There are only two types of fully licensed physicians in the United States that can practice a full scope of medicine including, prescribing medications, surgeries, and managing all aspects of illness and disease: MD’s (allopathic physicians) and DO’s (osteopathic physicians).
The pre-requisites for application and acceptance into both types of medical schools are identical. The basic four year medical school curricula are identical. The postgraduate training (residencies) are identical. The difference is that Osteopathic (DO) medical students have more training than the allopathic (MD) medical students.
Osteopathic medical students have 300 to 400 more hours in Osteopathic philosophy, diagnosis and treatment of all diseases as everything in Life is expressed through the neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) system. This includes the development of palpatory skills to evaluate and manipulative procedures to treat all illnesses. However with the full complement of medical education, the DO can discern when the modern conventional treatments (taught to the MD’s) is appropriate, and when and where to apply Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT).