Writing Your “Why Doctor of Osteopathy” Personal Statement

Writing Your "Why Doctor of Osteopathy" Personal Statement

By Elizabeth LaScala, MD, PhD

The Doctor of Osteopathy Personal Statement comprises 5300 characters convincing DO programs that you are an excellent candidate based on your experiences, values, and ambitions.

Applying for grad school?

For those of you applying for graduate school this fall, I have a suite of resources designed to provide guidance for applicants interested in a range of disciplines. These resources are available on my graduate school newsletter archive page. Here are just some specific disciplines I cover.

Veterinary – Here I provide answers to important questions about the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and insight into the diverse career paths DVMs can take.

Physical and Occupational Therapy – Here I outline considerations for deciding on Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs and the path to becoming a licensed Occupational Therapist (OT).

Media Studies and Communications – Here I offer guidance on finding the media studies and communications master’s program right for you depending on your goals.

Fine Arts – Here I show some of the reasons for pursuing a Master’s in Fine Arts and give tips for financing art school.

What Not to Do

MD and DO programs have distinct values and training priorities. Thus, if you are applying to both programs, do not copy and paste your AMCAS personal statement into your AACOM application, or vice versa. Treat these two pieces as distinct essays. Of course, you can draw from the same experiences and motivations to study medicine, but each statement should be written for the specific application type. As DO admissions become increasingly competitive, you want to avoid adcoms suspecting that your application to them was an afterthought. For example, if your statement focuses on holistic care and whole-body treatments, clearly geared towards a DO application, you may rub an MD committee the wrong way by submitting this exact statement in your AMCAS.

Second, do not answer with ‘I value holistic care.’ DO programs are inherently holistic so this answer is neither unique nor insightful as to why you are a good fit for a DO program. Similarly, if asked why you want to attend a DO program, do not say due to the school’s holistic approach. You want to give informed reasons based on personal experiences with a DO or the principles and values of DO practice. The “Why DO” question provides an excellent opportunity to show off the research you have done on DO programs and all the specific personal experiences that draw you to osteopathic care.

 
What To Do

Besides good writing, there are many ways to make a personal statement more compelling.  The key point is to convince a medical school of why you want to be a DO, rather than a nurse, social worker, health coach, or a related profession.

I suggest focusing on clinical and research experiences that exemplify how you have witnessed or practiced holistic patient care. Rather than say that you shadowed a physician who cared for the patient’s mind and body and stop there, describe what happened, how it helped the patient, how it inspired you to be a DO, and how you will emulate similar traits or techniques in your career. For example, your experiences may focus on disease prevention, making connections between organ systems, or lifestyle and environmental health factors. Such areas fall under the umbrella of holistic care without using that same term repeatedly. Remember to show not tell!

Additionally, AACOM emphasizes some unique attributes of DO practice that you can incorporate into your central personal statement theme. Specifically, DOs take a special interest in the patient-physician relationship as a partnership. Also, DOs receive unique training in the neuromusculoskeletal system, including hands-on practice known as osteopathic manipulative training. Finally, choose anecdotes that reflect AACOM’s four osteopathic principles here. For example, instead of saying that treating a patient inspired you to pursue a hands-on role in saving lives, you might say that providing nutrition counseling through a local nonprofit taught you how addressing lifestyle factors of health can have just as strong of an impact as treating symptoms and diagnosing diseases.  I suggest checking out the American Osteopathic Association news page to better understand the practice that DOs prioritize, such as medical students taking culinary electives or a doctor battling childhood obesity by providing hip-hop dance lessons.

Most importantly, take the DO personal statement as an opportunity to reflect on what inspires you about osteopathic medicine and where you see yourself in a DO career. Thinking about your experiences and motivations will not only translate into more thoughtful, genuine writing but can also help impart passion and excitement into your voice as you write.

 

Applying for grad school?

For those of you applying for graduate school this fall, I have a suite of resources designed to provide guidance for applicants interested in a range of disciplines. These resources are available on my graduate school newsletter archive page. Here are just some specific disciplines I cover.

Veterinary – Here I provide answers to important questions about the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and insight into the diverse career paths DVMs can take.

Physical and Occupational Therapy – Here I outline considerations for deciding on Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs and the path to becoming a licensed Occupational Therapist (OT).

Media Studies and Communications – Here I offer guidance on finding the media studies and communications master’s program right for you depending on your goals.

Fine Arts – Here I show some of the reasons for pursuing a Master’s in Fine Arts and give tips for financing art school.

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