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What
is a Doctor of
Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)? |
 If
you’re like most people, you’ve been going to a doctor ever since you
were born, and perhaps were not aware whether you were seeing a D.O.
(osteopathic physician) or an M.D. (allopathic physician). You may not
even be aware that there are two types of complete physicians in the
United States.
The fact is, that both D.O.s and M.D.s are fully qualified physicians
licensed to perform surgery and prescribe medication in all 50 states. Is
there any difference between these two kinds of doctors? Yes. And no.
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D.O.s and
M.D.s are alike in many ways:
 | Applicants to both D.O. and M.D. colleges typically have a four-year
undergraduate degree with an emphasis on scientific courses. |
| Both D.O.s and M.D.s complete four years of basic medical education. |
| After medical school, both D.O.s and M.D.s can choose to practice in
a specialty area of medicine -- such as psychiatry, surgery or
obstetrics -- after completing a residency program which requires an
additional two to six years of training. |
| Both D.O.s and M.D.s must pass comparable state licensing
examinations. |
| D.O.s and M.D.s both practice in fully accredited and licensed
health care facilities. |
| D.O.s comprise a separate, yet equal branch of American medical
care. Together, D.O.s and M.D.s enhance the state of care available in
America. |
D.O.s bring
something extra to medicine:
| Osteopathic medical schools emphasize
training students to be primary care physicians. |
| D.O.s practice a "whole
person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific
symptoms or illnesses, they assess the overall health of their
patients including home and work environments. |
| Osteopathic physicians focus on
preventive health care. |
| D.O.s receive extra training in the
musculoskeletal system -- your body’s interconnected system of
nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of its body mass.
This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better
understanding of the ways that an injury or illness in one part of
your body can affect another. |
| Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT)
is incorporated in the training and practice of osteopathic
physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to
diagnose injury and illness and to encourage your body’s natural
tendency toward good health. By combining all other medical procedures
with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care
available in medicine today. |
More than a Century of
Unique Care
 Osteopathic
medicine is a unique form of American medical care that was developed in
1874 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. Dr. Still was dissatisfied with the
effectiveness of 19th Century medicine. He believed that many of the
medications of his day were useless or even harmful. Dr. Still was one
of the first in his time to study the attributes of good health so that
he could better understand the process of disease.
In response, Dr. Still founded a philosophy of medicine based
on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. The
philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the
musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the
body’s ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating
properly and keeping fit.
Dr. Still pioneered the concept of "wellness" more than 125
years ago. In today’s terms, personal health risks -- such as smoking,
high blood pressure, excessive cholesterol levels, stress and other
lifestyle factors -- are evaluated for each individual. In coordination
with appropriate medical treatment, the osteopathic physician acts as a
teacher to help patients take more responsibility for their own
well-being and change unhealthy patterns.
21st Century,
Frontier Medicine
Just as Dr. Still pioneered osteopathic
medicine on the Missouri frontier in 1874, today osteopathic physicians
serve as modern day medical pioneers.
They continue the tradition of bringing health care to areas of
greatest need:
| Over half of all osteopathic physicians practice in primary care
areas such as pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics/gynecology and
internal medicine. |
| Many D.O.s fill a critical need for doctors by practicing in rural
and medically underserved areas. |
Today osteopathic physicians continue to be on the cutting edge of
modern medicine. D.O.s are able to combine today’s medical technology
with their ears, to listen compassionately to their patients; their
eyes, to see their patients as whole persons; and their hands, to
diagnose and treat injury as well as illness.
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