why some frown on DO's

[woowoo]

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after reading some of these posts about Do's, and people asking "do i have a chance with a 12J at getting into DO school," I have now come to realize why some people tend to not give
DO's as much credit as they deserve. It is b/c there are too many people that don't study at all for the MCAT, totally bomb it, realize that they can't get into an allopathic school so they opt out for DO school.

DO school should not be used as a backup plan for MD school. There are a couple of DO's that work at the hospital where I work, and they are great physicians. However, b/c of some of the posts on here I can't help but wonder if they used DO schools as a backup plan.

Please know that I'm not at all bashing DO school, or people that honestly want to be a DO. However, I just think it is ridiculous that some people use DO as an option. If you want to go to an allopathic school and did poorly on the MCAT then suck it up, study your butt of and re-take the MCAT.

I myself, am applying to MD schools only. After scoring 19, 21, 17 on my first three MCATs. I scored a 25 last April, and got a 28 on the August one. My score isn't great by any means, but it is a drastic improvement from my first 3 scores. So for those of you that want to go to allopathic schools pull your MCAT up and stick with it. Leave DO schools to those that want to go DO in the first place.

 

[aquaboy]

Do you want to be a doctor? The MCAT 5x! Wow! Just because you got a 28 doesn't mean that you will get into an allopathic school. Many people apply DO because they want to. If you want to maximize your chances of being a doctor, apply DO. Actually some allopathic schools will look at your 5 MCAT scores and think, with all of that experience with the MCAT you had better get a 28. Don't question those who view being a doctor as more important than the letters behind your name. Come back when you get an allopathic acceptance!
😱

 

[spinestudent]

woowoo, you totally bombed the mcat three times yourself, then followed those three disasters with two mediocre scores. Considering that, I don't think it's appropriate for you to bash those who don't study for the mcat.

Because if you did study any of your first three attempts, I'd say you are in for some serious problems ahead as far as passing step 1 goes.........and that's even if you sneak into an allopathic school.

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by spinestudent
woowoo, you totally bombed the mcat three times yourself, then followed those three disasters with two mediocre scores. Considering that, I don't think it's appropriate for you to bash those who don't study for the mcat.

Because if you did study any of your first three attempts, I'd say you are in for some serious problems ahead as far as passing step 1 goes.........and that's even if you sneak into an allopathic school.

You read my mind. Talk about the man who pointed out the thorn in his friend's eye while he had a log in his. I mean, is this person considering taking the board exams 5 times too?

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by woowoo
Please know that I'm not at all bashing DO school, or people that honestly want to be a DO. However, I just think it is ridiculous that some people use DO as an option. If you want to go to an allopathic school and did poorly on the MCAT then suck it up, study your butt of and re-take the MCAT.

Whatever.

I applied to both MD and DO schools. I would be lying if I didn't admit that my preference was to go to an allopathic school, although my ultimate goal was just to become a physician.

I took the MCAT once...only got a 27...wasn't accepted to any MD schools, so I went the DO route with no regrets.

Could I have taken a year off, studied harder and gotten a better MCAT? Maybe. Who knows (?) Fact is, I applied to med school when I was 29 years old, and there was no way I was going to waste another year.

Sure, there are still some limitations that DO grads face that MDs don't, especially in high-powered fields. Luckily, I don't want to be a neurosurgeon or dermatologist, etc. so those limitations don't really bother me.

In retrospect, I wouldn't trade being an osteopathic MS-III for being an allopathic MS-II. Plus, now that I'm "out here" in the clinical realm, I realize that it really doesn't matter. My hospital has both MDs and DOs, and people's reputations are based on thier competence as physicians and not by the letters after their names.

 

[Buster Douglas]

Originally posted by woowoo
I have now come to realize why some people tend to not give
DO's as much credit as they deserve.

It looks to me that you're the one not giving the credit where credit is due.

I don't understand why anyone would choose not to apply to DO schools, especially when at risk of taking the MCAT a SIXTH time. That's like applying to only the Ivy's and retaking the MCAT five times because you couldn't break a 35. MD graduates of Harvard Med are taught the same things, do the same things, and get paid the very same as DOs of any osteopathic school. If anything, osteopathic schools teach their students more. If your goal is to be a physician of any specialty I don't see why you wouldn't give going DO consideration (first choice or back up).

Isn't any school a safety school after the Ivy League?

 

[woowoo]

you seriously think that i studied and made a 17 by studying? come on, i hardly even cracked a book. all of you guys missed the point. either that or you were just looking for an excuse to talk bad about someone else. i was basically saying that to get a 17 or anywhere that low, you must have not studied.

a lot of the posts i have read on here are ones that say they have made a 17, and were considering allopathic schools but now must consider DO b/c they feel like they cannot do any better on the mcat. truth is if you have taken the courses and studied then you should make the average score.

i wasn't bashing do schools at all. maybe a lot of you that have responded are those that make 17's and legitamately think you can get in. and by no means do i think that my mcat score is great, but i am proud of my persistence and the fact that i have pulled my score up 11 points since my 17. and yes i do want to be a doctor, and the reason I didn't apply to DO school was because a lot of the things that interest me are specialized areas, and for the most part DO's usually end up in a primary care field.

also, before i started applying to medical school I had never heard of DO school. sorry that i obviously offended you guys, by this post but i didn't mean to. i just don't think that DO should be used as a back up for allopathic schools, b/c their is obviously a difference between the two.

 

[woowoo]

[
Isn't any school a safety school after the Ivy League? [/B][/QUOTE]


actually an ivy league school isn't everyone's top choice. i realize that to most it probably is, but there are some of us to which location and cost does matter. i would choose the tulane or vanderbilt over any ivy league school.

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by woowoo
i just don't think that DO should be used as a back up for allopathic schools, b/c their is obviously a difference between the two.

uhhhh...and how is that? you mean that 2 hours per week of OMM? cuz that's the only difference at my school

during my first 2 years of med school, my friends at allopathic schools were learning the same crap i was...in fact, we'd trade lecture notes, etc

btw...what's your problem w/ using DO as a 'back-up' -- in the end, most of us just want to be doctors -- going DO is just another avenue of achieving that end, just like going to a foreign school, etc

 

[Buster Douglas]

Originally posted by woowoo
So for those of you that want to go to allopathic schools pull your MCAT up and stick with it. Leave DO schools to those that want to go DO in the first place.

I'm more in shock of your decisions than offended by anything you've said in your posts.

Seriously, like what Teufelhunden said, most DOs went osteopathic because they saw it as another means to the same end. I admire that you want to rid the profession of negative stereotyping, but as long as DOs are a minority sadly this will be the case. Your decision in not applying to osteopathic schools does not help the cause. If anything you're perpetuating a false perspective of a distinction between MDs and DOs, which implies that the job an MD does differs from that of a DO.

The osteopathic mission is to fill the void for a need in more primary care physicians. It only make sense that 50% of DO graduates today are PC doctors. The decision of your DO classmates has no affect on your potential. You can specialize. Yeah the road may be a little bumpier along the way, but you're losing time and money retaking this exam because of speculation and misinformed assumptions.