Imagine you are working for a primary care provider whose credentials are a doctor of osteopathic medicine (do) instead of a medical doctor (md). a new patient presents to the office, notices the difference on a business card, and asks you what the difference is. answer the following questions: what are the differences between a md and a do? what might be the patient’s concerns upon discovering this? how should you handle the situation?

What are the differences between an MD and a DO?
An MD or a doctor of medicine practices a form of medicine called allopathic medicine which means treating the disease entity using medicine (drugs) and surgery. A DO or a doctor of osteopathic medicine on the other hand practices osteopathic medicine which aims to treat the patient as a whole, including the patient's environment and patient's nutrition. They often use osteopathic rehabilitative measures for relief of musculoskeletal pain. 

What might be the patient's concerns after discovering this?
More often than not, the patient may question the degree of DO as a qualification or a license to treat medicine as an MD is very commonly seen by patients after their doctor's name. The patient may also relate the degree of DO to orthopedics as because of the similarity of the names.

How would you handle the situation?
First of all, if the patient is distressed about knowing that I am a DO instead of an MD; I will first calm the patient down. Then explain to the patient that a DO is fully capable of practicing medicine and even surgery and reassure that there is nothing to worry about. Lastly, I will educate the patient about the similarities and differences between a DO and an MD.

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