2 answers
Chimdi
Student
Fayetteville, North Carolina
1
Question
Asked
295 views
What medical degree is more useful, a MD (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)?
I am a senior in high school and I plan on pursing medicine. I have already decided that I want to major in public health while being on a pre med track but I want to start planning for medical school. Most doctors have an MD but in the past couple of years, I have seen that there has been an increase of doctors with a DO degree. #fall25 #pre-med #public-health
Login to comment
2 answers
Brett Schlifstein
Anesthesiologist
42
Answers
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Updated
Brett’s Answer
Hi Chimdi,
I think the previous answer did a good job of pointing out the differences in education between MDs and DOs. What wasn't stated is that MD schools are going to be more competitive, and generally regarded as higher in quality. When a medical school graduate applies for residency programs, acceptance would most likely be improved with an MD degree compared with a DO degree.
Your undergraduate degree can be in anything. In order to apply to medical school, you have to complete all of their pre-requisite courses. Most majors allow time for other courses so you can take those pre-requisites. Engineering is the only major I can think of that has so many required courses, that it would be difficult to take all of the medical school pre-req courses in 4 years. I don't see why a degree in public health would be a bad idea. In fact, if you change your mind about going to medical school, a degree in public health can be useful. Medical school admission committees see applicants with all kinds of majors.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital
I think the previous answer did a good job of pointing out the differences in education between MDs and DOs. What wasn't stated is that MD schools are going to be more competitive, and generally regarded as higher in quality. When a medical school graduate applies for residency programs, acceptance would most likely be improved with an MD degree compared with a DO degree.
Your undergraduate degree can be in anything. In order to apply to medical school, you have to complete all of their pre-requisite courses. Most majors allow time for other courses so you can take those pre-requisites. Engineering is the only major I can think of that has so many required courses, that it would be difficult to take all of the medical school pre-req courses in 4 years. I don't see why a degree in public health would be a bad idea. In fact, if you change your mind about going to medical school, a degree in public health can be useful. Medical school admission committees see applicants with all kinds of majors.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Chimdi !
There are some differences between MD's and DO's and I'd be happy to give you some advice to help you decide which path to take.
To start, I would advise that you take a Life Science path for your Bachelors Degree. This would mean that you would major in Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry, etc. You would definitely have all the life science courses within your major, but Public Health is not going to be the best before going to Medical School. You'll need a strong foundation in the life sciences before medical school.
There is a difference between Medical Doctors and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. They are both Doctors and go to Medical School. They both do Residencies after Medical School. However, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine have full semester courses in Nutrition whereas Medical Doctors do not. Another difference is that Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine are trained in and provide palliative care, that means they are able to work with patients in a similar way that Chiropractors do, but Medical Doctors do not. D.O.'s are fully licensed physicians with the same rights and privileges as Doctors of Medicine.
Your best bet would be to read about your nearest Osteopathic Medical School and learn what it entails and compare it to the nearest Medical School and see which one you like best.
Remember, the best majors for a "pre med" track is not Public Health, rather Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry or Physics. The Public Health major only teaches students how to improve health and well being at the community or population level rather than through individual clinical care, so this would not be a strong foundational study before medical school.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
There are some differences between MD's and DO's and I'd be happy to give you some advice to help you decide which path to take.
To start, I would advise that you take a Life Science path for your Bachelors Degree. This would mean that you would major in Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry, etc. You would definitely have all the life science courses within your major, but Public Health is not going to be the best before going to Medical School. You'll need a strong foundation in the life sciences before medical school.
There is a difference between Medical Doctors and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. They are both Doctors and go to Medical School. They both do Residencies after Medical School. However, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine have full semester courses in Nutrition whereas Medical Doctors do not. Another difference is that Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine are trained in and provide palliative care, that means they are able to work with patients in a similar way that Chiropractors do, but Medical Doctors do not. D.O.'s are fully licensed physicians with the same rights and privileges as Doctors of Medicine.
Your best bet would be to read about your nearest Osteopathic Medical School and learn what it entails and compare it to the nearest Medical School and see which one you like best.
Remember, the best majors for a "pre med" track is not Public Health, rather Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry or Physics. The Public Health major only teaches students how to improve health and well being at the community or population level rather than through individual clinical care, so this would not be a strong foundational study before medical school.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !