What is the difference between Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine DO and Doctor of Medicine?
To put it in simple, to the point terms: DO’s and MD’s have the same medical training EXCEPT DO’s are also trained in OMM, a sort of hands-on manipulative technique. Upon visiting DO schools, I noticed that they’re a bit more welcoming. Then again, the only allo schools I visited were along the lines of Yale, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins. DO’s can also take the USMLE for MDs. However, DOs also take the COMLEX, which is their counterpart to the USMLE (they have the option of taking both). Although DOs have the option of taking on MD residencies, most choose to go into primary care or DO residencies in these fields since their training may be more geared toward these situations. Note that depending on the electives you take, you might want to go into a specialty residency even though you’re a DO. DOs that do MD residencies are essentially no different in training in their respective specialties than MDs doing MD residencies. It is slightly easier to get into a DO school than an MD school (
