High School

Students who plan a career as a physician, either as a D.O. or an M.D., should take a college preparatory program, ideally advanced placement classes. You'll need a strong foundation in the sciences, especially biology, chemistry, and physics. Psychology is a helpful course in preparing you to work well with a wide variety of people coming to you for treatment. Strive to become as well-rounded an individual as possible.

Postsecondary Training

After obtaining a bachelor's degree, prospective osteopaths must apply to medical school. Students file applications along with their college transcripts and MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) scores. Incoming osteopathic medical students are required to have strong undergraduate science backgrounds, excellent MCAT scores, and meet stringent admissions criteria.

The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree involves four years of medical school, followed by another three to eight years in internships, residencies, and fellowships.

The curriculum in colleges of osteopathic medicine supports Dr. Still's osteopathic philosophy, with an emphasis on preventive, family, and community medicine. Clinical instruction stresses examining all patient characteristics (including behavioral and environmental) and how various body systems interrelate. Close attention is given to the ways in which the musculoskeletal and nervous systems influence the functioning of the entire body. An increasing emphasis on biomedical research in several of the colleges has expanded opportunities for students wishing to pursue research careers.

Certification or Licensing

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) offers board certification, which entails passing a comprehensive written exam as a well as a practical test demonstrating osteopathic manipulative techniques. The AOA offers specialty certification in 29 primary areas. To retain certification, physicians must complete 120 hours of continuing education within a three-year period. Continuing education can be acquired in a variety of ways, including attending professional conferences, completing education programs sponsored by the AOA, teaching osteopathic medicine, and publishing articles in professional journals. Some osteopathic physicians are certified by both the AOA and the American Medical Association.

At an early point in the residency period, all physicians, both M.D.s and D.O.s., must pass a state medical board examination in order to obtain a license and enter practice. Each state sets its own requirements and issues its own licenses, although some states will accept licenses from other states.

After graduating medical school, osteopaths continue gaining experience through internships, residencies, or fellowships. Scientific ability is critical to success, as well as the ability to communicate with patients.

The practice of osteopathy usually involves a lot of personal interaction and a lot of touching, which can make some patients—and some prospective doctors—feel uncomfortable. If you plan to become an osteopathic physician, you will need excellent communication skills to tell patients what to expect and what is happening at any one moment. If patients don't understand what you are telling them, they may not pursue treatment. For this reason, good communication and interpersonal skills are crucial.

Since a large number of osteopaths go into private practice, business and management skills are useful. In addition, good manual dexterity is important. Finally, and most importantly, you must have a commitment to caring for people.