Osteopathic Medicine

In the United States, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO’s) are fully trained physicians with schooling and licensure that equals and parallels the MD profession. Only US trained DO’s can be licensed to practice osteopathic medicine in the USA. DO’s attend their own medical schools, receive the same post-graduate training and licensure as their MD colleagues, and receive additional education in osteopathic manual medicine (OMM), a hands-on medical treatment procedure for many medical complaints, which recognizes the dynamic relationship of structure and function in health and disease.

Because DO’s can specialize in any medical specialty (e.g., surgery, cardiology, neurology, family medicine, etc.), many specialist DO’s do not utilize OMM in their medical practice, but function very similarly to their MD specialist colleagues. Some DO’s like Dr. Spector specialize in the traditional origins of the profession, Osteopathic Manual Medicine, the hands-on treatment approach that helps to change the structure of the body in order to restore more normal functioning. 

DO’s are one of the fastest growing segments of health care professionals in the United States. In 2018 there were over 114,000 osteopathic physicians and nearly 31,000 osteopathic medical students, with 35 colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) offering instruction at 53 teaching locations in 33 states. One in four U.S. medical students attended an osteopathic medical school. Both DO and MD schools offer similar, rigorous medical education, but approach the practice of medicine from distinct philosophies.

Osteopathic Medicine - General information