Here's a refresher: Osteopathic schools grant a D.O. which is a doctorate of osteopathy. Allopathic schools grant the traditional M.D. DO schools are a little newer, and a DO has all the same "doctor powers" as an MD. They can prescribe, treat, do surgery, etc. The cool thing about DO schools is that they teach physical manipulation techniques which are damn awesome. For example, they may learn to treat a condition with physical manipulation of lymph nodes to promote drainage before resorting to an antibiotic. It's like getting regular medical school plus something extra cool.
There are pros and cons to both schools I believe. The pros of DO school seem pretty obvious to me. You get to be part of a pretty progressive community and learn modern techniques in medicine. Unquestionably I think the education is equal if not better, and your skills will be just as strong as any MD program. DO schools are a little less competitive to get into (but probably not for long... they're catching on quickly!)... meaning that you still have to have all the pre-reqs completed and to take the MCAT, but you can get in with less competitive scores.
The cons of going to DO school are basically that you're going to have to work in a world full of dumb-ass MDs that think that you're inferior. And this can really limit you. First you have to consider the specialty that you want to enter. Most DOs train to do family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, etc. There are actually DO residency "slots" that you apply for as a DO based on the DO specific board exams. If you want to cross over an train in a traditionally allopathic residency, you'll ALSO have to take the USMLE boards which are for the MDs. This would grant you access to apply for some allopathic spots, which may include some more competitive specialties like anesthesiology, radiology and orthopedics.
All in all it sounds great, right? So you're probably wondering why I didn't just go to DO school instead of spending so many years waiting for an acceptance to an allopathic school. Well, looking back I probably should have just gone to DO school. But here's the reason I didn't. Basically, I didn't think that I had the strength (nor did I want to), spend the rest of my life defending my education and my credentials. Like it or not, there is a huge stigma from the majority (the MDs) towards the minority ( the DOs, the international graduates, the Caribbean grad, the foreign medical students). I figured I'd had a hard enough time getting here, and I didn't want to add to my problems.
Looking back, this was probably naive... but at the time that's what I felt. And since I'd been rejected by allopathic schools, I guess I felt that I had to prove something to myself by making it. Whatever. I definitely could have saved myself a lot of time and heartache if I'd been a little less proud. Because truthfully, I know a lot of MDs who wish they were DOs, but I don't know any DOs who wish they were MDs.
Huh. I know a bunch of DOs who wish they were MDs.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I know a bunch of MD's who wish they were firefighters.
DeleteReally. Everyone I know can't get enough of being a DO. But they all CHOSE to go to DO school over MD. Frankly, if I had to do it over again I'm not sure I would go to MD school.
ReplyDeleteHowdy,
ReplyDeleteI'm a medical student at an osteopathic school and I really appreciate your sentiments on this topic. There are students at my school who arrived there only because they couldn't get in somewhere else; most of us ignore them because we are happy to be where we are. I have had plenty of opportunities. I've done a research fellowship at Harvard, I've applied for and gotten research grants.
Did I apply to MD schools? Yes. Did I feel like DO school was "settling"? No. I picked schools that I liked.
Interesting post- I was reading house of god at the hospital where i worked before starting med school- a DO resident sits across from me, asks if I'm a med student. I tell him I'm going to be starting at ___ med school in august. He then spends the next 15 minutes telling me I should give up my MD acceptance and take another year off to apply DO. Funny thing was, he was in an allopathic residency...
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm about a year late on this post, but I'd still like to comment as a non-trad, applying to allopathic schools. My girlfriend is an osteopathic physician and explained it to me this way:
ReplyDelete1) At most schools, the structure is the same - 2 years of coursework followed by 2 years of clinicals
2) Classes at DO schools are mostly taught by PhD and MD professors, with the exception of the OMT stuff which is all taught by DO professors for obvious reasons.
3) Clinicals are all done in hospitals, so it doesn't much matter whether you went the DO or MD route. Although, she has mentioned that many DO schools don't have the same relationship with hospitals that MD schools do for various reasons, including the stigma that Ella pointed out.
4) A large number of DO physicians apply to and are accepted into MD residencies by taking the USMLE.
5) The big downside, and the reason I'll be applying to allopathic schools, is that the research opportunities for MD seem to be much greater than that for DO.
6) International practice - as far as I know, the MD is recognized abroad but the DO is not. If you have interest in practicing overseas someday, then the MD is probably the way to go. Of course, I wonder how much the AMA has contributed to this problem.
To be honest, I'd tend to prefer a DO physician over an MD for things like primary care, peds, and a bunch of other things. But, I doubt the stigma is going to vanish any time soon.
I know of a few DO physicians who are (highly) competitive Allopathic neurosurgery programs. Frankly, its all the same. DO's are no longer a lesser doctor.
ReplyDelete