A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) is a fully licensed physician who practices the entire scope of modern medicine, holding the same rights and responsibilities as a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.). D.O.s are capable of diagnosing, treating, prescribing medication, and performing surgical procedures across all medical specialties. The primary difference between the two degrees is the D.O.’s additional training in a holistic approach to patient care and the use of manual techniques known as Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT). D.O.s can definitively perform surgery, as they are subject to the same licensing and training requirements as their M.D. counterparts.
The Path to Surgical Practice
The journey for a D.O. to become a surgeon is a rigorous academic and clinical process spanning approximately nine to twelve years after undergraduate studies. It begins with four years of accredited osteopathic medical school, where the curriculum is functionally equivalent to that of allopathic (M.D.) schools, covering subjects like anatomy, pharmacology, and pathology. Osteopathic students also receive supplemental training focused on the connection between the body’s structure and its function.
After medical school, the physician must match into a competitive surgical residency program, which lasts between five and seven years, depending on the chosen specialty. General Surgery typically requires five years of training, while Neurosurgery can extend to seven years or more. During residency, the D.O. completes thousands of hours of supervised clinical rotations, performs complex operative procedures, and gains increasing surgical responsibility. The board certification process, including written and oral examinations, is identical to the path taken by M.D. surgical trainees.
Unified Residency and Accreditation Standards
The equivalency of training for D.O. and M.D. physicians was formalized by the transition to a single accreditation system for all graduate medical education programs. This shift was overseen by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which accredits nearly all residency and fellowship programs in the United States. The transition concluded in 2020, unifying the previously separate accreditation systems for allopathic and osteopathic residencies under the ACGME banner.
This standardization ensures that every surgical residency program adheres to the same rigorous training requirements, regardless of its historical background. The merger solidified the parity of training, guaranteeing that a D.O. surgeon graduating from an ACGME-accredited program has met the same objective benchmarks for knowledge, clinical skill, and operative experience as any M.D. surgeon.
D.O. Surgeons in Specialized Fields
D.O. surgeons successfully practice across the full spectrum of surgical disciplines, holding positions in major academic medical centers, community hospitals, and private practices nationwide. They are prominent in highly technical fields such as Orthopedic Surgery, which often appeals to D.O.s due to their specialized training in the musculoskeletal system. D.O.s serve as surgeons in specialties like Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Surgery, and Neurological Surgery, performing procedures indistinguishable from those done by their M.D. colleagues.
The distinct osteopathic philosophy informs a D.O. surgeon’s approach to patient management, even when the surgical technique is standardized. This holistic perspective emphasizes the patient as a whole person, focusing on preventive care and promoting the body’s natural healing abilities. This often translates to a greater emphasis on pre-operative physical conditioning and post-operative rehabilitation. This integrative approach ensures D.O. surgeons provide the highest standard of technical skill while prioritizing the patient’s long-term health and recovery.