on what these osteopathic principles are that couldn't be integrated into an MD school personal statement.

 

[liquid8r]

I would not see how you would be able to distinguish any difference at all. As I said above, the utility of osteopathic medicine is its inherent roots in primary care. It was founded during a time when much was uncertain about medicine and the medical practices of the time were literally "killing" people (ex. bloodletting). Today, after a century of modern research, all that remains is OMM for it be distinguished. If that is removed, I do not see any difference. The philosophy of thought between MD and DO that is often touted on these boards, I feel, is far overrated. Nevertheless, osteopathic medicine will continue well into this century as long as it continues to fill the primary care needs of this country.

 

[Isoprop]

Even if I were to agree that DO schools are PCP factories, both MD and DO graduates are turning away from primary care opting to specialize.

And this trend will continue because reimbursement for primary care tends to be low and the cost of education is rising.

 

[liquid8r]

This is a problem with the current state of health care. I guess I am more liberal in my thinking on this because I feel the federal government should intervene and provide more incentive for med school grads to enter PC. But this is straying off topic.

If you agree that DO schools are 'PCP factories' then you understand my main premise about why the degree exists. Yes, this is changing, and more than likely if you are young like me, we may see a time when our health care system sees major changes on a federal level.

 

[DarkHorizon]

I'll be moving OOS to attend a DO school. I am currently on the waitlist for my top choice DO school and two MD schools. If any of these waitlists pan out, I'll be attending some other school. One of the MD school is OOS and the DO school I am waitlisted at is IS, however, if accepted, I will gladly attend the MD school. Reason being, if I was willing to move OOS for a DO school, I am certainly willing to move OOS for an MD school. So yeah, I will attend an MD school if I get an acceptance. If not, it's DO all the way.

 

[Isoprop]

If you agree that DO schools are 'PCP factories' then you understand my main premise about why the degree exists. Yes, this is changing, and more than likely if you are young like me, we may see a time when our health care system sees major changes on a federal level.

Actually, I don't see DOs as PCP factories. And I don't think DOs exist to become primary care physicians. There is an emphasis towards primary care from a lot of DO schools, but I certainly don't see this continuing.

 

[MossPoh]

This is a problem with the current state of health care. I guess I am more liberal in my thinking on this because I feel the federal government should intervene and provide more incentive for med school grads to enter PC. But this is straying off topic.

If you agree that DO schools are 'PCP factories' then you understand my main premise about why the degree exists. Yes, this is changing, and more than likely if you are young like me, we may see a time when our health care system sees major changes on a federal level.

Part of it is of course money but another part of it is this....people view primary care as BORING. The large chunk of the stuff you do can also be done by PAs and NPs. If you choose lone repayment, which there are plenty of, then it isn't an issue with money but guess what, that involves living in an area that people don't want to live in. Not enough people may be going into primary care but the real issue is you can't force someone to live in certain areas of the country. They tend to make more money in those crappy areas and that doesn't even help much.

I just think it is a pretty blanket statement that DOs like primary care more and are more caring. It is the mantra of the school and what people they choose to go there. Many DO schools have more specialization than numerous MD schools. I personally don't find anything interesting about primary care. I didn't go into medicine to tell people over and over again to stop smoking, eat healthy, exercise and to take their medications. I am a see the problem and fix the problem kind of person. I do admire the patience of most PCPs for sure. I guess I have to go into a field where I don't have to tell them something and then see them being non-compliant later on.

 

[JanikeyDoc]

A few months ago I posted on here asking a variant of the MD vs. DO question. One of the more helpful responses referred me to Norman Gevitz's book, DOs: osteopathic medicine in America. I just finished reading it and while parts of it were pretty boring, I think it should be nearly required reading for people applying to allopathic or osteopathic programs.

Towards the end of the book Gevitz makes an argument that DOs have two choices: try to assimilate and blend in with MDs, or try to distinguish themselves. He explains why the first option is bad - and I agree: the historic differences between the two letters "DO" and "MD" will always prevent the public from really believing that the two are equal. The second option is to highlight the differences between DOs and MDs, and try to carve out a niche that's slightly different. Gevitz argues that DOs could make an argument that they're better than MDs in certain ways, while maintaining that there's obviously plenty of overlap. He points out that Americans spend millions on "alternative" medicine, so they clearly value choice and might respond well to such a distinction.

Judging by past MD vs. DO discussions on this board, it appears that people prefer the first option of assimilation (i.e., practically every response from DOs/pre-DOs is that the two are basically the same). Why is that? Wouldn't accentuating the differences, however subtle, make more sense professionally?

This is another nonsense post, I have shadowed a number of physicians both MDs and DOs. I even queried some MDs who happened to be graduates of Ivy League medical schools, none had nothing but great things to say about their DO colleagues, there are many DOs that actually teach in top US Allopathic institutions. Its just a bunch of elitist nonsense that MD > DO, in the eyes of the American law, both MD and DOs are equivalent. I believe one of the former chief physicians for our nation's military was a DO.

 

[nlax30]

I don't think it's really all that necessary to "carve out a specific niche" nor is it necessary to assimilate (though I have no strong feelings either way on the later).

Fact is, there are two parallel pathways/degrees to become a fully licensed physician in this country..... end of story. It would be nice, IMHO, if the two camps would come together join forces on things like graduate medical education though.

And I don't really see the comparison to Chrysler. Osteopathic medicine doesn't really need to maintain some niche market. Our profession as whole (MD and DO) DOES have it challenges coming with healthcare reform, mid-level practitioners, med-legal issues, etc.... it serves all of us to be active in protecting the role of the physician in health care delivery.

 

[Delphine]

If a person rejects alternative medicine, should that person avoid going to DO schools?

Also, I'm curious on what these osteopathic principles are that couldn't be integrated into an MD school personal statement.

Oh, I see how that could be interpreted that way. ...
I would say no, if a person rejects alternative care then they are free to do as they see is correct for them, DO or MD. I was responding to Anita because I could relate- not making a grand sweeping statement about those who should go DO.
My apologies if it sounded that way.

I do think that people who are interested in alternative care are more prevention oriented and therefore may be more likely to go into primary care...but I just think that...only me.

And what I meant about my PS was that trying to write a PS that did not include my interest in OMM was impossible for me.

I believe that both professions are becoming more integrated and accepting of the other-
i do think that osteopathic medicine originated with a more holistic and less mechanistically reductionistic philosophy. (If I am wrong let me know. My opinion is only from what I have read) BUT that was the beginning and that was a while ago---BOTH fields have changed a great deal since then and I would say for the better, for the most part.

 

[binko]

I'm saving my interest in OMM for the secondary, but I really think it will be a useful tool in situations (rural underequipped places, Doctors Without Borders, Alien Apocalypse, etc.) where more conventional diagnostic and treatment techniques may be limited. I don't see a lot of emphasis on it as a diagnostic tool, but to me that's a big part of the draw (based on some anecdotal personal experience, to be honest).

 

[ringhal]

Actually, I don't see DOs as PCP factories. And I don't think DOs exist to become primary care physicians. There is an emphasis towards primary care from a lot of DO schools, but I certainly don't see this continuing.

I've replied in another thread why this blog entry is bad science, but in it, the AOA Executive Director cites the fact that of the top 10 schools producing the most primary care physicians, 8 are osteopathic. This, he says reinforces "the profession’s dedication to primary care and our contribution to increasing the primary care workforce."

To me, that sounds like a primary care slant, if not a full agenda.

 

[SClENCE]

DO is simply a lesser version of MD, that uses gimmicks such as holistic medicine/alternative medicine to compensate. In the end medicine is evidence based and treatment will be in the best interest of the patient.

Not bashing DO but that's the thinking that I have always been presented with. Maybe someone can change my mind.

 

[touchpause13]

:troll:

 

[JimmyB123]

It depends on the program. Right now the program I'm waiting on is an MD but I have my deposits in at a DO. This doesn't have as much to do with the letters as the fact it is closer to my parents and about 11,000 less a year with cheaper housing. The rotations are actually better at the DO school I'll most likely attend and the matchlists are fairly comparable. I know people that turned down MD for DO and I know people that refused to apply DO and every combination imaginable.

I'm actually very interested to know which schools you are talking about. PM me if you wish to with the names! Never heard of a DO school with better rotations and comparable match list to any MD school.


Edit: Darnit. Someone necro bumped this thread and I fell for the bait...

Disregard Disregard