Why not DO?

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Maybe my original post was unclear to some... I wasnt really looking for what is an appropriate interview answer but rather what are the genuine reasons YOU have not considered D.O. I was just curious...
 
At first I thought this was a snide comment, but then I remembered how there was a DO on npr a few weeks ago that was talking about the importance of not sitting with your wallet in your back pocket.

This is kind of like the McCain campaign mocking Obama's "inflated tires = decreased fuel consumption" comment even though it was true. It's probably true that alot of people can avoid back problems or maybe even other problems by not sitting on their "George Costanza"-sized wallet.
 
Do most people only choose to apply to either DO or MD only? Is it possible to do both? I would think a lot of people would apply to both type of schools if they really wanted to become physicians.
 
Do most people only choose to apply to either DO or MD only? Is it possible to do both? I would think a lot of people would apply to both type of schools if they really wanted to become physicians.
Applying to both MD and DO schools certainly doubles your odds. I chose to go to a MD school not so much because it's a MD school, but rather because it has unbeatable tuition ($18K/year), state-of-the-art facilities (awesome anatomy lab, good medical computing support, etc.), and great tradition. In my opinion, most MD schools offer better clinical and research opportunities. If you are accepted to a DO school that is comparable to a MD school, then don't let the title behind your name dictate your decision. I know a lot of good DO physicians out there and my family doctor is one of them.
 
Do most people only choose to apply to either DO or MD only? Is it possible to do both? I would think a lot of people would apply to both type of schools if they really wanted to become physicians.

A lot of peopel apply to both, myself included. And believe it or not, many people actually CHOOSE to go DO over MD..... *gasp* 😱
 
Where I live people don't know what a DO is. Hell, I had an adult person the other day ask me what a pediatrician was. She thought it was geriatrics. This person was like under the age of 28, so she should have seen a peds within the last 15 yrs. lol.
 
I was planning to apply DO only but It wouldn't hurt to apply MD also. Of course MD schools doesn't teach the voodoo I hoped to learn. 🙄 Anyways, the less people that apply DO the less competition for me.
 
Maybe my original post was unclear to some... I wasnt really looking for what is an appropriate interview answer but rather what are the genuine reasons YOU have not considered D.O. I was just curious...
I can give you one reason: it's the osteopathic philosophy. Unless you are really into osteopathy, you wouldn't want to spend a lot of time learning OMM and never use it in practice.

I wasn't crazy about OMM stuff, nevertheless I think it's just another tool to help diagnosing and treating diseases. I still don't like the fact that DO schools allocate so much time to OMM.
 
Because its just not as good as an MD.

There I said it.

Now shut this thread down.
 
A lot of peopel apply to both, myself included. And believe it or not, many people actually CHOOSE to go DO over MD

I think that "many" is quite a stretch, but I do know one person who choose DO over MD because his family refused to move from Des Moines (DMU) to Iowa City (U of Iowa). However, this is the exception and not the rule.

I wasn't crazy about OMM stuff, nevertheless I think it's just another tool to help diagnosing and treating diseases. I still don't like the fact that DO schools allocate so much time to OMM.

I speculate that so much time is spent on OMM simply as a justification for osteopathic schools to exist outside of "allopathic" schools--it is their only claim to a distinct "philosophy". The great majority of DOs do not even use OMM outside of DO school.
 
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I'd focus less on answering the specific question, and more on wondering why it was asked in the first place.

Honestly, when I read the OP's first post, my first thought was that it was a veiled suggestion from the interviewer that he may not have the numbers for an MD program.

That question would make me very very nervous about my prospects for an MD admission.

I wouldn't be nervous. It is very common for interviewers to ask questions like:

"What other career would you pursue if you don't get into medical school?"
"Why didn't you decide to apply to PHd, MPH, MD-PHd, etc"
"Did you apply DO? Would you go there?"

It has nothing to do with whether you are getting in or not. Your interviewer is not "implying" anything because I was asked the first question during my interview and I got in. It is just a HYPOTHETICAL question.
 
"Why didn't you decide to apply to PHd, MPH, MD-PHd, etc"


I think these are harder questions, especially MD-Ph.D. I don't even know how I'd answer that.
 
Maybe my original post was unclear to some... I wasnt really looking for what is an appropriate interview answer but rather what are the genuine reasons YOU have not considered D.O. I was just curious...

For an interview I would probably go with wanting the greater research focus that many MD schools offer.
 
Where I live people don't know what a DO is. Hell, I had an adult person the other day ask me what a pediatrician was. She thought it was geriatrics. This person was like under the age of 28, so she should have seen a peds within the last 15 yrs. lol.

So why would you care whether you are a DO or MD if they're not even gonna know the difference???
 
Is it ok to just say that you wanted to go to a higher rank school that can provide more opportunities for you? I don't know of many, if any, DO school that rank in the top 20 med schools.
 
Is it ok to just say that you wanted to go to a higher rank school that can provide more opportunities for you? I don't know of many, if any, DO school that rank in the top 20 med schools.


top 20 for what?? there are rankings for many differen things. Michigan State is ranked like number 4 in primary care or something....in front of hopkins, harvard, and other schools that can seemingly "provide you moree opportunities." but seriously.......who cares? what does that ranking even mean?

to assume that all DO schools will provide you with less opportunities to advance in a career in medicine is plain ignorant. Prime example of people (specifically pre allo students) who assume **** with out actualy putting much research into it themselves.

The bottom line is if you do your research, you will find great MD schools and great DO schools....and you will also find some not so great MD schools and some not so great DO schools. Just b/c you dont go to a school in the top 20 doesn't mean you won't have 'opportunities." In fact, an overwhelming number of practicing and successful physicians DID NOT go to a top 20 school. they are doing just fine.
 
I think these are harder questions, especially MD-Ph.D. I don't even know how I'd answer that.

I wouldn't think so. So long as you're not applying to a school that's research heavy you could simply state that while you appreciate research blah blah you would not like to dedicate your entire career to research.

top 20 for what?? there are rankings for many differen things. Michigan State is ranked like number 4 in primary care or something....in front of hopkins, harvard, and other schools that can seemingly "provide you moree opportunities." but seriously.......who cares? what does that ranking even mean?

to assume that all DO schools will provide you with less opportunities to advance in a career in medicine is plain ignorant. Prime example of people (specifically pre allo students) who assume **** with out actualy putting much research into it themselves.

According to whom? Where do people even get these rankings from?

About DO, be realistic. No of course not ALL DO schools provide you with less oppurtunities. You can hardly make such a blanket about anything. Realistically? Yeah if you had to take a pick your chances are higher with MD than DO.

Finally...take a deep breath. Please.
 
:laugh: Nothing like self-conscious pre-osteos to ruin a fairly helpful thread. Way to reinforce stereotypes.
 
This thread demonstrates one of the largest reasons why I wouldn't consider osteopathy--I don't want to spend my whole life defending my degree. The idea that only pre-meds notice the difference between DO and MD is an SDN myth.
 
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This thread demonstrates one of the largest reasons why I wouldn't consider osteopathy--I don't want to spend my whole life defending my degree. The idea that only pre-meds notice the difference between DO and MD is an SDN myth.

This is the exact reason why some DO Students will come on here, to do away with "rumors" and flat out lies that are believed by some of pre-meds.

I think it's the exact opposite of what you said above. The ONLY time I've had to "defend" my degree is to pre-meds asking questions.

I have NEVER at any point felt any bias or felt like I had to defend my degree to anyone since starting school, not at any of the outside clinical experiences and shadowing I've been on, not with any of our MD faculty, not any health fairs we've done, etc....

Sorry if it comes off as us being all defensive but I think most people would agree that a lot of the bias currently exists at the pre-med level.

I do agree with some of the reasons that have been shared such as research opportunities. Mine in particular doesn't have a lot of research going on, wasn't really something I was interested in. But I can always do some research rotations 3rd and 4th year. And to flat out say that you'll get a better clinical education at MD schools is just ridiculous.... sooo many factors play into it that I really don't see how you could realistically even compare one MD school against another.
 
I think the biggest disadvantage to the DO is the lack of opportunity to practice in other countries. OMM is not a big deal, and neither is "less prestige". DOs can get into specialties but it is more difficult. If you're confident that you'll be a primary care doctor in the US, then definitely consider the DO school.
 
Even though MDs and DOs are theoretically on the same level and rightfully so, I think it will be a while before DOs are actually held in the same esteem as MDs in the medical community and with patients. Personally I don't want to deal with this issue in an already competitive medical field.

Also, there is less of a focus on research in osteopathic schools. Research is a big part of my life and I hope to pursue it during my medical education and as a physician.


I have worked with DOs for decades, and within the medical community they are regarded as equals. The biggest obstacle for DOs is SDN premeds. In practice, they function in an eqivalent manner.
 
I think it's the exact opposite of what you said above. The ONLY time I've had to "defend" my degree is to pre-meds asking questions.

I have NEVER at any point felt any bias or felt like I had to defend my degree to anyone since starting school, not at any of the outside clinical experiences and shadowing I've been on, not with any of our MD faculty, not any health fairs we've done, etc....

Hate to burst your bubble, but when you're a DO student at a DO school and work in hospitals populated by DO attendings, of course you'll never have to defend your degree.

But most of the country isn't so DO-heavy, and if you ever get out of areas like Philadelphia where there are high concentrations of Osteopaths, you should expect to defend your degree on a regular basis, especially if you put those letters on your coat.

If you think SDN pre-meds are the only people who either look down on, or don't understand, the DO degree, you're horribly mistaken. At least the SDN pre-meds acknowledge that DOs have full practice rights; wait until the first time a patient insists that you're not licensed to prescribe medication/do surgery and insists on seeing "real" doctor.
 
This thread demonstrates one of the largest reasons why I wouldn't consider osteopathy--I don't want to spend my whole life defending my degree. The idea that only pre-meds notice the difference between DO and MD is an SDN myth.

Says who? A SDN pre-med??

Current medical students and doctors (both DO and MD who have been practicing for years) have told me they see each other as equals and have never questioned the abilities of each other. If you still think there is some underlying bias, WHO CARES?? You're a doctor - go help people.

And the OP asked "why not DO?" and some people provided reasons "why not DO", which i thought were valid. Yet somehow we are ruining this thread 🙄

Rysser..just let it go man. One day, whether you are a DO or MD, you will be working beside some of these people. Hopefully they will realize what we are saying by then.
 
Where I live, there just arn't many DO's. So I was a teenager visiting another state the first time I encountered one. Admittedly, I was one of those patients that inquired as to what the letters stood for. Although I went with the flow after he nicely explained it to me. I just wanted somebody to fix my strep throat. After that I never encountered a DO again until I started applying to med school. Just a regional thing I guess.
 
After that I never encountered a DO again until I started applying to med school. Just a regional thing I guess.

i'm in los angeles, the first time i heard of osteopathic was my junior year of college. we were in physics lab, and before it started a girl from class went up to the board and wrote something about an osteopathic pre-med club meeting. i turned to my lab partner and said 'osteopathic? is that like a special bone doctor? i mean like osteoblasts and osteoporosis right???' my partner didn't know fully either... she replied 'no... its a little different, they aren't real doctors'. the girl who was writing that message on the board heard this, turned around, and said 'no, they are real doctors, you have a different title DO instead of MD but you are liscenced to practice medicine just like an MD.' my partner and i both nodded and then she turned to me after that other girl went back to her desk, and then whispered to me 'that's pretty dumb'

what a stupid story, but my lab partner was pretty hot.
 
I wouldn't think so. So long as you're not applying to a school that's research heavy you could simply state that while you appreciate research blah blah you would not like to dedicate your entire career to research.



According to whom? Where do people even get these rankings from?

About DO, be realistic. No of course not ALL DO schools provide you with less oppurtunities. You can hardly make such a blanket about anything. Realistically? Yeah if you had to take a pick your chances are higher with MD than DO.

Finally...take a deep breath. Please.

Read what I wrote, I said not many DO schools are better, I did NOT say all DO schools are worse. Second the rankings I am referring to give your education a name. For example going to John Hopkins or Harvard is going too look much better than any DO school. By more opportunities I mean the schools are doing more research and have better faculty. If nothing else they probably have on average smarter faculty because it is difficult to get a top job at a top med school.
 
Says who? A SDN pre-med??

Current medical students and doctors (both DO and MD who have been practicing for years) have told me they see each other as equals and have never questioned the abilities of each other. If you still think there is some underlying bias, WHO CARES?? You're a doctor - go help people.

And the OP asked "why not DO?" and some people provided reasons "why not DO", which i thought were valid. Yet somehow we are ruining this thread 🙄

Rysser..just let it go man. One day, whether you are a DO or MD, you will be working beside some of these people. Hopefully they will realize what we are saying by then.

I have noticed that patients opinions of DOs seem to vary geographically and have heard other people say this as well.

I have lots of family and friends on the east coast and many of them seem to have a very poor opinion of DOs. While here in the midwest most people don't seem to care much about MD vs. DO.

Now, I'm not saying that having a poor opinion of all DOs is warranted, it's just an interesting observation.
 
According to whom? Where do people even get these rankings from?

They're referencing the US News and World Report rankings...I'm pretty sure there aren't any DO schools in the "research" rankings, but there are some in the "primary care" rankings.

And does anybody know if there's ever been a study done on whether or not patients care/know about their doctors' degrees? I know they've looked at stuff like patients' trust and what their doctors are wearing, but I'm curious if the vast majority care if their doctor is a DO or MD or even a PA. I realize that not everybody is educated on the different degrees-hell, I'm not even sure what all of the nursing degrees are, why would I expect somebody outside of healthcare to know them?
 
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I was getting ready to put pretty much the same thing.

Quick, let's make this a law-school bashing thread! Or we could talk about how if you want money, I-banking is the way to go....:beat:
 
Hate to burst your bubble, but when you're a DO student at a DO school and work in hospitals populated by DO attendings, of course you'll never have to defend your degree.

But most of the country isn't so DO-heavy, and if you ever get out of areas like Philadelphia where there are high concentrations of Osteopaths, you should expect to defend your degree on a regular basis, especially if you put those letters on your coat.

If you think SDN pre-meds are the only people who either look down on, or don't understand, the DO degree, you're horribly mistaken. At least the SDN pre-meds acknowledge that DOs have full practice rights; wait until the first time a patient insists that you're not licensed to prescribe medication/do surgery and insists on seeing "real" doctor.

Location is a double edged sword for DOs. I live in Des Moines where DOs are common and patients generally understand that an MD from the university of Iowa is more desirable than a DO from DMU. One of the DOs I shadowed even took the "DO" off his nametag. Before knowing this, I asked him where he went to school, and he said "In Iowa" which seemed kind of strange (this would lead people to believe he went to the U of Iowa instead of DMU).

However, if you move to a place where DOs are not well known, then you will have to face the task of explaining your degree to people who are not familiar with it. An uphill battle nonetheless.
 
At first I thought this was a snide comment, but then I remembered how there was a DO on npr a few weeks ago that was talking about the importance of not sitting with your wallet in your back pocket.

I am not applying DO but this advice would be echoed by most MDs. Especially for truck drivers for example who do alot of sitting. The wallet will rotate your hips and can potentially cause problems...
 
"Because I don't want to have to constantly explain to my friends, family, and patients that I am a real doctor, just like an MD."
 
Hate to burst your bubble, but when you're a DO student at a DO school and work in hospitals populated by DO attendings, of course you'll never have to defend your degree.

But most of the country isn't so DO-heavy, and if you ever get out of areas like Philadelphia where there are high concentrations of Osteopaths, you should expect to defend your degree on a regular basis, especially if you put those letters on your coat.

If you think SDN pre-meds are the only people who either look down on, or don't understand, the DO degree, you're horribly mistaken. At least the SDN pre-meds acknowledge that DOs have full practice rights; wait until the first time a patient insists that you're not licensed to prescribe medication/do surgery and insists on seeing "real" doctor.

LECOM-Bradenton is in Florida in an area that has few DO's. The area MD's that I have talked with are excited to have the school here and have shown no bias against the DO profession.

The reason that SDN pre-osteo's will argue this issue is so that hopefully some of this MD vs DO stuff can be cleared up now and once that we are all physicians we can just focus on what we are all being trained to do.

Also, for those of you that may say you are not interested in primary care, be careful. There is a primary care shortage accross the nation and schools are aware of this. No school, osteo or allo, is going to tell you that they are only training primiary care physicians, but alot are really promoting it. Yes, osteo schools will promote this more, but you are still encouraged to try out anything that you are interested in and ultimately pick what will make you the most successful and happy.
 
I ended up picking an MD program over a DO program for a variety of reasons, and overall I'm glad that I did. The pluses to me are --

1. not having to learn OMM. When I applied I thought it might be neat to know, but I've realized most likely I'd find it a pain to spend time learning it when I'd rather be studying other stuff. I'm just not much in to physical diagnosis in general, and I probably would just straight up suck at it.

2. boards -- I know you technically don't have to take both boards, but I've talked to a couple of DO students recently who regretted not taking the USMLE. Had I gone DO, I'd probably be headed to an allopathic residency anyway and would have taken both. I've heard it's not a huge deal, but it's an extra hurdle.

3. I'm from one of the 5 (or is it now 4?) states that requires a traditional rotating internship for DOs. I know it's easy to get around, but again it's another hassle. The DO interns I've met in allopathic programs here have had to sacrifice some of their electives just to do stuff they don't want to do to get licensed. They weren't too happy about it, and I don't think I would be either. If you for sure never wanted to practice in one of those states, I guess it's not a big deal.

I think the prestige, primary care emphasis and always have to explain your degree are less of issues. Not all osteopathic schools have a primary care emphasis, anyway. More than half of the grads at schools like KCUMB, DMU and PCOM go into non-primary care specialties, and, yep, lots of allopathic programs (especially state ones) have a primary care emphasis. More limited research opportunities is definitely there, though.
 
3. I'm from one of the 5 (or is it now 4?) states that requires a traditional rotating internship for DOs. I know it's easy to get around, but again it's another hassle. The DO interns I've met in allopathic programs here have had to sacrifice some of their electives just to do stuff they don't want to do to get licensed. They weren't too happy about it, and I don't think I would be either. If you for sure never wanted to practice in one of those states, I guess it's not a big deal.

I'm definitely with ya on this one.... I wish it would change though I kind of doubt it. As far as I know it's still at 5.
 
top 20 for what?? there are rankings for many differen things. Michigan State is ranked like number 4 in primary care or something....in front of hopkins, harvard, and other schools that can seemingly "provide you moree opportunities." but seriously.......who cares? what does that ranking even mean?

If it weren't for "rankings" then pre-meds would have nothing to discuss in their spare time and the pre-allo forum would be dead.
 
The idea that only pre-meds notice the difference between DO and MD is an SDN myth.

Coming from a pre-med. :laugh:

Hopefully someone else sees the irony.
 
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Location is a double edged sword for DOs. I live in Des Moines where DOs are common and patients generally understand that an MD from the university of Iowa is more desirable than a DO from DMU. One of the DOs I shadowed even took the "DO" off his nametag. .

During my surgery rotation last year the chairman's whitecoat just said "Dr. XXX XXXXXX". Turns out he went to SUNY Downstate. I wonder why he took the MD off his nametag?

Sometimes I wonder if pre-meds ever take a step back and realize how ridiculous they sound.
 
I wouldn't think so. So long as you're not applying to a school that's research heavy you could simply state that while you appreciate research blah blah you would not like to dedicate your entire career to research.



According to whom? Where do people even get these rankings from?

About DO, be realistic. No of course not ALL DO schools provide you with less oppurtunities. You can hardly make such a blanket about anything. Realistically? Yeah if you had to take a pick your chances are higher with MD than DO.

Finally...take a deep breath. Please.

Your chances at what???

The same place that ranks every other school in the nation. US News or whatever it is. Me personally, I could give a ****, but to many pre allos rankings is all they understand and live for. "OMG is your school ranked?"

The only reason i brought it up is b/c someone else made the comment " no DO schools are ranked in the top 20".
 
Oh okay. I was informed I shouldn't fan flames so I'll edit this post out. Whatever. It was funny.
 
I personally feel the OMM thing is probably the best way to answer the "Why not DO" route if you can't come up with anything else (don't have a whole lot of research experience, don't want to practice abroad, etc). Many (myself included, I'll admit) feel OMM is a tad wishy-washy and would rather spend their time studying something else, especially if they don't want to practice OMM professionally anyway.

I first heard of DO's at Bellevue, where I was working, and where I met an IM DO resident. She told me that at least in a hospital setting, the issue never came up- patients assumed that, what with her being a doctor at a hospital like Bellevue, she knew what she was doing. She was, for the record, an excellent doctor- no more focused on "caring for the patient" or "healing the person" any more than the MDs, and no less. The only thing that was different was the letters on her coat. I've also worked with a DO who's a horrible b*tch and terrible with her patients, but that has everything to do with her particularly nasty personality and nothing to do with her degree- again, the idea that DO's are more "caring" or whatever than MD's is another myth. There's really no difference. They can be good or bad.

Me, I think OMM is fluffy and I can't imagine sitting through one of those classes without rolling my eyes. I also feel (and I'm sure I'll get yelled at for this) that if you don't believe in OMM, you shouldn't be a DO. All DOs argue that the only real difference is that class- so why do DO if you don't want to take that class? If it's just cause you can't get into an MD school, then you're just furthering the stereotype that DO is nothing but MD lite, which is precisely what you will then spend all your time fighting against.

Yell away....
 
pre-meds are full of useful information
 
Sometimes I wonder if pre-meds ever take a step back and realize how ridiculous they sound.

👍👍👍 + 10,000,000. This is the end all.
 
See, I'd be a little careful about saying the lack of scientific basis for OMM if there is a DO on the admission panel (which, there may be and they may be the ones asking this question). I'd probably focus more on the research aspect personally.
 
Oh, and saying that you don't want primary care focus is just asking for all sorts of trouble, considering the mission statements of a lot of schools, especially state schools.
 
I personally feel the OMM thing is probably the best way to answer the "Why not DO" route if you can't come up with anything else (don't have a whole lot of research experience, don't want to practice abroad, etc). Many (myself included, I'll admit) feel OMM is a tad wishy-washy and would rather spend their time studying something else, especially if they don't want to practice OMM professionally anyway.

I first heard of DO's at Bellevue, where I was working, and where I met an IM DO resident. She told me that at least in a hospital setting, the issue never came up- patients assumed that, what with her being a doctor at a hospital like Bellevue, she knew what she was doing. She was, for the record, an excellent doctor- no more focused on "caring for the patient" or "healing the person" any more than the MDs, and no less. The only thing that was different was the letters on her coat. I've also worked with a DO who's a horrible b*tch and terrible with her patients, but that has everything to do with her particularly nasty personality and nothing to do with her degree- again, the idea that DO's are more "caring" or whatever than MD's is another myth. There's really no difference. They can be good or bad.

Me, I think OMM is fluffy and I can't imagine sitting through one of those classes without rolling my eyes. I also feel (and I'm sure I'll get yelled at for this) that if you don't believe in OMM, you shouldn't be a DO. All DOs argue that the only real difference is that class- so why do DO if you don't want to take that class? If it's just cause you can't get into an MD school, then you're just furthering the stereotype that DO is nothing but MD lite, which is precisely what you will then spend all your time fighting against.
Yell away....

I dont see why you should be flamed for this. Its a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. I'm very intersted in learning OMM, so I applied to DO schools.

That being said, i think its unrealistic to expect people to give up on their dream (not apply DO even tho they have not been accpeted MD for multiple cycles) just b/c they dont like OMM. I know that if I had tried multiple times to get into MD, and i really didnt like OMM, but it was my only option, I would suck up the 2 years of OMM lecture so that I could beocme a physician. No doubt. You might feel the same way if you were in that situation, but its hard to say because you ARENT in that position, so its tough to comment on. You really think you would just give up on being a physician? Not apply DO?? I highly doubt it. If you want something badly enough, you will do anything to get it.
 
Why don't you just lie and say that you did apply DO and avoid the question completely? Are MD adcoms really going to see your AACOMAS application?
 
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