MD vs DO

MD vs DO (Allopathic vs Osteopathic medicine)

What's the difference between an MD and a DO?

So what’s the difference between allopathic and osteopathic (MD vs DO)? I’m going to make this as simple and short as possible:

DIfferences:

-MD is what we traditionally refer to as a doctor. They go to traditional medical schools (allopathic)

                                         -DO is a relatively new (over a 100 years) “type” of doctor.                                                   These doctors go to osteopathic school.

-MD physicians typically do not use as integrated an approach to their patients as DOs do

-DO physicians really stress the idea of mind, body, and soul. They also integrate

 manipulative techniques (as someone once explained it to me, an MD will look at your foot while a DO will roll a ball under it first)

-MD can practice virtually anywhere outside the US 

-DOs are fully licensed to work in the US and are gaining rights to practice outside the US. There are more limits on DOs practicing outside the US than MDs

-MD schools are harder to get into than DO schools

-DO schools are easier to get into than MD schools (it’s important to note, however, that osteopathic schools are really increasing their admissions screening. A few years ago, it was not uncommon for a student to get into a DO school with a 23 with the average MCAT score being around a 25. Now many DO schools have increased their average to 28)

-95% of MD students match for residency

-75% of DO students match for residency 

Similarities:

-They’re both real doctors

-They both go through the same medical education (if anything, DOs go through more in the sense that that also dedicate a small portion of their curriculum to manipulative techniques. 

-They both take the same national exams

-They can both go into the same medical specialities

-And lastly, they both suffer from the stresses of medical school along with its debt.

Hopefully that clears things up!

Retaking the MCATs

Should I Retake the MCATs? 

When do you know that you should retake the MCAT? Is a 30 worth retaking it? 28? Maybe 25? Well the answer really depends on the rest of your application. To give you an extreme example, let’s imagine you have a 4.0 GPA, you have a PhD and you invented a 2 lb fully functioning airplane. Now let’s assume you got a 20 on the MCAtT. Do you think you needs to retake his MCAT to get accepted? The answer: Not even a little bit.

If you look at the AAMC list of number of students accepted by GPA/MCAT, you will actually see a number of students getting accepted with sub-30 MCAT scores. In fact, a few years ago AAMC showed a student getting accepted with a 16 on their MCAT. 

So how do you know if your MCAT is too low? The answer is you have to put it in perspective of the rest of your application. If you have a sub-par GPA, with little research and no EC and your MCAT is below a 30 then you should retake it because you don’t have anything else helping “lift” that sub-par score up. So is an average application with a sub-30 MCAT worth retaking? Probably. Is it impossible to get accepted with that? Not at all. I know a student who had a decent application, got a 28 on their MCAT (11 on the sciences and 6V) and got an interview at NYU. 

The general rule is you want to shoot for no less than a 30 - preferably a 32 because a 32 really seems to be the average in medical schools right now. If you do get a 30, then no worries. Just make sure the rest of your application can handle it. Besides, just because many MD schools won’t take too kindly to a sub-30 MCAT, nearly every DO school will be more forgiving. 

Your MCATs are an important factor of your application but they’re not everything. Some schools really stress MCATs (like U. Pittsburgh) while others do not. Best advice is apply broadly (MD and DO), try to get above a 30, preferably a 32, and strengthen the rest of your application. MCAT school averages of 32 are averages so there are people getting lower than that. So yes, some students will have high 20s in your class M1 year. However, those people either got extremely likely in getting accepted and/or have an overall impressive resume that helped make that bad MCAt not-so-bad.

What are my chances? Medical school

What are my chances? Getting into medical school

So you're applying to medical school and you want to know what your chances are? Well here is a general guide to what you need. Ready?

*Feel free to comment your stats and whatever other information you have below and I'll let you know what your chances are.

There are a number of criteria that you need (or should) have on your application when reaching out to medical schools.

1) MCAT Score: The average MCAT score right now for most MD schools is around a 32-34. Did you read that? Average. That means that students are getting below and above that score and getting accepted. A few years ago, AAMC published its report and a student with a 16 on the MCAT got accepted (how? Who knows. Probably the son of a billionaire). The point is, students can get into medical school with below 30 MCAT scores and students with above 40 (yes you read write) are not getting accepted. How is that possible? Your application is all about balance. If you don't have most or all of the criteria I'm about to mention, then think again about applying.

2) GPA: So obviously medical schools aren't going to accept someone who they don't think can handle their curriculum. Having said that, you're going to need plenty of As on your transcript. A friend once told me: "For every B you get, there are 5 kids getting As." Scary. Try to get the highest marks possible. Does a B or a C, or even a D disqualify you? Absolutely not. Just make sure you have a good reason when they ask you what happened. 

3) Research: This is not a must since a some medical students aren't science majors. I have a number of classmates who were English or History majors and never did any type of clinical or medicine research. Having said that, if you're not planning on doing any research, then you better make sure you're doing something else with your time. Now for those who do research, great. How many research projects? What type of research? For how long should you do research? Is getting published important? The answer to all of those questions is it doesn't matter. Schools don't take whether you've done 1 or 4 projects (some schools may actually see that as bad - it's better to have one strong focal area than 4 weak ones). Schools don't care how long you did the research. If you cured cancer in a day or a year doesn't matter - what matters is what you did and how much effort you put into it. Schools don't care about if you get published or not. Of course it's nice to get published but it's not a deal-breaker (though it may be important for those looking to get into MD/PhD programs). Lastly, your research doesn't have to be lab-based. It could be statistical, historical, etc. At the end of the day, medical schools want to see you do something you're passionate about - it'll show trust me.

4) Volunteering: Yes, you have to be a good person and volunteer your time. Lots of schools actually have volunteering hours on their applications. And yes volunteering can be anything. Did you tutor without pay? Write cards to veterans? Clean up parks? Help your local church? So what about health-related volunteering? Your primary application actually has a category for health and non-health related volunteering. My opinion is do both. Now some people have ridiculous volunteering hours because they've shadowed at a hospital for 3 years. Don't be discouraged. I only had about 50 hours of shadowing and 100 hours of hospital hours and I still got in.

5) EC: What type of extracurricular activities should you get involved in? How many? As many as you want and in whatever you want. Again, admission committees are pretty good at finding out how passionate you are about something. You don't have to be part of the biology club leadership or be a part of 100 different clubs. Just go out there and get involved in a few EC that you're really interested in. Everyone going to medical school was part of the biology or chemistry club - you want to be different, not the same.

6) IT Factor: This is the MOST important category for getting into medical school. Try to think outside the box and do something that you think no one else has. This is where you try to really stand out of the crowd and make the admissions say "I won't forget that guy." For me, my "everything else" category was writing a book and making an educational science App. And guess what? EVERY interview I went on asked me about my book and my App. Why? Because it's different. It's fresh. It's something no one does and something that shows my passion and interest. They don't want to see "Mr. Perfect." They want to see someone who is "real."

So you don't need a 4.0 GPA, a 35+ MCAT, 10 EC, 1000 hours of volunteering, and plenty of research to get into medical school. What you need is that "IT Factor." I have a friend who is applying now with a 3.8GPA, 41 MCAT, incredible EC, phenomenal research, and more volunteering hours than he knows what to do with. Guess what? He's only had 3 interviews and not one acceptance and it's already the end of January. How? Why? Medical school is becoming more and more competitive each year. The average age of many M1 students are 24 - that means that most students are taking a couple of years off to make their applications stellar. You must work on that IT factor. If not, you can be like my friend and be really well-rounded and it doesn't mean you're guaranteed a spot. I'm sure there are plenty of applicants who have applications weaker than him that are accepted. Unfortunately, part of the application cycle is a crap-shoot. Just keep working hard and don't lose hope.

If you want to know what your chances are, leave a comment with your stats and information and I'll let you know where to improve on and what you need to do to maximize your chances of getting in. 

Med Series #3 - Free Time in Medical School

Med Series #3 - Free Time in Medical School

So just how much free time is their during medical school? During high school, you probably spent more time playing video games and watching TV then you did studying and doing homework. During your undergrad, you probably spent more time studying, doing research, and being involved in extracurricular activities but you still had plenty of time to relax and have a breather. What about medical school? 

I'm going to explain medical school the way it was explained to me. 

During your 1st year, you will have more free time than you realize.

During your 2nd year, you'll realize how much free time you had during your 1st year.

During your 3rd year, you will have no free time.

During your 4th year, you will have more time than you will imagine.

You see, during your first year of medical school you will be studying and absorbing more information than you ever have before. It will feel like you have no time to do anything but study but I assure you this is only a feeling. I know a lot of students who actually don't study Friday night because they realize that a) they can afford not to study and b) relaxing is very important. What do I suggest? Study as much as you think you need to but realize that taking a few hours off here and there will not cause any harm. In fact, it may do you some good to take your eyes off your notebooks.

During your second year, and I can't comment too much on this yet, you will have even less time than your first year. This is probably because this is the year where you really learn the details of what you've previously learned. This is the year that really prepares you for your rotations during your 3rd and 4th year. This is the year where you will also have to study and take your STEP1 exam. If you're going to slack off, do it during your first year because second year is all about business.

Your third year is probably the worst. This is when you are doing your hospital rotations and going on interviews for residency. Doesn't sound so bad but trust me, it is. During your fourth year, you are pretty much done with things. Sure you're still going on rotations but the worst is over. Some have described fourth year as being in kindergarten. Now I am sure this is an exaggeration but it's nothing like your 1st year. 

So yes, during medical school you can still have a life. You can still go see movies, play sports, workout, and hang out with your friends. You'll probably end up doing this more than you think and that's ok because you really do have the time for it. You may not be able to do all those things every week but that's expected.

Med Series #2 - How to Study

Med #2 - How Should I Study in Medical School?

 

One of the most common questions students ask is how should we study in medical school? Is it the same as in undergrad? Do we need to attend lecture? Should we take notes? Should we record the lectures and rewatch them? 

1) Is studying in medical school the same as undergrad? Pretty much. The only real difference may be that in medical school, textbooks are only their as a helpful guide. The professor's lecture is where all the juice of the material comes from. So if you never paid attention in class and learned straight from the book (like I did) then you might want to prepare yourself for this change.

2) Should I record the lectures? Most medical schools now actually record the lectures themselves and upload them online. If you have the option to download the video file, I suggest you do so and play it using VLC and play it in 1.5x speed. Saves you some time for those slow-talking professors.

3) Should I pre-read before coming to lecture? This is almost always help you. I never did it though I might get in the habit of doing it. As you will find, your professors truly are experts in whatever it is they are teaching you. Having said that, this does not mean they are good professors - in fact, they could be horrible. If the lecture is on a subject you never covered before and you have some free time, I suggest you do a bit of pre-reading. By that, I mean go over that lectures notes and lecture slides before entering class. That way, if the professor is a poor lecturer, you'll at least have a decent idea of what's going on.

4) Should I read the textbooks? That's really your call. From my experience, the textbooks for every course thus far have only been there as a resource guide. We haven't received any reading assignments - and if they do, we cover the same exact material in class and weren't tested on anything outside of the professor's lectures. I would definitely suggest getting the textbooks and using them as supplemental pieces of information. If you don't use them - no problem. Just sell them to the incoming students. 

Perhaps the most important advice I can give you about studying in medical school is do whatever works for you. This is probably the most common advice you'll ever get. Don't worry about what other students do or don't do. If someone spends 15 hours a day studying and fills up 10 white boards with notes - then good for them. Do what works best for you. Don't worry yourself with what others do. I did that at first and thought that I should have been studying way more. Later, I realized that I was being silly. Everyone studies different and learns at different rates. If that's the case, why concern myself with the studying habits of everyone else?

Studying for medical school really isn't all that different from studying for any other class. It'll definitely be more labor intensive and you'll be going through a lot of information at a rapid pace but that's expected. Study the way that works best for you and keep your head down when it comes to other people's studying habits. And hey - if you think that someone has a better studying strategy than you, try it out! If it doesn't work, then no worries. Just go back to doing your own thing.

Med Series #1 - Preparing for Med School

Med 1 - Preparing for Medical School

So you got into medical school. Congratulations! Now how do you prepare for the next 4 years of your life? What books should you buy and study over the summer? What should you do to make sure you ace medical school? The answer: Relax

Personally, the best way to prepare for medical school is by first taking a deep breath and realize that you're going to be a doctor. The next step is to simply relax. 

When I got accepted to medical school, I went home, opened my Moore's Anatomy textbook and started reading about 10 pages a night. After I had some sense knocked into me, I realized that this wasn't helping me at all. You see, you're going to learn everything in medical school anyway. There really is no point in trying to learn any of the material beforehand. I can almost guarantee you that the hours of studying that you will put into medical school will not change at all whether you did summer reading or not. 

If you choose to do some type of prep before medical school starts, then I would only suggest you go as far as learning and familiarizing yourself with prefixes, root words, and suffixes. Knowing that hydro is water, osteo is bone, and cyte is cell can be very useful. 

Honestly, the best way to prepare for medical school is to relax, enjoy your last real summer, and tell yourself that you're finally going to be a doctor!

New Series

New Series Coming Soon!

Hey guys. Sorry I've been a little busy. I just finished my first semester in medical school and I've been super busy. I realize there are still lots of questions that you guys have and lots more of advise I can give on the application cycle but I thought I would start a new series of blogs. 

I'll try my best to write 2 blogs a week. It will probably be about 8 entries so a month in total.

See you soon!