Why Osteopathy?

[Optimistic]

Hi guys,
I was just wondering if you could write why you preferred to go to osteopathy medicine over allopathy medicine?

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[Teufelhunden]

Because I wasn't accepted to an MD school, and frankly just wasn't willing to wait an extra year to retake the MCAT & re-apply (I'm a married, 30y/o non-trad). However, I am very happy with my education thus far - and OMM is definitely an added bonus.

 

[melancholy]

Hehe.. I see Optimistic posted the opposite question on the Allopathy board and got some interesting replies..

 

[Optimistic]

Come on fututr DO's dont you guys know why you chose osteopathy or is it that you don't like to share the views?

 

[yasostegirl3437]

I decided to pursue a career in osteopathy because
I want to become a family physician and practice OMM. Patients want more than conventional medicine to treat ailments.

In 96, the HMO I work for didn't cover accupuncture. Today it offerred through several health plan. We are our own worst enemy. There is a certain arrogance pre-meds have. In order to be respected you have to respect and believe in yourself.

I am too old and have been through too much to care what people think. The average person could not get through a D.O program. If I am successful, I will refer to myself as an osteopathic physician.

The other day, I passed by a M.D office who advertised Omm. What's up with that? I've never seen OMM advertised in a D.O office.

 

[pags]

I, like Teufelhunden, was not accepted to an allopathic school. However, if I match for radiology, it's all good

 

[jhug]

Honestly- my dad, grandpa, and greatgrandpa have all been MD physicians. In each of their opinions- these are two roads that have the same end- being a doctor. I really like the prevention aspect- also how DO's are taught to look at both lifestyle and other means before jumping to the medicine pad--example, I work at a charity clinic and a guy came in with asthma. one doc perscribed albuterol and the patient left- 2 minute visit. he came back 3 weeks later still suffering and out of inhaler. this time another saw him- asked about his work- in a dusty factory, asked about his life- lives with parents & full of stress. She told him to move out and change jobs... BUT STILL gave him the Rx just in case. The guy came back with a new job and not living at home- a great cause of stress- and he hadn't even bought the inhaler, yet didn't have one asthma attack. Although both did well, the DO's approach is life-long and literally life-changing. Now, in the MD's defense, I think they are really beginning to see the value in this as well. Long answer- but hopfully it will answer the question

 

[yasostegirl3437]

Excellent point!

 

[melancholy]

Optimistic- regarding the lesser number of responses than the allopathic version of this question.. maybe we're all kinda busy studying (or out partying/procrastinating for that matter).

jhug- I like your example.. that definitely is good practice no matter if a doctor is an MD or DO. I do like to think that doctors try to be pretty thorough with parts of a physical/checkup such as social history. I think more than anything else, having quality lecturers/clinicians/mentors will pound good habits into a future doctor.. whether he/she be a future MD or DO.

 

[Optimistic]

Bump!
to answer AngEyes00 question.

 

[AthensfromCols]

I chose osteopathy because of the holistic philosophy. DOs strive to treat patients with diseases, not just diseases. By getting to know the patient and how their interact with their environments, their diets and habits, a physician can begin to treat the whole person. By treating the person in an effort to encourage wellness in all aspects, the physician treats disease. This is the aspect of medicine and especially osteopathy that I relish daily.

The study of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine wasn't a consideration for me when choosing an osteopathic school, but it is a great added bonus. To think that I can affect someone's physical health simply by manipulating them in a certain way which takes mere minutes of my time, I think is great. As an osteopath, I never need a patient who is sick or afflicted to leave my office without feeling at least somewhat better than he/she did when coming in to my office. That is an amazing attribute to discover. As a patient, I would rather see a physician who can spend a few minutes doing something that will allow my own body to correct the problems I have than to see a physician who will spend a few minutes writing a prescription that will do the same!

 

[Amra]

[same post as the allopathic forum]

If wish the mod's would just recycle the posts from the last few years about the DO/MD thing. Save us all time from having to type things again.

Just remember, billing codes are the same.. that must mean something...

 

[KCOM2005]

I think quite frankly that many of us are tired of answering this question. If you want to be true to yourself, do the research to find out which approach to medicine is best for you and your future patients. It should be as simple as that. If I asked you why you chose to eat a bagel for breakfast rather than an english muffin, what would be your answer? There would be many such reasons to make that choice one way or the other. Do what fits you best.

 

[jhug]

kcom2005-- well said, very well said!

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Prof. A. Dumbledore••

 

[Peregrin]

Well, I just finished the first part of my Gross final, so I have a little time to burn. I just wanted to add a different perspective, and I'll start with responding to something Athens... said.

Originally posted by AthensfromCols:
•I chose osteopathy because of the holistic philosophy. DOs strive to treat patients with diseases, not just diseases. By getting to know the patient and how their interact with their environments, their diets and habits, a physician can begin to treat the whole person. By treating the person in an effort to encourage wellness in all aspects, the physician treats disease. This is the aspect of medicine and especially osteopathy that I relish daily.•••

While I certainly respect your choice as well as your reasons for that choice, Osteopathy doesn't have the monopoly on 'holistic medicine.' It is true that decades ago mainstream medicine was taught and practiced with a more authoritarian perspective and followed the biomedical model, but I don't know of a single school who still teaches those ideas (granted, I don't know every school). Treating the whole person and not just the disease is a common theme running through medicine in general these days. You will learn that approach and philosophy just about everywhere.

•The study of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine wasn't a consideration for me when choosing an osteopathic school, but it is a great added bonus. To think that I can affect someone's physical health simply by manipulating them in a certain way which takes mere minutes of my time, I think is great. As an osteopath, I never need a patient who is sick or afflicted to leave my office without feeling at least somewhat better than he/she did when coming in to my office. That is an amazing attribute to discover. As a patient, I would rather see a physician who can spend a few minutes doing something that will allow my own body to correct the problems I have than to see a physician who will spend a few minutes writing a prescription that will do the same!•••

I also respect your views here. OMM is one of the main and most visible differences. However, in the real world very, very few DO's actually practice OMM. There is scant if any hard research to demonstrate its therapeutic value (and you have to admit that some of the manipulations for the cranium and the like are somewhat suspect, well I guess you don't HAVE to admit it) and few insurance plans pay for it. If you want OMM, go for it, but realize where it fits in in the real world.

The best school is the one that accepts you. You will be the doctor you will be, the letters will have little impact.

 

[jhug]

peregrin- just a thought-
do you think that the rise in DO's and osteopathic schools in the nation (as compared to the decrease in MD schools) as well as the public demand for more patient-oriented care has forced/inspired "allopathic" medicine to take a slightly more "osteopathic" approach? To their credit (and i hate to use "their" because in my mind we all do the same in the end) i think allopathic schools are beginning to develop & teach holistic/patient-oriented approaches-- i also credit the change, to a great degree- but not 100%, to the presence of DO's in the health care field. Either way, it is happening and i greatly anticipate working side by side with compitent MD's and DO's in the future!

 

[CVPA]

Sounds to me like someone is fishing for an angle to use on their application..........Hmmmmmmmmm.

 

[Optimistic]

For those of you who are tired of answering the same questions ,nobody is making you answer it. Just ignore it if you dont want to answer, its not like anybody has any moral obligations to answer posts here.
Reason I bumped this post was because somebody asked the same question so I thought I will refer him or her to this thread.

 

[KCOM2005]

Optimistic,
I feel morally obligated to let you in on a little secret, try the search button. Nothing personal, I simply think it is more valuable to find the answers yourself. There is more gained in doing the task than being given the answer.

 

[Optimistic]

Originally posted by KCOM2005:
•Optimistic,
I feel morally obligated to let you in on a little secret, try the search button. Nothing personal, I simply think it is more valuable to find the answers yourself. There is more gained in doing the task than being given the answer.•••

I think you are taking the post personaly. I do know about search button and that is why I bumped this old thread to answer a question that was recently asked.

 

[jhug]

Optimistic-- i have to agree with you on this- i think we hurt the osteopathic profession by continually harping on the "we are just as good/better than you" thing. i personally feel that if we SHOW that we are that it will be much more effective. It is an endless battle-- with two older brothers that couldn't make it into medicine- i will always get the DO isn't a real doctor thing...call it ignorance, call it what you want, it won't change the fact that there is room in medicine for both.

 

[Teufelhunden]

You've all heard of the Japanese holdouts...Japanese soldiers from WWII who are still being found (most recently a few years ago in the Philipines), who think that WWII has NOT ended...

...that's who these people remind me of...you know, the one's that are always making the insecure, defensive "DO's are just as good..." argument. All these arguments would have been relevent 20 years ago, but the war is over people. Sure, there's still some prejudice...so what!? But you know what...the world is full of people who will judge you unfairly....someone from an Ivy med school may think that someone who went to State Univ. is "lesser" than them, etc.

In the end, the only people I truly need to impress...are my patients...and I'll do that with competent, compassionate medical care...not with the two letters after my name.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[jhug]

Teufelhunden-- WELL SAID- PERFECTLY PUT!!!

 

[bustinbooty]

One of the best quotes: "The Billing Codes are the Same." I think that pretty much says it all.

Reason i chose D.O.:
1) I don't have insecurity issues with M.D.'s. There are good and bad D.O.'s and good and bad M.D.'s

2) I have really learned to use my hands as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. Sure, M.D.'s use their hands to diagnose as well, and can be very good at it. With the full immersion I get in D.O. school in using these skills, I feel like I have a medicine bag with me everywhere I go in having my hands with me. (I normally take my hands with me everywhere I go). Full immersion is key when learning to use your hands well and to be confident in skills, and osteopathy gives you that.

3) It was fun to go home at Thanksgiving and treat several of my family members who had some musculoskeletal problems and make them feel better. It was nice to show my relatives that I'm learning something besides anatomy and biochem.

 

[Rhys]

I wish I could get a D.O. degree, but there's nothing available in-state, except for NOVA, which is so ridiculously expesive I couldn't even begin to consider it.

Oh well, gues I'll have to settle for one of those M.D. thingees...

 

[Sweaty Paul]

My DO penis is bigger than an MD penis.

The above arguements are ridiculus. Lets focus on how to be better physicians, DO and MD alike. We are all just students and to quote Matt Foley Motivational Speaker we know "jack squat"

Our goals should be how do we help our patients and how can we pay our loans...

Sweaty

 

[jhug]

a funny thing happened to me today-- one of my jobs is at a b&b where many doctors come through a week. I started talking to one and he asked about how the application process was going for me and when i told him about the DO thing he just smiled. I asked why and he said that his brother went the DO route while he did MD. He said they do the EXACT same thing except for his brother(DO) is paid more! He said if he had to do it all over again, he probably would have gone the DO route with his brother-- he also said anyone who claims that DO's are inferior is "old school" and closed minded-

 

[maziemae]

Hi, everybody - I'm new to the site, I was nosing around looking up more info on DO schools and registered because I truly enjoyed reading many of your comments, concerns, &c. I will be taking the MCAT soon and plan to apply to DO schools, obviously after I get my results in June (if they're good!). Anyhoo, I wanted to respond a little to some of the things put here.

Optimistic, thanks for asking that question... I'm sure you recognized that others - besides DO students - have access to this site, and the responses are a great read to those of us in the process of applying, or beginning, or whatever. I have no doubt that many of you are tired of answering that question!, however, I appreciate being able to hear your thoughts and feelings about your individuals schools, experiences, &c. Thank you. It's a comfort to know that you guys seem to share the same sentiments as I do about healing.

It does seem to me that allopathic schools are realizing that drugs &c. are not the almighty when it comes to healing; my boyfriend is in his 2nd year in med school, and he had the phrase "Heal Thyself" written all over his binders &c. in his first year. An M.D. gave a talk to the then-first years, and that was the essence of the talk. It was very nice to hear, though I think many of them still have a different take on medicine than DO students do. That's just what I've seen among my boyfriend and his classmates; and from what I've read at this site. It probably will take awhile to upheave the old-school sentiment of DOs being lesser-quality doctors than MDs, but I, too, have seen firsthand among MDs that that attitude is changing. You'll always have old goats around, though, but I'm sure it is still frustrating when it's thrown in your face. I know some awesome DOs and some awesome MDs, as I'm sure all of you do. But personally, I've been much more impressed with my experiences around DOs than I have been with MDs, hands down, no questions asked.

Anyhoo - thanks again for taking the time to post your replies. Sites like these are always very helpful to undergrads like me - and even high school kids - anyone who has questions. You never know when something you say will reach someone, or give you something new to think about, something you might not have thought about before. So, whether you wish to repond to others' comments or not, I am glad you have taken the time to share the things that you obviously believe strongly in, and hold dear to your hearts. Those of us that are not yet in your shoes benefit from what you have to say, whether it's face-to-face or checking out a site.

Take care all, and enjoy your holidays -

mazie

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by AthensfromCols
I chose osteopathy because of the holistic philosophy. DOs strive to treat patients with diseases, not just diseases. By getting to know the patient and how their interact with their environments, their diets and habits, a physician can begin to treat the whole person. By treating the person in an effort to encourage wellness in all aspects, the physician treats disease. This is the aspect of medicine and especially osteopathy that I relish daily.

I have to respectfully disagree with my OUCOM colleague on this point. DOs do not have some sort of monopoly on "treating patients, not the disease." I've been on rotations with MDs and DOs, and there is no difference in their approaches (aside from individual differences).

I have friends in MD schools -- we discuss cases -- and we approach them the same way. This nonsense that MDs somehow treat only the disease (somehow excluding the patient) is absolutely ridiculous.

This language ("Treating The Whole Patient, Not Just the Disease") is AOA contrived drivel -- I honestly don't know what the point is. Whenever my MD colleagues read this stuff, they're like "WTF?"

 

[jimdo]

Why not??

 

[murphman]

I just wanted to put in my two cents.....
I was accepted to KCOm and AZCOm and had decided happliy to attend KCOM when I was brought in from off the wait list at my state school. For a variety of reasons, I decided to attend my state school. Tuition was the major factor. I must say that I have always been impressed with the DO philosophy, and knowing a few DOs personally had decided to go that route. After being accepted to the state school, I talked with one of the Dos i knew who was in his 2nd year of residency. His advice was to go with the state school.
The only thing I always hated about pre DO guys was the whole why did you go DO? stuff. A doc is a doc. Who cares. There once was a difference between Dos and MDs, but that gap is so small now that most people, incuding nurses don't know the difference. There are some stupid MD students that still think they are better or smarter etc., and I have to listen to their crap. (of course these are the same guys that say nurses are only nurses b/c they couldn't get into Medschool). That is the kind of ignorance that really comes out later in rounds. You make all kinds of friends with those kind of ideas.
Anyway my point is this... Embrace the field you are going into which is medicine.
Carry on.

 

[Ligament]

Originally posted by Teufelhunden
I have to respectfully disagree with my OUCOM colleague on this point. DOs do not have some sort of monopoly on "treating patients, not the disease." I've been on rotations with MDs and DOs, and there is no difference in their approaches (aside from individual differences).

I have friends in MD schools -- we discuss cases -- and we approach them the same way. This nonsense that MDs somehow treat only the disease (somehow excluding the patient) is absolutely ridiculous.

This language ("Treating The Whole Patient, Not Just the Disease") is AOA contrived drivel -- I honestly don't know what the point is. Whenever my MD colleagues read this stuff, they're like "WTF?"

fully agree with the above. DRIVEL! The AOA is so full if crap.

 

[braids]

Optimistic,

I'm sorry that people are being a little hostile to your question....don't take it personally. I think many DO students get really tired of people asking why we chose this. Many of the people we meet have no idea what osteopathic medicine is, so we have to explain it to them, and they ask us questions like "so you're a chiropracter? so you're a massage therapist? so you're going to a naturopathic school? so why didn't you decide to go to medical school?" It does get kind of annoying, but I feel like it's my job to educate every person who asks about what DOs are. And I feel like it's important to tell people why I chose to be a DO. I didn't apply to any MD schools, and I chose the DO route because I really felt like this is where my personality fits better. I think osteopathic manipulative therapy is a great tool for a physician to have, and I believe that DO schools give more emphasis to treating the person than the disease, and looking at social and emotional factors surrounding the physical symptoms. Many MDs have these same beliefs and treat patients in ways that are very similar to DOs, of course, and I think being a good doctor depends more on your personality than the letters after your name. Just my two cents!

 

[rbassdo]

In my opinion, KCOM offers better basic science prep/rotation prep than the state allopathic school I was accepted to. Better board scores on COMLEX and USMLE was a big sell for me vs. cheaper tuition or closer to home. Plus, OMM and access to great residency programs of both the osteo and allo persuasion. After the fact, I know I chose wisely.

 

[ganglion]

"I chose osteopathy because of the holistic philosophy. DOs strive to treat patients with diseases, not just diseases. By getting to know the patient and how their interact with their environments, their diets and habits, a physician can begin to treat the whole person. By treating the person in an effort to encourage wellness in all aspects, the physician treats disease. This is the aspect of medicine and especially osteopathy that I relish daily"

I certainly believe all said above but in my opinion my choice was affected by more marketing than anything else. I enjoyed my education but looking at the field of medicine now..my friends in the so called "allopathic" world approach their patients in the same holistic manner (if they are good physicians).

I actually believed that their was an actual difference....maybe once a long time ago but the current trend presents a different picture.


"BUMP" on the Paradox of Osteopathy.

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by braids
I believe that DO schools give more emphasis to treating the person than the disease, and looking at social and emotional factors surrounding the physical symptoms.

Nothing personal, braids, but this is pure crap. This nonsensical belief that DOs somehow approach medicine differently...that they focus more on the "person" rather than the disease....what does this even mean? How would you even go about treating the disease and not the person? See what I'm getting at? This is all just semantics!

Sure, some of us (~7% was the last AOA number I saw) will utilize OMM in our future practices...and a majority of that will address musculoskelatal complaints, i.e. LBP. The overwhelming majority of DO's won't EVER USE OMM! Not only that, but roughly half of DO graduates will complete allopathic residencies.

I guess my point is...in the real world of medicine...the only real differences in approach are INDIVIDUAL differences, not some mystical differences instilled in us during medical school.

Heck, 90% of our professors are PhD's....hell...come to think of it....many of our clinical classes were taught by MDs!

Anyway....just my 2 cents.

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Originally posted by Teufelhunden
Nothing personal, braids, but this is pure crap. This nonsensical belief that DOs somehow approach medicine differently...that they focus more on the "person" rather than the disease....what does this even mean? How would you even go about treating the disease and not the person? See what I'm getting at? This is all just semantics!

Sure, some of us (~7% was the last AOA number I saw) will utilize OMM in our future practices...and a majority of that will address musculoskelatal complaints, i.e. LBP. The overwhelming majority of DO's won't EVER USE OMM! Not only that, but roughly half of DO graduates will complete allopathic residencies.

I guess my point is...in the real world of medicine...the only real differences in approach are INDIVIDUAL differences, not some mystical differences instilled in us during medical school.

Heck, 90% of our professors are PhD's....hell...come to think of it....many of our clinical classes were taught by MDs!

Anyway....just my 2 cents.

Word, tell it like it is.

 

[sl_jl]

On the website of American College of Physicians , it states:

<b>The article is named: Osteopathic medicine's growing pains

"Off the record, allopathic physicians have said that many of their allopathic colleagues still think that osteopaths are people who couldn't get into medical school"</b>

http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/nov97/osteopat.htm

Afterall, on the AACOM website, their GPA and MCAT requirements are very low compared to allopathic schools. If you look at each school, the "supplemental requirements" are 2.7ish GPA..... that makes people like me question the quality of the schools. Also, on USNews Magazine (2002 Rankings), the accepted GPA and MCAT score of matriculants are 3.46 and 8.2 respectively. Perhaps this could be due to the fact that osteopathic schools do not get that many applicants, so they have to lower admission standards....

Whatever the reasons might be.... osteopathic schools don't look that appealing to many premed applicants.

However, according to USNews Magazine, Michigan State U-COM is number 4 in Primary Care out doing Harvard (whether or not you believe in the rankings). So maybe osteopathic schools are doing good???

 

[BrooklynDO]

hmm interesting that a person would use the US world report rankings to support his claim, and then put doubts on their validity when they dont suit him. Just an observation.
Also , read some previous posts on just how the world report gets their rankings done... a "highly scientific method"



and duece, im happy that your brother retook the mcats and went where he wanted. apparently an extra few months of studying for them made him a better prospect as a physican than those of us who only took it once.

 

[sl_jl]

Originally posted by braids
Optimistic,

I'm sorry that people are being a little hostile to your question....don't take it personally. I think many DO students get really tired of people asking why we chose this. Many of the people we meet have no idea what osteopathic medicine is, so we have to explain it to them, and they ask us questions like "so you're a chiropracter? so you're a massage therapist? so you're going to a naturopathic school? so why didn't you decide to go to medical school?" It does get kind of annoying, but I feel like it's my job to educate every person who asks about what DOs are. And I feel like it's important to tell people why I chose to be a DO. I didn't apply to any MD schools, and I chose the DO route because I really felt like this is where my personality fits better. I think osteopathic manipulative therapy is a great tool for a physician to have, and I believe that DO schools give more emphasis to treating the person than the disease, and looking at social and emotional factors surrounding the physical symptoms. Many MDs have these same beliefs and treat patients in ways that are very similar to DOs, of course, and I think being a good doctor depends more on your personality than the letters after your name. Just my two cents!

First of all, there is NO SIGNIFICANT difference between allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. Osteopathic schools just focuses more on anatomy and physiology. Nothing more and nothing less.

Last time I check, Michigan State's allopathic and osteopathic students share the same classes during their first year. You can see the schedule in their website. Because of that fact, that makes me question why would osteopathic students share the same classes as allopathic students. Since osteopathic medical schools are always emphasizing their uniqueness, shouldn't both medical schools have their own set of classes? Should the line of distinction be applauded or obscured?

I also check UHS's website. Maybe somebody can answer this for me. Why doesn't UHS's curriculum include OMM? I don't see it anywhere in their website.

On a final note, I like to think that what separates allopathy from osteopathy is the philosophy and approach to medicine, not some hands-on rubbing and massaging technique that I can get from a massage parlor downtown.

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Originally posted by BrooklynDO

and duece, im happy that your brother retook the mcats and went where he wanted. apparently an extra few months of studying for them made him a better prospect as a physican than those of us who only took it once.

Brooklyn do you know my brother, are you in NYCOM class of 2006?

 

[Rev. Horace]

Originally posted by sl_jl

I also check UHS's website. Maybe somebody can answer this for me. Why doesn't UHS's curriculum include OMM? I don't see it anywhere in their website.

The curriculum at the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine consists of four years of structured training leading to the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. The first two years of the curriculum are classroom oriented, covering the foundations of basic and clinical medical sciences. Osteopathic principles and philosophy as well as contemporary concepts in medical education are integrated into the curriculum. The last two years focus on training in clinical settings.

OMM= Osteopathic principle

I believe that since they do sytems based they don't outline individual classes on the site schedule and just assume that you know OMM is included.

 

[TMarkus]

Why DO?
One of the ER MD's I work with pointed me in this directoin last year. In his opinion (and I am inclined to agree) too many MD's treat health care as a business. Treat the patient and the rest will follow, was his advice.

I didn't know much about DO's until about a year ago. I thought, like most of my peers, that it would be a step down, a compromise to go DO. Once I actually did some research I learned a great deal about the true nature of the DO profession. The overall philosophy is closer to my own way of thinking about health care. Taking a more holistic systems approach to the art of healing fits me better. For what it is worth.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I tend to agree with most of what has been said. In the end, I think the only difference is the personal philosophy of the practitioner. I'm a senior in undergrad, and have decided to apply mostly to osteopathic schools. The philosophy of the profession matches my personal view of healthcare, alot of which I contirbute to my studies in psychology and martial arts.

I will, however, apply to 3 allopathic schools: my state's two schools, and USUHS.

On an off-the-wall note, I believe I read more DOs practice in the military than in the civilian world. My guess is because they're viewed as a "medical officer" and not an "osteopathic physician". The military makes no distinction.