Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

# Overview
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O. or DO) is an academic degree offered in the United States.  It is a graduate-level first professional degree for physicians and surgeons, requiring four years to complete.  Holders of the D.O. degree are known as osteopathic physicians. D.O.s are trained much in the same way as M.D.s, with the osteopathic manipulative medicine philosophy and techniques woven into the curriculum.  DOs are licensed to practice the full scope of medicine and surgery in all 50 states. Depending on state, licensure may be issued from a combined board (DO & MD) or a separate board of medical examiners; regardless, all of the 70 state boards are members of the Federation of State Medical Boards. Many DOs practice in primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN) or emergency medicine, but DOs can be found in every medical specialty, from psychiatry to neurosurgery.
In the United States, the D.O. and the M.D. are the only two degrees permitting licensure as medical physicians. Osteopathic medical school curricula closely mirrors those of allopathic (MD) medical schools, both requiring 4 years of training in the basic and clinical sciences and include licensing exams). The first two years focus on the biomedical and clinical sciences, followed by core clinical training in the clinical specialties.  Osteopathic medical school accreditation standards require training in internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, family practice, surgery, psychiatry, emergency medicine, radiology, preventive medicine and public health. According to Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, "the training, practice, credentialing, licensure, and reimbursement of osteopathic physicians is virtually indistinguishable from those of allopathic physicians, with 4 years of osteopathic medical school followed by specialty and subspecialty training and  certification." However, osteopathic physicians also receive an additional 300 - 500 hours in the study of hands-on manual medicine and the body's musculoskeletal system integrated into the medical curriculum.
Although U. S. osteopathic medical physicians currently may obtain licensure in 65 countries, osteopathic curricula in countries other than the United States differs. D.O.s outside the U. S. are known as "osteopaths" and their scope of practice excludes some conventional medical therapies, relying more exclusively on osteopathic manipulative medicine and other alternative medical modalities.

# International variations in the D.O. degree
In the United States, doctors of osteopathic medicine are physicians who are also trained in osteopathic manipulative medicine.
The only osteopathic practitioners that the U.S. Department of Education recognizes as physicians are graduates of osteopathic medical colleges in the United States. There are currently no osteopathic programs located outside of the United States that qualify an individual to practice as an osteopathic physician in the United States. Foreign osteopathic degrees are not recognized as being equivalent to American D.O. degree for the purpose of medical licensure in any US state. On the other hand, US-trained D.O.s are currently able to practice in 65 countries with full medical rights and in several others with restricted rights.
Every country has different requirements and a different way of licensing or registering osteopathic physicians and osteopaths.
In France, Germany,and Switzerland, some osteopathic practitioners are M.D.s who take additional courses in osteopathy after completing their medical training. In the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, osteopaths" are trained in osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative treatment but are not physicians.
According to the BIOMEA, in most countries outside the United States, D.O. stands for diploma of osteopathy, not doctor of osteopathic medicine.  The difference is that osteopaths are not trained or licensed as physicians, and therefore do not carry the same practice rights, such as surgery and prescribing medication. However, osteopaths in some countries do act as primary care providers, coordinating treatment with fully licensed primary care physicians.

## International practice rights for US-trained Osteopathic Physicians
The following is an International Licensure Summary for US-trained Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, as listed by the American Osteopathic Association: