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Is there a meaningful difference between a D.O and an M.D?

Lord_AsmodeusLord_Asmodeus goeticSobriquet:Here is your magical cryptic riddle-tumour: I AM A TIME MACHINERegistered User regular
in Help / Advice Forum
I've recently found out the new doctor I've been assigned as my primary doctor at the doctors office I go to is technically a D.O. and not an M.D. I've never seen them before, My old doctor moved away and after a long time and another doctor I never even met before they moved away or went to work somewhere else I was given my current doctor. I don't know if I should be worried about them being a D.O. or not? Nothing I've read seems to indicate they're any worse than any M.D. doctor but I don't know. Does anyone have any experience with D.O.'s or in the medical profession who could tell me if I should be concerned about this or not?

Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln

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    KetarKetar Come on upstairs we're having a partyRegistered User regular
    No, there is no meaningful difference. DOs and MDs go through the exact same residency and fellowship programs after they complete med school.

    My wife is an MD, and she works with numerous great DOs. The best primary care doctor I've ever had was a DO. He moved away years ago and I have yet to find a primary as knowledgeable and thorough as he was.

    I'm also looking to hire a psychiatrist to join a practice I manage right now, and neither the MD who owns the practice nor I care at all if they're a DO or MD. Both are capable of greatness and awfulness in equal measure.

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    DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    DO goes through some extra training on things not verified by science (like chiropractic care). They don't do any less than MD, just have some extra hooey classes. Their average pay is a little less than an MD since they focus some on hooey rather than real medicine, but they're still perfectly fine as general practitioners or internists.

    What is this I don't even.
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    Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    edited January 2017
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    DO goes through some extra training on things not verified by science (like chiropractic care). They don't do any less than MD, just have some extra hooey classes. Their average pay is a little less than an MD since they focus some on hooey rather than real medicine, but they're still perfectly fine as general practitioners or internists.

    It's unfortunate because their philosophical approach is arguably better than that of M.D.'s (albeit probably indistinguishable in practice), but they are weighed down by this legacy that they refuse to get rid of.

    Inquisitor77 on
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    dispatch.odispatch.o Registered User regular
    edited January 2017
    Inquisitor77 wrote: »
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    DO goes through some extra training on things not verified by science (like chiropractic care). They don't do any less than MD, just have some extra hooey classes. Their average pay is a little less than an MD since they focus some on hooey rather than real medicine, but they're still perfectly fine as general practitioners or internists.

    It's unfortunate because their philosophical approach is arguably better than that of M.D.'s (albeit probably indistinguishable in practice), but they are weighed down by this legacy that they refuse to get rid of.

    There is no longer a difference in skillets or practical application of medical knowledge. MDs and DOs have had to adjust substantially to deal with pseudo medicine as professional healthcare providers interested in helping diagnose and treat illness.

    A DO who is a surgeon will not get a different residency or fellowship from an MD. The medical degree may be different but all of the practical hands on training will still rely on the same teaching hospitals and attending physicians.

    Edit: IANAD but my entire adult life has been spent working in hospitals. I asked lots of questions about this stuff a long time ago.

    dispatch.o on
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    Lord_AsmodeusLord_Asmodeus goeticSobriquet: Here is your magical cryptic riddle-tumour: I AM A TIME MACHINERegistered User regular
    edited January 2017
    Well this has been helpful to hear, and largely matches up with what I've read from a few different places, so I'll see how I like my new doctor or not on their own merits.

    Lord_Asmodeus on
    Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln
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    PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    edited January 2017
    MDs generally have a leg up in research because of the philosophical differences in curriculum and networking with funded universities. In addition, certain specialties will be all MD for the same reason - research and networking, not clinical skill. That's pretty much it.

    Oh, also DO is a US only degree while MD can be international.

    Paladin on
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