Is it possible to get "MD" title after you graduated from "DO" school?

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Yogi Bear

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one of my friends applying to DO schools says that someone told him its possible to get the MD title by doing some extra procedure after getting DO. anyone know what he's talking about?

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of course it is possible with some extra money and leg work, but why would your friend want to such a thing??? I have a bad feeling that this thread is going to turn into another DO vs. MD "discussion"...


Brian Enriquez
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I could be wrong about this, but as far as I know....................Once you graduate from an osteopathic medical college, you can never carry the title MD (even if you graduate from an allopathic residency). Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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Originally posted by ez073323
of course it is possible with some extra money and leg work, but why would your friend want to such a thing??? I have a bad feeling that this thread is going to turn into another DO vs. MD "discussion"...


Brian Enriquez
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aside from the desirability of each title, he wanted to know if in fact its possible. what exactly are the steps? apparently he heard through someone that an anestheisology resident w/ a DO had mentioned that its possibile to get the title changed to MD w/ some paperwork and couple hundred bucks.
 
Actually, I am glad, Yogi Bear, that you asked this question.

Last year, I had looked up some physicians in my town using links from SDN and the were number of physicians that came up had this title behind their name: MD DO. I was quite puzzled during hat time as well and figured that the doctor must have gone to a DO school and must have done the allopathic residency, however, when I did go to the clinic, I asked the doctor if I can shadow as I am interested in Osteopathy, he told me that he wasn't a DO. Again, just couple days ago I was looking for some DOs to shadow for this summer, I found many physicians with those 'double' titles behind their names. I am still puzzled though, why would these physicians have those 'MD DO' titles behind their names?
 
"... They take standardized medical national boards ? the COMLEX (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination) or the USMLE (US Medical Licensure Examination) ? beginning in the second year of osteopathic medical school. Osteopathic students, physicians and surgeons in the United States are eligible to take either or both."

That's from an article that PublicHealth recommended the other day. Here's the link: http://www.aacom.org/om/om-kuchera.html

raDiOnut :cool:
 
Originally posted by raDiOnut
"... They take standardized medical national boards ? the COMLEX (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination) or the USMLE (US Medical Licensure Examination) ? beginning in the second year of osteopathic medical school. Osteopathic students, physicians and surgeons in the United States are eligible to take either or both."

That's from an article that PublicHealth recommended the other day. Here's the link: http://www.aacom.org/om/om-kuchera.html

raDiOnut :cool:

yeah...i know students from osteopathic schools can take usmles to enter allopathic residencies. however, from my understanding, that doesn't mean they can simply attach "MD" after their name afterwards. the question is what other step they would have to take?
 
So here is what I have gathered from other forums (that I am currently trying to find so I can quote it correctly)

1) There is a school (in the Carib?) that will confer an MD to a United States licenced DO that pays the appropriate fees and passes the appropriate tests, so in theory a doctor the is licenced as a DO can earn an MD degree.

2) As chronicled by Gevitz and highlighted in other forums, once upon a time in California, DO's could pay a fee to basically "change" their degree that of an MD. I believe the theory of this legislation was to eliminate DOs but in actaully did the opposite, in that it legitmized and affirmed the fact the DOs and MDs are equivalent in most every way, and now DOs are here to stay! This is one of the reasons that there are MD DOs/DO MDs out there

3) At most DO schools, at the end of the second year students must take an exam which is the first part of the COMLEX, the licensing examination for DOs. The score from this test is a significant factor come residency matching. DOs also have the opportunity to take the USMLE, which then allows an osteopathic medical student to apply for allopathic residencies. Yogi is correct in saying that taking the USMLE step 1 does not equate to the awarding of an MD.

I will look around for the original discussion threads that I got all this info from...

Brian Enriquez
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Group.....

Board exams are licensing exams and mean nothing when it comes to your degree title. You can be a doctor (ie... graduated from an accredited medical school) but not be able to practice medicine (ie... never complete a year of residency if you're a domestic grad and/or take and pass step III of the boards), however, you still retain the title D.O. or M.D., you just dont have a license to practice medicine. The degree is simply a Doctorate of Medicine or Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine, not a license. Schools cannot grant licenses, only degrees. You're a doctor in your PGY-1 (post-grad-1 year) but you dont have a license to practice medicine until the above requirements are met.

As far as obtaining an MD title after graduating from a D.O. institution, the only way I'm aware of doing it is to matriculate at and graduate from an allopathic medical school. If you're already a D.O., you can probably find a Caribbean school to give you advanced standing and thus a degree for minimal time and money if you want one that bad, but there's no board exam you can pass or check you can write to gain the MD in the states from what I'm aware of. You can be board certified from an MD specialty college however after completing an MD residency and passing the MD specialty boards, but your degree is still D.O. Some residency programs are dually approved by the AOA and ACGME, thus you can take both sets of boards after residency and be "dually boarded", but once again, your degree still holds, no switching.

Finally, there are some MD-DOs out there. NYCOM graduates about 40 a year (www.md-do.org). These D.O.s got their MDs offshore and now are licensed in the states as a D.O., yet their MD degree isnt stripped.

Hope this helps. Correct anything if I'm mistaken.
 
We have an MD from Eastern Europe in our class, so when she graduates I assume she'll be an MD-DO. I'm not sure why she's going through the process again but I assume it has something to do with getting a medical license in America, so I imagine she'll have to practice as a DO instead of MD. Unless she was really desperate to learn OMT. :D
 
We have a faculty member who is a born-agian Osteopathic MD. well here is the story. She graduated from Baylor college of Medicine as and MD. After residency and years of practice, she started researching about OMM and hence came to OSU-COM and took OMM classes with 1st and 2nd Yr Osteopathic student. I think she then completed an OMM internship as well. Anyways, now she has incorporated OMM into her pediatric practice and also an OMM faculty at our school.
 
I didn't get a chance to read everyone else's comments, but I did meet with a DMU-COMS alumni and is not the chief resident in Psychology in California.... we had an interesting conversation and he said that it is actually possible to advertise as an "MD" but you still have to sign your charts and other important document as "DO" in california. Thought I'd share that....

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Man, a person would have to be beyond insecure with themselves to advertise as MD when they are really DO. They would deserve all the ridicule coming at them from the allopathic and osteopathic sides. I can't imagine anyone actually practicing medicine that way. If they did, they'd really need to get a life.
 
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I've heard of DO's taking the COMLEX and USMLE and advertising as MD's. I also know some osteopathic students that only came to a DO school because they couldn't get in anywhere else. These students have already mentioned using the MD title in some way once they are liscensed. I don't want to offend anyone, but if you are going to an osteopathic school, you should want to be an osteopathic physician. Why spend all of the extra time and energy learning OMM if you're asamed of it and don't plan on using it? If you want an MD that badly, go to an MD school. If you can't get into an MD school, don't be a doctor. It's rediculous to go to an osteopathic school just to spend the rest of your life trying to hide that you went there.
 
Sometimes you are given the title "MD" without your knowledge

Sometimes a hospital will list their residents and give them all MDs (because it's the webmaster who is listing them and not the doctors themselves)

Sometimes the labcoat given to you (as part of a benefit the hospital offers its residents) will have MD on it because it is the most commonly used initial

Sometimes hospital regulations will indicate MD on all physicians ID badge to differentiate them from the DPM, DDS/DMD, and other non-medical doctors.

All of those are examples of ignorance beyond the control of the DOs. Now, some may take it upon themselves to correct it - others may go "heh" and ignore it because there are other stuff that are of immediate concerns.

Just my $0.02
 
Originally posted by labruy69
If you can't get into an MD school, don't be a doctor.
I don't agree with this statement at all. If someone wants to be a doctor then they should explore any and all options.
 
ussdfiant, although I sincerely agree that you should explore all your options and that one should not limit themselves..... I just wanted to point out that you've misquoted your source.... you took this person's postings out of context.

So I encourage others to read the original posters postings so as to get his/her opinion about the topic. Don't base it on what ussdfiant quoted....

No offense, please.... :cool:
 
Originally posted by ussdfiant
I don't agree with this statement at all. If someone wants to be a doctor then they should explore any and all options.

I think what he meant was, if someone wants to be MD, and can't get accepted to an allopathic school, then they should forget about being a doctor, as opposed to going to DO school, then trying to figure out how to convert the degree from DO to MD.

I agree with exploring all options. I think some people are foolish if they don't at least apply to a couple of DO or Caribbean MD schools the second time around if they don't get accepted to an allopathic school their first time. If you want to be a doctor, you do whatever it takes.
 
Jesus Popoy, did I piss in your Corn Pops or what? This is the second post where you semi-malign me, is it me or what?
 
wow... are you really gonna become a doctor? you have poor social communication skills, and yes, i agree with popoy, you cannot seem to determine the actual meaning being conveyed... i.e. you completely took his statement out of context and did not seem to comprehend it. i fully agree with him. please reconsider snide remarks against your peers just trying to be helpful to the community and reconsider becoming a doctor.
 
Why are all you guys getting your panties in a bunch about ussdfiant? If you don't get into MD school and you use DO school as a fall back, who cares. A physician is still a physician MD or DO. You hard core OMM freaks will find out that the majority of your classmates originally wanted to be MDs and were relegated to DO school. They just explored any and all options to become a physician.
 
Originally posted by DO_messenger
wow... are you really gonna become a doctor? you have poor social communication skills, and yes, i agree with popoy, you cannot seem to determine the actual meaning being conveyed... i.e. you completely took his statement out of context and did not seem to comprehend it. i fully agree with him. please reconsider snide remarks against your peers just trying to be helpful to the community and reconsider becoming a doctor.

I can't believe you guys! In the time that I have been posting on SDN I have read so many statements in DO bashing threads that are incendiary, mean spirited, and get less flack than my innocent comment about fulfilling the dream of becoming a physician at any cost. And to the poster whom I quoted above, if you actually think that my comments directed towards Popoy are so outrageous as to have me rethink becoming a doctor, then you are going to HATE life in the real world. I suggest you develop a thicker skin, because you are going to need it. I guess I'll stay in Allo for a while.
 
ussdfiant,
Could you read Popoy's post again? There was nothing in it that would suggest that you somehow pissed in his Corn Pops. Like he said, he means no offense. He was just trying to clarify, to future readers of your post, that they should read the entire post from which you took your quote to get the full idea of what that person meant to say. Because, the single sentence that you happened to quote did not accurately represent what labruy69 had tried to convey. You can go work on getting your skin a little thicker too ;)

PS - No one's out to get you here. You're more than welcome to stay and post! :)
 
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