What is a D.O.?
There are two types of physicians: the M.D., a
Doctor of Medicine, and the D.O., a Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine.
M.D.s are also known as allopathic physicians. While
both M.D.s and D.O.s may use all accepted methods of treatment,
including drugs and surgery, D.O.s place special emphasis on the body’s
musculoskeletal system, preventive medicine, and holistic patient care.
About a third of M.D.s, and more than half of D.O.s,
are primary care physicians. The primary care physician practices
general and family medicine, general internal medicine, or general
pediatrics, and usually is the first health professional patients
consult.
D.O.s are more likely to be primary care providers,
although they can be found in all specialties, and most D.O.s go into
practice in medically-underserved areas like Grayson and other rural
counties.
Common specialties for D.O.s include emergency
medicine, anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and
surgery.
Six D.O.s are on the Medical Staff at Twin Lakes
Regional Medical Center-- OB/GYNs Dr. Gary Yochim,
Dr. Wendy Lee and Dr. Mark Lee, Orthopedic Surgeon,
Dr. Casey Starsiak, Emergency Medicine
physician, Dr. Jasbir Dhillon, and
Internal Medicine physician, Dr. Tony Lee.
It takes many years of education and training to
become an M.D. or a D.O. -- 4 years of undergraduate school, 4 years of
medical school, and 3 to 8 years of internship and residency, depending
on the specialty selected.
There are 144 medical schools in the United States--
125 teach allopathic medicine and award a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
degree; and 19 teach osteopathic medicine and award the Doctor of
Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree.
The 19th, and newest, school of osteopathic medicine
in the country is located in eastern Kentucky. The Pikeville College School of Osteopathic
Medicine offers a four-year program that results in the degree of
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).
Following medical school, M.D.s enter a "residency" which is graduate
medical education in a specialty that takes the form of paid on-the-job
training, usually in a hospital. Most D.O.s serve a 12-month rotating
internship after graduation before entering a residency which may last 2
to 6 years.
D.O.s are complete physicians. That means they are fully
trained and licensed to prescribe medication and to perform surgery. D.O.s and
allopathic physicians (M.D.s) are the only two types of complete physicians in
the United States.
Like M.D.s, D.O.s are licensed to practice the full scope
of medicine in all 50 states. All physicians (both D.O.s and M.D.s) must pass
a state medical board examination in order to obtain a license and enter
practice. Each state board sets its own requirements for the physician to
practice in that state.
Osteopathic medicine is emerging as one of the fastest
growing healthcare professions in the country. Currently, D.O.s represent 6%
of the total U.S. physician population and 8% of all military physicians, and
15% of physicians in small towns and rural areas
Each year, more than 100 million patient visits are made to
D.O.s.
Osteopathic medicine was founded in the late 1800s in
Kirksville, Missouri by Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., who felt that the medical
practices of the day often caused more harm than good.
After losing members of his immediate family to meningitis,
Dr. Still focused on developing a system of medical care that would promote
the body’s innate ability to heal itself. He called his system of medicine
"osteopathy," now known as osteopathic medicine. Dr. Still is quoted as
saying: "To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find
disease."
D.O.s are trained to look at the whole person. This
"holistic" approach means they are trained to see each person as more than
just a collection of body parts that may become injured or diseased. Thus,
D.O.’s work in partnership with their patients. They consider the
impact that lifestyle and community have on the health of each individual, and
they work to erase barriers to good health.
Because of this whole-person approach to medicine,
approximately 60 percent of all D.O.s choose to practice in the primary care
disciplines of family practice, general internal medicine and pediatrics.
Approximately 40 percent of all D.O.s go on to specialize in a wide range of
practice areas. If the medical specialty exists, you will find D.O.s there.
Growth in the number of D.O.s nationwide is exceeding
projections. Between 1989 and 1994, D.O. growth outpaced M.D. growth by almost
two times. By the year 2020, it is projected that over 80,000 osteopathic
physicians will be in practice in the U.S.
Information for this two-part article was gathered from the following sources: the American Osteopathic Association, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Department of Labor.