For aspiring doctors competing for a seat in medical school, osteopathic programs have become an increasingly appealing option, experts say.
“Osteopathic medicine is growing rapidly and 28% of all medical students are in the D.O. program,” says Dr. Richard Thacker, American Osteopathic Association president-elect and associate dean of clinical sciences at Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We are one of the fastest-growing segments in the health care profession in the world.”
Osteopathic medicine focuses on a whole-person approach to medical care, with emphasis on prevention and holistic care.
The osteopathic medical profession currently has more than 207,000 doctors and medical students, according to the AOA. About 40,000 students are currently enrolled in 44 colleges of osteopathic medicine across 71 campuses nationwide, Thacker says.
What’s the Difference Between Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Education?
Allopathic med school graduates receive a medical doctor degree, or M.D., and osteopathic graduates earn a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree, or a D.O. These degrees are indicated by the initials next to a doctor’s name.
“Many applicants assume that osteopathic and allopathic medical schools are vastly different in terms of education and career outcomes. In reality, both pathways provide rigorous medical training and prepare students to become licensed physicians,” says Dr. Lisa Warren, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific & COMP-Northwest at Western University of Health Sciences in California.
The core medical curriculum for both are similar, covering anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and clinical rotations, says Dr. Isaac Abraham, who holds a D.O. degree and is a medical school admissions consultant at Inspira Advantage, a consultancy for applicants to graduate programs in health care fields.
“Both produce fully licensed physicians who can practice in any specialty, prescribe medications and perform surgery,” Abraham says.
[Read: How to Apply to an Osteopathic Medical School Using AACOMAS.]
But where they differ is that D.O. students get 200 hours of additional training in osteopathic manipulative medicine, or OMM.
“This is hands-on diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system, and it’s integrated throughout all four years of medical school,” Abraham says.
However, how much OMM a doctor actually uses in practice can vary. For example, a D.O. in psychiatry or radiology “may rarely use these techniques, while one in family medicine or sports medicine might incorporate them regularly,” he says.
Is it Easier to Get Accepted to Osteopathic Medical School?
Most students apply to both allopathic and osteopathic med schools, experts say. Getting into medical school is difficult, with only about half of applicants being accepted somewhere and some schools admitting well below 10% of applicants.
While getting into a D.O. program isn’t necessarily easier than being accepted to an M.D. program, entering credentials at D.O. programs are on average lower.
Data from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine indicates that D.O. matriculants in 2024 entered with a mean average MCAT score of about 503 and a college GPA of 3.60, while the Association of American Medical Colleges reports that M.D. matriculants achieved a mean score of 512 on the MCAT and a record-high median GPA of 3.86.
“There is a measurable difference in the applicant pools,” Abraham says. “Whether that translates to easier depends on context. These are still academically strong students, and individual D.O. programs vary widely.”
D.O. programs can provide a pathway “for strong applicants whose statistics fall slightly below the median at M.D. schools, or for reapplicants seeking to broaden their options,” Abraham says.
Osteopathic schools tend to emphasize primary care and rural medicine, so applicants with an interest and commitment to those areas “may find meaningful mission alignment at certain programs,” Abraham says.
[Read: The Difference Between D.O. and M.D. Degrees.]
What Do Osteopathic Schools Practice and What Are My Chances of Getting the Residency I Want?
Osteopathic education begins with immediate exposure to hands-on techniques, first practiced with peers and then used in clinical settings with patients.
“Osteopathic medicine emphasizes a holistic approach to patient care and incorporates osteopathic manipulative treatment, OMT, as a means for diagnosis and treatment,” Warren says.
The approach helps with diagnosis and treatment of problems in the body and seeks to improve overall function.
“Using our hands to help diagnose and treat patients is one of our strongest osteopathic tenets and philosophy and students are taught this early on,” Thacker says.
D.O. and M.D. students apply to the same residency programs. For the 2025 residency placement Match Day in March, D.O. medical school seniors had a 92.6% match rate for the 8,392 seniors who participated, Thacker notes, and the 8,049 osteopathic med students and graduates who got placed was a record high.
D.O. candidates matched in a wide range of residency programs spanning 40 specialties, “demonstrating the strong value that osteopathic physicians contribute across all areas of medicine,” Thacker says.
More than 50% go into primary care and “are very motivated to go into areas that are underserved,” he says.
However, outcomes can vary by specialty.
D.O.s match at high rates and are well represented in primary care fields like family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics, Abraham notes. “In certain competitive specialties, particularly surgical subspecialties like orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery, D.O. representation remains lower.”
Which Licensing Exam Do I Take — the COMLEX or USMLE?
Like M.D.s, D.O.s must pass national board exams and finish accredited training programs to qualify for state licensure. Both D.O.s and M.D.s can also pursue board certification in their chosen specialty.
D.O. students take the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States for graduation and licensure. Even though USMLE can be used for licensure in many states, every D.O. still has to pass COMLEX to earn their medical degree.
“D.O. graduates are fully eligible for all U.S. residencies,” Warren says.
[Read: How to Decide Where to Attend Medical School]
Students can optionally take the United States Medical Licensing Examination series of exams to maximize competitiveness for certain residency programs, Warren says.
“Taking both COMLEX and USMLE means additional preparation time, additional expense and additional stress,” Abraham says. “Progress is being made toward equivalent treatment, but we are not fully there yet.”
In some competitive specialties, D.O. applicants may have disadvantages such as “residual bias, unfamiliarity with COMLEX scoring or historical hiring patterns at certain programs,” Abraham says.
While that can vary by field and is not universal, “students should enter with realistic expectations,” Abraham says.
Should I Apply to Osteopathic Medical Schools?
An osteopathic medical school program can be a good pathway to become a licensed doctor, particularly for those not interested in medical schools abroad and who prefer training in the U.S., experts say.
“They offer a comprehensive medical education with an added emphasis on holistic care and osteopathic treatment and techniques, which can be a valuable skill set in many clinical settings,” Warren says.
D.O. training doesn’t limit career options, and doctors can practice across every specialty — including surgery and subspecialties — and hold leadership roles just like M.D.s, Warren says.
Experts recommend shadowing an osteopathic physician to learn more about the discipline.
“For students who resonate with the osteopathic philosophy or who value the hands-on training in OMM, it can be an excellent fit,” Abraham says.
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Osteopathic Medical School: 5 Questions to Answer Before Attending originally appeared on usnews.com
