Going up to our unit:
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A quick lesson on osteopathic medicine
Here's my quick, condensed explanation of osteopathic medicine, for those of you wondering:
There are two types of physicians in the US who are given full, unrestricted medical licenses and can become any type of specialist physician:
1) Allopathic physicians - M.D.
2) Osteopathic physicians - D.O.
(Physicians educated in foreign countries have other degrees, most often the M.B.B.S.)
The difference between the two can be likened to the difference between the two degrees that American dentists hold. There's the D.M.D. (Doctor of Medical Dentistry) and the D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery). Both types of dentists can treat patients medically and surgically, however the difference lies in the emphasis of the education. DMDs have a more medical emphasis in their education, and DDSs have a more surgical emphasis. Usually, they will practice in almost exactly the same fashion.
Similarly, MDs and DOs differ in the emphasis of their education. Allopathic physicians trace their roots back to Hippocrates in B.C. Greece. Allopathic medicine has a disease-oriented approach in which treating disease is the number one concern.
Osteopathic medicine originated from Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, MD, who was unsatisfied with allopathic treatments during the 1830s and believed medicine should be practiced differently. After much research, he founded the first osteopathic medical school. Osteopathic education emphasizes a patient-oriented approach, and maintenance of health as the first priority. Osteopathic physicians learn all the same facts and use all the same types of medications and treatments as allopathic physicians, but they have one more "tool in the toolbelt" - osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). OMM describes several techniques in which the physician physically manipulates the body to aid the body in healing, and is used most frequently for musculoskeletal disorders.
While DOs have their own board exam (the COMLEX) and their own residencies, many DOs also take the same board exam as MDs (the USMLE) and can attend all residencies open to MDs. For many patient complaints, treatment from MDs and DOs will be exactly the same. In this day and age, many MDs have chosen to adopt a more holistic, patient-centered approach to medicine. The main difference is that DOs are trained in OMM, and have that method of treatment to add. I would be very surprised to find a single hospital that doesn't have both types of physicians on staff.
Because the osteopathic profession is much younger than allopathic medicine, there are fewer osteopathic schools and fewer practicing DOs. In fact, DOs make up about 8% of all practicing physicians in the US, but the profession is the most rapidly growing segment of health care.
Hope this helps a few more people understand the DO philosophy and the difference between the two degrees. I love the DO philosophy and can't wait to start school on Monday!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Introduction
Nicole: First-year medical student at LECOM in Bradenton, FL.
Ryan: Devoted companion, lifter of heavy objects and power tool-wielder.
As we've just relocated to Florida, I'd like to use this blog to share my new life with friends and family. I'll also be writing about medical school, and likely posting far too many photos of our dog Lucia, and cat....well, she doesn't have a name, we just call her Kitty (also "Fat Cat," "Fatty Boombalatty," "Moaning Myrtle," etc).
Here's a few photos taken of our apartment complex, which we love so far. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and there's even a fenced-in dog park for Lucia. I'll post photos of the apartment as soon as we have everything mostly furnished and organized.
We love and miss everyone!
-Nicole and Ryan
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