Breaking It Down: What Does MD and a DO Mean?

As you search for a new doctor, you will come across the degrees MD and DO. If you don’t know what they mean, don’t panic. Instead, read on!

A MD is a doctor of medicine, and a DO is a doctor of osteopathic medicine. Both are highly-qualified physicians licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the United States in all specialties, and they go through a similar education process, meaning they graduate medical school, complete accredited residency training programs, take similar licensure exams and become board certified in a specialty. However, there are a few differences in their training and approach to care.

MDs attend allopathic medical schools, while DOs attend osteopathic medical schools. The two schools are accredited by different organizations, but cover much of the same content and offer similar clinical experiences.

DOs do spend extra time studying musculoskeletal medicine and learning about osteopathic manipulation treatment, a technique that uses the hands to diagnose and treat an illness or injury. A DO will move muscles and joints using special techniques, such as stretching and gentle pressure, as they examine patients. Instead of treating specific symptoms, they often view the body as an integrated whole.

Middlesex Hospital employs both DOs and MDs in primary care and various specialties, and Dr. Alan B. Douglass, director of Middlesex Hospital’s Family Medicine Residency Program, says it is important to have both DOs and MDs on staff because they bring similar – and often complimentary – skill sets.

Douglass says DOs give the Middlesex Health System access to physicians who have extra skills in musculoskeletal medicine and osteopathic manipulation treatment, and this is of great benefit to patients. Middlesex Hospital Family Medicine and Middlesex Hospital Primary Care both provide osteopathic manipulation treatment clinics, and patient demand is high, he says. Hiring both MDs and DOs is also beneficial in other areas, such as surgery.

To learn more about Hospital physicians, visit
www.middlesexhospital.org.