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Osteopathic physicians believe there’s more to good health than the absence of pain or disease. Learn more about the DO distinction.
Osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest-growing health care professions in the country, with one out of every four medical students enrolled in an osteopathic medical school. Accounting for approximately 11% of all physicians in the United States, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, apply a unique patient-centered approach to the full spectrum of care.
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine practice in all medical specialties, including primary care, pediatrics, OB-GYN, emergency medicine, psychiatry and surgery. Moreover, DOs hold some of the most prominent positions in medicine today, including overseeing care for the President of the United States, the NASA medical team, Olympic athletes and many who serve in the uniformed services.
From their first days of medical school, DOs are trained to look beyond your symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact your well-being. They practice medicine according to the latest science and technology, but also consider options to complement pharmaceuticals and surgery.
As part of their education, DOs receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones. By combining this knowledge with the latest advances in medical technology, they offer patients the most comprehensive care available in health care today.
By focusing on prevention and tuning into how a patient’s lifestyle and environment can impact their wellbeing. DOs strive to help their patients be truly healthy in body, mind and spirit — not just free of symptoms.
Discover the difference
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, practice their distinct philosophy in every medical specialty, in all 50 states. Use our Find Your DO search tool to connect with an osteopathic physician in your community.