Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, like physicians and many other professionals, are regulated at two different levels. Licensure is a process that takes place at the state level in accordance with specific state laws. In contrast, certification is established through a national organization(s) with nationally consistent requirements for minimal professional practice standards.

• DOs can perform surgery, deliver children, treat patients, and prescribe medicines in hospitals and clinic settings.

• DOs look at the "total person." Osteopathic physicians focus on preventative care. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they look at the whole body.

• DOs receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system, which is comprised of the nerves, muscles, and bones. This training gives DOs a better understanding of how an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another part of the body; therefore, DOs have a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage.

• DOs use what is called osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). OMT is a technique in which the DOs use their hands to diagnose injury and illness, giving special attention to the joints, bones, muscles, and nerves. Manipulations improve circulation, which in turn, creates a normal nerve and blood supply, enabling the body to heal itself.