by Lauren DiProspero, former admissions officer at Columbia University
Did you know that there are two medical degrees that lead to becoming a physician?
There is the MD (allopathic) and the DO (osteopathic). Application requirements for these degrees are similar: they both require the MCAT, experience in the field in the form of clinical exposure and research, and pre-requisite courses. Each degree’s medical training is similar: both are four-year medical school programs followed by three or more years of residency. Post-graduation outcomes are also similar: each program’s graduates are physicians who are trained and licensed to practice medicine – prescribing medicine, performing surgery, and practicing in specialty areas.
