Comments Please! Interest in Podiatry

[Meas]

Hello,

I will be graduating this May and have been struggling to decide which health care field I should go into and the likelihood of actually getting accepted. I love helping people and have been considering either dentistry or podiatry. I received a lot of feedbacks about the field of dentistry but have not been able to learn about what it is really like to be a podiatrist. Please provide me with any feedbacks as I will like to learn more about this field before deciding pursuing a career in podiatry. Thank you so much! My questions about podiatry are as follows:

1) I learned from reading materials online that podiatrists can do surgery, prescribe drugs, look at X-rays, etc. When a patient sees the podiatrist in a clinic, does the podiatrist also provide treatments like massage? I am little confused about the difference between physical therapist and a podiatrist. It seems to me that both professionals can improve a person’s lower limb condition.
2) I have a Science GPA of 3.3 and a MCAT score of 22Q. My score for the verbal section is very low though (4). Is it possible for me to be admitted with such a GPA and MCAT score?
3) I have tons of volunteering experience (hospital setting and community – Scouts). Is the application process based more on my actual GPA & MCAT score than my volunteering experiences?
4) Is podiatry-related volunteering experiences crucial in the application process? I love volunteering and have been volunteering for more than 5 years now in hospital and Scouts but I don’t want to volunteer now in a podiatry-related setting for the sake of getting into podiatry.

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate all the replies! Hope to you from you soon!

Meas

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[podpod]

1. Pods dont exactly do the rehabilatory aspect of the foot. instead, more focus is spent on the diagnosis of muscle and ligament/tendon damage. also you will fit the patient for orthotics should they need it.

2. Yes and No... only way to find out... apply! your numbers are fine in the early part of the cycle for sure. keep in mind that schools like dmu, az, and bu have filled. however the cost of applying is pretty low. im sure u can get in somewhere. at an interview just explain that ur low verbal score did not reflect u well... prove to them u took other humanities courses and did well in them

3. NO! i bet u that a kid with a 30 mcat or a 15mcat can both make a fool of themselves at an interview if they dont know anything about the foot. if you had the experience to demonstrate u love this field (which should be evident in a killer PS) then the schools would love to have u. however, with low mcat/gpa = low scholarships

4. Yes and no. I did my shadowing while waiting between after application submission and my first interview. Its no big deal when u get it done but you will only get conditionally accepted if the school requires such a letter.


finally... get urself in the mentality that you are pre-pod. if u like another health care field and u do pod, you will drop out statistically speaking. make sure ur heart is in this and i wish u the best of luck

 

[PoddyMan]

I learned from reading materials online that podiatrists can do surgery, prescribe drugs, look at X-rays, etc. When a patient sees the podiatrist in a clinic, does the podiatrist also provide treatments like massage? I am little confused about the difference between physical therapist and a podiatrist. It seems to me that both professionals can improve a person’s lower limb condition.

Think of a podiatrist as a physician who specializes in the foot and ankle (analogous to an ophthalmologist specializing in the eye, a proctologist specializing in the ...)

I have a Science GPA of 3.3 and a MCAT score of 22Q. My score for the verbal section is very low though (4). Is it possible for me to be admitted with such a GPA and MCAT score?

Your scores are about the average of all enrollees. Your verbal score will be a problem IF you have difficulty speaking and understanding questions posed in the interview.

I have tons of volunteering experience (hospital setting and community – Scouts). Is the application process based more on my actual GPA & MCAT score than my volunteering experiences?

Your scores are important for being granted an interview (i.e., getting your foot in the door, pun intended). Volunteering is a +.

Is podiatry-related volunteering experiences crucial in the application process? I love volunteering and have been volunteering for more than 5 years now in hospital and Scouts but I don’t want to volunteer now in a podiatry-related setting for the sake of getting into podiatry.

What is MOST important is that you personally discover what a DPM does in the practice setting (i,e, shadowing). Firstly, YOU need to decide whether or not podiatric medicine is right for YOU!!! Spend time with several DPMs in different practice settings (private, group, hospital-based), seeing palliative care (toenail trimming, callus debridement) to surgery and everything in between. Once you are POSITIVE that podiatric medicine is what you want as a career, then apply. At this point, some schools still have "slots" to fill. Best of luck!

 

[dropfoot]

"(i.e., getting your foot in the door, pun intended). "

I love a great pun.

 

[PoddyMan]

"(i.e., getting your foot in the door, pun intended). "

I love a great pun.

I try to be punny whenever possible.

 

[Johnblake]

I highly recommend you shadow a podiatrist in your area every chance you get. After I did that, I kept finding new podiatrists to meet and shadow, and my decision was pretty easy.

 

[NatCh]

I try to be punny whenever possible.

I bet you're a fungi to hang out with!

 

[PADPM]

I would recommend that you don't even consider applying to podiatric medical school until you have a FULL understanding of the profession.

Why would you want to enter a profession that you don't even understand or know anything about?

As per some of the other responses, you FIRST have to spend time with several podiatrists to get a full understanding of the full scope of podiatric medicine and surgery to see if you even have an interest in the profession.