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.

Since 2001, the number of applicants, enrollments, and graduates from U.S. colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) has risen sharply. Represented by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), the nation’s 33 COMs educate more than 27,000 future physicians—over 20 percent of all U.S. medical students—at 48 teaching locations in 31 states. 

With more than 6,000 new osteopathic physicians entering the workforce each year (as of 2016-17), approximately 108,000 fully-licensed osteopathic physicians currently practice nationwide – contributing a patient-centered approach to all aspects of care.