What is a D.O.?
There are two kinds of physicians qualified to practice medicine:
- D.O.
doctor of osteopathic medicine
- M.D.
doctor of allopathic medicine
Whether they're family doctors or specialists, D.O.s use all the tools of modern medicine...and more.
What is osteopathic medicine?
Osteopathic medicine is a century-old tradition of caring for people, not just treating symptoms. D.O.s believe in a whole person philosophy. They help their patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don't just fight illness, but prevent it. They give special attention to how the body's nerves, muscles, bones and organs work together to influence health. And, through osteopathic manipulative treatment, D.O.s can use their hands to diagnose injury and illness - encouraging the body's natural ability to heal itself.
Facts about Osteopathic Physicians
- 60% of all D.O.s practice in the primary care areas of general practice, internal medicine,obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatrics, family practice, and ER
- the remaining 40% practice specialties or subspecialties such as surgery, cardiology, sports medicine, radiology, etc.
- by the year 2005, it is expected that 51,500 osteopathic physicians will be practicing in the U.S.
- D.O.s represent 6% of the total U.S. physician population and 8% of all U.S. military physicians
- 100 million patient visits are made to D.O.s annually
- D.O.s fill a critical need for family doctors by practicing in small towns and rural areas
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D.O. & M.D.
The Similarities:
- both typically have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis in the sciences
- both complete four years of basic medical education
- both are fully trained and licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery
- both must pass comparable national and state licensing examinations
- both practice in fully accredited and licensed healthcare institutions
- together, D.O.s and M.D.s enhance the state of medical care available in America by comprising a separate, yet equal branch of American health care
The Differences:
- D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of treating specific symptoms or illnesses they regard the body as an integrated whole.
- D.O.s receive more training in the musculoskeletal system - the body's interconnected system of nerves, muscles, and bones. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways in which an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another.
- Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive health care.
- Osteopathic medical schools graduate more students who become primary care physicians.
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the training and practice of osteopathic physicians.
- D.O.s are trained to use their hands to diagnose injury and illness and encourage the body's natural tendency toward good health.
- By combining all other medical procedures with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive healthcare available in medicine today.
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Who do I call for more information?
D.O.s practice throughout the United States and throughout the world. It is estimated that 50,000 D.O.s practice in the U.S. If you want more information about osteopathic medicine, or on how to become a D.O., please contact our office of student recruitment and admissions at 918-561-8421.
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General Information
OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of nine colleges of Oklahoma State University and is the Center for Health Sciences branch campus in Tulsa. The main OSU campus is in Stillwater, 64 miles west of Tulsa.
- Public institution founded in 1972 and merged with OSU in 1988
- Nearly 400 employees, including 104 full-time faculty in basic and clinical sciences
- Offices are currently located at the:
- Main Campus (1111 W. 17th)
- 2401 Office Building (Clinical Financial Services)
- Phoenix Building (Rural Health and AHEC)
- Health Care Center (23rd and Southwest Boulevard)
- APRC Building at 21st and Utica
- The OSU Health Care Center (23rd and Southwest Boulevard) and other OSU Physician Clinics, provide an essential clinical learning setting for student doctors, interns and residents - while also caring for people of the community. Services are offered in:
- general health care
- ophthalmology
- ear, nose, and throat
- osteopathic manipulative therapy
- internal medicine
- high risk and general obstetrics
- gynecology
- gastroenterology
- pediatrics
- behavioral medicine
- diabetes foot care
- parent-child clinic
- women's health
- Total operating budget is $123 million
- One of 23 osteopathic medical colleges in the country
- Governed through OSU by the nine-member Board of Regents for Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges
- Accreditation by the Bureau of Professional Education of the American Osteopathic Association and the North Central Association
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Student Profile
- Total enrollment for 2007-2008 is 343 students
- 89 percent come from Oklahoma
- 53 percent are male
- 47 percent are female
- 19 percent are members of a minority population
Although most students are traditional - entering medical school after completing a pre-med bachelor's degree program - many have had prior careers. Represented are a graphic designer, business owners, fitness advisor, English instructor, translator, rock climbing instructor, ranch hand, alarm technician, naval air crewman and nanny.
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Research and Sponsored Projects
Research at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine adds significantly to the academic environment of the College. It keeps faculty in the mainstream of current knowledge and offers them and students a different learning experience in addition to classroom work. Research in several categories including biomedical, translational, experimental drug trials and medical product testing. Clinical research has goals in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and behavioral medicine. Biomedical research involves projects by faculty investigatie teams of scientists who seek to translate molecular research into new medical therapies.
- Funding is received from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and other public and private foundation sources.
- Biomedical research includes the area of neuro-sciences with projects ongoing in the areas of artificial vision, pain perception and mechanisms of actions of neural acting drugs. Work in this area also includes projects on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and the modulation of cellular immune responses by drugs of abuse.
- The Center for Rural Health explores ways to improve the quality and efficency of health care in rural Oklahom a and nationally, particularly the use of telemedicine and the operation of small, rural hospitals.
- Other areas of interest include neurological disorders and brain injury, genetics, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, pain perception, otitis media, Alzheimer's disease, and muscular disorders
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Clinical Research
- The College has several ongoing trials testing the efficacy of new drugs in HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular diseases, upper respiratory illnesses, asthma, and otitis media (ear aches) in children. Testing of new antibiotics and vaccines is also ongoing. Original research is being conducted in topics such as psychological factors in cardiovascular disease, endocrine factors of post-partum depression, chronic sub-clinical infections and research and development of a patented systems of delivery for cognitive rehabilitation exercises.
- Sponsored projects range from health care delivery programs to support for the family medicine residency program and Indian health care. These projects total more than $4.5 million and include federal, state and private grants.
Students are encouraged to supplement their medical education through research activities and are supported in part by the Student Research Fellowship Program through the Auxiliary to the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association.
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Alumni Profile
- Alumni number: 2,240
- Approximately seven out of ten physicians are in primary care (which includes family practice, pediatrics, and general internal medicine) and approximately one in four are in Oklahoma communities with populations of 10,000 or less
- Approximately 10 percent of graduates practice in a range of specialties, from dermatology to neurology, surgery to psychiatry, anesthesiology to gastroenterology
- 51 are active military physicians
- The OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Alumni Association actively supports osteopathic medical education through emergency loan funds, honors and awards, and financial support
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Curriculum
- OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine is a four-year professional college offering the doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) degree
- The curriculum offers a student-centered approach that teaches through hands-on experiences, problem-based approaches and small group learning. Subject matter is taught using a spiral method where information is continuously reintroduced in greater depth and complexity.
- The first year concentrates on the basic sciences and clinical skills, the second year integrates the basic and clinical sciences, and the final two years are devoted to clinical rotations in major medical centers, community hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices.
- Following graduation, new physicians complete a one-year internship before they may enter one of the variety of residency programs. The College is affiliated with internship programs in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Durant and Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
- The College's two-year family practice residency program has 18 approved positions. Physicians gain experience through work at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Health Care Center, as well as with Tulsa Regional Medical Center, Project Get Together, and Sapulpa Indian Health Center. Residency programs at the College's affiliated hospitals - Tulsa Regional Medical Center and St. Michael Hospital in Oklahoma City - include a wide variety of specialties.
- The College offers a graduate program in biomedical sciences, with M.S., Ph.D., D.O./M.B.A. and D.O./Ph.D. degree options. A Master of Forensic Sciences Administration and an M.S. in Forensic Sciences is also offered
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