Both are fully licensed physicians who can practice in any specialty in the United States, with the same scope of practice. DO programs add training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) and generally emphasize a whole-person treatment philosophy throughout the curriculum. DO students take the COMLEX licensing exam, and most also sit for the USMLE to keep residency options fully open.
Since the 2020 transition to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education, MD and DO graduates match into residency through the exact same system. DOs remain somewhat less represented in certain highly competitive specialties and at academic medical centers, but plenty of successful, well-matched physicians are DOs, and the gap has been narrowing.