Osteopathic physicians, better known as DOs, work in partnership with their patients. They consider the impact that lifestyle and community have on the health of each individual, and they work to erase barriers to good health.

DOs are trained to look at the whole person from their first days of medical school, which means they see each person as more than a collection of body parts that may become injured or diseased. DOs are taught that the whole person is greater than the sum of the parts. This means that osteopathic medical students learn to integrate the patient into the health care process as a partner. They are trained to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and they get the opportunity to practice these skills in the classroom with simulated patients.

Because of this whole-person approach to medicine, approximately 60 percent of all DOs choose to practice in the primary care disciplines of family practice, general internal medicine, and pediatrics.

Osteopathic medical students also learn the art of osteopathic manipulative medicine, a system of hands-on techniques that help alleviate pain, restore motion and influence the body’s structure to help it function more efficiently.One key concept osteopathic medical students learn is that structure influences function. Thus, if there is a problem in one part of the body’s structure, then function in that area will also be affected.

Another integral tenet of osteopathic medicine is the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Many of osteopathic medicine’s manipulative techniques are aimed at reducing or eliminating the impediments to proper structure and function so the self-healing mechanism can assume its role in restoring the person to health.

Osteopathic medical students take courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, histology, osteopathic principles and practices (including osteopathic manipulative medicine), pharmacology, clinical skills, doctor/patient communication, and systems courses that focus on each major system of the body such as cardiology, respiratory, genitourinary, etc.

Many osteopathic colleges have students assigned to work with physicians beginning early in the first year. This process continues throughout the second year in conjunction with the necessary science courses. In the third and fourth years, osteopathic medical students spend time learning about and exploring the major specialties in medicine.

One unique aspect of the osteopathic student’s education is how these rotations are conducted in community hospitals and physicians’ offices across the country. Because few osteopathic colleges have their own hospitals, the schools partner with community hospitals across the country to deliver the third and fourth year curriculum as well as internship and residency training. This model of medical education developed by the osteopathic profession has been touted as the new model for all medical education. Current pilot studies are being developed on a national level to evaluate this model of medical education.

The first two years of osteopathic medical school are geared toward the basic sciences, learning a core set of clinical examination skills and courses that cover the various systems of the body. The first two years of lectures and laboratories are designed to prepare the student for the last two years of medical school, which are the clinical clerkship years. Specific courses in the curriculum and the time at which those courses are taught, particularly for the two years of osteopathic medical school, may vary from college to college.

Below is a general guide to the material covered in the osteopathic medical school curriculum. Again, this is a general guide and is not specific to any school. Please check the colleges to which you are applying for a specific overview of that school’s curriculum.

So you’ve made the decision to apply to osteopathic medical school. Just what are the admissions committees and interviewers looking for in a prospective student?

Admission to osteopathic medical school is competitive and selective. Admissions commitees are looking for demonstrated academic excellence indicating that you have the aptitude and knowledge base to successfully complete the medical school curriculum. For the 2002 entering class, the average MCAT scores were 8.10 verbal, 8.08 physical and 8.54 biology. The average overall grade point average was 3.43 and the average science grade point average was 3.36.

Just as important are the personal qualities you bring to the table. Osteopathic medical schools are looking for students who:

Osteopathic medical schools also have a long tradition of accepting non-traditional students who may be looking at osteopathic medicine as a new career later in life. Typically, these students come from a variety of backgrounds, including administrators, business executives, attorneys, professional musicians and newspaper reporters. Many of these students have families and some are single parents-- a testament to the caring, supportive environment found in osteopathic medical schools. These students comprise approximately 20-25 percent of our student body across the country.

Almost all students who apply to osteopathic medical school have a bachelor’s degree. There are a few exceptions for students in special programs that have prior arrangements with osteopathic medical schools. Many applicants have earned a master’s degree or doctorate in another subject area before applying to osteopathic medical school.

Many of our public osteopathic medical schools are mandated by that state’s legislature to admit a certain percentage of students in each entering class who are residents of that state. Contact the colleges you are interested in for more information.

The application cycle starts June 1 and ends March 15. Other deadlines vary by college, so be certain to confirm deadlines for the schools to which you are applying.

Prerequisites:

While requirements for prequisites vary among osteopathic medical schools, all colleges of osteopathic medicine require a minimum of:
• 8 hours biology/zoology
• 8 hours inorganic chemistry
• 8 hours organic chemistry
• 8 hours physics
• 6 hours English

When applying to osteopathic medical school, please check the requirements for the specific school to which you are applying. You may look at requirements by college by visiting the school’s web site. To compare requirements across all osteopathic medical schools, visit http://www.aacom.org/home-applicants/index.html.

Information about applying to osteopathic medical school, interview tips, financial aid information and a direct link to the on-line application are available at http://www.aacom.org. For additional general information, please see the Ostepathic Medical Profession area.

Information used by permission of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.