Osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest-growing health care professions in the nation, with the number of people involved having more than quadrupled in nearly 30 years.
There are nearly 138,000 doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO) and osteopathic medical students in the nation, as opposed to just under 31,000 in 1990, according to a 2017 report by the American Osteopathic Association.
Comparatively, there are now more than 1.1 million doctors of medicine (MD) in the nation -- up from nearly 616,000 in 1990. More than 20,000 students enroll in a traditional medical school each year.
Arkansas has one traditional medical school, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, and two osteopathic medical schools -- the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine on the Jonesboro campus of Arkansas State University and the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Smith.
While the education and certification requirements of MDs and DOs are much the same, osteopathic doctors have a more holistic philosophy of treating the patient's mind, body and spirit.
Both professions are doctors licensed to practice in the United States.
Doctors of osteopathy practice in all areas of medicine and are fully licensed. Osteopathic physicians focus on prevention and focus on the patient's lifestyle and environment, according to literature from the American Osteopathic Association.
After the four years of medical school, both MDs and DOs must complete residency training in their chosen specialties and must also pass the same licensing examination before they can treat patients and prescribe medications.
There are 35 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine that operate in 32 states, according to statistics from the American Osteopathic Association.
Other statistics from the American Osteopathic Association and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine indicate:
• Doctors of osteopathy account for 10 percent of all primary care physicians.
• About 56 percent of doctors of osteopathy practice in primary care specialties.
• Nearly 40 percent of doctors of osteopathy in active practice are women.
• About 54 percent of the osteopathic doctor population is under the age of 45.
NW News on 01/14/2019