M'D' or D'O' You Choose

1
M.D. or D.O.? You Choose
Osteopathic Doctor
Comparisons
Medical Doctor

• An M.D.Doctor of Medicineis a
• person who has graduated from an
• allopathic medical school. M.D.s
• treat not only the body but also
• the mind and the spirit, often
• delving into the emotional,
• psychological or social reasons
• behind a physical illness.
• Organization American
• Medical Association
• Mission To promote the art and
• science of medicine and the
• betterment of public health by
• uniting physicians nationwide to
• work on the most important
• professional and public health
• issues.
• Founder Nathan Smith Davis

• Osteopathic Physicians (D.O.) are
• fullylicensed to prescribe medicine
• and practice in all specialty areas
• including surgery. D.O.s are trained
• to consider the health of the whole
• person and use their hands to help
• diagnose and treat patients.
• Organization American
• Osteopathic Association
• Mission To advance the philosophy
• and practice of osteopathic
• medicine by promoting excellence
• in education, research, and the
• delivery of quality, cost-effective
• healthcare within a distinct, unified
• profession.
• Founder 16 students from the
• American School of Osteopathy in

• While both M.D.s and D.O.s focus on preventive
  care and prescribe medicine, D.O.s bring a
  little something extra to medicine
• -D.O.s practice a whole person approach to
  medicine by regarding the body as an integrated
  whole.
• - Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is
  incorporated into the training of D.O.s. With
  OMT, D.O.s use their hands to diagnose illness
  and injury and to encourage the bodys natural
  tendency toward good health.

After more than a century of often bitterly
contentious relationships between the osteopathic
and allopathic medical professions, we now find
ourselves living at a time when osteopathic and
allopathic graduates are both sought after by
many of the same residency programs are in most
instances both licensed by the same licensing
boards are both privileged by many of the same
hospitals and are found in appreciable numbers
on the faculties of each others medical
schools.
Health care consumers are complaining that
AMA-trained physicians lack warmth, are not
interested in interacting with their patients,
are inconsiderate, and prefer technical expertise
to human compassion.
Osteopathic physicians were more likely to use
patients first names and to discuss the social,
family and emotional impact of illness.
Or Either One?
Kansas City Star Op-Ed Section Contributing
Editor Kela Waddell