Why DO?

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bbas said:
Hey guys,
I'm just wondering what your reasons are for getting a DO rather than an MD?
Click to expand...
My reasons were because I love puffer fish, they are cute little bastards. Also I really enjoy getting wasted and spiraling into an endless night of B-Boy moves on the wood. These things have truly inspired my decision to choose DO over MD.

MD's don't know how to dance. and they have no game, no game at all.
 
I had no specific reasons for going DO over MD. I want to be a good physician and just wanted to go to a school that would help me achieve that goal.
 
I didn't realize how different the atmosphere is until I went to interviews.

The people at the DO schools where I interviewed were way more chill and seemed a lot happier and less neurotic. The DO schools gave off a totally different vibe, the other interview people were likewise cooler.

If I had known now when I was applying, I would never have applied to MD schools.

I feel like you get all the same training at DO school AND MORE! And you can still do a competitive allopathic residency etc with a DO, but you have the extra training and whole person focus that will give you an edge.

That's my opinion in a nutshell...

I just need to change my username one of these days!

-PhDtoDO!!
 
I agree with you that the atmosphere is different. I really felt that the DO schools wants to turn out good doctors first and good researchers second. I realize how important research is to medicine but I still feel that it is more important to groom those who are interested and motivated to do research for academic positions rather than focusing on research for all med students over patient care.
 
I couldn't get into MD school.
 
OMM, history & philosophy of osteopathic medicine. I am interested in medicine and physical therapy - DO is the closest I could come to doing both.
 
nutrition major in college w/ personal interests in kinesiology, physical therapy, chiropractic, and occupational therapy......focus on patient interaction/primary care > high-tech/research stuff......would kill myself if not around an easy-going/laid back student body or people w/o interests beyond science.....Osteopathic Medicine was an easy decision

Could I have fulfilled most of my interests at SOME allopathic schools?...of course.....but the DO schools I interviewed at were a better fit for me.
 
to stick it to the man
 
In all honesty I loved the schools and the atmospheres on the campus. I also wanted to learn OMM. The school I am going to is also very respected in the area in the medical world.

I also did not get any MD acceptances, however I made my Decision to go DO regardless back in february.
 
bbas said:
Hey guys,
I'm just wondering what your reasons are for getting a DO rather than an MD?
Click to expand...

1. I have always worked for DO's as a paramedic.

2. I have a DO in the family.

3. In my experience, DO's are better physicians (less errors, more compassion, more free time, and more personable).

4. I will have an opportunity to apply to many more residencies than as an MD.

5. I will be able to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal disorders, unlike an MD, and be able to prevent referral to a physical therapist or chiropractor.

6. The DO school is actually better than the MD school in the state in which I attend school. (Better US News Rankings, better residency matches, better reputation, more residency oppourtunities in the fields I am interested in.)

7. DO students are friendlier and more fun than MD students, in my experience.

(To avoid confusion, all of my statements above apply only to my experience and are in no way a universal statement.)
 
The man: "Maybe..."
 
My mentor is a D.O. and having to move 50 miles from home was also attractive.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
1. I have always worked for DO's as a paramedic.

2. I have a DO in the family.

3. In my experience, DO's are better physicians (less errors, more compassion, more free time, and more personable).

4. I will have an opportunity to apply to many more residencies than as an MD.

5. I will be able to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal disorders, unlike an MD, and be able to prevent referral to a physical therapist or chiropractor.

6. The DO school is actually better than the MD school in the state in which I attend school. (Better US News Rankings, better residency matches, better reputation, more residency oppourtunities in the fields I am interested in.)

7. DO students are friendlier and more fun than MD students, in my experience.

(To avoid confusion, all of my statements above apply only to my experience and are in no way a universal statement.)
Click to expand...

Good list. About #4, why would you be able to apply to more residencies than as an MD?
 
bbas said:
Good list. About #4, why would you be able to apply to more residencies than as an MD?
Click to expand...

I can apply to any of the ACGME residencies and any of the AOA residencies.

MD's can only apply to any of the ACGME residencies.
 
I have a question:

If things don't work out for me at one more allopathic school this year, I will be applying to osteopathic schools exclusively this next year.

This will be my 3rd application attempt, and I haven't applied to osteopathic schools before.

Will the osteopathic programs look down on my application because I haven't applied to a D.O. program before? I am only starting to learn about the osteopathic option, and am excited about the possibilities. I want to practice medicine and Osteopathic medical school may give me the best option to do that. Would that look ok (It is true!) to an admissions comm?

In reality, nothing has changed in my application (except employment and continued volunteering, and one more academic course) during these two years except for the schools that I have applied for. I may take one more class before the end of this 3rd application cycle.

Thanks everyone.

Numbers:
MCAT: 28N
GPA: 3.81 (overall) 3.73 (AMCAS GPA)
North Carolina Resident
 
bbas said:
Good list. About #4, why would you be able to apply to more residencies than as an MD?
Click to expand...

As a DO, you take the DO boards but you can also take the USLME which is the MD boards. So, you can apply to more residency positions because you can do an MD or DO residency.
 
i was accepted to both DO and MD and chose DO, for a number of reasons.

I really liked the people at VCOM better than any of the MD schools I interviewed at. The students at teh MD school were talking to us about how they are always trying to beat the person next to them in terms of grades and how they actually messed with other group's cadavers to mess them up. It just felt wrong to me to want to go and learn in that kind of setting.

I also love the location of my school. The MD schools were in cities (except for WVU) and i just really had had enough with city living after being in Richmond and Washington D.C. for years. I was ready to slow down the pace a bit.

And last but not least, as a child growing up, I always had a DO as a doctor. Although I didn't know the difference, my parents always made a point of picking DOs over MDs.

Although my reasons arent as funny as Nate's reason :laugh:
 
BradenDO said:
As a DO, you take the DO boards but you can also take the USLME which is the MD boards. So, you can apply to more residency positions because you can do an MD or DO residency.
Click to expand...

You do not have to take the USMLE for most ACGME residencies. Only a few will not accept the COMLEX.
 
Packamylase said:
I have a question:

If things don't work out for me at one more allopathic school this year, I will be applying to osteopathic schools exclusively this next year.

This will be my 3rd application attempt, and I haven't applied to osteopathic schools before.

Will the osteopathic programs look down on my application because I haven't applied to a D.O. program before? I am only starting to learn about the osteopathic option, and am excited about the possibilities. I want to practice medicine and Osteopathic medical school may give me the best option to do that. Would that look ok (It is true!) to an admissions comm?

In reality, nothing has changed in my application (except employment and continued volunteering, and one more academic course) during these two years except for the schools that I have applied for. I may take one more class before the end of this 3rd application cycle.

Thanks everyone.

Numbers:
MCAT: 28N
GPA: 3.81 (overall) 3.73 (AMCAS GPA)
North Carolina Resident
Click to expand...

Um, why don't you go ahead and apply to osteopathic medical schools this year?

You could get into pretty much any of them with those stats.
 
Packamylase said:
I have a question:

If things don't work out for me at one more allopathic school this year, I will be applying to osteopathic schools exclusively this next year.

This will be my 3rd application attempt, and I haven't applied to osteopathic schools before.

Will the osteopathic programs look down on my application because I haven't applied to a D.O. program before? I am only starting to learn about the osteopathic option, and am excited about the possibilities. I want to practice medicine and Osteopathic medical school may give me the best option to do that. Would that look ok (It is true!) to an admissions comm?

In reality, nothing has changed in my application (except employment and continued volunteering, and one more academic course) during these two years except for the schools that I have applied for. I may take one more class before the end of this 3rd application cycle.

Thanks everyone.

Numbers:
MCAT: 28N
GPA: 3.81 (overall) 3.73 (AMCAS GPA)
North Carolina Resident
Click to expand...


The schools MIGHT ask you about it, but people on this board DEFINITELY will look down upon you for using Osteopathic as a backup. There are plenty of folks on here in "I Rode The Short Bus, And Had To Apply Osteopathic" that have better stats than you and went Osteopathic because they wanted to. Mine won't be the first negative comments.
 
nvshelat said:
I couldn't get into MD school.
Click to expand...

Me too man. [I think I know you nvshel, u r 2nd yr with a few girl children, right?]
 
bbas said:
Hey guys,
I'm just wondering what your reasons are for getting a DO rather than an MD?
Click to expand...

I heard D.O.'s got to drink all the time since they were not "real doctors."

In all reality, I have a D.O. as my FP and I shadowed a great D.O. who made me change my M.D. only ways. Also, what could be better than learning an extra skill (O.M.M.)? So, sue me, I am a dork.
 
yanky5 said:
Me too man. [I think I know you nvshel, u r 2nd yr with a few girl children, right?]
Click to expand...

I thought he eats babies? Or is that Tyson?
 
Packamylase said:
Numbers:
MCAT: 28N
GPA: 3.81 (overall) 3.73 (AMCAS GPA)
North Carolina Resident
Click to expand...

This is a good example of the B.S. people get sick and tired of when applying to MD med schools. There's nothing wrong with your numbers and it's reasonable to think since NC has 4 med schools, you'd have no problem getting a spot as an in-state resident. Yet you're coming up on your third application attempt? 😱

This is crazy.

End the cycle of frustration and come toward the light.
 
yanky5 said:
Me too man. [I think I know you nvshel, u r 2nd yr with a few girl children, right?]
Click to expand...

LOL, sorry you got the wrong guy man. I'll be an MSI @ NYCOM this fall, and to the best of my knowledge, have no children.
 
Jamers said:
I thought he eats babies? Or is that Tyson?
Click to expand...

I eat babies for breakfast.

Chuck Norris eats Tyson for breakfast. After he roundhouse kicks him in the face.
 
There was a discussion recently about this. A student who is matching into neurosurg pretty much stated that he made the best decision of his life with DO because of the school and people he went to. His other friends struggled through school but he really enjoyed the comraderie of the school and of the profession as well. He stated he never met a DO doctor who wasn't to help and he wants to pass it on. Especially to the rural docs who need the help.

Kinda embedded my idea of DO which is why my first choice is a DO school.
 
mj1878 said:
The schools MIGHT ask you about it, but people on this board DEFINITELY will look down upon you for using Osteopathic as a backup. There are plenty of folks on here in "I Rode The Short Bus, And Had To Apply Osteopathic" that have better stats than you and went Osteopathic because they wanted to. Mine won't be the first negative comments.
Click to expand...

*I* definitely do not look down upon people for using DO as a backup, there is nothing wrong with going to your second choice as long as you are content with going to DO school, are proud to become a DO, and do your best to represent the profession. Hell, I did it.

I went to DO school because A) my first choice which happened to be an MD school at UMDNJ did not accept me (probably because I am non-trad) and B) I was and am perfectly happy with the UMDNJ school I am at and it was a close second choice anyway. I have no regrets at all.
 
mshheaddoc said:
There was a discussion recently about this. A student who is matching into neurosurg pretty much stated that he made the best decision of his life with DO because of the school and people he went to. His other friends struggled through school but he really enjoyed the comraderie of the school and of the profession as well. He stated he never met a DO doctor who wasn't to help and he wants to pass it on. Especially to the rural docs who need the help.

Kinda embedded my idea of DO which is why my first choice is a DO school.
Click to expand...


I know that if I had gotten into my first choice (an MD school) that I wouldnt have had NEARLY the fun I'm having now. I have some really good friends and I couldn't ask for better teachers. I really think that my school must have the most rocking anatomists around. Teachers who will come out in the middle of the night to help you study and who will take hours of their time to tutor you.

Not to mention all the stereotypical reasons for chosing DO apply too. 😉 It really is cool when the vast majority of your classmates and teachers are all on the same page when it comes to the philosophy of medicine.
 
I consider both MD and DO path equal.

I know it will be more energy to explain to everyone what a DO is. Eventually people will know. However I am looking forward to being the Other 'mD', same training, equal practice, with a slightly different philosophy. At least now when I present about my cell therapy stuff, and how the body has a natural ways of healing itself, I will konw what the hell I am talking about.

Side note: I have been telling people up here, in the great white north, that I am going to DO school, and some people actually knew about DO's and said, oh so your going to med school. I said yeah, but its a DO degree. They just replied yeah, but its the same thing anyway.
 
bbas said:
Hey guys,
I'm just wondering what your reasons are for getting a DO rather than an MD?
Click to expand...

Wow neat responses so far.

Well, I got into a fairly bad car accident about a month before taking the April MCAT and was really emtionally hurt by it. I was physically ok, but the other person was not (she's ok now). But during that time I was really sad. I couldn't study and winded up with a 24 on the MCAT. Considering that I am/was 22 years old at the time and knew how a lot of people had great difficulty getting into medical school. I did not want to spend 3 or 4 more years trying to get into medical school.

Think about it, 3 or 4 more years of waiting? I'm only going to live for another 60 years - if I am lucky. Is it reasonable to wait that long just over the intials on your white coat?

Now I think that if you wanted to go into research, then waiting another 3 or more years to get into a prestigous medical school would be the excellent thing to do.
 
mj1878 said:
The schools MIGHT ask you about it, but people on this board DEFINITELY will look down upon you for using Osteopathic as a backup. There are plenty of folks on here in "I Rode The Short Bus, And Had To Apply Osteopathic" that have better stats than you and went Osteopathic because they wanted to. Mine won't be the first negative comments.
Click to expand...



OOOOOKAY.....I think you need to take a deep breath and chill out. And while you're chilling, you also need to take a look around you, cause I'm going to bet that 90% of everyone of your osteopathic classmates at one time hoped to be an MD...and not because they just loved the initials, but because they didn't know that there was such a thing as a DO.

Now, of course once you all have committed the time and loan money to being a DO you will all magically decide that you really wanted to be DOs from the beginning, but that's not the case.

Instead of being threatened by honest posts and feeling the need to lash out, why don't you realize that this is not a shot to the osteopathic profession. The fact remains that only 10% of patient care in this country is currently provided by DOs. Most undergrad. premeds don't even know there IS such a thing as a DO until they get their first rejection letter from their allopathic school of choice. That's just a problem of statistical probability, not an ignorant pre-med who simply wants to be a DO as a "back up".

Keep in mind that a "back up" school COMPLETELY depends on the person defining it. If I had wanted to go to Duke my entire life and had a 38 MCAT, and 3.98 GPA, I'd probably pick 4 or 5 "back up" MD schools. And those 4 or 5 schools that are back ups for me, are someone elses dream schools.

What will hurt the osteopathic profession are not people who don't know about osteopathy, it is osteopaths and allopaths who feed the fire between the two philiosophies by carrying a a chip on their shoulder that amounts to an inferiority complex.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but if what I've said is not true where you live, it is certainly true where I live.
 
GAdoc said:
I'm going to bet that 90% of everyone of your osteopathic classmates at one time hoped to be an MD...and not because they just loved the initials, but because they didn't know that there was such a thing as a DO.
Click to expand...

I do agree with that. I went to undergrad at a place called St. Joseph's Univeristy - which is right next to PCOM. But before I came to St Joe's, I had no idea what a DO was.

My dad is an MD - and he worked with DOs every day. My dad invited me to do shadowing when I was still in highschool. And, I shadowed a DO without even knowing he was a DO.
 
Megalofyia said:
I have some really good friends and I couldn't ask for better teachers. I really think that my school must have the most rocking anatomists around. Teachers who will come out in the middle of the night to help you study and who will take hours of their time to tutor you.
Click to expand...

WVSOM here I come!
 
Packamylase said:
I have a question:

If things don't work out for me at one more allopathic school this year, I will be applying to osteopathic schools exclusively this next year.

This will be my 3rd application attempt, and I haven't applied to osteopathic schools before.

Will the osteopathic programs look down on my application because I haven't applied to a D.O. program before? I am only starting to learn about the osteopathic option, and am excited about the possibilities. I want to practice medicine and Osteopathic medical school may give me the best option to do that. Would that look ok (It is true!) to an admissions comm?

In reality, nothing has changed in my application (except employment and continued volunteering, and one more academic course) during these two years except for the schools that I have applied for. I may take one more class before the end of this 3rd application cycle.

Thanks everyone.

Numbers:
MCAT: 28N
GPA: 3.81 (overall) 3.73 (AMCAS GPA)
North Carolina Resident
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, fellow SDN poster do look down upon people who use Osteo as a backup. However, as one of the moderators indicated, it really doesn't matter as long as you know what you're getting yourself into and you have respect for DO schools. My question is, do you know what its all about? Good stats by the way. 🙂
 
nvshelat said:
I couldn't get into MD school.
Click to expand...
Ditto. I'm interested in a competitive specialty(plastics), so MD is the obvious first choice.
 
CatsandCradles said:
Wow neat responses so far.

Well, I got into a fairly bad car accident about a month before taking the April MCAT and was really emtionally hurt by it. I was physically ok, but the other person was not (she's ok now). But during that time I was really sad. I couldn't study and winded up with a 24 on the MCAT. Considering that I am/was 22 years old at the time and knew how a lot of people had great difficulty getting into medical school. I did not want to spend 3 or 4 more years trying to get into medical school.

Think about it, 3 or 4 more years of waiting? I'm only going to live for another 60 years - if I am lucky. Is it reasonable to wait that long just over the intials on your white coat?

Now I think that if you wanted to go into research, then waiting another 3 or more years to get into a prestigous medical school would be the excellent thing to do.
Click to expand...
I know of individuals in their 40s and older who decide to be doctors and take all the required courses and the MCATs and get in. It's not impossible. Some don't get in after their undergrad, but get in after years of work experience. Its almost never too late. Follow your dreams.

I'm glad you're better now.
 
The question "Why DO?" to me is synonymous to "Why Doctor?"

I think people here place to much emphasis on slight differences. How many times have you asked a teacher, so did you get a BA or BS?

Having said that, I always knew doctors were MD and DOs but never knew what distinguished one from the other as I have never had OMT as a patient.
So, naturally, I knew I would be applying to both. I applied to one MD school (in-state) and the rest DO schools. I decided to apply to mostly DO schools because 1) I knew they were more open to non-trads 2) My MCAT scores were more comparable to those who were accepted. I applied to my state MD school well because I am in-state, and it is the only medical school--who wouldn't want to apply to somewhere cheap? Especially if you are cheap like me! 😀 I never heard back from them, it was my last interview. I would have to agree, that I felt better at the DO schools. They were more laid back and welcoming.

Another thing I had noticed as I work in the healthcare field, that, in general, the DOs seemed a lot more personable--although that didn't play a huge part in why I chose DO, because everyone can choose how personably they want to practice medicine, be it DO or MD. I did also observe some personable MDs, just not as many as the DOs.

I guess my point is, I don't care what school was one's "back up" and what school wasn't. It doesn't bother me the least bit. I wouldn't care if a classmate told me our school was their 18th choice. What does it matter? We are going to be doctors, isn't that our purposes?
 
I applied only in Texas and the DO school outranks many of the MD schools. I interviewed both DO and MD schools in Texas and I liked what the DO school had to offer better-advanced technology, excellent curriculum, good track record of their students getting into top residencies (unlike other MD Texas schools). I have friends at both the DO and MD schools and my friends at the DO school were happier and actually BETTER prepared than those at MD schools, i.e. by the end of their first semester they had learned and done much more than their MD counter-parts. A lot of the ppl I have talked to at other schools actually said the wished they ranked higher/applied to the DO because of the curriculum and overall atmosphere at the school was better than the one they are attending. I want to go into primary care, so the natural choice ended up being the DO school over the MD schools when it came to the rankings.
 
I didn't even know DO's existed before I applied to MD schools. I just assumed (like many) that if you want to be a doctor your went to "med school", which of course meant applying to MD schools. Well right off the bat I get the worst MCAT ever . . . okay, maybe not "ever" but let's just say I USED to consider myself pretty capable of taking tests until that piece of **** entered my life. ANYWAY, one of my friends suggested I apply to DO schools. I thought this was some "alternative" school and wouldn't really lead me into medicine, so I just ignored her advice. Then I found the SDN website . . . this changed alot of things for me. I figured out what DO's were and as a DO you really were a physician. I investigated further (other DO websites and books) and became pretty intrigued. As a non-trad, single mother, military veteran, etc. it almost seemed like being a DO was more of fit for me (in terms of learning about the osteopathic philosophy and such). Then, low and behold, a DO starts a fellowship in the lab I was working at. At that point I figured it was fate. 😉 I asked her to write me an LOR and when she agreed, I immediately filled out the AACOMAS application. It was almost literally all down hill from there. I didn't pay any attention to my remaining MD applications (and they paid NO attention to me either! :laugh: ) and completely pursued the DO route. I can honestly say that I'm glad for the turn of events. I think I will be happier at a DO school, and my objectives as a physician will more likely come to fruition with this pathway. If I had to apply to med school again, I wouldn't have bothered with MD schools.
 
BostonDO said:
This is a good example of the B.S. people get sick and tired of when applying to MD med schools. There's nothing wrong with your numbers and it's reasonable to think since NC has 4 med schools, you'd have no problem getting a spot as an in-state resident. Yet you're coming up on your third application attempt? 😱

This is crazy.

End the cycle of frustration and come toward the light.
Click to expand...

Thank you, BostonDO. There are 4 allopathic medical schools in NC, but 2 of those are private (Duke and WFU), and UNC's avg. MCAT is 31/32. UNC adcom told me it was my MCAT that kept me out. I am doing a lot of research into osteopathic programs and liking everything that I see (except the massive debt) and it's something that I can definitely "bite my teeth into." I am currently shadowing a Family/Sports Med D.O., and he will be writing me a LOR in a couple of months.

OSU, I will be applying for the 2007 Class if I hear bad news from ECU this week.
 
CatsandCradles said:
Wow neat responses so far.


Think about it, 3 or 4 more years of waiting? I'm only going to live for another 60 years - if I am lucky. Is it reasonable to wait that long just over the intials on your white coat?
Click to expand...

I do respect your position and your choice, but i gotta throw in the other side here too.

For many, it's about meeting your own expectations, living up to your own standards. It's not the stigma of a DO ascribed by the uninformed, but rather our own "inner critic", that incessantly taunts us. This drives many ppl into 3 or even 4 application cycles, (myself now 4 yrs out of undergrad) - all the time thinking "in the grand scheme, when i'm 50yrs old, I will not even remember these 3,4, or 5 years." For some the efforts are fruitful; For others, they must now begin to think about "back ups", but at least knowing they gave it their all. Whether these countless years spent trying to get in are successful or whether they force one into "back ups" - these are are still worthwhile years.
 
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