Comments on: Osteopathic schools offering MD degrees, is the recession to blame?

By: BIll

BIll — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:02:00 +0000

Why would you ever get a DO if you could get an MD? DOs should be kept from specializing since they’re needed in dying primary care field.

By: Jiggler

Jiggler — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:10:00 +0000

having both DO and MD programs is so pointless. nowadays the curricula are nearly identical and each focuses on medicine that works, not necessarily some unique philosphy

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:19:00 +0000

This is not news. Two other state-sponsored universities house both MD and DO schools: Michigan State and UDMNJ (New Jersey).

By: EJ

EJ — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Enough speculation… All questions answered:

http://www.hsc.unt.edu/sites/StudyGroup/index.cfm?pageName=FAQ’s

This should be the go-to source for all news DO/MD at UNTHSC.

I’ll be watching patiently.

P.S. Both GruntDoc and KevinMD got nods on their “In The News” page…I’d much rather read these anyway

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:30:00 +0000

If they want to go to a class size of 250, why not just expand their current class?

Personally, I don’t feel the separate systems is a pointless exercise. The longer I do this, the more I see the organizations get more and more arrogant……the more I appreciate that there is a parallel organization.

You don’t like JCAHO? Join the club. But your hospital, ANY hospital, including Dr. Pho’s, including my own, could dump JCAHO in a second and get accredited by the American Osteopathic Association, it would make no difference with insurances, etc. It amazes me more people do not recognize this.

By: 7 years

7 years — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:51:00 +0000

I agree anon. It is more the student than the school. I do not think is common for anyone degree to run circles around the other…
it really is the individual student. Plus, most of the training comes in residency anyhow…

As far as the school year length, I was stating that from my personal experience as my school year is longer and we have longer school days that either of my MD friends. That is why I started my sentence with…”I also pay the price for these extra skills with higher tuition (private), a longer school year”.

cheers

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:30:00 +0000

re:”a longer school year” “I can run circles around my MD friends in basic sciences”

Maybe I am missing something but the only break in allopathic med schools is the 7-8 weeks between first and second year which is often filled with med school related volunteer rotations. Personally I think DO’s are well set up for residency, but to think DO students can run circles around MD students is as arrogant (and misinformed) as the visa versa.

By: 7 years

7 years — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:31:00 +0000

there is definitely no shortage of students applying to medical school period. DO or MD. My DO school gets about 4000 applications for 120 spots. I think they accept about 450?

I really can't speculate why this texas school is doing this. I think there are some who feel D.O.s and M.D.s have become so similar in practice that there is little difference in schooling these medical students aside from the additional manipulation and biomechanic education the D.O.s get.

While I agree that we end up doing very similar jobs, I personally really do enjoy my D.O. education and feel I am getting some extra helpful hands on techniques. I think the healthcare system often dictates whether we have the time to actually use them...

I also pay the price for these extra skills with higher tuition (private), a longer school year, frequent questions of "are you really a doctor",having to take two sets of boards (COMLEX and USMLE), and some discrimination from dinosaur M.D.s that still don't get it.

I think a school offering both degrees might be a good way to go. They could do all the core science and didactics for the D.O.s and M.D.s in the same classrooms and then add on a component for the D.O.s covering osteopathic philosophy and manipulation.

cheers
7

By: Brent Passey

Brent Passey — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:08:00 +0000

I find it interesting that people always seem to imply that DOs can’t specialize. I decided to apply only to osteopathic schools after I working with a cardiologist that was a DO. Granted many students choose to go into primary care, but that could just be because many people who enter osteopathic schools do it with the desire to focus on primary care.

Also, if you do your research you’ll find that there is no shortage of DO applicants. In fact every year the number of osteopathic applicants increases significantly. Claiming that the reason they are offering an MD degree for financial reasons seems odd, if anything it would cost them more to start a new program than it would to just add more DO seats, or they could just raise tuition (not that I support that last idea).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:49:00 +0000

The “M.D.”s far superior in picking up Chicks, and “D.O.” always reminds me of Homer Simpsons catch phrase. Never even heard of them until I went in the Military, thought the guy across the hall from me was a “Doctor of Optometry”. Always wondered why he had to do Pelvics all the time…