Applying to both MD/DO and Podiatry ?

[smhmd]

Please don't quote
I was wondering how this would look to both the Medical and Podiatry schools. I want to definitely apply by next cycle but I want to kind of have back ups in play for options as well. Does anyone have experience with this BTW ? Will the admins look unfavorably at it ? My stats right now are at 3.5/3.3 & 514. Any help or insight is appreciated.

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[de Ribas]

I never applied MD, so I do not have that experience.

Is that MCAT real or hypothetical?

I think that DPM schools won't care if you apply MD and DPM. But I wouldn't apply to both just because you can. If you like MD/DO and still not sure about specialty you like to stick with, then do not apply DPM. Apply DPM if you shadowed, know what it entails and will be ok with having specialized from the start.
I am not sure how MD schools will react to your DPM app, but DPM probably wouldn't care much. For MD perspective, you should ask over at MD Forum.

 

[smhmd]

514 is real. I been liking the field of podiatry which is why I been thinking about applying to it as well but I don't want to make my chances at MD or even DO worse by letting them know I'm applying to other professions.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

Please don't quote
I was wondering how this would look to both the Medical and Podiatry schools. I want to definitely apply by next cycle but I want to kind of have back ups in play for options as well. Does anyone have experience with this BTW ? Will the admins look unfavorably at it ? My stats right now are at 3.5/3.3 & 514. Any help or insight is appreciated.

I think your chances at MD schools are slim due to the GPAs. MCAT is fine though. Your stats are fine for most DO schools and of course Podiatry schools. I was accepted to 2 DO schools before I enrolled in a Pod program, so for me, the admins at both places didn't care where else I had applied. That said, you should aim to get into an MD school, maybe by doing an SMP or DIY-with upper bio courses to raise that science GPA. You should also ask about your chances for MD schools in the premed forum.

Podiatry is a great field but it has its limitations that you won't have to deal with if you went with MD. You can search on this forum about those limitations. Good luck!

 

[DrStephenStrange]

No need to apply to podiatry school with your stats. You're competitive for all DO schools, and maybe your in-state MD school and some low tier MD as well. If you're applying now though, I would only apply to DO as it is too late for MD at the moment.

Edit: I had 12 (11 DO and 1 in-state MD)interview invites with 3.7 cGPA 3.7sGPA and 500 MCAT. Got 2 DO acceptances out of 4 DO interview attended. In other words, you're perfectly fine to only apply MD/DO.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

How are your ECs (clinical and non-clinical) looking though?

 

[DexterMorganSK]

OPs MD chances might also inc if they are URM or a Veteran!

 

[de Ribas]

514 is real. I been liking the field of podiatry which is why I been thinking about applying to it as well but I don't want to make my chances at MD or even DO worse by letting them know I'm applying to other professions.

By the way, it is pretty much impossible to apply to both MD and DPM at the same time. If you start applying to DPM when cycle opens early August, you are pretty much late for MD.
If you apply to DPM this cycle and plan on applying later to MD next cycle, DPM school year will start even before you will have any interview invites from MD.

If you apply MD next cycle (May/June) and then apply DPM (August), then you don't have to worry about MDs since you will submit primary and secondaries even before you start your DPM app.

 

[smhmd]

No need to apply to podiatry school with your stats. You're competitive for all DO schools, and maybe your in-state MD school and some low tier MD as well. If you're applying now though, I would only apply to DO as it is too late for MD at the moment.

Edit: I had 12 (11 DO and 1 in-state MD)interview invites with 3.7 cGPA 3.7sGPA and 500 MCAT. Got 2 DO acceptances out of 4 DO interview attended. In other words, you're perfectly fine to only apply MD/DO.

Hi Dr. Strange ! Thanks for the insight. I plan on applying next cycle to MD/DO. I have a nice rising GPA in my senior year and I have done a semester of 12 credit DIY post bacc which helped bring my sGPA from a 2.88 to a 3.35 (From my senior year and 1 sem of DIY). I am a NY resident and was hoping to probably have a fighter's chance at a SUNY medical school. I am highly interested in Radiology and I feel like my chances would be great at an MD school but I would also love to go to DO schools if none of the MD schools want to take me.

 

[smhmd]

I think your chances at MD schools are slim due to the GPAs. MCAT is fine though. Your stats are fine for most DO schools and of course Podiatry schools. I was accepted to 2 DO schools before I enrolled in a Pod program, so for me, the admins at both places didn't care where else I had applied. That said, you should aim to get into an MD school, maybe by doing an SMP or DIY-with upper bio courses to raise that science GPA. You should also ask about your chances for MD schools in the premed forum.

Podiatry is a great field but it has its limitations that you won't have to deal with if you went with MD. You can search on this forum about those limitations. Good luck!

I have done a small 12 credit post bacc taking hard sciences like Microbio, Cancer bio and others. I have a good rising GPA in my senior year as well. 50+ credits of rising GPA so I have been told I have a decent shot at an instate school or some private lower/mid tiers.

 

[smhmd]

OPs MD chances might also inc if they are URM or a Veteran!

Not URM or a veteran :/

 

[smhmd]

By the way, it is pretty much impossible to apply to both MD and DPM at the same time. If you start applying to DPM when cycle opens early August, you are pretty much late for MD.
If you apply to DPM this cycle and plan on applying later to MD next cycle, DPM school year will start even before you will have any interview invites from MD.

If you apply MD next cycle (May/June) and then apply DPM (August), then you don't have to worry about MDs since you will submit primary and secondaries even before you start your DPM app.

What if I apply MD/DO in June/July then DPM in August ?

 

[smhmd]

How are your ECs (clinical and non-clinical) looking though?

250 hours of hospital volunteering.
200 hours of service to soup kitchen and red cross. (I want to do more in this part though before I apply. Maybe beef it up to 300)
300 hours of clinical research at a big hospital
1 semester in research for a bio capstone class (not sure if this counts)
I have letter of recs from my PI, 2 physicians (MD and DO) because of 50+ hours of shadowing and some science professors. I can easily also shadow and maybe get a rec from a podiatrist too but idk if I need to.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

250 hours of hospital volunteering.
200 hours of service to soup kitchen and red cross. (I want to do more in this part though before I apply. Maybe beef it up to 300)
300 hours of clinical research at a big hospital
1 semester in research for a bio capstone class (not sure if this counts)
I have letter of recs from my PI, 2 physicians (MD and DO) because of 50+ hours of shadowing and some science professors. I can easily also shadow and maybe get a rec from a podiatrist too but idk if I need to.

ECs look good. Aim for DO schools. You have a good shot at NYIT. SUNY MD schools are a good idea and you should apply to them as well but the competition at those schools (due to low tuition) is crazy.

Post in premed forum and ask goro and faha for a school list.

Pod app cycle closes on June 30th of each year.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Please don't quote
I was wondering how this would look to both the Medical and Podiatry schools. I want to definitely apply by next cycle but I want to kind of have back ups in play for options as well. Does anyone have experience with this BTW ? Will the admins look unfavorably at it ? My stats right now are at 3.5/3.3 & 514. Any help or insight is appreciated.

Hi Dr. Strange ! Thanks for the insight. I plan on applying next cycle to MD/DO. I have a nice rising GPA in my senior year and I have done a semester of 12 credit DIY post bacc which helped bring my sGPA from a 2.88 to a 3.35 (From my senior year and 1 sem of DIY). I am a NY resident and was hoping to probably have a fighter's chance at a SUNY medical school. I am highly interested in Radiology and I feel like my chances would be great at an MD school but I would also love to go to DO schools if none of the MD schools want to take me.

Good work with that upward trend. Some MD schools like to reward this.

250 hours of hospital volunteering.
200 hours of service to soup kitchen and red cross. (I want to do more in this part though before I apply. Maybe beef it up to 300)
300 hours of clinical research at a big hospital
1 semester in research for a bio capstone class (not sure if this counts)
I have letter of recs from my PI, 2 physicians (MD and DO) because of 50+ hours of shadowing and some science professors. I can easily also shadow and maybe get a rec from a podiatrist too but idk if I need to.

I would refer to @Goro for a good school list (MD/DO) you can apply to next cycle. But I do believe you have a good chance even at some low tier MD schools.

 

[smhmd]

Thank you guys ! I have talked to Faha already and he has given me a great list. Goro I spoke to a bit on one of his posts and he gave me the greenlight for low/mid tier MD schools as well as DO schools !

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Thank you guys ! I have talked to Faha already and he has given me a great list. Goro I spoke to a bit on one of his posts and he gave me the greenlight for low/mid tier MD schools as well as DO schools !

Diagnostic Radiology is pretty DO friendly too so no worries there

 

[smhmd]

Diagnostic Radiology is pretty DO friendly too so no worries there

Is it really ? Isn't it highly competitive for many MDs as well ?

 

[DexterMorganSK]

Diagnostic Radiology is pretty DO friendly too so no worries there

Is it really ? Isn't it highly competitive for many MDs as well ?

2018 stats for DOs; those are pretty competitive numbers!

 

[DexterMorganSK]

IMO, the most DO friendly fields in the past were (in no order): IM, FM, EM, Neuro, Psy, Anes, and maybe Surgery
But do check the charting outcomes of the past match since it all might change in the future.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

2018 stats for DOs; those are pretty competitive numbers!

Those are just averages that you posted. This spread tells more.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Is it really ? Isn't it highly competitive for many MDs as well ?

Interventional Radiology is but no Diagnostic Radiology isn't as competitive as people make it out to be. Its more competitive than FM, IM and the other Primary Care specialties, but its very reachable if you're set on it.

 

[795722]

So if I understand perfectly well, someone with good stats should never apply podiatry? Like you guys are saying that that only MD/DO rejectees aim for podiatry?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

So if I understand perfectly well, someone with good stats should never apply podiatry? Like you guys are saying that that only MD/DO rejectees aim for podiatry?

No, what we're saying is that someone with good stats shouldn't limit themselves to podiatry when they could go into Medicine and do the same and even more with better job outcome and income. Especially when the first 2 years of schools are similar, and tuition is also similar, so same amount of loans with less income potential with limited job outcome.

 

[795722]

Would it bother you if that was the case?

Would you be bothered if I claim I was bothered by it?

 

[de Ribas]

No, what we're saying is that someone with good stats shouldn't limit themselves to podiatry when they could go into Medicine and do the same and even more with better job outcome and income. Especially when the first 2 years of schools are similar, and tuition is also similar, so same amount of loans with less income potential with limited job outcome.

DPMs also practice Medicine to care of patients similarly to MD/DOs. They are limited in scope and region of the body, but they practice Medicine. DPMs practice more medicine than, for example, pathologists or IDs, behavioral and some other specialties.

 

[smhmd]

I didn't want this to become an MD/DO vs DPM thread TBH I think Strange is only referring to my situation where I have decent enough stats to get into MD/DO schools. I'm sure many people with good stats apply to Podiatry because they want to do that, not only MD/DO rejects.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

So if I understand perfectly well, someone with good stats should never apply podiatry? Like you guys are saying that that only MD/DO rejectees aim for podiatry?

Literally no one said that. @DexterMorganSK and multiple other people on SDN had their choice of DO or DPM and chose DPM.

 

[Packers4lifeDPM]

Literally no one said that. @DexterMorganSK and multiple other people on SDN had their choice of DO or DPM and chose DPM.

I turned down my acceptances to DO to go Podiatry. Has everything I want out of a practice with no risk of going FM lol merger of the residency scared me to shoot for orthopedic or ENT. No regrets here thus far. Figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life and that will give you your answer to which route to go.

 

[smhmd]

Once again, this isn't a MD/DO vs Podiatry thread.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

I turned down my acceptances to DO to go Podiatry. Has everything I want out of a practice with no risk of going FM lol merger of the residency scared me to shoot for orthopedic or ENT. No regrets here thus far. Figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life and that will give you your answer to which route to go.

With the merger, top DO students are matching better than ever even in top specialties. If you want proof, just look at the data from the last few match cycles. The DO students that are going to suffer are the bottom quartile with no USMLE scores. If you wanted Ortho or ENT you definitely could've gotten it coming out of a solid DO school with solid stats and research. Plus most old DO Ortho and ENT residency programs made the switch to ACGME, with some having osteopathic recognition (basically meaning they'll accept very few MD and/or MD will be required to have OMM training to make it through those programs). DPM is a fine career choice, but don't make it seem like it would have been terrible if you went to a DO program instead.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

Once again, this isn't a MD/DO vs Podiatry thread.

Did you decide which programs you will be applying for?

 

[Packers4lifeDPM]

With the merger, top DO students are matching better than ever even in top specialties. If you want proof, just look at the data from the last few match cycles. The DO students that are going to suffer are the bottom quartile with no USMLE scores. If you wanted Ortho or ENT you definitely could've gotten it coming out of a solid DO school with solid stats and research. Plus most old DO Ortho and ENT residency programs made the switch to ACGME, with some having osteopathic recognition (basically meaning they'll accept very few MD and/or MD will be required to have OMM training to make it through those programs). DPM is a fine career choice, but don't make it seem like it would have been terrible if you went to a DO program instead.

Did not say it’s a bad choice. Just not something I would risk when podiatry gives me everything I want out of a practice. No point to risk it based off 1 board exam score. Every person’s decision is based on what they want out of a career. Shouldn’t be based on what others tell you to do is all I’m saying.

 

[smhmd]

Did you decide which programs you will be applying for?

Well I'm planning on applying to 25 MD schools and around 5-10 DO. I'm still on the fence about Podiatry but if I do I'll prob apply to NY and Temple.