"I just love the practice in Avalon Park," says Dr. Beth Burns. ''I'm a typical internist. I enjoy talking to seniors and people with multiple medical problems that need solutions. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to be here in Avalon Park and look forward to meeting more of the community."
WHAT IS A D.O.?
- D.O. stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. This medical degree was begun in 1974 by Andrew Still, M.D., who started a philosophy of integrating evidence based medicine with evaluation of the entire body as one unit. He was essentially a pioneer in the realm of “wellness” medicine.
- Dr. Still began investigating and studying the role of the nervous and musculoskeletal system in overall body function in health and in disease.
- In medical school, D.O.’s have extra training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine to address this component of the body’s daily function.
- Both M.D.’s and D.O.’s complete four years of college/undergraduate education, four years of medical school and at least three years of residency, depending on their specialty.
- Both M.D.’s and D.O.’s must pass a three-phase National Medical Board to be licensed in the U.S.
- M.D.’s and D.O.’s complete residencies and fellowships, if applicable, and take Specialty Board Examinations in their area of expertise. Dr. Burns did an M.D. residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and therefore is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
- D.O.’s specialize in all the same areas of medicine as M.D.’s, such as general surgery, urology, orthopedics, dermatology, plastic surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesia, neurology, neurosurgery, internal medicine, subspecialties of internal medicine (cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology….) and family and pediatric medicine.
- 65% of all D.O.’s in the U.S. are in primary care areas. Many of these are in rural areas of our country.
- D.O.’s view their role as that of teacher, and their training is focused on educating patients on lifestyle, diet, exercise, and preventative medicine.