Class work?

[Medfieldfuture]

So I've been reading around and I've gotten a little bit curious, I know the first two years of Podiatry school is learning with books and in class rooms, but do the last two years of podiatry school require any book studying like the first two years or is it all just rotations and tests on your knowledge from what you've learned on rotations? Thanks

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[KSUCPM2015]

First two years are indeed mostly classes. That's because APMLE Step I is a lecture-based exam rather than a clinical exam. Years 3 and 4 still have classroom time but there is a lot of clinic time as well. The one thing i would say though is that you probably read more books/articles in years 3 and 4 than you've ever read in your life and you will be expected to remember and apply what you've read in clinic.

 

[rosieisaposie]

Here's the thing:

I'm super great at anatomy and physiology, I usually always get A's. I'm pretty good with chemistry, biology, and I love physics and math--getting B's or A's. I'm NOT so great at courses like microbiology, cellular and molecular biology or biochemistry. I study REALLY, REALLY hard and squeak by with a C average in those types of courses no matter how hard I try...

So a few thoughts and questions...

(1) I don't understand how this happens and (2) will this negatively impact me in podiatry school? and (3) is this something normal that I should just accept--though continue to try my hardest at the courses I struggle in because that's all I really can do--? and (4) how important are these topics within podiatry and will it be bad or unfortunate if I'm not very good at them...?

My GPA is perfectly decent--3.25 overall--so it's not as if these course are KILLING me per say, I would just like to know if it's a reasonably manageable situation for me to be struggling so hard with this stuff. I'm just wondering how important these topics are in podiatry.

 

[KSUCPM2015]

(1) I don't understand how this happens and (2) will this negatively impact me in podiatry school? and (3) is this something normal that I should just accept--though continue to try my hardest at the courses I struggle in because that's all I really can do--? and (4) how important are these topics within podiatry and will it be bad or unfortunate if I'm not very good at them...?

My GPA is perfectly decent--3.25 overall--so it's not as if these course are KILLING me per say, I would just like to know if it's a reasonably manageable situation for me to be struggling so hard with this stuff. I'm just wondering how important these topics are in podiatry.

1. I can understand how some of that happens especially because different instructors teach different ways and people learn in different ways and whatever else I digress.

2. (Obviously this is all based off of my personal experience) I think that any issues with science material CAN hurt you in ANY medical school (MD, DO, DPM, DDS, etc.). Micro is important because podiatry deals a lot with fungi (athletes foot, nails, other things) and with bacterial infections. Not so much viral infections but it's always possible and warts are HPV so there's a big one. You do take microbiology first or second year (depends on the school) and it's a hard class (at every school). You will also take biochem. At Kent, these classes together account for something like 14 of 56 credits your first year, so it is a significant number.

3. Never accept this. Always keep trying to learn more and if you know you are weak in a subject speak to the academic services office at the school on day one and get set up with a tutor you work well with.

4. Difficult to answer. Does a podiatrist need to ever draw out the structures of the essential amino acids in his/her practice? No. Does he/she ever need to describe the mechanism by which flagellated bacteria propel themselves? Also no. But, you may be tested on these subjects and it will factor into you GPA in school.

My advice in general would be to not let weakness in these two or three subjects keep you from going into medicine if you are truly passionate about it. If you work at it in the right way you can learn anything and the important thing is to get help in figuring out how you learn the material best.