Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Applying to residency as an osteopathic medical student: myths and realities

Catherine Vanier, DO
Physician
December 28, 2018
44 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

In the last year of medical school, all medical students are faced with important decisions about where they would like to complete their residency. For osteopathic students, one key element of this decision is to what extent do they want to be a minority within their program. I am an osteopathic physician. Osteopathy is core to my identity and pride as a physician. I am one of two osteopathic physicians within my residency program, and we comprise only 7 percent of the group. Today I am very satisfied with the decision that I made to be in the minority, however, through the application process, I was discouraged from being in this position.  These are some of the things I was told and the reality that followed:

You will be treated differently by your attendings and will need to prove yourself.

No one notices that I am a DO. Being an intern is all it takes for attendings to see you as a deer in the headlights in need of help. I have to prove myself in the same way anyone embarking on a new career does, but this is no different than my MD peers. People only notice I am a DO when I proudly point it out as the reason I know that T3 is at the level of the superior angle of the scapula, otherwise, I’m just an intern.

There will be no support of doing osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), you will lose your skill set.

Being one of the only DO’s in an opiate avoiding chronic pain world has given me the opportunity to provide a much-needed skill set to a group of needing patients. My ability to see an OMT patient and feel confident that I am providing a service that may otherwise be unmet is very rewarding.

You will lose your identity and be forced to conform.

Absolutely not. In fact, being one of the only DO’s in my program has given me the opportunity to hold even stronger to my identity as an osteopathic physician. I feel it is my duty to represent my profession and the skills and beliefs that come with it. I can see this being a problem if I had been on the fence about my attachment to the osteopathic philosophy and practice, but as someone who holds it in such a high regard, I love the opportunity to teach others about my training.

When applying to an MD dominant program you should downplay your osteopathic origins.

I do not know the inner-workings of the application process at each program, but this just felt wrong to me so I did the opposite. This may be true for some programs, but if that was the case my thought was that I didn’t want to end up there. Hold strong to your passions and emphasize what makes you unique and different and programs will see that as a strength. I feel this was my experience through the application process.

So, if I were to do again, I would. In fact, I feel that more osteopathic medical students should consider doing the same. The future of osteopathic medicine is reliant on people branching out and going where they will be the voice of osteopathy.

Catherine Vanier is a family medicine resident. This article originally appeared in Family Medicine Vital Signs.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A tipping point for women physicians at the podium

December 28, 2018 Kevin 1
…
Next

Personal finance strategies to combat physician burnout

December 28, 2018 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A tipping point for women physicians at the podium
Next Post >
Personal finance strategies to combat physician burnout

Related Posts

  • The financial barriers of applying to medical school

    Shin Mei Chan and Jamieson O’Marr
  • Digital advances in the medical aid in dying movement

    Jennifer Lynn
  • What Caribbean medical students need to know about the residency match

    Samir Desai, MD
  • If medical students are already experiencing burnout, how are they going to survive residency?

    Misha Armstrong
  • Applying for residency? Read this first.

    Sudhakar Nuti, MD
  • Applying to medical school in the post-COVID-19 era: What has changed?

    Karolina Woroniecka, MD, PhD

More in Physician

  • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

    Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD
  • Practicing medicine with conviction

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The power of memory in shaping human identity

    Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
  • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • The erosion of patient care

    Laura de la Torre, MD
  • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

    Eleanor Menzin, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

      Kerri Milyko, PhD | Tech
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Lab Tests That Escape FDA Oversight May Come Under Agency Review
  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Low Tidal Volume Compliance Still Lacking in Mechanical Ventilation
  • IV Immunoglobulin May Cut Infection Risk of Anti-BCMA Agents for Myeloma
  • When's the Best Time to Get the Updated COVID Shot?

Meeting Coverage

  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Plant-Based Estrogen Improves Lipids in Postmenopausal Women
  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

      Kerri Milyko, PhD | Tech
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...