AACOM Media Center

As a distinct form of medical practice in the United States, osteopathic medicine provides:

• All of the benefits of modern medicine including prescription drugs, surgery, and the use of technology to diagnose disease and evaluate injury
• Hands-on diagnosis and treatment through a system of treatment known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM)
• The added benefit of helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health promotion, disease prevention, and unlocking the body’s innate ability to heal itself

A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) graduates from a U.S. college of osteopathic medicine as a fully-licensed physician who:

• Possesses full, unlimited medical practice rights
• Has achieved nationally recognized academic and professional standards
• Can provide diagnosis and treatment
• May pursue any branch of specialized medical care, just like MDs
• Is licensed to practice in the United States and more than 65 countries that grant full medical practice rights to U.S. trained DOs

Before entering osteopathic medical school, aspiring DOs must earn an undergraduate degree, complete pre-medical coursework, and take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Osteopathic medical students take approximately 200 hours of training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), and study all of the typical subjects future doctors are expected to master. Upon graduation, DO students take three to ten years of specialty residency and fellowship training, complete licensing and specialty board examinations, and pursue a license to practice.

There are currently 36 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States. These colleges are accredited to deliver instruction at 57 teaching locations in 33 states. In the current academic year, these colleges are educating more than 30,000 future physicians — 25 percent of all U.S. medical students. Seven of the colleges are public and 29 are private institutions. Learn more about osteopathic medicine

The nation’s approximately 108,000 fully-licensed active and practicing osteopathic physicians practice the entire scope of modern medicine, bringing a patient-centered, holistic, hands-on approach to diagnosing and treating illness and injury. Osteopathic medicine is the fastest growing medical field in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions. The DO population is growing at a rate of about 1,300, or five percent, per year.