Osteopathic medicine is a type of medical practice in the U.S. that provides all of the benefits of modern medicine — including prescription drugs, surgery and the use of technology to diagnose disease — with the added benefit of hands-on diagnosis and treatment through a system of therapy known as osteopathic manipulative medicine.
Osteopathic medicine also focuses on health promotion and disease prevention and emphasizes helping people achieve a high level of wellness.
Osteopathic Physicians (DOs)
There are two types of fully qualified physicians licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery in the United States: DOs and MDs.
DOs are osteopathic physicians, and they consider the impact that lifestyle and community have on the health of each patient.
Training to be a DO is much like training to be an MD:
- Both complete four years of basic medical education.
- After medical school, both DOs and MDs obtain graduate medical education through internships, residencies and fellowships.
- Both DOs and MDs can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine, such as pediatrics, family medicine, psychiatry, surgery or ophthalmology.
- DOs and MDs must pass comparable examinations to obtain state licenses, and they practice in accredited and licensed health care facilities.
Reasons to Choose an Osteopathic Surgeon or Physician
Treatment from a D.O has several key benefits. If you’re considering treatment, know that your osteopathic physician or surgeon will:
- Emphasize a holistic, preventative approach to patient care.
- Concentrate on treating the whole person, not just specific symptoms
- Place a strong focus on individualized patient care
- Help you take responsibility for improving overall well-being
- Understand the systematic, widespread effects of illness or injury on different areas of the body
Prominent D.O.s
Osteopathic physicians are making big strides toward advancing healthcare quality in the United States. Some of the most prominent D.O.’s are engaged in high profile civic pursuits, and work in the most advanced levels of clinical research.
- Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ronald R. Blanck, DO – 39th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army
- Enrico Fazzini, DO – Neurologist, expert on Parkinson's disease and consulting physician to Pope John Paul II
- Rear Admiral Richard R. Jeffries, DO – Chief Medical Officer of the Marine Corps
- Rear Admiral Joyce Johnson, DO – First osteopathic student to complete an epidemiology rotation at the Centers for Disease Control and chief medical officer and director of public safety for the U.S. Coast Guard
- Robert Muscalus, DO—Former Physician General of Pennsylvania
- Gideon Rodan, DO – Biochemist and osteoporosis researcher
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