Why DOs are just as awesome as MDs.

[ShenanigansMD]

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Hey fellow pre-meds, I'm pre-allo and I'm gonna admit that I thought being a DO would hold me back in my career as a physician, until I read this:

On Call In Hell: A Doctor's [DO's] Iraq War Story

http://www.amazon.com/On-Call-In-Hell-Doctors/dp/0451220536

This made me realize that having MD or DO really doesn't matter, it's what you do in life with the opportunities that are given to you. I highly recommend this book to those looking at DO, b/c it really shows that DOs and MDs are on the same playing field. Plus this is an awesome story.

Just thought I'd share this.

 

[AlongWay]

Didn't know there was something called "pre-allo". I just thought it was premed and then allo or osteo after that.

 

[Hemorrage]

"pre-allo".. lmao.

 

[Mbeas]

Real life experience made me understand there's no difference. I'll probably read the book anyways, though.

 

[MedPR]

Didn't know there was something called "pre-allo". I just thought it was premed and then allo or osteo after that.

"pre-allo".. lmao.

?? Pre-allo = applying to MD school. Pre-osteo = applying to DO school.

 

[zoner]

good luck trying to find a DO that goes into plastic surgery though

 

[MedPR]

good luck trying to find a DO that goes into plastic surgery though

Plastic surgery is one of the most competitive specialties for MD or DO. It's not like there's an overabundance of MD plastics either.

 

[qwerty2012]

Yep.

+ Live life without regret and be bold.

 

[HalfListic]

good luck trying to find a DO that goes into plastic surgery though

??

Plastic surgery is one of the most competitive specialties for MD or DO. It's not like there's an overabundance of MD plastics either.

+1 Exactly...not sure what the point of that comment was.

 

[DolFAN]

At the end of the day, you're taking care of people. Doesn't matter if you're DO or MD.

 

[MedPR]

At the end of the day, you're taking care of people. Doesn't matter if you're DO or MD.

PAs, nurses, and patient care techs take care of people too.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

?? Pre-allo = applying to MD school. Pre-osteo = applying to DO school.

Yeah I'm not understanding the confusion either.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

good luck trying to find a DO that goes into plastic surgery though

I shadowed a DO plastic surgeon. And now, there are two in his office. And in a city of 500k people with 6 other plastic surgeons. Pretty good odds if you ask me.

 

[DolFAN]

PAs, nurses, and patient care techs take care of people too.

Your point?

 

[SpecterGT260]

Everyone just stop and back out slowly..... This thing is unstable

 

[deleted103644]

Grrrr.... The term allopathic makes me angry.

****ing homeopaths. Why do they get to name real medicine?

 

[SpecterGT260]

Grrrr.... The term allopathic makes me angry.

****ing homeopaths. Why do they get to name real medicine?

It has been commonly adopted at this point. By your logic you should be able to tattoo a swastika on your forehead and everyone else with the problem is the racist

in a very similar fashion my avatar is technically inappropriate. However - who the eff cares? 🙂

 

[thecgrblue]

Hey fellow pre-meds, I'm pre-allo and I'm gonna admit that I thought being a DO would hold me back in my career as a physician, until I read this:

On Call In Hell: A Doctor's [DO's] Iraq War Story

http://www.amazon.com/On-Call-In-Hell-Doctors/dp/0451220536

This made me realize that having MD or DO really doesn't matter, it's what you do in life with the opportunities that are given to you. I highly recommend this book to those looking at DO, b/c it really shows that DOs and MDs are on the same playing field. Plus this is an awesome story.

Just thought I'd share this.

This guy is bad a**. Great book.

 

[HalfListic]

It has been commonly adopted at this point. By your logic you should be able to tattoo a swastika on your forehead and everyone else with the problem is the racist

in a very similar fashion my avatar is technically inappropriate. However - who the eff cares? 🙂

I was going to use the same reference (with your avatar)...it was a nice touch to add the nazi's too though. 😉

Language is always a barrier...think about the word holistic. Its been whored out so much it barely has meaning.

 

[TallScrubs]

Holy ****..all is well with the world now....a 'pre-alloer' just validated my career choice. Whew!

 

[SpecterGT260]

I was going to use the same reference (with your avatar)...it was a nice touch to add the nazi's too though. 😉

Language is always a barrier...think about the word holistic. Its been whored out so much it barely has meaning.

1) nazi references are always a game-winner 😉
2) The rod of Asclepius pretty sissy looking compared to the caduceus. Plus hermes could limbo like a boss I am fairly certain I am not mixing and matching any of my sources here 😎

 

[HalfListic]

1) nazi references are always a game-winner 😉
2) The rod of Asclepius pretty sissy looking compared to the caduceus. Plus hermes could limbo like a boss I am fairly certain I am not mixing and matching any of my sources here 😎

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

So guys where is this thread going?😀

 

[HalfListic]

So guys where is this thread going?😀

SDN, where nazis are fair game, arguments recycle on a semi weekly basis and the titles of threads rarely point to the threads topic of conversation.

Welcome

 

[SpecterGT260]

I am a little surprised by the OP.... >14 post count with such a noobish thread 😕
fresh escapee from hSDN?

 

[MedPR]

At the end of the day, you're taking care of people. Doesn't matter if you're DO or MD.

Your point?

At the end of the day, PA/RN/BSN/CRN are not equivalent to MD/DO. According to your description of MD/DO they are. They aren't.

 

[SpecterGT260]

At the end of the day, PA/RN/BSN/CRN are not equivalent to MD/DO. According to your description of MD/DO they are. They aren't.

thats because PAs do as much as we do [if not more] in less time 👍

 

[MedPR]

thats because PAs do as much as we do [if not more] in less time 👍

PAs definitely do more than med students do.

 

[SpecterGT260]

PAs definitely do more than med students do.

was your reference to post/pre profession intentional or were you just feeding the joke?

 

[AlongWay]

?? Pre-allo = applying to MD school. Pre-osteo = applying to DO school.

Ok, so I guess if your "pre-allo" apply to MD schools and don't get into any and end up at a DO school, then what does that make you? Pre-allo wannabe?

PAs definitely do more than med students do.

Yep, just not more than actual doctors......

 

[Luelinks]

SND at its finest, a physician/PA battle.

Except Phys wins of course.

 

[nirvikalpa]

It has been commonly adopted at this point. By your logic you should be able to tattoo a swastika on your forehead and everyone else with the problem is the racist

in a very similar fashion my avatar is technically inappropriate. However - who the eff cares? 🙂

Or, you could be Buddhist or Hindu, believe the symbol is an endearing symbol, a symbol of luck and fortune... to which yes, everyone else would be racist.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Or, you could be Buddhist or Hindu, believe the symbol is an endearing symbol, a symbol of luck and fortune... to which yes, everyone else would be racist.

that..... that was the point.... 🙄
Gotta love the instances when someone rolls in to call out a technicality that was the very point of the post in the first place 😉
In case you still missed it - My dear friend Johnathan and I were discussing the ins and outs of the term "allopathic", which was originally coined by a homeopath as a derogatory term during a time when medicine was as likely to kill you as it was to heal you. At this time, the term was insulting. However, over time the term because commonly accepted as descriptive of medicine vs other medical practices like osteopathics. In a similar fashion, the swastika has changed meaning in popular culture (meaning, common understanding). While it was at one point a positive symbol, that is no longer its common meaning or interpretation. Therefore, to have a problem with the word "allopathic" describes a sort of linguistic hipsterism where only the original meanings of words apply and denies any scenario where a word's meaning might change. In such a way a person could defend tattooing a swastika on their forehead while simultaneously calling others bigots for taking issue with it - a scenario chosen for its obvious absurdity. Savvy?

 

[cliquesh]

good luck trying to find a DO that goes into plastic surgery though

http://www.pcomsurgery.org/Program-Alumni.php

 

[deleted103644]

It has been commonly adopted at this point. By your logic you should be able to tattoo a swastika on your forehead and everyone else with the problem is the racist

in a very similar fashion my avatar is technically inappropriate. However - who the eff cares? 🙂

Not my point at all - not really sure the relevance of your point actually. This is more a case of someone else tattooing a swastika on my head and then telling me it's okay.

The definition of the term belies a fundamental misunderstanding of medicine and physiology.

The term is only appropriate if you believe the tenets of homeopathy, ie treating like with like.

The term is still used primarily to distinguish mainstream medicine from various crackpot theories, so the use of it merely serves to raise them to equal footing.

It's a bad term and should be abandoned.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Not my point at all - not really sure the relevance of your point actually. This is more a case of someone else tattooing a swastika on my head and then telling me it's okay.

The definition of the term belies a fundamental misunderstanding of medicine and physiology.

The term is only appropriate if you believe the tenets of homeopathy, ie treating like with like.

The term is still used primarily to distinguish mainstream medicine from various crackpot theories, so the use of it merely serves to raise them to equal footing.

It's a bad term and should be abandoned.

I understand the basis for your qualms with it. I am just saying:

where in "like with like" do we get the term "allopathic"? I can see your point about it being assigned by someone else - however that is subtle at best. The point is still that we are discussing a meaning of a term which is no longer applicable. I don't honestly believe that using the term "allopathic" lends any credibility to crackpot alternative practices like homeopathy or... you know.... that one where they pretend your spine is crooked so your brain can't heal your diabeetus 😕

Some web definitions
Allo - "different"
Pathic - relating to treatment of disease

Personally I don't see a problem in current society of advertising that we use different therapies to treat than the disease itself 😉
Got ya some AIDS? Well here, let me give you some accupuncture for that..... with used needles .....



but in all seriousness, I honestly don't care. I will likely never meet a patient who is well educated in the linguistic origins of the terms we use so it is a moot point. Do you have a suggestion for a replacement?

 

[deleted103644]

Homeopathic = treating like with like (ie using dilute concentrations of a toxin that causes headaches to treat headaches)

Allopathic = treating with medications that cause different side effects (eg Tylenol for a headache)

Whether the term has a derogatory connotation or not is secondary - the term is stupid.

And it is still used places like these forums to give equal weighting to ridiculous doctrines like homeopathy and (yes) osteopathy.

 

[SpecterGT260]

I disagree that it is used to give homeopathy equal footing. Everybody except the practitioners and the 4 people they serve knows that homeopathy is complete garbage.

Also, is your comparison "symptom vs symptom" or "pathogen vs symptom"? You use the term side effects only in the context of medicine but not homeopathy (to which I will not attribute the word medicine 😉)

 

[MedPR]

was your reference to post/pre profession intentional or were you just feeding the joke?

You said PAs do more than "we" do. You're a med student, not a physician.

Ok, so I guess if your "pre-allo" apply to MD schools and don't get into any and end up at a DO school, then what does that make you? Pre-allo wannabe?



Yep, just not more than actual doctors......

No, that makes you a DO student.

 

[SpecterGT260]

You said PAs do more than "we" do. You're a med student, not a physician.



No, that makes you a DO student.

I am well aware of what I said, that is why I asked for the clarification on your part. If it wasn't clear, my statement was in terms of education only - the "as much as [if not more]" argument gets made in that regard on a very regular basis. As in, they do and learn everything a medical student does in half the time. This is a false statement.

I trust you actually understood this but were just looking for a technicality in my otherwise flippant post 👍

 

[deleted103644]

I disagree that it is used to give homeopathy equal footing. Everybody except the practitioners and the 4 people they serve knows that homeopathy is complete garbage.

Also, is your comparison "symptom vs symptom" or "pathogen vs symptom"? You use the term side effects only in the context of medicine but not homeopathy (to which I will not attribute the word medicine 😉)

You could use the term side effect or symptom for either. The distinction doesn't matter to a homeopath, and they are the ones who coined the terms.

The contrast is treating like with dilute like (homeo-) vs with different (allo-).

This is a bizarre point to make that bears no relevance to modern theories of medicine, but that is the original meaning of the term.

As for an alternative to allopath, never saw anything wrong with "doctor". 😛

 

[SpecterGT260]

You could use the term side effect or symptom for either. The distinction doesn't matter to a homeopath, and they are the ones who coined the terms.

The contrast is treating like with dilute like (homeo-) vs with different (allo-).

This is a bizarre point to make that bears no relevance to modern theories of medicine, but that is the original meaning of the term.

As for an alternative to allopath, never saw anything wrong with "doctor". 😛

the problem here is that the chiropractors (and I believe DNPs) have earned the legal right, as established in a court somewhere..... would have to look it up, to use the term "doctor" do describe themselves. Here is an example of a term lending credibility to alternative practices. I say we forgo "doctor" all together and go by "physician". At least that one is still ours for the time being.

 

[Luelinks]

Hey fellow pre-meds, I'm pre-allo and I'm gonna admit that I thought being a DO would hold me back in my career as a physician, until I read this:

On Call In Hell: A Doctor's [DO's] Iraq War Story

http://www.amazon.com/On-Call-In-Hell-Doctors/dp/0451220536

This made me realize that having MD or DO really doesn't matter, it's what you do in life with the opportunities that are given to you. I highly recommend this book to those looking at DO, b/c it really shows that DOs and MDs are on the same playing field. Plus this is an awesome story.

Just thought I'd share this.

"Just as awesome" makes it sounds like you previously thought they were uncool, incapable, inferior physicians.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Definitely not as cool.....
Are you familiar with the rules of TopGear's "Cool Wall"?

 

[MedPR]

"Just as awesome" makes it sounds like you previously thought they were uncool, incapable, inferior physicians.

OP is just wording it according to the misconception that MDs are better than DOs.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

It's a bad term and should be abandoned.

Things that should be abandoned include this thread.

Edit:

the misconception that MDs are better than DOs.

Another thing that should be abandoned.

 

[MedPR]

things that should be abandoned include this thread.

edit:
Another thing that should be abandoned.

+1

 

[toxicwombat]

Sorry to bump an already way-past-its-expiration thread, but I just wanted to throw something out there:

Let's just say the term "allopathic" has a negative connotation for historical/political/whatever reasons -- I realize this is debatable but let's just go with johnnydrama for now and assume that it's a given.

With this premise in mind... So what?

Context is what matters here. Many deeply ingrained termed in society are based on questionable origins and less-than-flattering intentions. It's what makes linguistics and the evolution of language so interesting. Moreover, definitions evolve and what ultimately matters is society's current interpretation of a word.

As of now, in the year 2012 in the United States, Allopathic = MD and Osteopathic = DO. That is all that matters. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a simple distinction.

My two cents.



PS: As for homeopathy -- give me a break. The fact that the H word is even uttered on a remotely-scientific forum (let alone a medical one) is beyond pathetic.

 

[SpecterGT260]

... So what?.

Precisely


Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

 

[HalfListic]

Sorry to bump an already way-past-its-expiration thread, but I just wanted to throw something out there:

Let's just say the term "allopathic" has a negative connotation for historical/political/whatever reasons -- I realize this is debatable but let's just go with johnnydrama for now and assume that it's a given.

With this premise in mind... So what?

Context is what matters here. Many deeply ingrained termed in society are based on questionable origins and less-than-flattering intentions. It's what makes linguistics and the evolution of language so interesting. Moreover, definitions evolve and what ultimately matters is society's current interpretation of a word.

As of now, in the year 2012 in the United States, Allopathic = MD and Osteopathic = DO. That is all that matters. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a simple distinction.

My two cents.



PS: As for homeopathy -- give me a break. The fact that the H word is even uttered on a remotely-scientific forum (let alone a medical one) is beyond pathetic.

well said...👍