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This article is from the Medical Education
FAQ, by eric@wilkinson.com (Eric P. Wilkinson, M.D.)with
numerous contributions by others.
3.7) Should I apply to DO schools?
Osteopathic medical schools have a reputation for "looking past the
numbers" in their admissions process. Consequently, the average
accepted MCAT scores and GPA are a bit lower at DO schools. If
you're an academically borderline candidate, but have a competitive
application overall, your chances for admission might be higher at
DO schools. Because most DO schools emphasize primary care
medicine, they look very closely at an applicant's motivation for
pursuing medicine and prior life experience. The average age of
matriculation tends to be higher at DO schools than MD schools.
Students who want to practice an osteopathic approach to patient
care are especially sought after; this means demonstrating an
interest in hands-on medicine and a commitment to a holistic
understanding of patient care issues, especially time spent with a
DO.
There are two important points to consider if you're thinking of
applying to DO schools. First, DOs are minority physicians in the
profession of medicine. If you are uncomfortable being different,
think that you'll always have to prove something because you're not
an MD, or are likely to become frustrated having to explain what a
DO is to new patients, then DO schools might not be right for you.
Second, you might have a harder time competing for some of the
"brand-name" MD residencies. Many competitive MD residencies don't
regard the additional training DO students receive as applicable to
their particular area of medicine, and with keen competition for
slots among MD applicants, they feel obliged to take their own
first. There are DO specialty residencies in everything ranging
from aerospace medicine to otolaryngology, but these residencies
tend to be concentrated in the eastern and mid-western United
States. Some students find the geographic limitations of these
residencies unattractive.
In short, some students have compared the kind of medical education
DO schools offer to the kind of undergraduate education that smaller
liberal arts colleges offer. Both stress generalist skills and
training. Like the smaller undergraduate colleges, the research
programs at DO schools tend to be smaller. Consequently, the basic
science faculty is usually more professionally involved in medical
education than research. However, it is difficult to make accurate
generalizations because there is much variety in curricular programs
offered by both MD and DO schools. There are primary care oriented
MD schools and research oriented DO schools. The most prudent
advice is to look at the curriculum and educational focus of each
medical school on a case by case basis.
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health, medical education, school, MD, DO, MCAT, review, admission, specialities, medical school curricula, interview
