Comparison of MD and DO in The United States - Professional Advantages

Professional Advantages

M.D. qualification training is the most widely available in the U.S.; however, the D.O. medical profession has rapidly expanded, with more than 1 in 5 medical students now entering a D.O. medical school. Both DOs and MDs have the option to train and practice in any of the medical specialties and sub-specialties. One exception is the Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine specialty which is only available to D.O.'s who have completed a one year traditional internship year.

Both degrees are recognized internationally as a medical degree. Accredited D.O. and M.D. medical schools are both included in the World Health Organization’s World Directory of Medical Schools. However, when practicing overseas, an M.D. degree may be easier to negotiate with than a D.O. degree. DOs are more likely than their U.S. M.D. counterparts to have to explain or defend their training, particularly in areas that have non-physician osteopaths. This is rapidly changing as over 55 countries now recognize the D.O. medical degree, and the AOA's Bureau on Osteopathic Medical Education & Affairs is actively working with members to increase that number.

As of July 2015, the AOA, AACOM, and the ACGME will create a single, unified accreditation system for graduate medical education programs in the United States. This will ensure that all physicians trained in the U.S. will have the same graduate medical education accreditation - ACGME. This will also provide DO physicians with the equivalent overseas recognition as their MD counterparts, as the ACGME accreditation is more widely known outside of the United States.