Pre-Medicine: Osteopathic Medicine

From my perspective, osteopathic/DO medical schools offer another viable path for becoming a physician.

Historically, osteopathy began as a form of manipulative medicine, similar to chiropractic medicine. DO medical schools still teach osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), but most of the education is very similar to that in MD medical schools.

Osteopathic medical schools emphasized preventive medicine, treating whole people (not just diseases), and trying less invasive treatments before more aggressive therapies. Again, there has been convergence, with many of the faculty at MD medical schools now advocating similar philosophies.

If you do decide to apply to osteopathic medical schools, most of the schools require you to apply through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service at aacomas.aacom.org.

TCOM uses the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service at www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas.

Most osteopathic medical schools require or strongly encourage including a letter of recommendation from an osteopathic physician.

Most DO schools are private rather than state-funded, and are therefore relatively open to out-of-state residents. The average GPAs and MCAT scores of candidates accepted to DO medical schools are a little lower than the averages for candidates accepted to MD medical schools.

DO's have essentially the same responsibilities and privileges as their MD colleagues. Some MD's still regard DO's as lesser physicians, but I believe the status differences are much smaller than they used to be. DO's can practice in any specialty area, but have a little tougher time matching with some highly competitive residency programs.

Kansas residents can apply for the Board of Regents Kansas Osteopathic Medical Service Scholarship, a service obligation program that can award up to $25,000 per year for up to four years. Those accepted agree to practice primary care medicine in underserved county in Kansas. If you apply to an osteopathic school, either the admissions or financial aid office should send you an application for the program. If they don't send you the forms, you can download the application from www.kansasregents.org/download/index.html. Funding depends on the State Legislature and loan repayments by people who are not meeting the service conditions, so the program is not always available.

For more information on osteopathic medicine, see the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine at www.aacom.org/Pages/default.aspx. For information about different colleges of osteopathic medicine, see www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Pages/default.aspx.

The closest osteopathic medical school is the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB) in Missouri, and some other DO schools in the area include the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Iowa, A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, and Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine.