7 Reasons To Pursue A Career In Osteopathic Medicine

Why Pursue A Career In Osteopathic Medicine

You may not have thought about osteopathic medicine as a career, but there are surprising benefits. If you’re interested in pursuing a medical degree and you want a specialization that not only diagnoses and treats symptoms but addresses patients’ concerns holistically, then osteopathic medicine might be for you. With an MD degree in osteopathic medicine, you’ll not only be equipped to diagnose and treat medical conditions but also to engage with patients in a comprehensive manner that considers their overall well-being.

What Is The Osteopathic Medicine Approach

Individuals who are passionate about interacting with people from different backgrounds will find osteopathic medicine a fulfilling career. It’s a hands-on diagnosis and treatment approach that centers on prevention and health promotion to help patients achieve a high level of wellness.

Osteopathic medicine also incorporates modern medicine, including surgery and prescription drugs, and uses technology to evaluate and diagnose medical conditions. You can read this to get a better understanding of the medical approach applied in osteopathic medicine.

With that said, here are a few good reasons why pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine is worthwhile:

Treat Patients As Individuals

The difference between osteopathic medicine and other health courses is the integrative approach to treating patients. Doctors practicing osteopathic medicine emphasize disease prevention, a holistic approach to healthcare, and empowering patients to work toward self-healing.

Osteopathy emphasizes treating patients as people, not just their condition or injury. As an osteopath, you’ll spend time interacting with and knowing your patients at a deeper level to understand their lifestyle, health conditions, and other elements that contribute to their ailment. You’ll then utilize this information or knowledge to provide a tailored treatment plan which may include exercise, manual therapy, and lifestyle changes.

Make A Real Difference To People

Osteopathy involves working with patients to help them recover from their conditions, manage prolonged ailments, and provide tips that improve their immune system and general wellness. Osteopaths are fortunate to have more time to care for their patients and make a huge impact.

As an osteopath, you have to talk to patients one-on-one, with long-lasting appointments of around 40 minutes to an hour. This also gives you the opportunity to educate patients about proper disease prevention. It’s more fulfilling than brief appointments that are common among general practitioners.

An Opportunity To Specialize In Exciting Areas

Although osteopathic medicine comprises several fields, and you can work with diverse patients with different conditions, you have the option to specialize. You may focus on treating elderly people, professional athletes, people with chronic health conditions, or children. Your career can advance with time and change track depending on your personal interests and advocacy.

Enjoy Career Freedom

A significant number of osteopathic practitioners are self-employed. Therefore, you’ll have the advantage of dictating your working hours and pursuing your career around other interests and commitments. Being an osteopath allows you to build a pattern of working hours that fits your schedule. You can avoid the typical doctors’ tendency to work long shifts or be on call often and just have your schedule revolve around the actual needs of your patients.

As an osteopathic medical practitioner, you can also choose to focus on different aspects of healthcare. You may focus on diagnosing and treating illnesses or put more emphasis on the wellness aspect. Alternatively, you can incorporate both. This is a unique field of medicine, unlike other practitioners who are generally required to specialize in certain diseases, organs, or bodily systems only.

Be Part Of A Regulated Form Of Healthcare

Like any other healthcare professional, you must register your practice with a professional regulatory body. For osteopathic medicine practitioners, this would be the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC).

As an osteopath, you must abide by professional standards and ethics set by the GOsC to continue your practice. This also builds your credibility, making it easy for patients to trust your knowledge, expertise, and treatments.

Join An Allied Health Profession

Osteopathic medicine is a unified health profession respected and recognized by many, including health regulatory bodies. Osteopathy is earning a growing profile worldwide and is even given importance in various medical settings. Partnerships in the field of disease prevention and health education make osteopathy a vital aspect of the healthcare industry.

Earn Good Money

Becoming an osteopathic practitioner generally raises your income-earning potential. The amount of income you’ll receive predominantly depends on how smart you work, the prices you choose to charge if you’re self-employed, and the kind of patients you want to treat.

Conclusion

Osteopathic medicine is an excellent option if you’re interested in integrative medicine and want to make a lasting impact on other people’s lives. Pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine has many advantages, but the most important one is the ability to connect with patients at a deeper level.

You also benefit from specializing in areas you’re most interested in. If you’re a student interested in becoming a physician, you could also learn more about osteopathy and see if it’s an excellent fit for you.