Difference Between MD and DO

New York isn't Jack's home town, he was there only for a business appointment. After the appointment, when he was returning to his hotel to do the packing and saying goodbye to it, he realized that he cannot tolerate the pain he was experiencing, on and off, throughout the day. After inquiring at the reception counter of the hotel, he was relived to find the building adjacent to his hotel has one or two medical practitioners which can be reached in an emergency. The clerk inquired, "Which one do you want, MD or DO?" After a few seconds pause, Jack questioned, "Are they different kinds of doctors?"

What Does MD and DO Stand For

If you are one of those people who want to know more about the difference between either forms in the field of medicine, then let us begin with the abbreviated terms that are used to refer to these medical practitioners. The term MD stands for 'Doctor of Medicine' and DO for 'Doctor of Osteopathic medicine'.

Education and training wise, there is hardly any difference between the two. Both of them must complete 4 years of education in premed or in related science, before they could start 4 year training to become a doctor. The training prepares them for the testing, MCAT, which they have to take to get a license. A student aspiring to become a doctor of medicine has to take USMLE examination to get. On the other hand, a DO has to clear COMLEX exam.

What MDs and DOs do on the Job

The main difference lies in the philosophies that inspires them. It is said that a MD searches for the symptoms of a disease and the affected part. He then prescribes medicine, or advises a surgery to restore the health of the organ and ultimately that of his patient. On the other hand, a DO considers a human body as a complex network of muscles and skeletal system.

A doctor of osteopathy assumes a disease affects the whole body and tries to find its root cause. His training advises him to consider all the symptoms, directly related or unrelated, that he can find before arriving at a diagnosis. As a treatment, he rarely prescribes medicines and asks his patients to get surgical procedures done. Rather, he believes that the patients health can be restored by manipulating the bodies muscles and skeletal system.

Osteopathic Medical Treatment (OMT) is a part of a DO's training, and it is body manipulation on the same lines as done by chiropractors. If you visit your MD with a severe headache, he may ask to get some tests done and may prescribe some sort of painkillers for it. A DO, on the other hand, may first use his hand to physically check if there is something wrong with the muscles or bones of your neck. However, not all DO's practice OMT on each and every patient. In fact some of them don't practice it at all. They are more open to exploring alternative medicines, holistic medicine or herbal medicine, which a MD wouldn't, normally, go for, for the recovery of their patients.

Now, don't get the wrong impression that the MD's aren't useful anymore or DO's cannot perform surgeries and prescribe medicine. There are many MD's who, instead of treating a diseased part of the patients body, tries to treat him of the disease. Their approach is to better the health by offering proper patient care, using what they are trained with and believe in.

Whatever is the difference, one shouldn't forget that both of them are highly competent professionals, both of them have achieved their license after hard work and rigorous testing. So who should one visit? It also depends on your physical condition, how much time you have in hand, as well as the progression of the disease.