<p>Hey all, you guys probably get this a lot but I can not seem to find it on the search forum. But anyways, I do know some differences but not all of them. So I guess I'll start off with some questions.</p>
<p>On average, is OD's salaries less than that of MD's salaries? (I can't find this information anywhere)
I know MD's can get into specific specialties, but can OD's do the same as well? I want to become an infectious disease specialist, but can an OD specialize in that? And will the pay be the same higher or less than that of MD's?
How does an OD doctor practice medicine differently than a MD doctor?
Why is there a larger population of MD doctors than OD doctors?
Are OD doctors looked down upon?
Is there a website where I can see a whole list of schools that is categorized by MD and OD?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>It is DO not OD</p>
<p>No diff in salary
Yes they can do all specialties that an MD can do, in the same residencies. Same pay.
There isn’t any difference, save for a few spinal things that don’t seem to be used much 90% of the time.
Because there are more schools.
No they aren’t. Patients want service, they don’t care.
[List</a> of medical schools in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_schools_in_the_United_States]List”>List of medical schools in the United States - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Oops sorry for putting OD… I was thinking about something else.</p>
<p>Thanks MMMCdowe. </p>
<p>So is applying a DO school less competitive than applying to a MD school?</p>
<p>The grades and MCAT scores are somewhat lower than many MD schools, but the difference is getting smaller. There are two camps. One camp says it is easier to get into DO schools because of the lower grades and scores, others say that DO schools just focus more heavily on non-grade related things. I think that some pre-meds do shy away from DO schools and only apply there if they are afraid of not getting into MD schools, and so it might be easier to get into them just like it is easier to get into, say, Ohio State than harvard. This doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone who gets into Harvard did or would get into OSU, but more would than the reverse. I truthfully don’t know if DO schools are less competitive (though I suspect it), as I can’t claim to have applied to them.</p>
<p>The differences are mainly historical at this point. DO’s are reimbursed the same amount for doing the same procedure as MD’s. They often work side by side with MD’s at the same hospitals and are given the same responsibilities. My personal physician in CA is a DO and I have no qualms with the quality of care she provides.</p>
<p>All things being equal, most students would probably rather get a MD because a) there’s less confusion about what a MD is and b) it’s a little easier to specialize as a MD (because the proportion of allopathic specialty residency spots is higher than osteopathic speciality residency spots). However, given the choice between DO and another career (or doing a MD at a Carib school), I’d much rather get a DO.</p>
<p>Don’t forget that DO grads are eligible for MD residencies, but not vice versa.</p>
<p>I get the sense that there may be more “variety” in DO schools than MD schools. A wider range of quality may be a way to put it. I know that the DO school in Texas, TCOM, is widely considered as providing excellent training with fine facilities and profs.</p>