I am honored to have @DrJonathan, a Family Medicine resident from Chicago, guest blogging this week for Medical Education Monday on what exactly a “DO” degree is. After receiving questions on Twitter from two separate people asking if it was “ok” to continue seeing their physician who had a “DO” degree, I knew it was time for this post. Before applying to medical school I truly had no idea there were two types of physicians in the United States and it was interesting to me to learn about Osteopathic degrees. @DrJonathan graduated with his degree in Osteopathic medicine this semester and is now attending residency. Today he has written a wonderful article about DOs geared towards info useful to the general public and next time he will be explaining the differences in licensing and training for students who may be trying to decide between the two paths into medicine! He is a superb writer, you won’t be disappointed.<\/p>\n
Despite all the different types of medical professions in America, a physician is the most universally recognized medical profession. Most people associate the word \u201cphysician\u201d with an individual who has an MD (Doctor of Medicine). Although most physicians are MDs, they only account for a portion of medical doctors in America. The other type of fully licensed medical doctor in the US is the Osteopathic Physician (DO). Currently, there are over 80,000 practicing Osteopathic Physicians in the United States. They account for almost 10% of all practicing physicians and nearly 20% of current medical students are in Osteopathic medical schools. Osteopathic physicians can be found in any medical field from Pediatrics to Family Medicine to Dermatology to Orthopedic Surgery. Their training includes all the training MD receives: they attend 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and at least 3 years of residency. Although they also have their own types, they can complete the same residency training programs, same medical board exams, and earn the same board certification as MDs. They are fully licensed physicians and surgeons in all 50 states, prescribe medications, perform surgery, and independently practice medicine. DOs and MDs work alongside one another in all areas of medicine. They are separate, but equal in their medical practice and theory. The difference lies in the Osteopathic medical philosophy.<\/p>\n