International practice rights

International variations in the D.O. degree
In the United States, doctors of osteopathic medicine are physicians who are also trained in osteopathic manipulative medicine.

In France, Germany,and Switzerland, osteopathic practitioners are M.D.s who take additional courses in osteopathy after completing their medical training.

In the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, “osteopaths" are trained in osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative treatment but are not physicians.

International practice rights
Every country has different requirements and a different way of licensing or registering osteopathic physicians and osteopaths. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes as physicians graduates of osteopathic medical colleges in the United States. Osteopaths who have trained outside the United States are not eligible for medical licensure in the United States, however, U.S.-trained D.O.s are currently able to practice in 45 countries with full medical rights and in several others with restricted rights.

The following is a table of International Practice Rights of U.S trained Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, as listed by the American Osteopathic Association. An update of this listing was released in December 2007.

DOs compared to MDs
&nbsp In the United States, the D.O. and the M.D. are the only two degrees permitting licensure as medical physicians. D.O and M.D. physicians have similar training, both requiring four years of training in the basic and clinical sciences and the successful completion of licensing exams (D.O. physicians must pass the COMLEX, while the M.D. physicians must pass the USMLE). D.O. physicians typically train at community hospitals and in more rural areas, while M.D. physicians typically train at more academic medical centers. Osteopathic medical physicians receive training in Osteopathic Manual Manipulation. Although U.S. osteopathic medical physicians currently may obtain licensure in 47 countries, osteopathic curricula in countries other than the United States differ, and in many countries they are not recognized as physicians; rather D.O.s are known as "osteopaths". In the United States osteopaths utilize the same medical practices as their allopathic counterparts along with osteopathic manipulative medicine.