VCOM 2022 Annual Report

What is a DO?

A DO, or Doctor of Osteopathic in the United States, DOs bring a unique, patient-centered approach to the full spectrum of medicine. DOs practice in all medical specialties, including primary care, pediatrics, OBGYN, emergency medicine, psychiatry and surgery. While a DO may enter any specialty of medicine, the majority of VCOM graduates choose to enter primary care and many are dedicated to the care of those in rural and underserved areas. The History of Osteopathic Medicine A ndrew Taylor Still, physician, surgeon, legislator and native-born Virginian, founded osteopathic medicine and the first osteopathic medical school in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1876. Unconventional for his day, Dr. Still accepted women and African Americans to the school. The osteopathic profession first reached national recognition during the 1918 influenza epidemic, when osteopathic treatments—then consisting of manipulative treatments that promoted pulmonary function, isolation, hygiene and fluids—resulted in lower mortality rates than hospitals. By the 1960s, the DO profession was recognized by the American Medical Association as having equivalent education to offer a medical degree. Medicine, is a fully licensed physician and surgeon. Accounting for approximately 11% of all physicians

“To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease.” —Andrew T. Still (pictured above)

56.5 % of DO s practice in PRIMARY CARE FIELDS —2020-2021 AOA Osteopathic Medical Profession Report

168,701 TOTAL OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIANS and STUDENTS in U.S. —2020-2021 AOA Osteopathic Medical Profession Report

In the United States, 11 % of all PHYSICIANS are OSTEOPATHIC —2020-2021 AOA Osteopathic Medical Profession Report

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