WikiMD is the world's largest medical encyclopedia with
13,595 pages, 4,139,134 edits & 37,851,612 views.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
A doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) is a physician trained in somewhat similar to allopathic MD (Doctor of Medicine) and are licensed to practice medicine, perform surgery, and prescribe medicine.
Contents
Eligibility
Like all allopathic physicians (or MDs), osteopathic physicians complete 4 years of medical school and can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine.
Osteopathy / musculoskeletal medicine
Most osteopathic physicians receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in the study of hands-on manual medicine and the body's musculoskeletal system.
What is osteopathy?
Osteopathic physicians believe in the principle that a patient's history of illness and physical trauma are interlinked through flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and structural makeup.
Osteopathic school of medicine
There are many osteopathic medical schools in the United States that offer a DO degree. In general, the DO programs tend to be a bit less competitive when compared to an allopathic MD program although it can vary.
Licensing
Like MDs, osteopathic physicians are licensed at the state level.
Board certification and specialization
Osteopathic physicians who wish to specialize may become board certified similar to MD's by completing a 2- to 6-year residency within the specialty area and passing the board certification exams.
Specialties practiced
DOs practice in all specialties of medicine, ranging from emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery to psychiatry and geriatrics.
Medical treatments
Osteopathic doctors use the same medical and surgical treatments that are used by other medical doctors, but may also sometimes incorporate osteopathic and or a holistic approach taught during their medical training.
List of osteopathic medical schools in the US
For a list of osteopathic medical schools in the United States, please see this page.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is part of WikiMD's free ^articles!
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional advice. By accessing and using WikiMD you agree to the terms of use.
Templates etc. when imported from Wikipedia, are licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. See full disclaimers.
 Ad. Tired of being overweight?. W8MD's physician weight loss program can HELP. Tele medicine available |
