Yes, a DO school is a medical school. Graduates earn the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, which grants full medical practice rights identical to the more familiar Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. DOs can prescribe medications, perform surgery, specialize in any field, and practice in all 50 states. Close to 30 percent of all U.S. medical students today are enrolled in DO programs, making osteopathic schools a major part of the physician pipeline.
How DO and MD Programs Compare
The structure of a DO program mirrors that of an MD program almost exactly. Students spend roughly their first one to two years in classroom-based science courses, then transition to hands-on clinical rotations in hospitals and clinics for the remainder of training. Both degrees require four years of medical school followed by residency training in a chosen specialty.
The one clear curricular difference is that DO students receive additional training in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a set of hands-on techniques used to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal problems. This training includes at least 50 hours of instruction, with 35 of those hours devoted to hands-on practice and a minimum of 50 documented patient encounters. OMT is layered on top of the standard medical education, not a replacement for any part of it.
Admissions and Student Profile
Getting into a DO school is competitive. Applicants take the same Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) required by MD programs. For the 2024 entering class, the average undergraduate GPA of students who matriculated into osteopathic schools was 3.59 overall, with a 3.49 science GPA and a 3.71 non-science GPA. These numbers sit slightly below the averages at MD schools, but the overlap is significant, and many applicants apply to both types of programs simultaneously.
There are currently 46 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine across 73 teaching locations in 36 states, training more than 38,000 students at any given time.
Licensing Exams
DO students take COMLEX-USA, a three-level licensing exam sequence designed specifically for osteopathic physicians. It tests both standard medical knowledge and osteopathic principles. Many DO students also choose to take the USMLE, the licensing exam series used by MD students, particularly if they’re applying to competitive residency programs at MD-affiliated hospitals. Either exam sequence satisfies state licensing requirements.
Residency Training Under One System
Until recently, DO and MD graduates trained in separate residency systems with different accrediting bodies. That changed in 2015, when a five-year transition merged everything under a single accreditation system run by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The transition is now complete: 98 percent of previously osteopathic-only residency programs that applied achieved ACGME accreditation.
This means DO and MD graduates now compete for the same residency slots, train in the same programs, and are evaluated against the same competency milestones. The unified system eliminated duplicate accreditation costs and created transparency for licensing boards, hospitals, and the public. Programs that want to preserve osteopathic training can still offer it within the ACGME framework, so DO residents don’t lose that part of their education.
Practice Rights After Graduation
In the United States, a licensed DO has the same scope of practice as a licensed MD. They can work in any specialty, hold hospital privileges, prescribe controlled substances, and perform surgery. This wasn’t always the case. As recently as the 1960s, nine states still barred osteopathic physicians from prescribing drugs or operating. Those restrictions are long gone. Today, DOs serve as primary care physicians, surgeons, psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, and every other type of specialist.
Internationally, DOs have full practice rights in more than 65 countries. Recognition varies outside that list, so physicians planning to work abroad should verify their credentials will transfer. The American Osteopathic Association publishes a country-by-country licensure map for this purpose.
Why the Confusion Exists
The question of whether DO schools are “real” medical schools persists for a few reasons. The term “osteopathic” sounds unfamiliar to many people and can be confused with non-physician practitioners like osteopaths in some other countries, who may have a more limited scope. In the U.S., though, the DO degree is a full medical doctorate. The historical restrictions that once limited osteopathic practice created a perception gap that took decades to close, and some of that stigma lingers in medical culture even though it no longer reflects reality.
From a patient’s perspective, you’re unlikely to notice any practical difference between a DO and an MD. They’ve completed the same core training, passed equivalent licensing exams, and trained in the same residency programs. The DO on their white coat simply means they also learned a set of manual therapy techniques and were trained with a philosophy that emphasizes the musculoskeletal system’s role in overall health.