Welcome to the VCOM Family

What is a DO?

In the United States, there are two types of fully-licensed doctors: osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) physicians. In osteopathic medicine, the emphasis is on preventative, hands-on and patient-centered care. DOs are licensed to diagnose illnesses and conditions, prescribe medication and perform surgery. DOs enter all the same residencies as their MD counterparts and they work together with MDs at hospitals and clinics to provide healthcare to patients across the United States. DOs receive additional training to perform osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). With OMM, physicians can treat problems patients may have within their nervous, muscular or skeletal systems, often avoiding more invasive surgical treatments. Being a DO means thinking about patient care in a different way—a way that puts the patient first and centers medicine around prevention.

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