2025 Osteopathic Medical Profession Report announces the profession has surpassed the 200,000 mark. There are now 207,158 osteopathic physicians and medical students! The AOA’s 2025 Osteopathic Medical Profession (OMP) Report provides an annual update on the growth within the osteopathic medical profession. Read on for a summary of current demographics and trends related to the practice of osteopathic medicine.
What began as a revolutionary set of founding principles introduced by frontier physician A.T. Still, DO, in 1874, has expanded into a community of physicians and medical students dedicated to caring for the body, mind and spirit of millions of patients across the nation. There are now 207,158 osteopathic physicians and medical students. Since the AOA began keeping these records in 1935, the total number of DOs has increased by 158,000 (1,721%).
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, now practice across a wide range of medical disciplines, combining their expertise with a whole-person approach centered on listening to and partnering with their patients. Today the osteopathic medical profession represents approximately 11% of all physicians and more than 25% of all medical students in the U.S.
More prospective physicians than ever are choosing to become DOs, with nearly 40,000 medical students attending 44 colleges of osteopathic medicine across 71 campuses. DOs hold some of the most distinguished positions in medicine today, caring for the U.S. President, overseeing the NASA medical team and leading some of the nation’s top-ranked hospitals and health systems. About 38% of military physicians are DOs.