Osteopathic Experience

Currently there are two main types of licensed physicians in the United States. The first is the medical doctor or the allopathic doctor. About 95% of licensed doctors have been educated at one of over 120 allopathic medical schools and have thus obtained a medical doctor degree (M.D.). The second type of doctor, the doctor of osteopathy, is less common. Osteopathic doctors make up about five percent of the physicians in the nation (Peters 730). Although this represents a significant amount of physicians many people are unfamiliar with the second type of doctor. In a 1981 the AOA (American Osteopathic Association) released the results of a survey about public

Truthfully, as an undergraduate I knew very little about the osteopathic profession. In 2013, however, I began working as a medical scribe with Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, DO, in the Sibley ER and she opened my eyes to the beauty of osteopathic medicine. Thanks to Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, and a number of other osteopathic physicians in the ER, I have come to understand what osteopathic medicine is all about. Three years after my first exposure to the osteopathic profession, I continue to be motivated to become an osteopathic physician for many reasons. These include the following:

I first learned about osteopathic medicine through admissions workshop in graduate school. Osteopathic medicine’s emphasis on primary care and helping medically underserved communities truly appealed to me. As I delved further about its philosophy in the books, I am also interested by the fact that osteopathic physicians are trained to focus on health, not the disease. This will improve the overall well-being of a patient and prevent diseases. In Burma, I faced the challenges of substandard health care and education, without clean water, food or public sanitation. All these experiences, complicated by my bouts of tuberculosis and typhoid taught me at a young age to appreciate the value of a healthy life.

I want to become an osteopathic physician, because osteopathic doctors take the additional strides toward providing their patients with holistic care. Unlike other health care professionals osteopathic doctors try to obtain the most detailed history, starting from the patient’s birth, sometimes even before that. During the history taking

I have chosen osteopathic medicine as my professional choice in becoming a physician, because I have a passion for the healthcare field and learning, I want to be able to help others and give back to the community and I believe that medicine is evolving towards an osteopathic approach which takes into account the body as a whole. Passion is the driver behind any good physician. I am always looking to learn and improve upon my performance in whatever I am doing. Whether it was undergraduate coursework, medical shadowing, EMT training, or community service I put forth my fullest effort into the task at hand. Every moment in medicine and life in general is a valuable learning experience. Osteopathic medicine will force me outside of my comfort zone and many mistakes will be made along the way, but I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead of me and in the end it will allow me to become the best physician possible.

My desire to be an osteopathic physician came after attending an OMM session during my gap years as a research fellow at the NIH. This experience contributed to my interest in osteopathic medicine, as I was intrigued by the musculoskeletal manipulation techniques, and deeply appreciated the hands-on, holistic approach to patient care. I feel strongly that training as an osteopath, will prove invaluable in my career as I work deliver quality treatment to underserved communities.

directly contradicts the values of osteopathic medicine, and I was saddened to see members of

Osteopathic medicine Practitioner (DO) vs Galen trained medical practitioner (MD). Many people have their preference in which they like their primary care physician (PCP) to be. This can be due to the fact on what the overall background of the practitioner’s education was based on. Some people may not understand the difference between these two practitioners and may think that one is higher than the other in their education level.

The Dual Admissions Program would support my future goals by providing me with the education needed to prepare and train me for an enthusing profession in osteopathic medicine. As the university with the first osteopathic college established in the southeastern United States, I am awaiting an incredible experience in the Dual Admission Osteopathic Medicine Program. At an utmost level of merit and in a supporting environment of research and intellectual activities, it will permit me to practice and interact with other health professions students. Its distinctive curriculum offering academic and clinical training will prepare me for the true world of medicine. This will aid me in my path towards becoming an exemplary physician.

I first learned and introduced to osteopathic medicine by Dr. John Landrum, the director of the FIU Office of Pre-Health Professions. As I begin my undergraduate career here at FIU, I was concerned about my future prospects and curious about continuing my education after earning an undergraduate degree. My appointment with Dr. Landrum in the office was a very informative session. When I told Dr. Landrum of my interest in the study medicine, first question he mentioned to me was “Are you applying to M.D. or D.O. programs?” I was stunned, because at the time I had never heard of osteopathic medicine and thought that there is only one type of medicine, which is allopathic. Then we further discussed about the values and philosophies behind each

* Noting the missions and objectives of the Osteopathic profession and PCOM, please describe your personal experiences that demonstrate your interest in this field. Include an example of an event in which your actions directly influenced the life of another person and relate this to your goal of becoming a DO (250 word limit)

My decision to practice osteopathic medicine comes from the love that have developed for the philosophy of this type of medicine. I understand that given the opportunity to study medicine will also give me a chance to develop formal medical knowledge and expand my medical leadership abilities. This will help me accomplish my overall goal of expanding the medical organization operation that is involved in treating patients in underserved communities around the

CCOM’s strong values and mission of the promotion of the practice of osteopathic medicine would provide me with the knowledge of the science of healthcare. But as we all know, knowledge is only part of what it takes to be a successful physician. I believe I can fill this gap because of my understanding of the art of healthcare. Knowing how to work with colleagues and patients is something that all physicians will be faced with. I believe being able to do this effectively has the ability to set you apart as a physician. Obstacles I've overcome in my life have laced me with compassion and a deep understanding of people and life's ups and downs. Being relatable when working with a diverse population of people is something that comes from experience

The time I spent working in the ER as a scribe and the people I met during my time there inspired me to apply to osteopathic medical schools. Prior to my working there, I honestly didn’t know there were two routes to becoming a physician. I started noticing that there was either D.O. or M.D. initialed after doctors’ names in the signature of different physicians throughout the hospital.

tested and licensed through the same state licensing boards required to practice medicine in all