By Daniah
Description of an M.D.
An M.D., otherwise known as a doctor of medicine, studies allopathic medicine. This type of medicine requires treatment of symptoms. To be more specific, if you are a healthcare professional who is licensed to practice allopathic medicine, you may treat symptoms via medicine, surgery, radiation, or other procedures. To receive your M.D., you’re going to have to get your high school diploma and your bachelor’s degree. It does not matter what you major in when you’re an undergraduate student so long as you fulfill the prerequisites for medical school. Some people also go to graduate school or take a gap year after undergrad, so do what you feel is best. After you get into and complete allopathic medical school (which is a total of four years) in addition to the licensing exams, you go through your residency. This typically takes another four years. After that, you can become a practicing MD. Some may choose to specialize after their residency which varies depending on where you decide to specialize.
Description of a D.O.
A D.O. is an abbreviation for a doctor of osteopathic medicine. This type of medicine utilizes a whole-person approach. This means that not only do D.Os work on alleviating symptoms, but also work on preventative measures to help prevent illness in the future. For this, many D.Os end up going into primary care. However, a D.O. can go into any specialty they want. D.Os, just like doctors, have to go through four years of undergraduate, four years of osteopathic medical school, and four years of residency. D.Os, however, are required to go through an additional 200 hours of coursework (OMT) designed to help diagnose and treat illnesses as well as help facilitate the body towards healing itself.
Similarities and Differences
D.Os and M.Ds have many similarities. Both must go through (basically) the same amount of coursework in order to become a doctor. Medical school is a must for the both of them and they learn the same exact things. Both D.Os and M.Ds can diagnose and treat patients in addition to prescribing medicine and performing surgeries. Especially now, the lines between D.O. and M.D. are blurred and are generally seen as the same. However, there are people who do not trust D.Os and see them as lesser than although they go through the same training as that of an M.D. and go through additional coursework as well. They are both physicians and because D.Os go through mostly the same training as M.Ds.
There are very little differences between M.Ds and D.Os. As said in the previous descriptions, while M.Ds practice allopathic medicine and tend to look towards treating the symptoms via medicine, surgery, or other procedures, D.Os practice osteopathic medicine. They try finding ways for the body to heal itself rather than other procedures to do so. Because of this, they go through additional coursework to make sure that they understand how to assess different medical situations from a holistic standpoint. However, this does not mean that D.Os simply work on preventative care. Although this is a big part of their training, they can still do everything else an M.D. can. M.Ds and D.Os may differ on which specialty they decide to work in but they are still trained to go into any specialty of medicine. Lastly, while M.Ds go to allopathic medical school, D.Os go to osteopathic medical school. But they are both medical schools and both doctors receive proper training.
Is One a Better Doctor Than the Other?
This discourse has always been around but it has increased since people found out that Donald Trump’s doctor is a D.O. Many feel that because his doctor is a D.O., he isn’t as qualified to talk about COVID0-19 or an M.D. would know more about treatment than he would. For one thing, doctors must take the Hippocratic Oath which states that they must take care of any patient no matter their background/who they are as a person. D.Os and M.Ds take the same oath and they go through, more or less, the same training. Both are qualified to be doctors. People believing that Trump’s doctor should not give treatment or advice simply because he is a D.O. is simply wrong.
So no, one is not better than the other. Both are qualified to treat and diagnose patients as well as prescribe medications. One big myth is that D.Os cannot go into surgery, however that is simply not the case. Because D.Os focus on osteopathic medicine, they tend to go towards primary care. However, if they choose to go into surgery, they are free to do so. M.Ds can go into primary care if they choose to do so. What you do after residency is not based on you being an M.D. or a D.O. We must work on stopping this discrimination based on what kind of doctor someone is, because at the end of the day, both doctors get the same level of training.
Which is the Right Path for You?
That’s for you to decide. If you want to study a whole-person approach of medicine and focus on preventative care, by all means become a D.O. However, if you want to look at treating symptoms through procedures and medication, you can become an M.D. All that matters is that you are happy with your choice. Osteopathic medical school is said to be less competitive than allopathic medical school, however you are required to do more coursework (OMT) if you do go into osteopathic medical school. Also know that you are not tied down to simply go into primary care and you can specialize in whatever you want. Best thing to do is figure out why you want to go into medicine and see if it would be better for you to study osteopathic or allopathic medicine.
Medical Wonders 