Immunology/Global Health

Hi all,

I'm in my last week of classes as a junior undergrad, and plan to apply to podiatry school this August after taking the MCAT in July. However, I happened to stumble upon a one year master's program in Ireland offering a master of science in global health and immunology. I might apply to this program as well and put off podiatry school for a year. These are two subjects I've taken as an undergrad and find really interesting, but I still know I want to pursue podiatry as a career. I was just wondering if anyone had insight on the relevance of global health/immunology in podiatric medicine, and how I may be able to combine the fields either in research, public health education, or health policy/administration. Any advice is much appreciated!

Thanks!

I would imagine such a master's program more useful for those going to osteopathic or allopathic medical school where they will be more likely to practice primary care. Podiatry is mostly a surgical profession. On the other hand, one thing I'm learning in medicine is that anything is possible.

Wow this thread is really unpopular! That's not very promising. I think overall, this is a master's I'm interested in, and ultimately might make me a stronger candidate as a leader in the field (like a chief) because I'll have learned how to deal with many different people, as well as having an overall greater education. I think you take immunology in pod school, so I'd probably pass that with flying colors!

swinsh, you have better things to do with your time and money than to pursue this degree. If you want a leg up in immunology, there must be a graduate program you can enroll in for a year. If you play your cards right, they might waive your tuition and give you a stipend. Hell, if all you want is to bum around for a year in Ireland, that will ultimately come out cheaper.

The global health component of the degree sounds like a lot of time you will spend producing reams of paper with very little content. I don't care to elaborate, but I once enrolled in a similar degree program. The director was baffled when I tried to explain that the little bit I was learning did not justify the expense. I don't know how much your program will cost, even if it's only a couple of thousand, there are still a lot of things you can otherwise do with that kind of money.

Originally Posted by AttackNME

I would imagine such a master's program more useful for those going to osteopathic or allopathic medical school where they will be more likely to practice primary care. Podiatry is mostly a surgical profession. On the other hand, one thing I'm learning in medicine is that anything is possible.

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I disagree that our profession is MOSTLY a surgical profession. I believe that statement is really inaccurate and to some, a fantasy.

I am presently on staff at several hospitals, some very large teaching hospitals and some smaller facilities. I see first hand how much surgery is being performed, and each hospital where I work has about 20-30 DPMs on staff. The majority of those DPMs are only on staff at one hospital, so I know that when their numbers (surgical) are low, it's not because the cases are being diluted and being performed at another hospital. Most of the DPMs at these hospitals are seen once in a while and not on a consistent basis, and please remember I said MOST, not all.

At the facility where I perform the majority of my cases, there are almost 30 DPMs on staff. However, between my cases, and two of the other docs in our practice, in addition to cases scheduled regularly by another DPM on staff, we account for 99% of the podiatric cases.

Even though I perform a fair amount of surgery on a weekly basis, each doctor in our practice who performs surgery only dedicates one day a week (not counting emergency cases), which means the rest of the week we are NOT performing surgery.

The remainder of the week we may be treating; diabetics for palliative care, wound care, fracture care, sprain and strains, nail pathology, ankle problems, injuries, trauma, skin disorders including warts, dermatitis, soft tissue lesions, tinea pedis, etc, infections, arthritic disorders, heel pain, various aches and pains such as neuromas, tarsal tunnel syndrome, and the list goes on and on and on.

Our specialty is great BECAUSE there is diversity. I've been around this profession a pretty long time and have served in different capacities in different organizations. As a result, I do have a realistic understanding of what's going on in our profession both locally and nationally.

Yes, there are a few DPMs who do nothing but primarily surgery, but in my significant experience, I can tell you those DPM's account for approximately 5-10% of the profession. I highly doubt that the majority of the present students or residents will be performing surgery all week upon completion of their training. And once again, this is coming from someone who IS performing a fair amount of surgery on a consistent basis.

Even many orthopedic surgeons are in the O.R. 1-2 days a week, and spend the rest of their time treating non-surgical conditions.

As a side note, a young fairly well trained DPM opened and wanted to do only surgery. Therefore, every patient that walked in was told they need surgery. Naturally, this turned off a lot of patients and word spread quickly. More importantly, the primary care doctors got turned off that every patient referred was ending up in the O.R., or surgery was at least recommended. Within 2 years this doc was looking for a new job.

Yes, you don't have to tell me about the guy who runs your residency program who is doing 5 milllion cases a week. And you don't have to tell me about the guy you know who is working for an orthopod group who is in the O.R. 8 days a week. I am FULLY aware of the exceptions, but the reality is that they ARE the exceptions and not the rule. I can guarantee that's true.