You are more than just the sum of your body parts. That’s why doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.s) practice a “whole person” approach to health care. Instead of just treating specific symptoms, osteopathic physicians concentrate on treating you as a whole.

Osteopathic physicians understand how all the body’s systems are interconnected and how each one affects the others. They focus special attention on the musculoskeletal system, which reflects and influences the condition of all other body systems.

This system of bones and muscles makes up about twothirds of the body’s mass, and a routine part of the examination D.O.s give patients is a careful evaluation of these important structures. D.O.s know that the body’s structure plays a critical role in its ability to function. They can use their eyes and hands to identify structural problems and to support the body’s natural tendency toward health and self-healing.

Osteopathic physicians also use their ears to listen to you and your health concerns. D.O.s help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don’t just fight illness but also help prevent it. Millions of Americans prefer this concerned and compassionate care and have made D.O.s their physicians for life.

Professional Education
To be an osteopathic physician, an individual must be a graduate of one of the nation's osteopathic medical schools. Each school is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. This accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Typically, applicants to osteopathic medical colleges have four-year undergraduate degrees and complete specific science courses. Applicants must take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Osteopathic medical schools also require a personal interview to assess a student's interpersonal communication skills.

The curriculum at osteopathic medical schools involves four years of academic study. As a reflection of osteopathic philosophy, the curriculum emphasizes preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care. Throughout the curriculum, medical students learn to use osteopathic principles and techniques to diagnose and treat patients.

After completing osteopathic medical college, many D.O.s serve a one-year internship, gaining hands-on experience in internal medicine, emergency medicine, and family practice, as well as serving electives in core rotations such as obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics. This experience ensures that osteopathic physicians are first trained as primary care physicians. Internships provide D.O.s with the perspective to see and treat every patient as a whole person.

Today, all D.O.s serve residencies, consisting of two to six years of training. Residencies are available in the primary care disciplines of family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics, as well as other specialties such as surgery, radiology, psychiatry and sports medicine.

Licensure
All physicians (both D.O.s and M.D.s) must pass examinations to obtain state licenses to practice. Each state has a licensing board that sets requirements for D.O.s to practice in that state.

Complete Care
D.O.s are complete physicians. That means they are fully trained and licensed to prescribe medication and to perform surgery. D.O.s and M.D.s are the only two types of complete physicians in the United States.

D.O.s practice in all specialties of medicine from emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery to psychiatry and geriatrics. However, D.O.s are trained to be generalists first and specialists second. The majority are family-oriented, primary care physicians. Many D.O.s practice in small towns, where they often care for entire families and whole communities.

Some facts about osteopathic physicians:

• D.O.s are one of the fastest growing segments of health care professionals in the United States. By the year 2020, it is estimated that at least 100,000 osteopathic physicians will be in active medical practice.
• Approximately 65% of practicing D.O.s specialize in the primary care areas of family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics.
• D.O.s represent 6% of the total U.S. physician population.
• Many D.O.s fill a critical need for physicians by practicing in rural and other medically underserved communities.
• Osteopathic physicians have treated US presidents and Olympic athletes. They have contributed to the fight against AIDS and the fight for civil rights. They have held high-ranking positions, such as the surgeon general of the US Army and the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.