AOA President's Blog

This is a terrific idea however I would be more happy to conduct it if DOs are well recognized in ALL avenues of Medicine and not just primary care OMM pushers. It troubles me of how the AOA often replaces OMM specialists with DOs. I myself am a DO and don't practice ANY OMM in my practice. Not to say that I have anything against OMM, it's just that as a neurosurgeon, it's not common practice to employ OMM in my routine of patient care. Therefore, I would for once - love if the AOA emphasized the DOs are infact Medical Doctors that are found in ALL specialties and use the words "osteopathic PHYSICIAN" instead of "Osteopath" Thank you. Otherwise, yes I agree - DOs need more publicity and would highly encourage administrators to pull strings and allow the DO degree to appear on the white coat of just one physician in all the medically intensive shows (i.e Real Stories of the ER; Grey's Anatomy; ER; etc.) And please don't make them ALL out to be family physicians.

Posted by Nicholas Jankston, DO at Tuesday, January 09, 2007 12:06:56

Dr. Strosnider,
Can you elaborate on the word "can" in reference to the national advertising campaign that the "Greatness Fund" CAN be used for. Most people I have talked to refuse to believe that the AOA will come through on this and that actually facilitating a major promotion of Osteopathic Medicine will never happen. Many fear that this is all "lip service" and nothing tangible and noticable to the general public will ever happen, ie that this money could possibly be used entirely for other issues and not for promotion at all. That being said, can you clear up the word "can" in the above statement and possibly discuss what the AOA plans to do in terms of advertising Osteopathic Medicine to the general public. Thank you very much for your time.
Respecfully,
-OMS-II

Posted by OMS-II at Wednesday, January 10, 2007 16:24:09

adding to my above post:

I am not trying to discredit the other goals of the greatness fund, ie getting a formal meta-analysis on OMM published in a reputable journal.

Posted by OMS-II at Wednesday, January 10, 2007 17:45:11

All ideas are great and will be explored. Remember the goal is to raise as much as possible for the fund and to invest it over a 2 year period. Hopefully we will then have an amount to do major projects to promote and continue to validate the profession. No money from the fund can be expended without agreement between the house and the Board. This way all members will have input into the use of the fund. All ideas are encouraged.

Posted by John Strosnider at Friday, January 19, 2007 08:03:29

Thank you for the response. For advertising, how about including prominant Osteopathic Physicians such as pro sports team Docs, government appointed positions, etc. If the general public just understood what a DO is and how they fit into the healthcare system, pride in the profession would likely be more widespread and the grumblings about such things as degree changes would fade away.

Posted by OMS-II at Friday, January 19, 2007 12:03:59

How about trying to get a well spoken DO on the Oprah Winfrey Show or the Today show? These are shows that are watched by millions. And many of those millions are the ones who make the doctor appointments for the kids and spouse--MOMs! Moms are also very good at spreading the word.

Posted by SBM at Saturday, January 20, 2007 23:23:30

Both of the above are good ideas. The AOA has tried to utilize the Opra show, however she has her own agenda, and we have not been successful. As far as prominant D.O.s there have been many spotlighted on local television and print media. One example of national exposure is with Richard Jadick D.O. He has been on national TV and has recieved much acclaim fololowing the aritcle in I think Newsweek proclaiming him a Hero MD even though he graduated from the New York School. He is a great spokesman for the profession, and if you have not heard about him you should go to do-online and listen to his keynote address at last years convention. Quite inspiring. To do an all out media canpaign nationally with a well known spokesman takes millions of dollars, thus the need for the Greatness Fund. I agree with the fact that women (Moms) make the majority of health care decisions in this country, perhaps a well know female spokesman should be considered.

Posted by John Strosnider at Tuesday, January 23, 2007 08:06:07

Dr. Strosnider,

Another goal of the Greatness Fund, and of the AOA and Osteopathic community as a whole, should be the goal of generating interest in the field at the undergraduate level. College students, such as myself, I believe are at the heart of the future of medicine. I, for instance, am launching a Premedical chapter of SOMA at my college, here in New York City. If more premedical students are targeted, the years to come will provide more Osteopathic Physicians, ensuring a growth of the field in various dimensions. These dimensions include an easier time in obtaining some residencies, a wider acceptance in a metropolitan area such as New York along and many other related problems that New York DOs are faced with.

The truth is, it's time for osteopathic medicine to graduate into a more versatile institution. Rural medicine is fine, but the demands of metropolitan health care are calling. DOs should be on the front lines of medicine in large cities as well.

Spokespeople, such as Dr. Jadick, should be directed at premedical students, some of which have never heard of the term "osteopathic." His story is truly inspiring, brave and unforgettable. College students want to see this, as this is how medicine is romanticized at this level.

Also, research is a major dimension that the osteopathic community should focus on. Why not make COMs centers for scientific discovery. Let's attract America's most eager minds. This starts at the undergraduate level.

How about health commericials from the AOA. Maybe interviewing premedical students, physicians and surgeons on pressing health issues and osteopathic medicine itself.

Posted by Val Byst at Monday, February 05, 2007 18:16:29

Let's be honest here - despite the level of education attempts - the title MD is going to be interchanged for physician - no matter of what kind. The only solution is to adapt to the times and change the degree designation to MD,O or MD-O to maintain our equal but unique characteristics. Even Dr. Jadeck was misidentified as an MD OVER AND OVER again and we just sat around and watched it happen. This truely is a disheartening experience for members of the osteopathic physician family. Solution 1: Start doing some high profile research in biomedical sciences at DO schools or Soluation 2: Change the degree title and command respect and recognition.

Posted by Jake Princeton, DO at Tuesday, February 06, 2007 14:47:02

Hey,
If you would want recognition outside of the medical world... you MUST reach the public. Osteopathic medicine to some degree, at least in a place like New York, seems to be some sort of underground operation. It looks like DOs come out of no where. NYCOM does none, whatsoever, marketing to college students, patients in hospitals and the general public. The truth is, it IS about image.

OM's outlook on health care is truly fantastic, but it has become outdated.
Like I stated before, metropolitan health care demands are not only calling, they are SCREAMING! Inner city health is a disaster. Places like NYC deserve a high volume of practicing DOs in ALL medical specialties, catering to ALL of the needs of city patients. Family care is great, but medicine has branches stemming from this heavy trunk.

Medicine, stands poised between global health problems, domestic health care problems and policy, with major social and cultural implications.

Marketing is really something that should on the minds of the people in charge of osteopathic institutions.

Ask yourself,

How do I inform the PUBLIC about the existence of Osteopathic medicine?
How do I promote Osteopathic medical societies?
Where is the science in OMT? Make publications KNOWN.

As a college student who does his research, I can see osteopathic schools popping all over the country. How are the funds for the institutions going to be used? Research, SPECIALTY emphasis, and marketing the DO as a brand name of HIGH QUALITY health care.

Yes, degree designation does absolutely create some identification problems. But, it is certainly not the only issue that needs to be faced.

Marketing OM is a big deal, because IMAGE is a huge deal in our society. For OM to become more versatile and graduate into a more powerful enterprise that delivers high quality petient care, it needs to end this push for primary care.

Primary care physicians are

Plastic surgeons, dermatologists, cardiovascular experts and etc... are left out in the cold. These individuals are accomplished physicians. Yet when a patient is looking for a cardiothoracic surgeon, and when reading a surgeon's credentials- information is not registered. Because, there is NO former knowledge of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, for instance.

What is whole person? An MD with a genuine personality can also speak to a patient like they are family. It is fantastic that medical schools can emphasize this to the extent that DO schools do, but its not like OM has a trademark on hospitality.

Osteopathic Medicine is as unique as it is misunderstood. We need an overhaul of its outreach and marketing sector of this branch.

To build up OM and still maintain its 'medicine with a big heart' format, serious consideration needs to be made about the direction that it is taking as a whole in the 21st century.

Posted by Val Byst at Tuesday, February 06, 2007 21:12:28

Sorry, the way I meant to complete the sentence... "Primary care physicians are...."

is...

Primary care physicians are not the only doctors who represent the calculated 85,000 physician shortage. The number includes other specialties.

I apologize for the confusion.

Posted by Val Byst at Tuesday, February 06, 2007 21:15:04

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