Session 26

With three different application services, and two different physician degrees, students get overwhelmed with what to do. Should you apply to both DO and MD schools?

A question came up recently in our Facebook Hangout Group where the student asked this question. Many students who have gone through this process would say of course you can apply to both MD and DO schools. But a lot of students aren’t actually aware of this, so let’s explore the subject a bit further.

Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points.

[01:05] MD vs. DO and the Bias Against DO Schools

MD is the degree for allopathic physicians, and DO is the degree for osteopathic physicians. At the end of the day, they’re both the same. They’re both physicians.

If you want to be a doctor taking care of patients and operating on patients, you can be either a DO or an MD. It doesn’t matter.

There is some built-in bias against DOs, and there has been since the beginning. It is slowly eroding away, though. As the older physicians are retiring and the Gen X doctors are coming up, we’re getting more and more openness towards DO students.

[Related post: MD vs DO: What Are the Differences (and the Similarities)?]

[02:40] Apply to Both MD and DO Schools

I interviewed the Dean of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is a DO school, and I heard a statistic that 25% of all medical students right now are DO students.

At the end of the day, do you want to be a physician, or do you want to go to a specific medical school? That’s the question.

If you want to be a doctor, apply to both MD schools and DO schools. Increase your chances of being a physician. If you want to be a doctor and take care of patients, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day if it says “MD” or “DO” after your name.

Links and Other Resources

Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT.

Related post: Should We Even Have a DO Degree? The DO vs MD Argument.

Related episode: DO vs Carribean MD School: What Should I Do?

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