What Is A D.O.?

“Oh, and by the way…what does D.O. stand for?”

I’ve been asked this several times since starting my practice, usually at the end of a patient visit. It’s time to answer this common question about a doctor’s credentials.

“D.O.” stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, the “other” fully licensed and certified medical degree in the United States (“M.D.” or “Medical Doctor” being the more commonly known one).

The profession was founded by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, a Civil War physician from Kansas who started first school of osteopathic medicine in Kirksville, Missouri in 1892. This degree is now awarded by 20 independent four-year osteopathic medical schools located around the country, two of which are here in California. After medical school, most D.O.s then choose several additional years of training in their chosen specialty, exactly like their M.D. counterparts.

D.O.s practice the full range of medical specialties, from anesthesiology to urology, and are fully licensed by hospital, state, federal, military, and medical board certifying agencies.

Osteopathic physicians also obtain extra training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, which emphasizes the connection between the structure and function of the various systems in the body.

• This differs from chiropractics by being an holistic, medically-based approach to care that integrates the natural healing capability of the body.
• D.O.s are always mindful of the body’s capacity for self-healing, and continually use it as a part of diagnosis and treatment.

To find out more about osteopathic and general family medical care, call for an appointment with me: (714) 668-2500.