Hi, I’m new to OPM…so thrilled to have found this little corner of the web. Very, very much needed to read a lot of your stories - feeling encouraged.
I am 38, mother of twins who are turning 5 in a few days and have a husband who is in IT and a tremendous provider for us. I’ve been successful in the entrepreneurial world in the past. I left that behind last year to spend a year (last year before kindergarten) with our twins. Now our time is nearly up…they will be starting school at the end of the month. I briefly considered starting another business, getting a full-time job, and volunteering. Like many of you, the dream of a medical degree is gnawing at me…it always has. I think if I don’t try in this lifetime I will not have fulfilled something.
There is an osteopathic school close to where I live. They accept non-traditional students with or without college degrees. There is just a set of mandatory undergrad classes - the usual suspects: inorganic and organic chem, cellular biology, physics, statistics, labs for all the science and so on. I’d like to consider the osteopathic path. Upon reading more, I realized osteopathic theory is more in line with how I feel about healing altogether. Furthermore, I’d like to leave the option open to serve vulnerable communities either stateside or abroad and this school has a rural medicine track on top of the general curriculum.
Is anyone here in an Osteopathic school? Did you apply for both Allopathic and Osteopathic schools? Anyone strictly passionate for Osteopathic medicine? Why? Any information about what plans are for after Osteopathic school or if you’ve graduated, what does your practice look like - what are the opportunities and roadblocks, if any?
Thank you, THANK YOU for any help and advise.
Let’s all keep going!
-C_Michele
I am not in medical school yet, but I have done my share of research on both “philosophies.” I have one extended family member who is a DO, several who are MDs, plus I have extensive experience working with both in my volunteer work abroad. DO medical schools tend to be more open to non-traditional applicants, and they have lower GPA and MCAT averages than MD schools in the U.S., and some ranking sites rank them “lower” than MD schools in terms of reputation and training.
While DO started out as being a more holistic alternative to MD, in recent decades osteopathy (as practiced in the U.S.) has taken on more practices commonly associated with allopathic medicine. With the exception of OMM, there is little difference in the overall training during medical school. With some exceptions, MD and DO can do essentially the same residencies, and most MD residencies allow DO grads to apply (but the reverse is not true). DO grads can also do DO-only residencies. However, some elite residencies such as cardiothoracic surgery, ophthalmology, etc. tend to take only the cream of the crop from MD schools.
Being less common than MD’s, some people in the U.S. don’t understand what is a DO and may confuse them with optometrists (OD’s). Also, being a uniquely-American degree, some foreign countries don’t understand the equivalence between DO and MD, and so don’t recognize graduates of DO schools as far as practice rights abroad. In some former-British colonies, DOs cannot practice because of the confusion of their name (“osteopathy”) with osteopaths, which are more like our chiropractors. Rarely, some academic arenas, particularly those associated with MD medical schools, may not take on a DO in a professorship. But there as new DO schools are opening up at a faster rate than new MD schools, academic appointments at these schools may be more common in the future – if you are interested in academic medicine.
Also, as far as practicing, it appears that few DOs actually do OMM in their practices. You may want to check out this article, reprinted from the New England Journal of Medicine on mercola.com: The Paradox of Osteopathy by Joel D. Howell.
However, as Dr. Howell points out, more DOs tend to work in underserved areas and with underserved populations.
In the end, which one you choose may ultimately make little difference so long as it leads you to what you want to do in medicine, with medicine.
Very good information. Thank you so much!
I don’t want to get a DO only to have to defend the DO to every MD up and down the block. I think the point you made about “little difference so long as it leads to what you want to do in medicine,” statement is an excellent reminder. I am considering practicing among vulnerable populations and communities so the DO could be the right fit.
Thanks again for posting! 
Hi There
the DO vs MD is kind of an eternal comparison/debate thing. Largely going one way or another depends on many factors including prior grades and score, personal preference and future type of practice.
You can probably read plenty on the subject. In the end the job is essentially the same at all levels.
The only issue I would have with the DO route would be if you are interested in specific specialities. A DO can do any speciality but my understanding is that the most competitive ones are not necessarily DO friendly (at least that is my perception from the reading I have made, which is not to say that this perception of mine is accurate).
Hence it is usual to see DOs in primary care or and undeserved areas, but you can find DOs doing anything anywhere.
In any event, we have plenty of DO/MD (graduate and to be) who I am sure may correct me if I am wrong.
One thing I noted from your post and that I would like to caution about is the following statement : “They accept non-traditional students with or without college degrees.” In the vast majority of Med Schools, virtually all students have at least a Bacchelors, even if it is not a requirement, the circumstances under which one would be accepted without a Bacchelors (and merely satisfying the course requirements) would be extremely singular. So I would recommend that you double check on that if that makes any difference. Plus, if you apply, you will likely apply to many schools and I am pretty sure that 99+% of schools will want a degree.
Best of luck to you.
You raise excellent points.
While the DO school I’m looking at does review non-trad apps without a Bachelor’s, they do have requirements that would take no less than 2 semesters of undergraduate work to complete (prereqs). You are correct though, the majority of schools insist upon the degree prior to matriculation. I’m going to plan for the Bachelors degree but will likely apply for this school - can’t pass up the potential to shave off 2 years in my path to a medical degree. Time is of the essence, as we are all keenly aware.
Thanks again for your contribution and guidance!
Double check those schools. I remember looking at schools that required a min 90 hours undergrad before they’d look at you. Technically no degree required, but you’re essentially done with junior year at that point (which is when most people apply).
Welcome to OPM! I’m not going to comment on the MD/DO question, as that has been talked about already. I want to address your thought of applying to medical school without a bachelor’s degree.
So. To follow up on kennymac’s post–if I were you, I would also find out whether not having that degree affects how competitive you are as an applicant. Realize that you will be competing with (mostly) applicants who do have a bachelor’s degree, at a minimum, some with advanced degrees. The school may technically accept applications from people without a degree, but they may not give the same consideration to those applicants. It’s worth a call to the admissions office to find out.
Also, be aware that the new MCAT (called MCAT2015, and hence kicking in spring 2015) has more than just basic science on it. In addition to the basic sciences (organic and general chemistry, biology, and physics) there is a social science section, with content from sociology and psychology. Biochemistry content is also tested. So the two-year basic pre-requisite plan may not adequately prepare you for the new version of the MCAT. This is something I would also look into more before you commit to that two-year route that does not include a degree.
Best wishes to you, and keep us posted on your progress!
Here is an excellent article on the rise of on osteopathic medical schools in the New York Times. (“The DO is in now”).