What is the difference between an M.D. and D.O. physician?
A D.O. is a doctor of osteopathic medicine. They typically have the same educational backgrounds and training as an M.D. The main difference is a D.O. views the patient as a "total person" and focuses on preventative care. Rather than treat specific symptoms or illness, they view the whole body.
In addition to studying all of the typical subjects you would expect student physicians to master, osteopathic medical students take approximately 200 additional hours of training in the musculoskeletal system, which make up the muscles and bones of a person. This system of hands-on techniques helps alleviate pain, restores motion, supports the body’s natural functions and influences the body’s structure to help it function more efficiently.
D.O.s perform surgery, deliver children, treat patients, prescribe medications and work in the same settings as M.D.s. D.O.s use the same tools, treatments and technologies of medicine as M.D.s. Both must pass a state licensing examination to practice medicine.
Osteopathic medicine developed in 1874
Dr. A.T. Still developed osteopathic medicine in 1874. He is quoted as saying, "Any variation from health has a cause, and the cause has a location. It is the business of the osteopathic physician to locate and remove it, doing away with the disease and getting healthy instead."
Dr. Still held the view that many medications (at that time) were useless and even harmful. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key component for good health.
A fast growing segment
Osteopathic medicine is a fast-growing segment of the United States health care field. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) states:
"Because of this whole-person approach to medicine, approximately 60 percent of all D.O.s choose to practice in the primary care disciplines of family practice, general internal medicine and pediatrics. Approximately 40 percent of all D.O.s go on to specialize in a wide range of practice areas. If the medical specialty exists, you will find D.O.s there."
According to the AACOM, there are approximately 63,000 fully licensed osteopathic physicians in the United States. Today, nearly one in five U.S. medical students is training to be an osteopathic physician.
While America's D.O.s account for only seven percent of the country's physicians, they handle 16 percent of all patient visits in communities with populations of less than 2,500. D.O.s also have a strong history of serving rural and underserved areas, often providing their unique brand of compassionate, patient-centered care to some of the most economically disadvantaged members of society.
For more information on osteopathic medicine, please visit www.aacom.org.
