You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for the DO schools with the easiest admission requirements! This article will tell you which DO schools are the easiest to get into based on the overall medical school acceptance rate, the median accepted GPA, and the median accepted MCAT score.
Anyone who wishes to become a doctor should be aware that there are two types of medical schools: allopathic and osteopathic.
While allopathic schools teach traditional medical sciences and practices, osteopathic schools teach how to provide touch-based diagnosis and treatment of various health problems, such as circulatory issues and musculoskeletal conditions.
Although both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools prepare students for medical careers that pay well as doctors, the academic credentials awarded differ. Doctor of Medicine, or M.D., degrees are awarded to allopathic school graduates. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, or D.O., degrees are awarded to graduates of osteopathic schools.
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What is Osteopathic Medicine?
Osteopathic medicine is a distinct branch of medicine. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) are fully licensed physicians who have completed post-doctoral residency training in any medical speciality.
Osteopathic medical students receive the same medical education as other doctors, but they also receive instruction in osteopathic principles and practice, as well as 200+ hours of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM).
Do schools offer a hands-on approach to patient diagnosis and treatment that is effective in treating a wide range of injuries and illnesses while also reducing complications and hospital stays.
Who should think about attending DO schools?
DOs are trained from their first days of medical school to look beyond your symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors affect your health.
They practice medicine using the most recent science and technology but consider alternatives to pharmaceuticals and surgery.
These medical professionals receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles, and bones, as part of their education. They provide patients with the most comprehensive care available in healthcare today by combining this knowledge with the most recent advances in medical technology.
By emphasizing prevention and understanding how a patient’s lifestyle and environment can affect their well-being. DOs strive to help their patients be truly healthy in mind, body, and spirit, rather than just symptom-free.
To determine whether an osteopathic degree is right for you, consider the mission and values of osteopathic medicine, as well as whether osteopathic philosophy aligns with the reasons you want to be a doctor.
Osteopathic medicine advocates a comprehensive approach to patient care with a focus on preventative medicine.
DO physicians use the neuromusculoskeletal system for diagnosis and manual manipulation, emphasizing its interconnectedness with all organ systems in the body.
Osteopathic Medical School Curriculum
Osteopathic medical schools teach you how to use manual medicine to treat patients. The emphasis on bones and muscles in the DO curriculum is intended to help you become an expert physician in ways that even MD training may not.
Similar to MD programs, your four years at DO schools are divided into two halves: years one and two are preclinical years, while the last two are clinical years.
During the preclinical years, you concentrate on biomedical and clinical sciences, such as:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Biochemistry
- Behavioural science
- Internal medicine
- Medical ethics
- Neurology
- Osteopathic manual medicine
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Preventive medicine and nutrition
- Clinical practice.
The last two years of DO school will provide you with more hands-on clinical experience. You will focus on clinical training and sub-internships in various specialities during this time.
Do school admission requirements
Admission to DO may not be difficult, but it is competitive. To be admitted to a DO program, you must have the following qualities:
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required.
- Have a track record of volunteering in the community
- Possess clinical experience
- Have taken part in a number of extracurricular activities
- Come from diverse backgrounds
- Are enthusiastic about pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine
- Have a good knowledge of osteopathic medicine
- Have shadowed an osteopathic physician.
List of 10 DO Schools With the Easiest Admission Requirements
Here is a list of easiest DO schools to get into:
- Liberty University – College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM)
- West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
- Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Campbell University – Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine
- Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
- University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
- A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
- Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences – College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Top 10 Easiest DO schools to get into
#1. Liberty University – College of Osteopathic Medicine
Students at Liberty University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) learn early on that a DO degree is essential for a successful medical career.
LUCOM education combines cutting-edge facilities with a wide range of research opportunities. You’ll also be learning alongside experienced faculty who are deeply rooted in their Christian faith. You’ll be able to pursue your passion for helping others while also preparing to specialize in your chosen field of medicine.
With a 98.7 percent match ratio for post-graduate residency training, you can pursue your DO degree with confidence, knowing that LUCOM not only prepares you to serve but also equips you for success.
#2. West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
The WVSOM medical education program promotes the development of compassionate and caring physicians. WVSOM is leading the charge to increase the prominence of community-based services in the healthcare system.
The rigorous DO program produces well-trained doctors who are dedicated, disciplined, and committed to being the best physicians both in the classroom and on the operating table.
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine’s (WVSOM) mission is to educate students from diverse backgrounds as lifelong learners in osteopathic medicine and complementary health programs; to advance scientific knowledge through academic, clinical, and basic science research; and to promote patient-centered, evidence-based medicine.
#3. Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is the first osteopathic medical school in the state of Alabama.
ACOM delivers a hybrid curriculum model utilizing discipline and system-based clinical presentation approaches in the pre-clinical years.
The curriculum presents core concept knowledge in the traditional discipline manner followed by student-centered teaching and learning by way of patient-centered, clinical presentation/system-based integrated courses.
This DO school is licensed by the Alabama Department of Public Education and fully accredited through the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) of the AOA, which is the only accrediting agency for predoctoral osteopathic medical education.
#4. Campbell University – Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, the state’s leading and only osteopathic medical school, provides students with a seamless development from learning to providing the highest quality patient care in the communities they serve.
Osteopathic medicine integrates the patient’s needs, current medical practice, and the interconnectedness of the body’s ability to heal itself. Osteopathic physicians have a long history of providing primary care specialities such as family medicine, general internal medicine, paediatrics and obstetrics, and gynaecology.
Every applicant’s academic background, test scores, achievements, personal statement, and all other important documents will be scrutinized prior to admission.
#5. Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) was established on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, on August 1, 2007.
LMU-DCOM is one of the most visible buildings on campus, with the beautiful Cumberland Gap mountains as a backdrop. LMU-DCOM currently has programs in two locations: Harrogate, Tennessee, and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Quality educational programs are delivered by experienced faculty who use innovative teaching methods and cutting-edge technology.
LMU-DCOM is fully committed to meeting the community’s and beyond’s health-care needs through excellence in teaching, patient care, and services.
#6. University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) is ranked second in the United States among all D.O. and M.D.-granting medical schools for graduates entering primary care residencies.
KYCOM’s guiding principle has always been to train physicians to serve underserved and rural populations, with a focus on primary care. KYCOM takes pride in being student-centered in all aspects.
As a KYCOM student, you will be surrounded by dedicated and knowledgeable faculty and staff who will teach you patient-centered care while utilizing cutting-edge technology.
KYCOM graduates are well prepared to enter high-quality and rigorous graduate medical education residencies, thanks to its location in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains near a growing regional hospital.
#7. A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
ATSU is well-known for its leadership in multidisciplinary healthcare education.
The University is dedicated to integrating the founding principles of osteopathic medicine with the most recent scientific advances.
ATSU is consistently recognized as the graduate health sciences university with the best curriculum and a community outreach mission to serve the underserved.
A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona instills in students the compassion, experience, and knowledge necessary to treat the whole person and shape healthcare in communities with the greatest needs.
#8. Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
At Touro Nevada, you learn by doing. Starting in your first year, a focus on challenging, yet practical hands-on experiences with patient actors that tie directly back to your didactic studies will be central to your education.
The Touro University Nevada Osteopathic Medicine program trains students to become outstanding osteopathic physicians who uphold the values, philosophy, and practice of osteopathic medicine and are dedicated to primary care and a holistic approach to the patient.
#9. Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (VCOM) MISSION is to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations, as well as to promote research to improve human health.
The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is a private medical school in Blacksburg, Virginia (VCOM-Virginia), with branch campuses in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
#10. Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences – College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences educates and trains health care professionals emphasizing service among rural and medically underserved communities throughout the Northwest.
PNWU-COM has a renowned faculty, a talented and dedicated staff, and an administration that focuses on high-tech, healing-touch medical education, as well as osteopathic principles and practice, in order to train the next generation of physicians.
FAQs about easiest DO schools to get into
Is it easier to get into DO programs than MD programs?
Osteopathic medical programs are slightly easier to get into based on average GPA and MCAT scores of DO matriculants. Statistics show that, while the overall acceptance rate of MDs and DOs is around 40%, there are many more applicants to MD schools, implying that MD competition is fiercer.
Is there a difference between Do and MD in practice?
DO and MD doctors have the same rights and responsibilities. They have the ability to write prescriptions, order tests, and so on. The vast majority of patients are unable to distinguish between DO and MD physicians.
Is the tuition in medical school less for DO programs?
Tuition for DO and MD medical schools is comparable. Tuition will vary depending on your residency status (in-state or out-of-state) and whether the school is private or public, as is customary.
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Conclusion
First and probably most important, you must decide whether osteopathic medicine and its philosophy are appropriate for you.
Indeed, there is still some skepticism about DO programs.
DO graduates have a more difficult time matching to residency positions and have fewer options in terms of medical specialties.
However, the reputation and presence of DO programs in the medical field are growing rapidly, particularly in the United States.
Furthermore, because they both have the same responsibilities and clinical abilities, the majority of patients cannot tell the difference between a practicing MD and a practicing DO.
Your decision to apply to DO should be motivated by a genuine interest in this medical field and a commitment to patient care.