SGU or D.O.

[MustafaMond]

Hey all I have been accepted into my D.O. stateside college for 2007.If I go to SGU where I already have a accept I will get a debt of 265K but in state school it will be 150K;this DO school is also the top 5 in the country so I can specialize easily. I want to do anesthesiology or rads and it has plenty of grads in them, with 40 percent going out of primary-care. Is there any student at sgu who would rather be in my place or is sgu better still?

((Not for flame war. Thanks.))

[tralfaz]

Go to the u.s school. There is not much to think about.

edit....you got rejected by AUC, but were accepted stateside? How on earth does that happen?

[jaywalk81]

because i personally prefer the MD than the DO, i would still go to sgu. but thats just me, i know it does sound odd. but you wouldnt have any problems getting whatever residency youwant if you work hard enough for it, and altho DO still has some stigma among the MD dominant community, it is still much less hassle and hoops to jump thro than a caribbean MD.

good luck.

[rokshana]

Hey all I have been accepted into my D.O. stateside college for 2007.If I go to SGU where I already have a accept I will get a debt of 265K but in state school it will be 150K;this DO school is also the top 5 in the country so I can specialize easily. I want to do anesthesiology or rads and it has plenty of grads in them, with 40 percent going out of primary-care. Is there any student at sgu who would rather be in my place or is sgu better still?

((Not for flame war. Thanks.))

congrats on having choices!!

i think you will find that there are many at sgu that chose sgu over DO ( i did)- you need to make the decesion that ultimately you will be happy with, with no regrets. Both have their stigmas, both have their advantages (though to be honest the amount of debt should not necessarily be the sole factor on deciding which school to attend).

good luck in your decesion!!

[MustafaMond]

can folks at sgu do all his rotations at one hospital for clincials?

[Runzhouse]

Hey all I have been accepted into my D.O. stateside college for 2007.If I go to SGU where I already have a accept I will get a debt of 265K but in state school it will be 150K;this DO school is also the top 5 in the country so I can specialize easily. I want to do anesthesiology or rads and it has plenty of grads in them, with 40 percent going out of primary-care. Is there any student at sgu who would rather be in my place or is sgu better still?

((Not for flame war. Thanks.))

Seems like the decision is very easy here. Do you care about having an MD initial or not? or Do you care much more about being a physician and helping those who need your help? If the initials matter go to SGU, if they are not your ultimate goal then go to the US school, it will be easier, you said yourself it is easy to specialize there and Primary care you can get from any school if you choose that route as well

[jaywalk81]

can folks at sgu do all his rotations at one hospital for clincials?


yes and no. you can probably do all of your cores at one hospital, but some hospitals may not have the electives you might want

[RussianJoo]

can folks at sgu do all his rotations at one hospital for clincials?

SGU has many hospitals that you can do all your rotations in. You can even stay there for residency if you so desire, but they have to accept you first.


I as well picked SGU over a DO school simply because I want to be an MD and not a DO. DO's have a slightly different curriculum, and they have different methods of practicing medicine. You have a tough choice to make but money really shouldn't play a significant part in your decision.

[Runzhouse]

SGU has many hospitals that you can do all your rotations in. You can even stay there for residency if you so desire, but they have to accept you first.


I as well picked SGU over a DO school simply because I want to be an MD and not a DO. DO's have a slightly different curriculum, and they have different methods of practicing medicine. You have a tough choice to make but money really shouldn't play a significant part in your decision.

Actually there is no difference in methods that DO's practice medicine?...they have an extra skill set in OMM (that many choose not to use) but they practice exactly the same as MD's do...the AOA likes to make a big deal about the philosophical differences but allopaths follow th same philosophy as well ("treating the whole person"). A surgeon is a surgeon whether they be an allopathic or osteopathic one, a cardiologist is a cardiologist...etc

[RussianJoo]

If you're saying there's no difference between what kind of Doc you can become if you attend a DO or an MD school, why is there a need for two different schools then?

[Runzhouse]

If you're saying there's no difference between what kind of Doc you can become if you attend a DO or an MD school, why is there a need for two different schools then?

Well thats the thing...in the past there were large differences in education and philosophy between osteopathic and allopathic medicine, but now the lines have completely blurred and large parts of osteopathic medicine are derived from allopathy and vice versa (many MD schools have added OMM as elective courses...etc)...if there is such a large difference between two doctors then it wouldnt make since to have both train at the same residency programs, learning the same material, info, and methods. Other than OMM, osteopathic and allopathic medical school curriculums are almost identical. Md's and DO's rotate at the same sites and of course many end up in the same residency programs. I dont see here where osteopathic or allopathic really differiante themselves. MD's teach at osteopathic schools and DO's teach at allopathic schools. MD's and DO's are exactly the same. That couldn't have been said in the 50's and 60's but nowadays its similar. Although many students want to see the two degrees converge into one, plenty in the DO community still like being set apart, and especially the AOA continue to preach about how different they are from allopathy...my guess would be that in 10 or so years as more MD schools pick up OMM, there is really no argument for difference other than the harp of osteopathic physicians as someone who "treats the whole person" like allopaths dont that.

[rokshana]

Seems like the decision is very easy here. Do you care about having an MD initial or not? or Do you care much more about being a physician and helping those who need your help? If the initials matter go to SGU, if they are not your ultimate goal then go to the US school, it will be easier, you said yourself it is easy to specialize there and Primary care you can get from any school if you choose that route as well

you trivalize this decesion- its not easy- either you are a DO student who didn't get into a MD school and have a chip about it or you decided to go the DO route and truly want to believe there isn't a difference. The difference may not be much anymore, but there IS a difference and those who went to a DO school, because they wanted the DO(admittedly they are few and far between) and believe in the DO philospohy are proud of those differences.


there are differences- in licensure policies there are different standards for DOs than MDs in some states and there are allopathic fellowships that are just not available to DOs. Also if DO residencies were exactly the same, with no differences, then why do DOs apply and train in allopathic residencies? There is a difference, enough so that the the 2 degrees have not been made into one.

[Runzhouse]

you trivalize this decesion- its not easy- either you are a DO student who didn't get into a MD school and have a chip about it or you decided to go the DO route and truly want to believe there isn't a difference. The difference may not be much anymore, but there IS a difference and those who went to a DO school, because they wanted the DO(admittedly they are few and far between) and believe in the DO philospohy are proud of those differences.


there are differences- in licensure policies there are different standards for DOs than MDs in some states and there are allopathic fellowships that are just not available to DOs. Also if DO residencies were exactly the same, with no differences, then why do DOs apply and train in allopathic residencies? There is a difference, enough so that the the 2 degrees have not been made into one.

Well, since there are two accrediting bodies then obviously there would be differences in policies...etc. What I was stating was that the philosophies/education were not that different. An allopathic doctor and osteopathic doctor after residency are not going to be substantially different in the way they practice. Also many DO students enter acgme accredited residencies because there are more options (location, quality of program...etc.), the fact that DO's and MD's can enter similar programs testifies to the fact that they are not too different in their approaches. Anyway, I am just curious but what fellowships cant DO's enter?

[rokshana]

Well, since there are two accrediting bodies then obviously there would be differences in policies...etc. What I was stating was that the philosophies/education were not that different. An allopathic doctor and osteopathic doctor after residency are not going to be substantially different in the way they practice. Also many DO students enter acgme accredited residencies because there are more options (location, quality of program...etc.), the fact that DO's and MD's can enter similar programs testifies to the fact that they are not too different in their approaches. Anyway, I am just curious but what fellowships cant DO's enter?


there are MFM (maternal fetal medicine) and REI (reproductive endocrinolgy and infertility) programs that don't allow DO is apply- since this is an area I did my graduate work in and am contemplating, its the area i know, but if you look on the NRMP fellowship match site, there are some fellowships that have no osteopaths match, some may not allow DOs others historically don't take them, so it is something to consider (now whether there are parallel DO fellowships i don't know).

[Runzhouse]

there are MFM (maternal fetal medicine) and REI (reproductive endocrinolgy and infertility) programs that don't allow DO is apply- since this is an area I did my graduate work in and am contemplating, its the area i know, but if you look on the NRMP fellowship match site, there are some fellowships that have no osteopaths match, some may not allow DOs others historically don't take them, so it is something to consider (now whether there are parallel DO fellowships i don't know).

I see...they probably have them over on the DO side or else AOA would cry foul about discrimination...fellowships are so far from where I am right now that it doesnt even register in my mind yet...lol gotta get through basic medical sciences first and rotations and geez...3 plus years of residency...:shock:

[RussianJoo]

very interesting sounds like the OP has a very tough decision ahead of him/her.

[pruritis_ani]

there are MFM (maternal fetal medicine) and REI (reproductive endocrinolgy and infertility) programs that don't allow DO is apply- since this is an area I did my graduate work in and am contemplating, its the area i know, but if you look on the NRMP fellowship match site, there are some fellowships that have no osteopaths match, some may not allow DOs others historically don't take them, so it is something to consider (now whether there are parallel DO fellowships i don't know).

I am gonna have to cry ** here....I don't know of any fellowships closed to DO's, at least officially, and I am in Ob/Gyn with a LOT of friends applying for those exact same fellowships you mentioned.

If you are speaking about fellowships without DO's matching, well you can sure find programs out there that don't have any. I mean, I can find REI fellowhips without Harvard grads, too! There just are no that many spots out there...But, you are forgetting that most programs hostile to DO's will be at least as hostile, if not more so, to IMGs.

Pretty much ANY specialty is easier to get for a DO, when you include the availability of DO residencies.

By going offshore, you typically trade opportunity for competitive residency positions, and enter a group with a high attrition rate and much higher risk simply to get initials MD. To some, it is worth it to have the initials. I know a lot of people like that. But, it is pretty sad to see all the justification that goes on.

I am an IMG, love my MD too. But, I would be a fool to deny the fact that going for a DO would have been easier, safer, and had I wanted a competitive specialty a far more certain bet.

Bottom line, go DO. The only thing you get offshore are the initials, and, despite what some of us desperate IMGs say, in the real world (consisting of residency, fellowship and practice) will not prefer an IMG MD to a DO, except in VERY rare instances.

[GeorgeMD2B]

Hey all I have been accepted into my D.O. stateside college for 2007.If I go to SGU where I already have a accept I will get a debt of 265K but in state school it will be 150K;this DO school is also the top 5 in the country so I can specialize easily. I want to do anesthesiology or rads and it has plenty of grads in them, with 40 percent going out of primary-care. Is there any student at sgu who would rather be in my place or is sgu better still?

((Not for flame war. Thanks.))
If you have an offer from a US DO school don't bother going abroad, you will regret it if you pick a foreign school over a US DO program. There are new medical schools opening up in the US and a few programs are increasing enrollment, this means that it will get harder to match into a residency from a foreign medical school. In the future, it could be nearly impossible to get into a specialty training program like Rads or Anesthesiology unless you went to a US school. Medical school is tough, why make things harder by living in an unfamiliar environment?

[Never Mind the Bollocks]

I had the same decision a year and a half ago, between SGU and an osteopathic school about 30 minutes from my house. In the end, it wasn't a tough decision for me and I came to SGU. The question of which residencies/fellowships will be open to you with either route is a tough one, because program directors are human beings with their own biases and good/bad personal experiences.

For me, 4 years and several hundred thousand dollars is a significant investment. I have no problem with DO's, but I wasn't enthusiastic about the philosophy or the title. In the end, if I'm going to spend that much time/money on something, it's going to be exactly what I want. I hope you do the same. Good luck.

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Hey all I have been accepted into my D.O. stateside college for 2007.If I go to SGU where I already have a accept I will get a debt of 265K but in state school it will be 150K;this DO school is also the top 5 in the country so I can specialize easily. I want to do anesthesiology or rads and it has plenty of grads in them, with 40 percent going out of primary-care. Is there any student at sgu who would rather be in my place or is sgu better still?

((Not for flame war. Thanks.))

I WOULD GO SGU!

[RussianJoo]

NM the B makes a very good point. I too picked SGU over DO schools because i didn't like the DO philosophy, even though people now say that MD's and DO's are virtually the same docs i still disagree. The only DO's i met were in family practice or internal medicine. and since i don't want to be either of those I went for the MD. Also I figured if I am going to spend the time and money might as well be an MD.

We can argue who's looked more favorably by the residency committee's img MD's or US DO's till we're blue in the face but in reality we have no clue.
No one can make this decision for you, which ever route you pick you'll end up being a doc and helping people.

[stephew]

do does not equal "us school" in colloqual med ed speak. I think either a GOOD DO school or SGU is fine; check placements to get more info.
meanhilw I am locking this thread as this topic is well discussed and already is turning into a riduculous rhetorical bit of nonsence.