D.P.M. or go for the D.O.

Hey everyone,
So I graduated college with a 3.4 (minus the first year it would be a 3.6) gpa and got a 27M mcat. I had my heart set on becoming a podiatrist and have lots of knowledge on the field, but I believe I can gain acceptance to an osteopathic school especially if I apply early. For me, I like the lifestyle of a pod and I would enjoy implementing the broad ranges of treatments from surgeries, dermatology, radiology, wound care, etc. I haven't really researched enough about DO and would like to get opinions from people here.

Right now my plan is to apply to podiatry schools now since I have everything I need already and shadow a DO to gain a better understanding. If I really like it I'll just take an extra year off school.

So what are your thoughts? If you could opt for a life as a DO would you do it? Any advantages you see other than a probable higher income and what most view as a more "prestigious" field?

You should really only apply to podiatry school if you have NO DOUBTS about it. If you are not so sure about podiatry and you end up doing it, just know this is something you are going to be putting A LOT of work into and as a career youll be doing it for the rest of your life. The reason I am going into Podiatry (hopefully, if I gain acceptance for fall of 2013), I love the variety of things you can do, as you mentioned, surgeries, dermatology, radiology, wound care, etc. The things with MD/DO, if you want to do surgery generally it IS VERY DIFFICULT to gain acceptance into a surgical residency, whereas, with Podiatry, all residencies have some sort of surgery involved.

It should go without saying that I truly like the field and I don't expect it to be a walk in the park by any means. I am fully prepared for that. I just started contemplating the benefits being an osteopathic doctor would have over a podiatrist. Thanks for your response though.

This is going to be your career/life. If you have any doubts, you owe it to yourself to take time and be sure.

Uh you're right. What a hard decision it's going to be!

My 2 cents: if you aren't absolutely sure you want to be a DPM then do one of two things: go for the DO or wait and think it out. Take a vaction, more classes etc. No rush for such a big decision.

A little part of me will always want the prestige of an MD or DO just for my ego's sake. My hobbies have always involved doing something with my hands, be it arts/crafts, or computer gaming, and I've shadowed around enough to know that I want to be using my hands in my profession. I chose podiatry for the security, knowing that I will be trained as a surgeon and foot care specialist which includes minor in-office procedures which also involves practicing with my hands.

I feel you have your sights set on podiatry, but a part of you still seek prestige. I assure you, with everything else in life, hard work will bring you prestige. With podiatry, the sky is the limit.

Originally Posted by MindtheGlottis

Hey everyone,
So I graduated college with a 3.4 (minus the first year it would be a 3.6) gpa and got a 27M mcat. I had my heart set on becoming a podiatrist and have lots of knowledge on the field, but I believe I can gain acceptance to an osteopathic school especially if I apply early. For me, I like the lifestyle of a pod and I would enjoy implementing the broad ranges of treatments from surgeries, dermatology, radiology, wound care, etc. I haven't really researched enough about DO and would like to get opinions from people here.

Right now my plan is to apply to podiatry schools now since I have everything I need already and shadow a DO to gain a better understanding. If I really like it I'll just take an extra year off school.

So what are your thoughts? If you could opt for a life as a DO would you do it? Any advantages you see other than a probable higher income and what most view as a more "prestigious" field?

Originally Posted by AttackNME

I feel you have your sights set on podiatry, but a part of you still seek prestige. I assure you, with everything else in life, hard work will bring you prestige. With podiatry, the sky is the limit.

I never took you for an artsie-fartsie.

lol, the last line was borrowed from Dr Harkless during my interview with him at Western U. He's a very inspiring and positive man

Originally Posted by Kidsfeet

I never took you for an artsie-fartsie.

Originally Posted by AttackNME

A little part of me will always want the prestige of an MD or DO just for my ego's sake. My hobbies have always involved doing something with my hands, be it arts/crafts, or computer gaming, and I've shadowed around enough to know that I want to be using my hands in my profession. I chose podiatry for the security, knowing that I will be trained as a surgeon and foot care specialist which includes minor in-office procedures which also involves practicing with my hands.

I feel you have your sights set on podiatry, but a part of you still seek prestige. I assure you, with everything else in life, hard work will bring you prestige. With podiatry, the sky is the limit.

Originally Posted by flyhi

I personally would not opt for DO over podiatry. I think podiatry is a diamond in the rough and what you see is what you get. I could see myself doing another specialty (OB/gyn), but there is no guarantee that you will match with what you want, especially if you are going for a more competitive specialty. And to end up in something that is not your first choice, would be weird for me.

As far as the pay, I have not researched DO much, except to poke around on SDN, but I feel like podiatry the better income potential overall. This is especially true if most DO's end up in FP and the really lucrative specialties are very difficult for DO's to land. Prestige... again, I'm not sure outside of the academic bubble if the public would perceive a FP DO more prestigious than a DPM? Typically a 'surgeon' is seen as more prestigious in the public eye than a FP, which as we know a lot of DO's end up. I also have yet to meet someone who is not involved in medicine who really knows what a DO is compared to MD, yet most people seem familiar with or have been to a podiatrist.

This is just my experience, but I have found it interesting the look I get when I mention DO. I've only done this when I've been asked 'why not MD?' and I've had to explain that I would not have gone MD anyways, but DO.....and then the educating begins.

I think the biggest advantage of DO to podiatry is the fact that you do have options. There is no changing your specialty once you are in. Other than that, I think it's hard to compare because your lifestyle could be so different as a DO depending on what you end up doing.

It sounds like you have a good grasp about podiatry, but there is that little DO bug in your ear that has put some doubt as to which would be best for you. You said you were going to shadow and even take a year off, if necessary, which says a lot about your commitment to make the right decision.

Both of you hit the nail on the head on how I'm feeling about this decision. Seems like you both might have had similar contemplations before applying to schools. I'm starting to side with podiatry because I too don't like not knowing what specialty I will be practicing for a large portion of my life. To think of being in FM does not sound appealing to me. The prestige might be something to think about, but just because I can get into a DO school, doesn't make it the right decision.

I really appreciate everyone's insights and I still plan on shadowing a DO to ensure I don't have something to regret for the rest of my life. I'll make a point to follow my gut and try to dismiss the doubts my brain keeps feeding me about prestige and the possible financial benefits that might accompany a DO career. I was never one to care for those things anyway, but damn my brain doesn't shut up!

In any field there will be prestige, and there will be people who think you're lesser than them. You can only do so much to change the views of other people.

Take the best mechanic you can imagine; a beast of a technician that works on Ferrari's all day. He still might deal with douchebag millionaires on a daily basis that think he's gum on a shoe.

This sort of thing isn't less prevalent in MD/DOs, I don't think...you can find threads throughout this forum about how one specialty is "less of a real MD" than others. (Everyone knows dermatologists are...ahem...lesser ;-))

What's the solution? Find your own self worth and be a dominant force in whatever field you choose. It doesn't really matter what you end up doing with your life, the overall course is the same for everyone. You live, then you die. It's all about finding contentment in what you're doing, and for me a lot of that comes from being especially good at the things I work hardest in.

Lebron James may be one of the best basketball players that's ever lived, but let's see what sort of MCAT score he gets.

Find something you would enjoy doing, and do it. Other people be damned. As the great Jimi Hendrix once said, "I'm the one who's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to."

Caring too much about what other people think will cause problems, regardless of what field you choose. Best bet is to just be a kick ass "whatever".

Originally Posted by MindtheGlottis

So what are your thoughts? If you could opt for a life as a DO would you do it? Any advantages you see other than a probable higher income and what most view as a more "prestigious" field?

I personally would not opt for DO over podiatry. I think podiatry is a diamond in the rough and what you see is what you get. I could see myself doing another specialty (OB/gyn), but there is no guarantee that you will match with what you want, especially if you are going for a more competitive specialty. And to end up in something that is not your first choice, would be weird for me.

As far as the pay, I have not researched DO much, except to poke around on SDN, but I feel like podiatry the better income potential overall. This is especially true if most DO's end up in FP and the really lucrative specialties are very difficult for DO's to land. Prestige... again, I'm not sure outside of the academic bubble if the public would perceive a FP DO more prestigious than a DPM? Typically a 'surgeon' is seen as more prestigious in the public eye than a FP, which as we know a lot of DO's end up. I also have yet to meet someone who is not involved in medicine who really knows what a DO is compared to MD, yet most people seem familiar with or have been to a podiatrist.

This is just my experience, but I have found it interesting the look I get when I mention DO. I've only done this when I've been asked 'why not MD?' and I've had to explain that I would not have gone MD anyways, but DO.....and then the educating begins.

I think the biggest advantage of DO to podiatry is the fact that you do have options. With podiatry, there is no changing your specialty once you are in. Other than that, I think it's hard to compare because your lifestyle could be so different as a DO depending on what you end up doing.

It sounds like you have a good grasp about podiatry, but there is that little DO bug in your ear that has put some doubt as to which would be best for you. You said you were going to shadow and even take a year off, if necessary, which says a lot about your commitment to make the right decision.

it ALL depends on the type of lifestyle you want to live and what you want out of a career as a practitioner.

I have spoken to 6 DPMs, 5 in the New York City area and one in Northern Jersey. Some more successful than others. They all told me podiatry is a great profession but their advice to me was to go the MD/DO route if I can. Their reasoning being along the lines of having more options and easier time obtaining hospital privileges.

Just food for thought

Originally Posted by bunion123

I have spoken to 6 DPMs, 5 in the New York City area and one in Northern Jersey. Some more successful than others. They all told me podiatry is a great profession but their advice to me was to go the MD/DO route if I can. Their reasoning being along the lines of having more options and easier time obtaining hospital privileges.

Just food for thought

Sounds like some people don't want competition.

Originally Posted by bunion123

I have spoken to 6 DPMs, 5 in the New York City area and one in Northern Jersey. Some more successful than others. They all told me podiatry is a great profession but their advice to me was to go the MD/DO route if I can. Their reasoning being along the lines of having more options and easier time obtaining hospital privileges.

Just food for thought

But... what if podiatry is what you want to do? Who needs options when you've already found the perfect career!