MD vs DO?
What is the big difference?
Is one better than the other?
I’ll explain.
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So you’re about to schedule an appointment with a new primary care doctor and you noticed
you have an option between a doctor who’s an MD or a DO.
Or perhaps you’re considering medical school.
Which one should you study?
Is one better than the other?
What does DO even stand for?
And what’s the difference between an MD degree and a DO degree?
Is one more skilled than the other?
Which doctor should you see?
So many questions.
Today, I'll be breaking down the main differences between the two acronyms and what you need
to know about osteopathic and allopathic medicine.
Hey everyone, I’m Dr. Jordan Wagner.
I’m an emergency room doctor who treats everything from COVID to gunshot wounds, burns,
you name it.
I’ve created this video series to help answer some of your medical questions and the questions
that I get from patients every day.
If you find this video helpful, please do me a favor and subscribe.
First off, what is an MD, and what is a DO?
In the United States, MD stands for doctor of medicine.
In medical school, an MD learns allopathy.
Allopathic medicine emphasizes using medications to treat illnesses that are usually diagnosed
by tests or procedures, such as a complete blood count or an X-ray.
DO on the other hand stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or osteopathy.
By definition, DOs focus more on treating the body as a whole instead of treating specific
conditions.
DOs such as myself, tend to focus more on prevention.
DO’s are not holistic doctors but have a stronger holistic approach and have been trained
with additional hours of hands-on techniques in treatment.
This is called osteopathic manipulative treatment or OMT.
Osteopathic medicine was actually started by an MD.
Number one: The big question I get a lot, do they use different methods of treatment?
Students of osteopathic medicine learn how to evaluate patients with the same tools and
procedures as allopathic doctors.
By definition, MDs generally focus on treating specific conditions with medications.
DOs, on the other hand, tend to try to focus on a more hands-on approach to healing, with
or without traditional medication.
This doesn’t mean we tell a patient to go hum at a plant and send them on their way.
DOs simply just put more emphasis on disease prevention and tend to use a more hands-on
approach with the diagnosis when possible.
So for example, say you go to your primary care doctor's office with an injury, before
rushing off to the x-ray machine the DO might apply gentle pressure or resistance to a specific
area first.
MDs might do this as well.
On the flip side, if you come to the ER I am working at with a gunshot injury, I won’t
be doing any osteopathic manipulative treatment but rather, I'll stabilize you, treat your
pain and do everything possible to save your life.
Number two: Do MDs and DOs go through different training?
To put it simply, both DOs and MDs require a rigorous amount of study in the field of
medicine.
Both DOs and MDs learn how to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases and injuries.
And both have to complete the same duration of time in medical school.
However, DOs like myself must complete an additional 200 hours of coursework.
This extra course work will mainly focus on bones, muscles, and nerves and how they affect
the body’s overall health.
However, I do know many MDs that have done this coursework after medical school for their
own added education.
Number three: So which doctor do you choose?
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between an MD or a DO.
Both are doctors who are equally qualified to treat you and prescribe medications if
you need it.
As always though, you should consider your medical needs and preferences when choosing
any doctor.
Believe it or not, more than half of primary care doctors are DOs according to the American
Osteopathic Association.
Whereas oftentimes MDs tend to specialize in a specific field of medicine, such as cardiology
or surgery.
I chose to become a DO because of the philosophy of the osteopathic approach, to first look
at the patient as a whole.
Now that I have been practicing medicine for many years, I believe most doctors in general,
be it MD or DO, have this approach.
It’s important to remember that both types are qualified doctors who must meet strict
requirements before receiving their medical licenses in the United States.
And an MD and a DO receive practically the same medical training and have the exact same
rights and responsibilities in regards to healthcare.
They even take the exact same board exams and complete the same residency training programs.
Ultimately, being comfortable and having a good trusting relationship with your doctor
is what matters most when choosing a doctor.
Choosing an MD vs a DO is simply a matter of your personal preference.
Alright, that’s been an MD vs DO conversation with me Dr. Wagner.
If you have any questions or want to know more about an MD vs DO program or degree,
comment below.
I’d love to hear from you.
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Thank you so much for watching and stay healthy, my friends.
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