Internal medicine vs podiatry

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medguy24

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One advantage of IM is that you have the ability to subspecialize if you want, which generally results in much higher incomes (since that seems to be your primary concern). I don't know if that's the case with podiatry, but I'm guessing even if it is the jump in salary wouldn't be as substantial. I don't really know much about podiatry, though, so that's strictly conjecture.
 
One advantage of IM is that you have the ability to subspecialize if you want, which generally results in much higher incomes (since that seems to be your primary concern). I don't know if that's the case with podiatry, but I'm guessing even if it is the jump in salary wouldn't be as substantial. I don't really know much about podiatry, though, so that's strictly conjecture.

One huge benefit of podiatry for pre-health students is the low admission standards of pod schools. The average mcat of a pod matriculant is 22 and people with 17-21 mcat scores and 3.0 gpas are regularly admitted to pod schools every year. There are over 9 pod schools in the US and simply not enough demand to fill up all those pod school seats.
 
A huge disadvantage is that there are already more graduates than residency spots and it won't get better. On the Pod forum they talk about the lack of opportunities for private practice after residency. While the salary looks good now, it is dropping, just like optometrists due to the decline of the private practice.
 
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A huge disadvantage is that there are already more graduates than residency spots and it won't get better. On the Pod forum they talk about the lack of opportunities for private practice after residency. While the salary looks good now, it is dropping, just like optometrists due to the decline of the private practice.
Why are the use of private practice declining? Is this true fir medicine(MD) as well?
 
Why are the use of private practice declining? Is this true fir medicine(MD) as well?
Yes, private practice is declining in MD as well. Most groups and shared service practices are becoming the norm, including doctors becoming employees.

I would be more worried about going through the program and not being able to match into a residency. Check out the podiatry forum and read about the frustration. It is still a good option, but the thought of not matching into residency would discourage me the most.
 
Yes, private practice is declining in MD as well. Most groups and shared service practices are becoming the norm, including doctors becoming employees.

I would be more worried about going through the program and not being able to match into a residency. Check out the podiatry forum and read about the frustration. It is still a good option, but the thought of not matching into residency would discourage me the most.

This is true. Even with the scramble, they are hitting around 90% at most.
 
because they aren't MDs/DOs.

There are podiatrists who could have gone to med school, but knew they wanted to be foot/ankle surgeons so they took the more direct route. Those surgeons doing the advanced F/A can make as much as their ortho counterparts (400-600k). F/A isn't that popular for orthopaedists, so you'll see a lot of multispecialty ortho groups include DPMs to cover F/A.
 
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My dad is a podiatrist. Makes over 250k a year. But he has a pretty good setup in a private ortho practice
 
because they aren't MDs/DOs.

I really hope not.

I'd encourage actually visiting/posting on the podiatry forums before making assumptions. One of the posters in here is also a known podiatry forum troll (you can probably guess which one), so I'd take everything he says with a grain of salt, if even that.

To answer OP's question: You're basically asking if you want to be a generalist (assuming you don't go through a fellowship after your IM residency) or a specialist. Podiatry is very similar to dentistry in that you go through podiatry school specializing in that field from day one, whereas this obviously isn't the case with IM. Do you have a desire to become a cardiologist, pulmonologist, rheumatologist, etc.? Do you not have fellowship desires and just want to be a generalist? Don't have a clear idea where you see yourself in terms of specialty? In any of those cases, go IM.

Check out the podiatry forum and read about the frustration. It is still a good option, but the thought of not matching into residency would discourage me the most.

You reap what you sow. Most people who don't match were people who couldn't handle being in medicine period and never put in the work to secure any type of residency position.
 
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I'd encourage actually visiting/posting on the podiatry forums before making assumptions. One of the posters in here is also a known podiatry forum troll (you can probably guess which one), so I'd take everything he says with a grain of salt, if even that.

To answer OP's question: You're basically asking if you want to be a generalist (assuming you don't go through a fellowship after your IM residency) or a specialist. Podiatry is very similar to dentistry in that you go through podiatry school specializing in that field from day one, whereas this obviously isn't the case with IM. Do you have a desire to become a cardiologist, pulmonologist, rheumatologist, etc.? Do you not have fellowship desires and just want to be a generalist? Don't have a clear idea where you see yourself in terms of specialty? In any of those cases, go IM.



You reap what you sow. Most people who don't match were people who couldn't handle being in medicine period and never put in the work to secure any type of residency position.
I think I would rather do IM over podiatry.. However I just found out about podiatry and how it's so much easier to get into, less debt (schools offer excellent scholarships), and now that the average salary is 200k+!
What I was trying to figure out is if that's true? I used to think they usually make 120-130k a year. But if they make 200k+ I'm tempted to go that path...
Are the "average salary in ny 200k" true??
 
I can't comment on the average salary. Sorry.

Don't go into the field though if money is the only reason. It'll be very hard to switch out if you decide later on you actually don't like feet and/or surgery. And though it may be easy to get in, you'll be expected to work very hard in order to stay in.
 
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I think I would rather do IM over podiatry.. However I just found out about podiatry and how it's so much easier to get into, less debt (schools offer excellent scholarships), and now that the average salary is 200k+!
What I was trying to figure out is if that's true? I used to think they usually make 120-130k a year. But if they make 200k+ I'm tempted to go that path...
Are the "average salary in ny 200k" true??

I think we can all agree that picking your field based on anonymous people's estimates of which one happens to earn more on average in a very particular geographic area years ahead of when you'll get into practice is probably the best route to a long and satisfying career.

:thumbup:
 
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