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A D.O. is a Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine.
- D.O.s and M.D.s are alike in that they both
use all scientifically accepted methods of diagnosis and treatment,
including use of drugs and surgery. Even educational requirements are the
same. In most cases, D.O.s and M.D.s are examined by the same state
licensing board. One has a M.D. (doctor of medicine) degree, and the other
has a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine) degree. They are the only two
types of physicians who can practice the full range of medicine.
- D.O.s focus on preventive health care.
- Osteopathic medical schools emphasize training
students to be primary care physicians.
- D.O.s practice a "whole person"
approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or
illnesses, they regard the body as an integrated whole.
- The D.O.s’ medical philosophy embraces the
concept that the musculoskeletal system (the muscles, bones, and joints) is
interdependent, and a disturbance in one area causes altered functions in
other body systems. D.O.s use structural diagnosis and OMT, or osteopathic
manipulative therapy, along with all traditional forms of diagnosis and
treatment such as drugs and surgery to care for patients.
About Osteopathic Physicians
- There are about 35,000 doctors of osteopathic
medicine (D.O.s) in the United States.
- D.O.s represent 5 percent of all U.S.
physicians.
- By the year 2000, it was expected that 45,000
osteopathic physicians were in practice in the United States. The
profession is growing by 5 percent annually.
- More than 100 million patient visits are made
to D.O.s each year.
- 64 percent of D.O.s are in primary care
(family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology).
- Since 1976 the number of osteopathic doctors
going into smaller communities (10,000 to 25,000 population) has increased
103 percent.
- 34 percent of osteopathic medical students are
women; 18 percent are minorities.
What is Osteopathic Medicine?
- You are more than just the sum of your
body parts. That’s why doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.s) practice a
whole person approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific
symptoms, they concentrate on treating patients as a whole.
- Osteopathic physicians understand how
all the body’s systems are interconnected and how each one affects the
others. They focus special attention on the musculoskeletal system, which
reflects and influences the condition of all other body systems.
- This system of bones and muscles makes
up about two-thirds of the body’s mass, and a routine part of the
osteopathic patient examination is a careful evaluation of these important
structures. D.O.s know that the body’s structure plays a critical role in
its ability to function. They can use their eyes
and hands to identify structural problems and to support the body’s
natural tendency toward health and self-healing.
- Osteopathic physicians also use their
ears to listen to patients and their health concerns. They help patients
develop attitudes and lifestyles that don’t just fight illness, but help
prevent it, too. Millions of Americans prefer this concerned and
compassionate care, and have made D.O.s their doctors for life.
- To become an osteopathic physician an
individual must be a graduate of one of 17 osteopathic medical schools in
the United States. Like M.D.s, doctors of osteopathic medicine spend four
years studying medicine — the first two years in classrooms and labs, the
last two on clinical rotations in clinics and hospitals throughout the
country. In addition to traditional studies, the curriculum emphasizes
preventive medicine and holistic patient care.
- After completing medical college, D.O.s
serve a one-year internship, gaining hands-on experience in internal
medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, family practice, pediatrics and surgery.
- This experience ensures that they are
first trained as primary care physicians, even if they plan to pursue a
specialty. It also provides every D.O. with the experience required to see
and treat patients holistically. Many D.O.s then choose to take a residency
program in a specialty area, such as internal medicine, pediatrics,
radiology or surgery. A residency typically requires from two to six years
of additional training. Dr. Huntwork's residency was 4 years.
Source: NOVEMBER
3,1996 STAR MAGAZINE THE UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
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