Patient Resources

What is the difference between a DO, MD & DC?

	Osteopathic Physician (D.O.)	Allopathic Physician (M.D.)	Chiropractor (D.C.)
Years of Education	Minimum 10 years. 4 year Undergraduate degree, plus four years medical school, plus 2-8 years residency training, and may go on for 1-3 years additional fellowship training.	Minimum 10 years. 4 year Undergraduate degree, plus four years medical school, plus 2-8 years residency training, and may go on for 1-3 years additional fellowship training.	Minimum 7 years. Some require 4 year undergraduate degree while others college credit, plus four or five years chiropractic school. Some may go on for additional residency training.
licensing Exams	COMLEX I, II, IICS, III. Students often also take both USMLE and COMLEX	USMLE I, II, IICS, & III.	National Board Exam (NBCE). Parts I, II, III, IV (practical) and state boards.
Residency Training	3-8 years depending on specialty. Most OMM specialists complete OMM subspecialty training (1-2 years in addition to 3-8)	3-8 years depending on specialty.	1 year internship that coincides with clinical courses while in training. No residency is required, but have the option to complete one if desired and accepted.
Board Certification/ Specialization	May specialize in any field of medical or surgical specialty, including OMM (18 osteopathic specialties plus 24 allopathic)	May specialize in any field of medical or surgical specialty, except OMM (24 allopathic specialties)	May specialize in 10 fields: orthopedics, pediatrics, Rehab, Internal disorders, radiology, neurology, nutrition, acupuncture, occupational health, sports physician.
Medication Prescribing Rights	Fully-licensed to prescribe medications.	Fully-licensed to prescribe medications.	Not licensed to prescribe medications. New Mexico has recently allowed limited prescribing rights.