D.O's bring something extra to medicine....

• Osteopathic medical schools emphasize training students to be primary care physicians. Over half of all graduates from colleges of osteopathic medicine practice in primary care specialties. Many fill a critical need in rural and underserved areas.
• Osteopathic physicians focus on preventative healthcare and overall wellness.
• D.O.’s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms, they regard your body as an integrated whole.
• D.O.’s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system-your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles, and bones that make up 2/3 of the human body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an injury or illness in one part of your body can affect another. It gives D.O.’s a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage over those who do not receive this specialized training.
• Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the training and practice of D.O.’s. OMT allows physicians to use their hands to diagnose injury or illness and to encourage your body’s natural tendency toward good health. By combining OMT with all other medical practices, D.O.’s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

What are the differences between D.O.s and Chiropractors?

D.O.s have a medical education that includes a four-year undergraduate degree, a four-year medical school degree, internships, and at least one hospital residency. In addition, D.O.s prescribe medicine and perform surgery.

Chiropractors do not prescribe medicine and focus on the back and spine, while D.O.s are trained in manual techniques for all of the body's regions. Because D.O.s are fully licensed physicians, they may develop a treatment plan incorporating osteopathic manipulation with other traditional medical procedures.

How do M.D.s and D.O.s compare in qualifications?

Both D.O.s, and M.D.s are complete physicians who:

• are able to prescribe medication;

• are licensed to diagnose, treat, and perform surgery;

• have undergraduate degrees, graduated from medical school, and have post-graduate training;

• are licensed by the state;

• may pursue a specialty (two or more years of further education);

• belong to the same health plans; and

• are equally accepted by the military.