DO's Officially Against IMG's...

[oskie94]

With the number of DO school expanding, it was probably only a matter of time before they would come right out with their agenda:

http://www.do-online.osteotech.org/blog/media/9/20060518-DR_5-18-06_Testimony.pdf

[teratos]

Shocker...................

[Kronos]

It is hard to find fault with his support for more incentives toward rural medicine. Clearly the US needs more docs there, no matter where they come from. As long as the docs are competent and the physician shortage is being filled, I doubt Congress would care.

But to use the "global health crisis" and the immigration debate against IMGs in general.... ugh. There is a big difference between US citizens who pursue a MD abroad and "dem foreigners" who are supposedly taking up all the jobs the DOs want.

[tRmedic21]

It wasn't so long ago that DOs were fighting for their acceptance, too... now they are looking down their noses? Like George said.... shocker.

I'm not worried. It isn't going to affect me in the least as they won't be able to meet the growing demand for physicians anytime soon, even if they double every med school class in the country starting tomorrow.

[sheikh1]

The number of DO student comming to the Carib....is going up, I dont know why !!!

[tRmedic21]

The number of DO students coming to the Caribbean? There are no Caribbean DO schools... so are you saying people are leaving US DO schools to pursue a Caribbean MD degree? Doesn't sound to me like something we'd see large numbers of people doing.

[Scott1981]

so are you saying people are leaving US DO schools to pursue a Caribbean MD degree?

i guess im a rare exception....:lol:

i read the article, i really didnt see how is was anti us-img. yes, they were trying to get congress to have stipulations to the visas they give out...... but how would that affect someone who is a us citizen?

[DRDRWMD]

I had the debate of whether to get a DO and stay in the US or go overseas to become an MD. I know that MD will be on my office door and I will not have to spend the rest of my career explaining what a DO is to patients. I prefer the MD title, so I came to the caribbean.

[homerbrave]

I had the debate of whether to get a DO and stay in the US or go overseas to become an MD. I know that MD will be on my office door and I will not have to spend the rest of my career explaining what a DO is to patients. I prefer the MD title, so I came to the caribbean.

You made a wise decision. The DOs are still fighting for respect especially with the general population. Many people think DOs are 'bone' or 'foot' doctors and this is unlikely to go away anytime soon. It's difficult to practice medicine when your pts. don't respect your degree.

[Scott1981]

to get it back on topic, i still dont know where this article shows that they are anti us-img?

[solideliquid]

I can't really disagree with what he is saying. Afterall he is fighting for the expansion of DO physicians. If you for a moment look at the other issues, he is trying to get more residency positions because many DOs want to do allopathic residencies.

On the IMG issue, I sort of agree that we should have tougher visa requirements. I am all for immigration but I think "F"MG physicians should practice more in their home countries, and bring the advantages of training in the US home to help their societies. He mentions US IMGs but he can't get anywhere with this because we are US citizens and his arguments (for the moment) revolve around visa requirements.

[LastDance]

i agree with scott... i dont see how the article affects those of us who already are U.S citizens?

[LastDance]

unless this is like their "first step" in their grand master plan to eventually petition congress to stop IMG from practicing in the United States.....

[tRmedic21]

It doesn't affect me, so I won't worry about it...

...sounds familiar..

[dr.bum]

canadians are shitting in their pants

[db3cool]

............

[stookie]

I had a similar issue...should i go DO or should i go to Carib...after speaking to countless of docs and the person in the committee for hiring residents in NYU hospital...i was told almost unanimously (there were a couple of exceptions) that American degree is still better and will open more doors in terms of residency. So I made the choice.

The exception is Sackler Med. in Isreal.

[dawgfan]

I agree with ya'll an MD behind your name is a lot better than an MD no matter where you go to school.

[swimguy23]

I had a similar issue...should i go DO or should i go to Carib...after speaking to countless of docs and the person in the committee for hiring residents in NYU hospital...i was told almost unanimously (there were a couple of exceptions) that American degree is still better and will open more doors in terms of residency. So I made the choice.

your medical career extends far past residency.....i would imagine an MD would open more doors since most people in the general public still dont even know what a DO is

[k_tanaka]

The Balance Budget Act of 1997 (as the article mentioned) to me was poorly designed. I thought it was a duct tape congress cooked up to provide a temporary stop to a gushing pipe. It also targetted foreign health care professionals across the Board. They hit both nurses and therapists by cooking up some redundant requirements which created a shortage on both fields even up to the present moment. It also hit FMGs coming to the US to train by hitting them where it really hurts (double kill), curtailing the available residency spots, and, making it harder for them to convert their J1 visa to an H1B. Because of their lack of foresight (as they always do) little did they know that it would limit the residency spots available for graduating DO's??????? Do you sense soemthing wrong here? They were making the same excuse when they voted in the BBA in 1997, to force these foreign physicians to go back. Well guess what it backfired! There will always be a demand for health professionals in the US. They need to create better policies quit pocketting money from the special interest groups, hit the corporate health companies which pockets a chunk of money each year due to overutilization and overbilling. Then they'll be able to save medicare-government money, use that to open up more training spots, etc....etc....
Limiting your workforce in the health care is just not the solution. You just cannot replace a surgeon in the OR , a nurse changing the dressings on a wounded soldier who just came back from Iraq, a therapist rehabilitating a farm worker injured in a farm accident, with a computer and software technology.

The article does have some good points, he's just not singing it with the right tune.