What is the difference between osteopathic doctor and orthopedic doctor?

Answer 1

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and Doctors of Medicine (M.D.) are both full-fledged physicians trained in the United States who attend four years of medical school and are eligible to specialize in any field of medicine after residency training. To answer your original question, both DOs and MDs can train to be orthopedists or orthopedic surgeons if they decide that the medical specialty of orthopedics is that specialty they wish to pursue as a career.

Additionally, both DOs and MDs may sit for board certification examinations and each type of physician has the same legal and medical responsibilities such as prescribing medications, performing surgery, working in the hospital, medical diagnosis, etc. The difference between a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor of Medicine is a slight one-Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, in addition to the standard medical curriculum, receive 300-500 hours of instruction in a form of manual therapy known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). This form of therapy is another approach sometimes used by DOs to address a patient's musculoskeletal issues.