A: Students entering both DO and MD medical colleges typically have already completed four-year bachelor's degrees with an emphasis on scientific courses. While DOs and MDs have many things in common, osteopathic medicine is a parallel branch of American medicine with a distinct philosophy and approach to patient care. DOs can bring an extra dimension to your health care through their unique skills.  For more than a century, osteopathic physicians have built a tradition of bringing health care to where it is needed most: DOs combine today's medical technology with their ears to listen caringly to their patients, with their eyes to see each patient as a whole person, and with their hands to diagnose and treat patients for injury and illness.