Latest news with #osteopathicmedicine
New York Times
7 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
What Is a D.O.?
A few years ago, while searching for a new primary care doctor, a woman at the front desk of a local practice sent me the name of a well-regarded physician — with a caveat. He's a D.O., she almost whispered, which she assured me was 'basically the same' as an M.D. Was it? If so, why had she felt the need to bring it up? Even after several appointments, I felt no closer to understanding what my doctor's credential meant or whether it mattered to my care. So, for the past few weeks, I've been digging into this question: What is a doctor of osteopathic medicine? This is, I've discovered, a timely question. The number of D.O.s is growing quickly: More than a quarter of all medical students in the U.S. today are attending osteopathic schools. Today, there are more than 150,000 practitioners, quadruple the number three decades ago. In today's newsletter, I'll explain who they are — and what the changing face of medicine might mean for you. Why is the group surging? It's about supply and demand. The U.S. population is growing. Lots of people want to be doctors, and many more need medical care. But the number of spots at traditional medical schools has grown very slowly. The number at osteopathic schools, however, has ballooned in recent years. Fourteen campuses have opened in the last five years alone, creating thousands of training slots. The profession has gained traction in places, often rural, where M.D.s are in short supply. Osteopathic schools are often in 'medically underserved' areas like Kirksville, Mo.; Harrogate, Tenn.; and Detroit. Nearly 60 percent of D.O.s are primary care doctors — which pays less and is less popular among M.D.s. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Joe Biden's osteopathic doctor pleads the Fifth on mental acuity: DO vs MD
As the probe into Joe Biden's mental acuity continues, the former president's personal physician, Kevin O'Connor, DO, made an appearance this week in Washington, D.C., in front of the House Oversight Committee. O'Connor sat down for a closed-door interview on Wednesday with committee staff and panel chair James Comer, R-Ky. — but O'Connor invoked the Fifth Amendment to all questions, save for his name, as Fox News Digital previously reported. In the wake of this, many people have been wondering: What's the difference between a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) and a doctor of medicine (MD)? Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News' senior medical analyst, confirmed that the capabilities of both a DO and an MD are the same, even when it comes to acknowledging mental decline or diagnosing and screening for prostate cancer. "He's a DO and he's a family practitioner," said Siegel. "With that training, he should know how to screen for prostate cancer." Training as a DO should not "take away" from medical training or medical education, said Siegel, who's an internist — it only adds osteopathic methods such as manipulative treatment. "I'm trained to be able to suss out cognitive decline," said Siegel. "I'm not a specialist in that, but I can certainly screen for that. And so should a family practitioner who went to osteopathic school." He added, "He's a guy who should say, 'Hey, [Biden's] got some cognitive decline. Let me get a neurologist in here.'" As a White House physician, O'Connor's responsibility was to address the medical needs of the president. But DOs have more of a focus on the "mind, body, spirit connection," according to Cleveland Clinic. MDs and DOs have similar schooling, do the same jobs, can prescribe medicine and practice anywhere in the country. Still, DOs approach medicine more holistically, according to the same source. Cleveland Clinic defines osteopathic medicine as treating patients as a whole and improving wellness through education and prevention. DOs also receive extra training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which is a hands-on method for treating and diagnosing patients. This alternative training and approach don't define a doctor's practice, as DOs use "all types of modern medical treatments," according to Cleveland Clinic — while MDs can also provide whole-person, preventive care. DO training was first developed in 1892 by physician Andrew Taylor Still, MD, who changed his philosophy of medicine after the Civil War, the same source noted. He believed traditional medicine to treat spinal meningitis, which killed three of his children, was ineffective — and developed the concept of osteopathic medicine. In the U.S., as of 2023, there were 154 allopathic medical schools – using medication, surgery and other interventions to treat illnesses – and 38 otheopathic medicine schools, according to Cleveland Clinic. A 2024 report from the American Osteopathic Association found that 57% of DOs practice family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics — compared to 28% of MDs. The number of DOs in the U.S. has been on the rise in the last decade, according to the same report. Nearly 70% of DOs in active practice are under age 45 — and 45% are female. Several U.S. presidents have been under the care of osteopathic physicians in recent years. O'Connor was appointed by Biden in 2021, serving until March 2025 in the role of White House physician. Dr. Sean Barbabella, DO, stepped into the role that same month. He is a decorated Navy physician who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Before becoming physician to President Donald Trump, Barbabella ran the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina, according to multiple sources. Dr. Sean Conley, DO, served as a physician to Trump during his first term, from 2018 to 2021. House GOP members, including Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House doctor himself, continue to investigate accusations that Biden's former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president's full knowledge. Biden allies have been pushing back on those claims. Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Maine's only medical school to expand in new home
Jun. 3—Dr. Jane Carreiro gestured to several rows of student exam tables in the shiny new home of Maine's only medical school. In that particular classroom on the third floor of the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences, students will soon be role-playing as doctors and patients to learn how to conduct primary care exams. The $90 million building — which will be showcased in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday — is the cornerstone of a strategy to grow the University of New England's Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program, and connect it to all of the health sciences programs at the university. By moving the medical program from the university's Biddeford campus to the sprawling, 110,000-square-foot building on its Portland campus, the DO program will grow from graduating 165 medical students per year to 200. The first class with 200 students will start this fall and graduate in 2029 before going into their residency program. A $30 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, $5 million in federal funding secured by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other fundraising efforts made the construction of the new facility possible. The aim is to try to get more newly minted doctors working in Maine to help ease the health care workforce shortage. "That is our No. 1 goal," said Carreiro, vice president of health affairs at UNE and dean of the medical school. "That's what we are here for, to provide the workforce that we need for patient care in northern New England." The total number of health care practitioners in Maine — doctors, nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants and others working to provide care — rebounded in 2024, increasing to 43,930 from a recent low of 41,110 in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But there are continuing shortages of some providers, and demand for care is ever-increasing. In one category of primary care, for example, the number of family physicians working in Maine declined from 710 in 2019 to 630 in 2024. And experts say that Maine's recent population gains, plus its aging population, mean that demand for care has spiked even as the numbers of some providers has declined. James Herbert, UNE's president, said it's not only about increasing the number of graduating doctors, but also getting them to stay here. "Most doctors settle within the general vicinity of where they did their residencies," Herbert said. A residency is a supervised clinical training for medical school graduates, where they learn under a practicing doctor for a few years. "We need more residencies in Maine to anchor doctors in Maine," he said. Herbert said there is no federal money available to increase the number of residencies, so the university is supporting a bill, LD 1311, that would add $2 million in state funding to increase physician residencies in rural Maine. Herbert said the initial proposal was $5 million per year, but it's since been scaled back to $2 million to give it a better chance of passing. The bill is pending in the Maine Legislature. Herbert said while the new building will serve DO students, it will also be used by students in the other health sciences, including nursing, dentistry, physical therapists, physician assistants and pharmacists. The different health sciences programs will work together. Doctors of osteopathy can practice all areas of medicine similar to doctors of medicine, or MDs, and training emphasizes a "whole person" approach to diagnosis, treatment and patient care. "The way we've traditionally done health care education is to have everything siloed — nurses do their own thing, doctors do their own thing, PAs do their own thing. They don't train together. We will be doing more interprofessional education, and learn how to work on interdisciplinary teams," Herbert said. With all medical sciences working at the same Portland campus, having the students and faculty work together across programs will be easier to achieve. "It's a point of pride that at the Portland campus, the University of New England will be the only university in New England where all of its health programs will be co-located on a single campus," Herbert said. Copy the Story Link
