SGU vs. PCOM-GA campus (D.O.)

[anxiousnadd]

i know that the whole MD vs. DO conversation has been done. but what about between these two schools. please give me knowledgable feedback. dont' bash either if you really have nothing to back it up. i just need some good honest and knowledgable reasons of pros/cons...

thanks everyone

[Cardinal]

I would stay in the U.S., easier funding, easier licensing and higher standard of living. This is only my opinion. Good luck;)

[emt036]

How many people on this board do you think have attended both? Probably none. So I doubt if you'll get any truely "good honest and knowledgeable reasons of pros/cons."

[John Madden MD]

First, I am a SGU grad and a PT member of the administration. I am an emergency physician in DE where we have plenty of DO's. I get asked this question all the time. If you want to practice in an area where the DO is accepted, by all means go to the DO school. There are still some states where DO's have to have separate hospitals, although this is becoming less common. The general public does not know what a DO is. Many think it designates an optometrist. Osteopathic programs are just as vigorous as allopathic programs. However, getting an MD degree from SGUSOM places you in the "MD" realm, although IMG status. I am sure whichever decision you make will be a good one. All the best in your career!

[moose21]

There are still some states where DO's have to have separate hospitals, although this is becoming less common.

This is not true!...There are 5 states that require a DO to complete a traditional rotating internship to be licensed, but I am unaware of any state that can tell an AOA or AMA certified osteopathic physician which hospital (JCAHO or AOA accredited) they can practice at. More importantly, no state specifies that a hospital must be certified by one organization or the other.

If a DO does a LCGME approved residency, they are certified by the AMA and have absolutely no licensing diffence between US trained allopathic physicians. THIS is why people say that getting a "DO" is superior to a foreign "MD" or "MBBS," which require additional certification by the ECFMG.

Dr. Madden: Please post your source for the above statement.

[ResearchingGuy]

Stay in Atlanta. Go to DO school if you are accepted there. It will make licensing and residency much simpler. If you can't go there, go to SGU. Either is a good option, but it is best to go to school in the US if you have the option. Don't get caught up in the DO/MD thing. I work with DO's in my rotations and the topic rarely if ever comes up.

Best of Luck!

[MustafaMond]

There are still some states where DO's have to have separate hospitals, although this is becoming less common.

this is inaccurate! No DO's have to have a separate hospital, where on earths did U get this idea? May be in 1950 but not for last twenty years. As for the extra one year residency so many speak of it's built into the ACMGE residency. To count, it requires a one paragraph paper petition to DO association and is granted almost every time. Plus the extra yr. is built into almost all DO residencies now. I would say this least of worry now.

[sylvian291]

There are still some states where DO's have to have separate hospitals, although this is becoming less common. The general public does not know what a DO is.

It's a little worrysome that there are licensed physicians spreading this false information. For your information, and the information of your students, DOs do NOT have to have separate hospitals anywhere in the country. By law, DOs are licensed to practice medicine in any hospital. Now are there hospitals where there might not be a DO on staff? I'm sure there are. It all depends on the area you're practicing in. In New York, DOs are pretty well known. In tennessee? Not likely, although there is an osteopathic medical school opening there and the word will spread I'm sure in short time.

[brob311]

I made a decision between Ross and PCOM-Ga campus and I chose Ross. It came down to the decision of me being an MD vs a DO. Hold on repliers, wait until you read the whole thing. I actually like the principles of osteopathic medicine a lot, and I know that you are not ostracized in the hospital setting as a DO, but it comes down to public knowledge of what a DO is. I am from GA and I had never heard of a DO until I started applying to med schools. Another contributing factor is that I did not want to restrict myself to just practicing in GA, although I wouldn't mind staying either. I am in my 2nd year, and I am very happy with the decision I made, but at the time of making a decision it was very hard.

[billydoc]

I made a decision between Ross and PCOM-Ga campus and I chose Ross. It came down to the decision of me being an MD vs a DO. Hold on repliers, wait until you read the whole thing. I actually like the principles of osteopathic medicine a lot, and I know that you are not ostracized in the hospital setting as a DO, but it comes down to public knowledge of what a DO is. I am from GA and I had never heard of a DO until I started applying to med schools. Another contributing factor is that I did not want to restrict myself to just practicing in GA, although I wouldn't mind staying either. I am in my 2nd year, and I am very happy with the decision I made, but at the time of making a decision it was very hard.


So, in your opinion D.Os only practice in GA? BTW D.O from U.S is reccognized in many countries abroad as a medical degree as well. I hope you'll be just as optemistic when you get to the residency placement and licensing time. Though i have nothing against ROSS. I went there myself. But given a choice.... D.O hands down.

[spyyder]

I made a decision between Ross and PCOM-Ga campus and I chose Ross. It came down to the decision of me being an MD vs a DO. Hold on repliers, wait until you read the whole thing. I actually like the principles of osteopathic medicine a lot, and I know that you are not ostracized in the hospital setting as a DO, but it comes down to public knowledge of what a DO is. I am from GA and I had never heard of a DO until I started applying to med schools. Another contributing factor is that I did not want to restrict myself to just practicing in GA, although I wouldn't mind staying either. I am in my 2nd year, and I am very happy with the decision I made, but at the time of making a decision it was very hard.

you will likely regret your decision. DO vs MD should never be the question you ask. It's US vs non-US that matters much more. Going carib is practically cheating your way to becoming a doctor. I would NEVER give up the opportunity to go to a US school.

[sylvian291]

I made a decision between Ross and PCOM-Ga campus and I chose Ross. It came down to the decision of me being an MD vs a DO. Hold on repliers, wait until you read the whole thing. I actually like the principles of osteopathic medicine a lot, and I know that you are not ostracized in the hospital setting as a DO, but it comes down to public knowledge of what a DO is. I am from GA and I had never heard of a DO until I started applying to med schools. Another contributing factor is that I did not want to restrict myself to just practicing in GA, although I wouldn't mind staying either. I am in my 2nd year, and I am very happy with the decision I made, but at the time of making a decision it was very hard.

You made your decision and that's fine, but why would you be restricted to practicing in GA if you went to a DO school? DOs are licensed to practice medicine in all 50 states.

You're right in saying not many people in georgia would know what DO stood for before PCOM-GA opened their campus, but so what? When you're a cardiologist and get called into the hospital at 4am for a consult for a patient who had chest pains, you've just grabbed yourself a patient for your practice. Do you think the patient cares or says to the hospital staff "no way, get me a real doctor...i'm not talking to a DO"? Pre-meds really need to start thinking more indepth about the decisions they make. If you simply want the MD behind your name, then fine, that's your decision. If you think OMM is 100% pure garbage, then go MD. But to say you're staying away from DO schools because some people might not know what DO stands for, you need to ask yourself "so what?" What are you going to do when you prescribe a medication for hypertension and the patient asks you what it does? Are you going to tell him "sorry, i don't like to answer questions"? No, in about 20 seconds you'll explain how the medication works, the same way you would say that the DO stemmed from a different philosophy but has now merged with the allopathic practice of medicine. On another note, I'll tell you in states with established osteopathic schools (new york, new jersey, michigan), there is widespread knowledge of who/what DOs are. Work hard and if you're smart enough you'll achieve your goal regardless of where you go. Me personally, I'd rather handle the stress of medical school in the US with my family, friends, and a familiar culture surrounding me.

[GeorgeMD2B]

i know that the whole MD vs. DO conversation has been done. but what about between these two schools. please give me knowledgable feedback. dont' bash either if you really have nothing to back it up. i just need some good honest and knowledgable reasons of pros/cons...

thanks everyone

Take the DO degree, it is a far better route than going overseas for your education. Do not underestimate the potential stress of living in a foreign country, especially a third world country. It is a big adjustment for most Americans to live overseas in modern places like Western Europe and Australia, its even harder in a third world country.

In they eyes of most in the medical community, Osteopathic physicians are essentially equal to their MD counterparts, more so than IMGs.

[emt036]

And the point of pulling up a 3 month old post is?

[devildoc8404]

Wow! People seemed to really get their undies in a twist over the (correct) assertion that there are separate osteopathic hospitals in some states.

There absolutely are,friends. Google it, for goodness sake! Just type in "osteopathic hospital" and see how many hospitals come up. Pontiac OSTEOPATHIC Hospital, Garden City OSTEOPATHIC Hospital, Allentown OSTEOPATHIC Hospital... etc. There was a Maine Osteopathic before Maine Medical Center took it over and shut it down (jerks).

Granted, this is rather less common than in the "old days" when DOs had to create their own institutions because the allopathic docs were being complete knuckleheads and denying osteopathic physicians the right to practice. However, it is not in any way disparaging to state that there are some separate osteopathic hospitals. DOs are not limited to practice or train at these institutions, although many do... but they exist.

No need to be hypersensitive if you are a DO student -- you are getting a great medical education. Just please make sure you know what you are talking about before you jump all over someone for making a truthful statement!

[WendyMBBS]

Do a search, there is an endless debate on this. A few simple comparisons though. DO: a lot of people do not know what DO is, easier to get financial aid, you will live in a place with running clean water, you don't need a passport. PCOM GA is in the suburbs of Atlanta a modern city. SGU: MD degree after four years, everyone knows what an MD is, foreign graduate will need higher USMLE scores than a US grad.