Monica Said:

What are the chances of a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) getting into a Plastic Surgery residency?

We Answered:

I think that they usually accept more MD students into programs because there are more MD graduates. But I think that if you do well in med school, pass your boards, and interview well, I do not see a reason that you wont match into a residency program.

You could probably ask around at your college guidance office, or look on some residency programs websites. Mabe you could email the match agency and ask them for statistics (the percentage of MD applicants that get into residency programs vs the percentage of DO applicants that get into residency programs).

Good Luck! I know this is a stressfull time. I am also heading to medical school in the fall.

Amber Said:

Should I take my newborn to a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) or to a Pediatrician? Does it matter who?

We Answered:

Peds doc. They will be more updated on the immunization schedule and the latest Rx's for infants and children than regular allopathic or osteopathic docs who see adults.

Dawn Said:

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine?

We Answered:

They are almost identical now. The main difference between a DO and MD is that DOs have to take OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine) which is like a combination of the basics of physical therapy, massage therapy, and chiropractics. However, the majority of DOs do not use this after residency and are basically the same as an MD. The DO philosophy is to look at a person more holistically and tends to be more willing to try alternative therapies (including chiropractics, OMM itself, acupuncture etc) and, in general, are more relucant to give medications. However, this comes down to more of a personal philosophy and there are DOs that write out a ton of prescriptions and MDs that are very good about trying other treatments. Depending on what you want to do, you will have a few advantages as an MD or it might be the same. MDs are more recognized worldwide than DOs, although DO acceptance worldwide is increasing. If you want to work abroad, you will need to check if individual countries will accept it. All US states (and I believe all of Canada) will acknowledge a DO as equivalent to an MD. Some specialties are more dominated by MDs right now, but there are also about 4 MDs for 1 DO in medical schools right now so they have the advantage of numbers for highly competitive fields. DOs take COMLEX boards and MDs take USMLE, but if you want to get into the highly competitive fields-the DOs need to also take USMLE to have the comparison (it is like ACT vs SAT in college-both tell the same information, but it doesn't convert exactly so you need to have the same test to compare very similar, highly qualified people). The advantage for a DO is with residency, a DO can do an MD or DO residency program, but an MD can only do an MD program (since they haven't had the OMM training). There is a lot of debate on this since most people wouldn't say it is fair, but people don't know if it should be DOs only in DO spots and MD stay the same or if MDs should be allowed into DO programs if they are willing to learn the basics of OMM (but they will still be MD based on the training at their particular medical school). As far as cases and what a DO does, it will be the same as what an MD sees and does unless the specialty is OMM related. I've gone to both MDs and DOs and honestly wouldn't have known which they were if it didn't say after their name on the list of providers available for me.

Constance Said:

where can doctor of osteopathic medicine practice medicine?

We Answered:

Anywhere in the United States.

Russell Said:

Should I get a DO(doctor of osteopathic medicine) or MD(doctor of medicine)?

We Answered:

Doctor K overstated the difference. DOs will prescribe medication when needed, and while osteopathic education does give extra training in the musculoskeletal system, it does not put blinders on to everything else. DO schools tend to focus more on the clinical aspect and less on research than MDs, but this can be an advantage if you want to be a clinician. one can do any specialty. There are programs in every specialty that are only for DOs, and they can also attend any MD residency.
Salaries are equal, and either
There are also many MDs in rural areas too. I grew up in a rural area and most docs there are MDs.
What is sounds like you should do is family practice. you can do both peds and adults, and work in rural ERs. You can easily do this with either degree. most residencies work hard to recruit both.
The choice is yours. If you don't care, apply to both, and pick the school you like the best. There are about ten DO schools that are less than a decade old, and those are a little easier to get into because they don't have the established reputation. If you really like the manipulation part of the osteopathic training and would like to incorporate that into your future practice, then the DO route may be for you. If you want to get into a highly competitive specialty but do not want to go where the DO residencies are, then you probably want an MD.
In the big picture, neither school is going to make you into or keep you from being the doctor you want to be compared to the other.

Leonard Said:

should i become a D.O (doctor of osteopathic medicine) or an M.D?

We Answered:

For a psychiatrist, it probably makes very little difference.

DOs take pretty much the same coursework as MDs, with the addition of training in certain types of physical manipulation. They can then go on to do residencies in either DO or MD systems. Some of them use the physical manipulation when they go into practice; some don't. I doubt it has any utility for a psychiatrist, but I didn't do a DO course, so I really don't know what it entails.

DOs can go into any specialty, but they classically go into primary care specialties (internal medicine, pediatrics, family practice, OB/GYN) in greater numbers than anything else. There's a bit of an idea that a DO is easier to get than an MD; I don't know how true that is. Either one is a lot of work. It is true that successful applicants to DO schools have lower average GPAs and MCAT scores than MD programs, but I'm mentioning that mostly just to warn against assuming that means very much. Some people also have the idea that you can't get into competitive specialties with a DO. That's not true. Regardless, psychiatry isn't a competitive specialty right now, so it really wouldn't matter.

I think that choosing an individual school that appeals to you for any number of reasons (location, student body, teaching style) is probably more important than what degree you get, because at the end of it all, they'll still call you a doctor.

Stacey Said:

Can a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).....?

We Answered:

I certainly hope so, because I have a couple working for me in my emergency department.