The next 4 years...

[Doc NaCl]

I have been going back and forth on how to tell family and friends what I am going to be doing for the next 4 years. I am aware that some of us getting accepted into Podiatry School say that they have been accepted into "Medical School".

I was premed and I did not know what Podiatry was until I was a Senior in my undergrad, so saying that you are going to Podiatry School may confuse the general public. (even confuse people that you are going to proctology school lol yes this has happened to me already)

Something as trivial as this has caused some debate in my mind, because I have worked my butt off to get this far and I feel like we go through very similar experience. While I interviewed at multiple schools, students and teachers both said "Medical School". Is this somehow shying away from the Podiatric field? should we be reping our chosen specialty more?
Does going to Podiatry School warrant the right to say that you are going to Medical School? I would like to know opinions about this. How have you all announced it to your friends and family? Facebook, twitter, emails, letters, announcements etc..

Medical School?
Podiatry School?
Podiatric Medical School?
Other?

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[Podman16]

For me it depends on who I'm talking to. If it is somebody who is pretty unfamiliar with the medical field I will say medical school. This isnt for any other reason than just not having thr desire in that moment to explain the differences from podiatry and medical school. When I talk with individuals thatare more familiar with the medical field and the different specialties I say that I'm going to podiatry school. I guess there are times when I'm feeling really ambitious that as I'm talking to somebody unfamiliar with the field I explain the process of podiatry school and residency and take the time to note the differences from medical school.

 

[HappyHobPod]

^ This is exactly what I do as well. As far as announcing it, I wrote something up on my Facebook about it and then also just kept people up to date that were close to me that wanted to know how the process was going. Mainly past professors and then closer friends and family.

 

[PodasaurusRex]

It is a medical school. Podiatric Medical School is our differentiating title. Just like how DOs go to Osteopathic Medical School, whom get a slightly different education than MDs who go to good old medical school. Our schooling differs in essentially 1 word. I concur with both postings above. If I'm talking to a non-physician, I say I'm going to medical school and if they ask what area I want to go into I explain I am doing a program specifically to be a podiatrist or podiatric surgeon. I don't see it as not representing our specialty or trying to be deceiving to sound more prestigious like you're getting an MD but it just saves a lot of explanation. I have chosen to go to a podiatric medical school because it fulfills every aspect I love of medicine. It is a medical program so there's no reason you shouldn't be able to say you're going to a medical school.

 

[captgreg87]

It is a medical school. Podiatric Medical School is our differentiating title. Just like how DOs go to Osteopathic Medical School, whom get a slightly different education than MDs who go to good old medical school. Our schooling differs in essentially 1 word. I concur with both postings above. If I'm talking to a non-physician, I say I'm going to medical school and if they ask what area I want to go into I explain I am doing a program specifically to be a podiatrist or podiatric surgeon. I don't see it as not representing our specialty or trying to be deceiving to sound more prestigious like you're getting an MD but it just saves a lot of explanation. I have chosen to go to a podiatric medical school because it fulfills every aspect I love of medicine. It is a medical program so there's no reason you shouldn't be able to say you're going to a medical school.

^^Agreed.

Speaking with a medical professional= Podiatric Medical School

Non medical professional= Medical School, if they want to go into further detail then I just say it's Medical School specializing in Podiatry

However, then I have to go into further detail to explain what a Podiatrist even is, which is fine by me because I would rather have them hear it from myself then someone else unfamiliar with the field.

 

[Sweatshirt]

everyone else pretty much summed up what I was gonna say... so I'll just say... ditto

 

[TrueWolverine]

I've noticed when I tell people I'm going to medical school, if they aren't familiar with the field, they almost always follow up with the question "do you know what you want to specialize in?" to which I reply "podiatry."

As others have said, if they are familiar with the field I just start with podiatry.

 

[FootAndAnkle]

I have been going back and forth on how to tell family and friends what I am going to be doing for the next 4 years. I am aware that some of us getting accepted into Podiatry School say that they have been accepted into "Medical School".

I was premed and I did not know what Podiatry was until I was a Senior in my undergrad, so saying that you are going to Podiatry School may confuse the general public. (even confuse people that you are going to proctology school lol yes this has happened to me already)

Something as trivial as this has caused some debate in my mind, because I have worked my butt off to get this far and I feel like we go through very similar experience. While I interviewed at multiple schools, students and teachers both said "Medical School". Is this somehow shying away from the Podiatric field? should we be reping our chosen specialty more?
Does going to Podiatry School warrant the right to say that you are going to Medical School? I would like to know opinions about this. How have you all announced it to your friends and family? Facebook, twitter, emails, letters, announcements etc..

Medical School?
Podiatry School?
Podiatric Medical School?
Other?

Just stick with 'podiatric medical school.' That'll be the clearest way to tell people.

 

[HappyHobPod]

I recently had two interesting encounters at my job. One with a retired orthopedic surgeon and another with a lady who was just wanting to be fit out for running shoes. I told the orthopedic surgeon I was going to podiatry school and if he had any offhand tips, and his "tip" was to "Remember to never call yourself a podiatric surgeon. You'll be a podiatrist. A true surgeon spends 5-6 years after school training. Podiatrists tend to want to make themselves more than they actually are. It's really kind of sad. But best of luck!" The woman gave me a rundown of some issues she had and was planning to go see an ortho to get a bunion removed. I gave her some recommendations for orthos and pods in my area, and she said that she would never trust a podiatrist to do work on her because "They aren't real doctors and couldn't possibly know how to perform surgery." It amazes me how backwards some thinking can be or lack thereof. Kind of a shock and awe moment in both cases for myself, especially from the retired orthopedic surgeon. To keep it in line with the thread....make sure to tell people that you are going to pretend doctor school.

 

[Doc NaCl]

I have been waiting for a good time to use this; :troll:

 

[HappyHobPod]

I have been waiting for a good time to use this; :troll:

All I gave them was a smile and a nod haha

 

[Doc NaCl]

The Ortho Surgeon is entitled to his own opinion, and in the spirit of anonymity and sporting the mask of Boba Fett, I would give my opinion that the Ortho Surgeon sounds a little bit threatened by Podiatric Surgeons, with a hint of bitter. Some ortho surgeons dont want anyone threatening their business. They want all the foot cases and dont want anyone competing for them. I dont understand how he could say that Podiatrists are not surgeons. um... we perform surgery. We are not Orthopedic surgeons, because we only work on the foot, but we are darned good at working on the foot.

As far as the old lady goes, there are people like her out there that wont even visit a DO because they are not an MD. you wont change their minds.

Podiatrist are doctors. Podiatrist are surgeons. Podiatry school is a medical school.

 

[HappyHobPod]

The Ortho Surgeon is entitled to his own opinion, and in the spirit of anonymity and sporting the mask of Boba Fett, I would give my opinion that the Ortho Surgeon sounds a little bit threatened by Podiatric Surgeons, with a hint of bitter. I dont understand how he could say that Podiatrists are not surgeons. We perform surgery. We are not Orthopedic surgeons, because we only work on the foot, but we are darned good at working on the foot.

As far as the old lady goes, there are people like her out there that wont even visit a DO because they are not an MD. you wont change their minds.

Podiatrist are doctors. Podiatrist are surgeons. Podiatry school is a medical school.

Oh trust me, you're preaching to the choir! Mainly just a few moments I wanted to share. I had never experienced firsthand, such dissent towards the profession.

 

[Doc NaCl]

I would also like to add that the only people that would look down on Podiatry are MD Orthopedic Surgeons. I mean look at the enmity between MDs and DOs. Even though DOs are completely doctors, they are put down by MDs.

This kind of thing bothered me for a while. But I realized that there is always going to be a bigger fish. Someone is always going to say; "you arent as good as me". I dont have to be better than everyone, I just have to be the best I can be, and help patients the best that I can.

So I just had to decide what I really wanted to do for a career, and now that I have decided, I dont really care what people think of me. Functionally speaking; I will prescribe meds, I will perform surgery, I will have patients, I will be called Doctor, I will make people feel better.

Titles can glorify you or diminish you but at the end of the day the titles dont change the career. That is why I want to be a Podiatrist. The career is amazing.