<p>Hey,</p>
<p>so I was talking with a friend who wants to go pre-med. He said that if he doesn't get into a US allopathic medical school that he would then go international and work somewhere outside of US. When I asked him about considering DO then, he said that D.O.s are useless and nobody wants them. Also, he said it is practically impossible for a D.O to get an allo residency. I told him that because he isn't planning on going to a ROAD-type residency where the competition gets insane, he might be better off getting a DO (he wants to do neurology by the way). He said that even if he somehow manages to get a neuro residency though that no one would want to hire him because people look down on D.Os.</p>
<p>So, first question: Is he right that D.O.s can't get into residencies that easily and that nobody wants them</p>
<p>Second Question: Was I right that he should probably go D.O over going international?</p>
<p>You're right. He's wrong.</p>
<p>Honestly, the only people who disrepsect the DO degree are narrow-minded premeds.</p>
<p>My friend has the exact same mindset. The mindset that DO = Crap MD = Respectable. In my opinion, DO = MD, and I really hope I'm not wrong.</p>
<p>I think the numbers are pretty clear.</p>
<p>Post #4 here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=213924%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=213924</a></p>
<p>That's not to suggest that the DO is necessary "every bit as good as" the MD. But it certainly, certainly beats a Caribbean MD. It's not even close.</p>
<p>My academic medical center has several -- not lots, but several -- DO's in faculty positions, teaching courses, doing surgery, etc. I highly doubt we have a single Caribbean MD on our faculty.</p>
<p>Your friend is crazy to think that going international would give him a better chance at all in getting ROAD or even any competitive Nuero residency. </p>
<p>But that is to not to say its not possible. DO= MD, same practice rights. What differentiates between someone getting into a good residency and not are their board scores, LORs, interview and what not. </p>
<p>There are couple DO's from NYCOM who matched fantastically this year
PEDS NEURO
HARVARD/CHILDREN's/BIDMC, Boston, MA"</p>
<p>Another
"SURGERY - PRELIMINARY
JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL, BALTIMORE, MD"</p>
<p>Post#261
<a href="http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=175626&page=6%5B/url%5D">http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=175626&page=6</a></p>
<p>Not sure if they are the first DO students to get in those places, but if you are good and do well in school, the sky is the limit</p>
<p>Oh, and I should mention. DO's who fail to match into MD residencies still have DO residencies.</p>
<p>Caribbean MD's who fail to match into the US... well, they're just stuck.</p>
<p>well can't they still practice elsewhere (i.e. in the carribeans), so I'm not sure if they're TOTALLY stuck?</p>
<p>And also, he wanted me to ask just how much harder is it to get a neurology residency as a D.O. compared to an M.D.? I tried to answer, but my best guess was that it would be a bit harder, but not too much if he does well in med school GPA-wise, gets a good USMLE (btw, do most D.O.s have the potential to do well on the USMLE, or do many of them do poorly because they don't learn exactly the same stuff), and does research he should get it, but I don't want to give wrong info, so a little help here?</p>
<p>I think the DOs have another test similar to the USMLEs, I forgot the name though.</p>
<p>Your friends question: "how much harder is it to get a 'good or competitive' neurology residency as a D.O. compared to an M.D.? "<br>
really really hard to say. I mean cause there are still some residencies that still have that D.O. prejudice- like i heard UCLA does. But i mean i know a D.O. who finish her Nephrology fellowship at UCLA. Who knows, 8-10 years down the line, maybe the stigma wont be there. But yes your answer
[quote]
if he does well in med school GPA-wise, gets a good USMLE, and does research
[/quote]
is the safest answer to give. Probably rotating at that hospital will give you a better shot in matching into their residency.</p>
<p>your other question: "do most D.O.s have the potential to do well on the USMLE, or do many of them do poorly because they don't learn exactly the same stuff?"</p>
<p>Actually i have heard from couple med students telling me that they felt USMLE was easier for them than the COMLEX- the test they take for osteopathic residencies. The DO students learn the same stuff as MD's but they also have to learn about osteopathic manipulative medicine. Some DO schools prepare them better than others, but really how well you do on the test usually rests on you personally. I mean it is the same for SATs right. I know my high school didnt help us at all in preparing us, so naturally the average was lower, but some of us still scored well. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>For the years 2003-2007, approximately 50% of neurology residency positions offered in the match have been filled by US seniors -- the rest have been filled by "independent applicants," a category which includes DO's, IMG's, AMG's of non-immediate vintage, and others. A few spots go unfilled every year.
<a href="http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/tables/table5_2007.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/tables/table5_2007.pdf</a></p>
<p>How DO's fare in the match compared to IMG's cannot be deduced from the data, but DO's do enjoy a huge advantage over IMG's at the medical staff credentialling level.</p>
<p>Does IMG stand for International Medical Graduates?</p>