M.D. vs. D.O. | Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical School Comparison 

Thanks everyone for watching! This seems to be quite the controversial video (by our standards). After referencing several of my own Osteopathic friends and colleagues, we all agreed that everything in this video is 100% factual. In fact, they weren't offended in the slightest (and were confused why some people were), but a few commenters below seem outraged. I uploaded an apology video for not handling it more delicately (with even more disclaimers than I already included), but again, this video is 100% factual. Yes, some OMM is great, and some of it isn't supported by science. Yes, it is definitely easier to get into DO schools than MD schools on average. Yes, it is harder to match into hyper competitive specialties as a DO than an MD, even with the residency merger (but only time will tell). It's not impossible, in fact one DO student matched into plastic surgery my year (out of 150+ MD students). Possible, but much harder. If you find yourself cursing at your screen, I urge you to consider watching the video again and assessing if anything stated was false or highly biased. My only regret, if I could redo this video, would be to have more disclaimers to avoid the anti-DO and anti-MD clusterf*** that is the comments below. "Those who are easily offended should be offended more often.”

As a D.O. I never thought too much about the difference - my doctors in my hometown of Philly were D.O.'s so that is what I wanted to be. I applied to both MD and DO schools - got into 2 MD and 2 DO (rejected/waitlisted by 4 other MD - applied to both MD and DO to be safe). Chose the school where my family docs went to - PCOM. I matched at the Mayo Clinic for residency in psychiatry. In over 15 years of practice I have never had anyone show any disrespect towards DOs - maybe I am fortunate. I don't see how the patient would even know. Good doctors are good doctors.

As the founder of osteopathic medicine, I never taught cranio-sacral therapy. Ya'll have to ask Dr. Sutherland about that one.

I once was told the difference between a DO and an MD is that DOs had fun and friends in college.

DO here that matched interventional radiology. For anybody watching this in 2021, I think this is a pretty solid, transparent comparison that is generally true, even now (3 years later.) And while not many DOs match things like plastics, derm, ortho, etc. it does happen every year & the numbers have been growing since the merger. In fairness though, not many MDs match those either; they are very competitive! I think there is still some residual bias, in particular maybe at upper-tier places, but it seems to be getting a lot better. For reference, In my graduating class alone this year, we had 3 IR matches, 1 derm, a couple ortho, 1 vascular, 1 ENT, a couple urology & other great matches at upper-tier places in EM & IM. I can speak from personal experience too that I interviewed at some pretty great programs in the T25 or so for DR (I applied IR & DR.) I think about 80% of our class matched residency programs that were originally ACGME accredited too (even pre-merger this number I think was about 75%.) Like anything, there is a spectrum with respect to entrance scores (some DO schools have averages right up there with average MD schools, some less.) My schools’ averages are right up there with the averages of average MD schools. With respect to board exams, my school actually outperforms the other MD schools in our region with respect to Step 1 & Step 2CK average scores & we have had about 1/3 of students sit for both COMLEX & STEP. And for the OMM stuff... the techniques that overlap with PT/OT I think are great & work excellently. I agree 100% that the craniosacral stuff absolutely has to go. I think OMM overall would be more respected if we just tossed that. Even professors seem aware that it is an outdated teaching with no scientific basis. Outside of that it’s pretty useful & can at least help patients feel a bit better when they walk out the door, ya know? I don’t plan on using it personally beyond with friends/family with minor aches/pains but it is useful for that type of stuff. But ya! DO schools - at least mine - do a good job at finding people who didn’t know what they originally wanted to do when they entered college & have all sorts of interesting back stories (e.g. I was in a small touring metal band for a few years & didn’t really try very hard when I first got to college.) They look for people who absolutely have the intelligence to be in medical school but found their passion late in the game. I think this is at least one of the reasons the stats are lower at DO schools overall (another big one being newer DO schools taking lower stat applicants too of course.) If anybody has any more questions or anything I’d be happy to help answer some. Feel free to DM! I think MedSchooInsiders did a solid job though like I said above. Just wanted to add some anecdotal info from my experience & maybe add more context to the current (2021) state of things.

that smile from the beginning is haunting

My buddy went D.O because he had a 527 MCAT and 4.0 GPA, they offered him a full ride for tuition and discounted room & board. The MD schools did not offer him anywhere close to that in AID. He still matched into General Surgery and graduated from his residency this year. He was at the top of his class however, he said the majority of DOs at his school matched into FM, IM and Peds. Radiology is a big one now for them also, people want that work life balance. Some went on to do fellowships but later on. He is finally out of residency hell and got an offer of 350k plus production bonuses in the mid-west. Though he still always works about 60 hours a week minimum.

I went to MD's in the beginning, then after having horrible migraines and only given drugs my husband said he heard about this DO that was amazing. I went to him and he manipulated my spine while talking to me about monkeys. Result migraines gone and I later found out he out he often talked about monkeys to get you to relax. Our whole family switched to him. Best doctor in our area.

Both MD Doctors and DO Doctors are great. Osteopathic Medical students are going into tough residencies and with the merger between MD and DO residencies soon, there will be less of a gap. Both take tremendous time, studying and effort to become. I know DO students who have gone into tough residencies such as, General surgery, Orthopedic surgery, Radiology, Ophthalmology and much more.

DO trained physicians are equally competent in patient care. The tone of the video implied that MD’s are superior because of they don’t use OMM and the incoming DO students have lower GPA’s on average. I’ve worked with a DO in oncology who was incredible. I wish there were more physicians like him. There should be caution in trying to frame DO as less desirable or easier, especially with the 2020 merger.

The 2 best Physicians I’ve been associated with have been DO’S

I'm currently going to a DO school, and there is more to OMM than mentioned in the video. Although the thought process behind applying pressure to the skull changing the CSF circulation sounds very absurd, OMM is great for MSK issues like back pain. It's not just cranial. Also, if you look at most sports med doctors (even in the professional league), I would say a good amount is DO (not sure of the exact number). (Also, not all schools teach cranial OMM because it takes a lot of experience to master it apparently) I wouldn't use OMM in my practice to help someone with a lung carcinoma, but if I encounter a pt with back pain or shoulder pain, OMM is a great way to alleviate the pain. I'm not trying to bash on this channel. I'm actually a huge supporter but just wanted to clarify.

I love your honesty thank you!

I think it also has to do with how little known DO's actually are! I had no idea they existed until just 3 years ago, and I'm almost 23 and pre-med!

All ya'll haters need to chill. Jubal is just spiting facts.

I would love to see a video comparing teaching institution vs private practice medicine. Thanks for making content to consistently!

DO schools could eliminate the stigma by simply ditching/disavowing the pseudo-scientific components of their teaching

Single accreditation (happening now - 2020) and regional specific preferences for residency/practice (especially for non-traditional applicants) are important topics to consider when choosing osteopathic vs allopathic medical school. (There are well-known regional preferences for DO applicants in residency). Furthermore, non-traditional students/applicants changing careers are generally preferably considered by osteopathic med schools.

A word of encouragement to the DO students out there....and a word of CORRECTION to those who bash craniosacral manipulation: I am a non-surgical musculoskeletal specialist MD, Cornell undergrad, SUNY Buffalo med school, Baylor for Medicine, then UT Southwestern Med School for PM&R, board certified in PM&R with sub-specialty board certification in Pain Medicine, and I assure you that OMM (including craniosacral manipulation) can be extraordinarily useful tools in pain management. I have been out of MD residency for 21 years, and, in the past twelve years, I have had 800 hours of training in OMM (including craniosacral), taught by DOs and by PTs who learned OMM from DOs. As a PM&R doctor, every work day of my career has involved my assessing the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems of my patients in some capacity. I have done over 7000 electrodiagnostic tests ("EMGs"), countless epidurals and other interventional pain management, procedures, a few hundred thousand trigger point injections, and I spend about 60% of my time doing OMM on patients. So trust me, because I know a LOT more about the validity of OMM and craniosacral manipulation than does the MD plastic surgeon who narrated this video: DOs can be great doctors who change lives. If you go to DO school, please take your OMM training seriously. Especially with the narcotic crisis, we need more docs who can heal people with their hands instead of prescribing addictive drugs. Now, go out there and change the world for the better.

Well Explained Thanks Soo Much Very Helpful

I don’t think this was intending to put DO schools down. I was considering going the DO route myself, but ended up going the MD route for a few of the reasons listed.

Hello! Thank you for the video. What is your opinion on a student attending D.O. school and taking the USMLE step exam. If they do well, are the chances improved for matching into desired residencies?

DOs also have a slightly different philosophy with a more holistic approach to medicine. They also seem to be more non trad friendly.

Ask a patient in V-Fib if he wants an M.D. or D.O. He wants someone who will help him period. From what I've seen, both are equally capable and there's virtually no difference in clinical practice, at all. Stupid debates like these detract from the reality of what our profession is and that is SAVING LIVES. Peace.

Both seems like awesome pathways 👍

Would love to hear your thoughts about going the PA route.

Love the vids, considering D.O. school and would be interested in more of these videos. Thanks.

As a student at a DO medical school I have seen and heard the stigma against DO’s. At the end of the day, they are both physicians who are trying to do what is best for their patients. They both learn the same information (with the exception of OMT, which is a topic for another time), and they both take similar exams. DO’s actually end up taking more board exams (the USMLE and the COMLEX). This doesn’t make their path harder or the MD’s path easier, as there are probably other hurdles that MD’s must do through their medical education. I do feel as though the stigma that is against DO’s comes from the idea that DO schools are “easier” to get into. At the end of the day, yes, MCAT scores and GPA’s are probably lower for the average DO student then the average MD student. However, I personally do not believe that these are good measurements for how good of a doctor you will be. Do they matter, absolutely! I think they do indicate how well of a test taker you are, and odds are, if you scored well on the MCAT, you will probably do pretty good in med school. This is becoming a lot longer of a comment then I had anticipated but I just want to finish by saying, at the end of the day, go to the doctor that YOU are comfortable with. Don’t worry about the two letters after their name, if you like them and more importantly, trust them, then go to them. Its that simple.

The stigma around DOs is still around but it’s quickly disappearing. The general public doesn’t know that DO students have lower gpa’s or MCAT scores so I doubt that’s the reason. A DO told me that he thinks the stigma comes from DOs originally going to school for one year less than MDs. OMM is probably a part of it but because there is more of an emphasis on preventative/wholistic medicine patients feel that it’s a bit hokey when they’re suggested to change lifestyle habits instead of just taking a pill. Also the MD and DO programs residency programs are merging. Going to a DO school doesn’t make it harder to land a good residency a program. The association comes from the lower scores on boards (that are rising). The two programs are much, much more similar than they are different.

This video gave me information of being a D.O which I’m aiming at! Thank you so much.

Jubal IF YOU COULD take in to account the amount of objective results from either a DO treatment or a MD treatment dependent on and equal to to each patients problems, which do you think would have more practical/positive outcomes. Love your videos! Working on my undergrad while I’m in the army than getting out to go into medschool. Thankyou for your knowledge!

I think there needs to be an update to this video as a lot has changed. The biases/misconceptions are slowly dwindling. It’s increasingly becoming very competitive to get into DO schools, and lesser proportions of DOs are now matching into primary care and going into more competitive specialties.

Im planning on joining the military in order to get into medical school for Osteopathic medicine. Becoming a Flight Surgeon in the military is something what i dream on being, and i soleheartly wish to be one when before i turn 40 because i know that medical school takes years to complete

Is it advantageous to one of the following if you your GPA is not to standards of allopathic: 1) apply ONLY to DO programs 2) apply to allopathic AND osteopathic?

Isn't there a residency merger occuring in 2020 though?

Could you touch on the residency merger that is taking place? From what I understand the MD vs DO difference is diminishing when it comes to matching into residencies...

Please do a video on the D.C. degree, or maybe not if you bash on Chiropractic Manipulation as much as you did on OMM in this one. I'm glad to say that my Doctor of Chiropractic has saved me from 4 upper extremity surgeries in the past 2 decades! Prior to me discovering chiropractic care, an M.D. butchered a foot surgery on me at the age of 22. He accidentally cut the nerve to my big toe and I've had arthritis in that toe now ever since. Thus I'm not a fan of surgery unless I feel it's absolutely necessary. For neuromusculoskeletal issues, I always see my D.C. first nowadays.

There is still quite a bit of secondary discrimination against D.Os. I found a wonderful osteopathic primary care doctor. When I had a serious infection and was directed to bed rest with antibiotics and painkillers, my employer refused to accept her doctor's letter because she didn't have M.D. after her name and therefore wasn't a "real doctor." Basically her medical practice was equated to homeopathic herbal medicine. I was told a letter from a licensed physician was required or my paid sick leave would be denied. After a lengthy conference call with the freaking state medical licensing board, my department manager finally grew past the ignorance to understand that a D.O. is indeed a licensed physician.

So interesting, in New Zealand, where I previously lived, ostepaths do physical manipulations for MS reasons but are not dr's. In NYC where I now live, I've seen a number of osteopaths who advised they were dr's aswell which greatly confused me, but this explains it very well. I have a feeling that osteopaths being doctors is unique to the USA, although I could be wrong. Anyway great video👍🙂

In 2020 there will be no DO or MD residencies. They will be applying to the same residencies. All physicians MD or DO will be applying for the same residencies that will be under the AGME. Also, both MDs and DOs treat the whole person. Please stop saying that's all DOs do. I know several MD preceptors that are into treating the patient as a whole. The only difference people are the initials behind the name. And the extra tools of omm in the bag.

Make video for usmle step 2 like you did for step 1. Also make vlogs on your vlog channel. Love your videos :)

NEGGED! But seriously, this came across as slap in the face to DOs. You made it sound like if you aren’t good enough for an MD you can do DO. Some of us are choosing to go the DO route

5:10 "Now that we've went through the difference between the MD and the DO" The only real difference you told us about their studies was one time some people thought craniosacral therapy was a thing and this may or may not be taught to people on the DO path. Have you a video that goes into more detail comparing the curriculum?

I don't really feel strongly about going to DO or MD but I will say every doctor I've had that I loved, I knew they were DO before even looking at their suffix. They seem to prioritize whole health even in the ER whereas the MD's tend to ask me a few questions then prescribe serious medication shortly after even if I dont really need it. It's very strange.

Please do a video on the DPM degree

Awesome video as always! I come back to your channel because you provide a completely honest and transparent view of the medical field. It is unfortunate, but there really is a difference between how DO's and MD's are perceived, and their opportunities to match into certain programs/specialities. Dr. Jubbal, does the allopathic program you attend make a significant difference for matching outcomes in competitive programs?

Thank you so much

Really interesting - I didn't know a bunch of what you've explained about D.O. school. You always do such a great job breaking things down in your comparison vids, man👌

Yeah, so I just went through application process for DO and MD. You are spot on as far as DO schools taking lower scores as opposed to MD. I myself got a lot of love from DO schools and hardly any for MD. I have been in medicine for many years and was hoping my experience in medicine would offset any shortcomings on MCAT and/or GPA, but that is not the case regarding MD schools! In any event I did matriculate to an MD school so I am thankful it all worked out. Thanks for your videos. Anybody have any thoughts on Osmosis? Looks pretty compelling to me and worth the investment.

I wonder if the look down on DO is going to change since the councils are merging now into one unit for accreditation.

Wouldnt the DO have lower requirments because the MD course has to many applicants vs DO?

I am a second year DO medical student and I do have to say that times are changing where people actually seek out osteopaths as their physicians rather than MDs. MDs represent the old school way of practicing medicine and many people have grown weary of less than satisfactory encounters with their doctors especially in the primary care fields. As DOs we are instinctively taught to use our hands to diagnose, something that you would be hard pressed to find in an MD physician. I would say we are more skilled in PE from that 500 hrs of extra practicing on each other, we already know what normal feels like on patients well before stepping into a clinic. From a patients perspective this is actually appreciated as being more thorough. We have a lot more hurdles to bypass bc we have to take both boards and we are learning an entirely separate curriculum alongside traditional medicine, but once you’re in practice, theres no such difference. I personally feel like this distinguishing label shouldn’t exist and only those who are interested in specializing in osteopathy should have to learn about it to this depth however being a DO i dont feel any less of a doctor than if I were an MD.

What's better for Rheumatology in your opinion: DO or MD?

It sounded like you were saying people with MD's are superior and you should've taken a more unbias approach whoever is reading this Dr. Mike does a great job at explaining the differences in his video "MD or DO: What's the difference and which is better"

I heard that some people may be biased against do in residency but it is slowly going away. In the er where I work at, the last two medical directors are do’s. Patients don’t care either if the physician is md or do and probably many don’t know/care about the difference.

As a chronic pain patient, I can assure you that lack of osteopathic learning makes a helluva difference. My allopathic pcp was struggling to figure out what specialists to send me to because of my atypical symptom sets. While she was so much better than the other doctors because she incorporates wholistic physical science, when I began seeing her my understanding of my symptoms were greatly improved. However, she was learning from me because my research wasn't limited to what allopathy finds respectable. I was able to make connections that her training had caused to disconnect. However, when she finally referred me to a chiropractor, I finally began to experience treatments that both alleviate my pain and explore causation. Because of that, my chiropractor makes much better specialist references. She is more knowledgeable about biological system connections and helped me to pinpoint the actual problem areas. The improvements in my well being and health are clearly marked. Together with my allopathic doctor and personal research into natural form medicines, Im doing way better than any patient who took up the allopathic doctors recommendation of pain pills, because they don't know anything about preventative, nor nutritional medicine and pain pills exert the liver and kidneys with ongoing use. They don't cure anything at all. Allopathy hasn't dominated political "reputation" organically. Politics doesn't work that way.... So glad that more people aren't setting for the pills then die medicine anymore. Calling allopathy competitive while celebrating less understanding. In exactly what realm does this competition exist, but it clearly doesn't challenge medicine to do better for patients. I wish people who were pursuing healthcare just for status, money, and competition were weeded out in the education process instead of encouraged. They mess everything up.

What's the difference between OMM and Chiropraxis??

If you are looking to become a general practitioner and do family medicine would DO be a good option?

You didn't mention the merger

How much would your chances of matching into something like Opthamology if you took the USMLE as a DO and you have a good USMLE score?

Can you make a video about IMGs too?

I had questions about the differences when it comes to certain specialties. How hard is it to become an anesthesiologist or pathologist as a D.O. compared to getting matched into these programs as an MD?

This video is inaccurate in some areas. So to clarify the errata: DOs do not have to take the USMLE to enter MD residencies. Some residencies will prefer the USMLE but that is entirely based on the individual institution. The vast majority of MD residencies accept COMLEX. And, the American Medical Association (AMA) took an official stance last week that both COMLEX-USA and USMLE are both equivalent exams in assessment. It will be interesting to see what this merger brings about in terms of board exams. The DO degree won't hold you back much these days. Yes, there are some residencies that still refuse to take DOs for whatever reason. But this video makes it seem like DOs don't have options for great residencies which simply is not the case. In fact, a lot of top programs take osteopathic candidates. For example, the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, which are ranked as the number 1 and number 2 hospitals in the United States for 2018-2019 according to US News and World Report, both take many DOs for their residencies (and I am not talking about their small community hospital affiliates). Now obviously there are more MDs than DOs at Mayo and CC, but that's because there are far more MD schools than DO schools creating larger numbers of competitive applicants. The GPA and MCAT gap between allopathic and osteopathic medical school matriculation is closing each year. If you look at average DO schools and average MD schools, their scores are about the same. If you look at prestigious MD schools and prestigious DO schools, the difference is larger. I agree that if you want to go into a competitive specialty such as derm or plastics you may want to pursue the MD degree over the DO degree. I also agree that craniosacral therapy should be thrown out of curriculum for osteopathic schools. It is mostly taught for heritage, but it honestly has no place.

Something that you forgot to mention is: “The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced that by 2020, all MD and DO residency slots would be combined under a single accreditation system”.

Definitely applying to both.

I love your videos, they have helped me tremendously. However, if you don’t agree with the stigma against DOs you should not contribute to it, which is what I feel this video did. When I applied to medical school I was offered admission to both MD and DO schools and I thank my lucky stars I didn’t see this video when I had to make my decision, because I chose DO and I am so grateful that I did. I suggest that you invite a DO to your channel, that way you have both perspectives and can have a fair comparison and conversation. I would also suggest to your viewers that they should apply to both. It was on the interview trail that I discovered how much more I clicked with one school than another and one style than another and I would discourage limiting your scope out of fear of bias.

I’m not American or a doctor student but I agree with a lot of these comments about this just sounds like you’re bashing one and holding another one to a pedestal because you took it the idea is they are the same thing only one has extra because some people do believe that those practises still work. I also have a feeling that if it wasn’t best practice they wouldn’t still be allowed to practice it.

Success is based on the small decisions that are made daily!

I would be fine going to DO school if it came to that, but I just don't believe in the body manipulation stuff. But I would never be against being treated by a DO

I plan on applying to both MD and DO schools, but bc I'm considering Ortho/Sports Med, I'm interesting in OMM. Based on your knowledge, would DO be a better option?

Oh come on Dr. Juubao you have to do better, give D.O’s the respect they deserve

What does a DO DO? :) Being serious my impression of the MD vs. DO is that it doesn't make much of a practical difference to the average patient. It seems like the DDS vs DMD comparison.

So basically I can’t even a cardiologist with a DO I have to be MD in order to get in cardiology residency? I’m confused

I would like to preface this comment by saying that I do not attend a DO medical school. I watched the apology video posted to Dr. Kevin’s personal RU-vid channel prior to viewing this comparison. I found his apology to be heartfelt and sincere. With that being said, the tone of this video did seem rather condescending, despite the fact that the information presented is factual. When deciding which type of medical school one would like to attend, it’s important to consider multiple sources of information and listen to various opinions’ of those working in healthcare so that one can make an informed conclusion. There is no such thing as a perfect comparison. Extract the information and draw your own conclusions!

As both a CNA and an EMT I have noticed a difference between MD and DO in one specific circumstance, trauma medicine. I have noticed that SOME MDs will often will ignore the report of pre-hospital providers full stop, where as the DOs I have given report to tend to listen better. I think it comes down to DOs having to work harder to get respect from PTs and other staff that may not see them as fully competent compared to an MD. Not bashing on either, I've worked with absolutely fantastic MDs and stuck up DOs, but just sharing an experience from someone who has a different perspective on the topic.

Get an MD degree and then become an orthopedic surgeon. Congratulations! You are now both MD and D.O.

From someone who went to a DO school. Don’t go to a DO school. Find a way to go to a US MD school

When l had my sciatica the only person who could help me was a highly skilled osteopath but when my sciatica came back 2 years later his and other treatments wasn t helpful . Desperatly l went to a Reiki treatment and the person made it desapear with one treatment . So it would be nice to be respectful to others with their treatment modalities like the Craniosacral therapy that you think it is a Craquery

Let me preface by saying I'm a DO in an ACGME psychiatry residency. I would say this video is accurate. I would also say that to get into an ACGME residency it is not always necessary to take the USMLE. I'm sure this was addressed in a previous comment, but didn't feel the need to read through the barrage of hurt feelings. I would like to say that this video (along with many other videos on this channel) are very helpful to future medical students in deciding their path. Controversial or not, these videos are a great source of information and are questions I had heading into medicine as well. Thank you very much for making the path a bit more clear.

Interesting. One of my ortho surgeons is a DO... maybe it depends where you’re from

A lot of DOs here in the comments are very triggered by this video and calling it biased. But aren’t most residency adcom committees biased in a way? I think that its important for people to know that this bias still exist and its an important factor to consider when deciding between MD and DO. I think that this video is true, but so true that it is a hard pill to swallow for those who are already in a DO program. But just because its hard to swallow doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be said to the newbies who are deciding between MD and DO. P.S. I go to an MD school and I’m aware of this stigma because i’ve witnessed it being perpetuated by my attendings and my classmates. I wish it didn’t exist but its a reality you can’t ignore.

I'm not a medical student but from reading the comments and watching this video, some of you kinda don't get the true essence in being a doctor it's all about us the patients,we really don't care which school you attended and what path you choose to become a doctor as long as you care about us and make it your duty to provide the best treatment as possible. I admire doctors that really care about their patients they will go beyond to ensure the best for their patients. Too many time I visit the doctor and instead of talking to me and try to understand what is wrong with me they just want to hear my symptoms so they can just write me prescription which treat rather than cure don't get me wrong I've come across doctors that listen to me and provide the best cure they even suggest how I should take of myself so the issue do not reoccur, too much person become a doctor just for the pay and how prestigious it sounds to say you are a doctor hence why I'm happy that medical school is difficult.

Would a pulmonologist do best with MD or DO?

Why go into DO when you are ultimately planning to join MD residences?? Why not just wait another year, get good MCAT scores and apply to MD schools? Or if you have chosen to go to a DO school, why not just stick to it and practice osteopathic medicine? Combining the two doesn’t make any sense, and the general public might be at a GREAT disadvantage considering they don’t know, in most cases, whether they are going to traditional MD doctor or a DO doctor.

I dont comment often on videos but I do feel the need to comment on this one. I just finished my 1st year at a DO medical school and while we are all taught OMM, many of us dont really intend to use it. We have licensed DOs that come to our school to teach us OMM but when we actually ask them if they practice it, not many actually do. Its just one of the hurdles that comes with attending a DO school. I can tell you that my goal is to be a doctor to help people, if I have to learn some OMM while getting there, its fine. But to say that DOs are any less competent or lesser doctors than MDs is just plain ignorant and bias. I encourage those of you that think this to actually meet a DO and see if theres any difference than an MD. Im glad Med School Insiders is very open on the discussion about this (check pinned post) and that while initially presented as some biased in the video, he addressed it so thank you for that!

I think DOs and MDs have interesting differencs, but they're still pretty much the same. That being said, I would never do a DO because they're limited overseas and they still carry a somewhat negative stigma residency wise.

Peace be to you! Thanks you so much for sharing this with us! I've been a medically licensed Physician Assistant for twenty years. I've always worked with the underserved in adult primary care medicine. I earned a Doctorate of Health Education from A.T. Still University and was fascinated with Dr.Still's background and paradigms! There is a PA-to-DO program at Lake Erire College of Osteopathic Medicine that is 3 years. I think it is a great opportunity for experienced PA s who would like to become Physicians.

Thanks that was very clear and concise...i always wondered what the difference was...kinda knew but ot quite...👍

Is either more challenging than a PhD program?

DO's tend to eschew big pharma so they are the doctors of choice for me :)

I am a D.O., now working as an attending physician for 6 years now. Before, during, and after college graduation, I was on a F-1 student visa. There were 3 allopathic medical schools who interviewed me. Saint Louis University, SUNY Upstate, and NYMC. I didn't get into any of them. I got the idea of applying to D.O. schools, when I noticed a Japanese citizen student on F-1 visa, who gained acceptance to a D.O. school. I did gain acceptance into a D.O. school. Going to St. George's was not even an option, as a F-1 student, in my case. During medical school, I definitely felt the discrimination and distrust from allopathic residency programs in competitive specialties and competitive academic locations, during my elective sub-internship rotations and residency interviews. I would say MBBS/MD graduates from foreign countries (India, China, South Korea, Japan, UK, Australia, Germany, etc) were more competitive than me for these residency interviews. One interviewer even told me so. I had the double trouble of getting a US residency as someone who needed a visa sponsor, and being a D.O. My medical school had a residency program which said they would accept me and sponsor my visa. But, I wanted to go somewhere better for me. I thankfully matched into an allopathic, non competitive specialty in 2009. I even managed to do 2 fellowships. Looking back, I note that my school still relies almost entirely on students paying tuition. It's expensive. There is no cheap, affordable D.O. school. Except maybe Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, but only for Michigan US greencard/citizens. I later learned from financial planners/insurance agents who market to medical residents, that D.O. graduates on average carry more debt vs US allopathic school graduates. I paid over $50,000 per year, and I graduated in 4 years on May 2009. There will probably never be a RCT to prove that OMM is clearly evidenced based treatment for a specific medical condition. The results vary so much on individual variation and skill. To note something ironic, I developed chronic pain in my right rib next to my spine, and below my right shoulder. The reason? A D.O. classmate did the Kirksville crunch on it, many times. I suffered with this pain for years. He and D.O. attendings told me, it's my studying posture. Funny, I never had the pain before. As of 2016, I no longer have this pain. So, OMM can hurt you, or it can help you. Not surprising, everything has a beneficial and adverse effect. D.O. students must miss out on something for spending so many hours on OMM. They do. They don't get class time on analyzing medical journal articles, doing clinical or laboratory medical experiments. I personally know no D.O. Ph.D.s. The D.O. physicians who I know of who are recognized for landmark medical clinical trials, sought extra training elsewhere, and always at an allopathic institution. Residency, fellowship, NIH. Our class valedictorian matched into an allopathic academic Urology residency, in a small town. I note that there are many new D.O. schools in rural America. This is wrong. I know they surely rely mostly on students paying tuition, and I know the students rotate far away from school or in small hospitals they have never heard of themselves. I know they are trying not to do primary care. Some of these schools are for profit. The federal government should regulate this from getting out of control. When I graduated in 2009, even the last ranked student had a residency spot. I'm not so sure that is true now in 2019-2020. With the ACGME merger, D.O. students will lose spots overall, and their protected D.O. only radiology, ophthalmology, ENT, urology programs will be lost. You speak facts, but I think your tone is sort of a problem. What are you saying about allopathic US medical school graduates who do a residency in a community hospital, with D.O. graduates and Caribbean MD school graduates? There is one advantage for D.O. graduates over Caribbean MD school graduates. I believe there is a way for the US military to compensate for the D.O. graduate's medical school debt (and of course the allopathic US MD graduate's medical school debt), but not for the Caribbean MD school graduate. I also note that my school's 2 teaching hospitals were not academic centers. They were 2 community hospitals with several residency programs. It is an uphill battle for the D.O. graduate. Lastly, I note that some in similar situations as myself, returned to my home country of birth, graduated from medical school there, and returned to the US for medical residency.

Osteopathic manipulation fixed things in my body that nothing else did.

can Md doctor study omt and practise it without entering DO school i googled it and didnt find specfic answer

Can physiotgerapists become DOs

Any time anybody immediately dismissed another practice? You have to suspect their motives.

European osteopath i means NUMSS Do is a medical doctors but he can't prescribed medicine and surgery but also work hand

I don’t think this video was biased at all. Everything you stated was true, and it is always useful to know the disadvantages associated with something.. especially before applying!

Is osteophatic doctor the same to orthopedic dr? I am from Philippines.

I'm planning on applying to MD schools.

This seemed extremely biased and you failed to mention the residency merger that eliminates the separate residencies for DO and MD. You also failed to mention the tenets of osteopathic medicine... 1.The body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind, and spirit. 2.The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and health maintenance. 3.Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated 4.Rational treatment is based upon an understanding of the basic principles of body unity, self-regulation, and the interrelationship of structure and function. Osteopaths seek to treat the disease or illness rather than treat the symptoms. They take a more holistic approach, but in the end they are still doctors licensed to practice medicine just like any other doctor in the US and the discrepancies between the two degrees are slowly diminishing.