4th Year Podiatry Student from KSUCPM - Feel free to ask me anything!

[J29622]

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Hey guys,

I have a lot of free time having finished up my last externship and passing my board exams. Pretty much waiting for match and graduation.

Figured I'd help out some of the pre-med / pre-pod students who are looking into choosing podiatry as a career.

I go to KSUCPM, if anyone has any specific questions regarding that school.

If you have any questions about the profession, podiatry school or KSUCPM in particular, ask away!

 

[PTPuser]

Hey guys,

I have a lot of free time having finished up my last externship and passing my board exams. Pretty much waiting for match and graduation.

Figured I'd help out some of the pre-med / pre-pod students who are looking into choosing podiatry as a career.

I go to KSUCPM, if anyone has any specific questions regarding that school.

If you have any questions about the profession, podiatry school or KSUCPM in particular, ask away!

What has been your experience like at KSUCPM? Do you feel adequately prepared for residency and has the school been supportive of your education like they suggested? thanks!

 

[J29622]

My experience has overall been fine. From my standpoint I think my education has overall been adequate. I have some complaints with how some classes are taught and I have some complaints as to how the school clinics are run, but this seems to be the case for all the schools. People cite our board pass rates, but my class had a 94% pass rate on Part 1 and the class before us had a 94% pass rate as well. Some years are worse than this and we tend to be about average nationally, which is not bad given our large class sizes.

Just about everyone I know who worked hard passed their boards and all of them whom I know are very likely going to go to some very good programs. Most of the faculty have been supportive. They also recently brought on a couple younger doctors who are fantastic teachers and excellent surgeons.

I personally feel like I'm ready to graduate and start residency. Nerve wracking because it's a huge step up in responsibility, but I feel like I'm prepared to take that step.

 

[PTPuser]

My experience has overall been fine. From my standpoint I think my education has overall been adequate. I have some complaints with how some classes are taught and I have some complaints as to how the school clinics are run, but this seems to be the case for all the schools. People cite our board pass rates, but my class had a 94% pass rate on Part 1 and the class before us had a 94% pass rate as well. Some years are worse than this and we tend to be about average nationally, which is not bad given our large class sizes.

Just about everyone I know who worked hard passed their boards and all of them whom I know are very likely going to go to some very good programs. Most of the faculty have been supportive. They also recently brought on a couple younger doctors who are fantastic teachers and excellent surgeons.

I personally feel like I'm ready to graduate and start residency. Nerve wracking because it's a huge step up in responsibility, but I feel like I'm prepared to take that step.

Thank you! I had a decision between Kent and NYCPM but ultimately chose Kent for many reasons including overall gut feeling. Any recommendations you have for incoming first year?

 

[J29622]

Congratulations on your acceptance!

My advice is to hit the ground running. Expect that podiatry school is going to be far more rigorous than undergrad. The hardest class fall and spring will be anatomy (gross and lower respectively). Everyone I know who excelled spent a large amount of time in the anatomy lab outside of scheduled lab time.

At the end of the day, the name of the game is efficiency. You'll learn how to compartmentalize important information vs. not so important information. Until that point, I'd err on the side of overpreparedness, at least until you get through the first round of exams. If you do great, then you can reevaluate. Same for if you do poorly. Whatever you do, do NOT fall behind. You will find it to be very difficult to get caught up if you do.

Fortunately, it isn't magic. Just work your ass off and you'll be fine! Podiatry, and medicine in general, isn't all that complicated. It's not nuclear physics or quantum field theory - it's just about organizing and integrating a huge amount of relatively simple information.

 

[sad1980s]

1. Could you give a basic rundown of how often you had actual class during your first two years? I know they have the online lectures but I normally like to attend class if I can.

2. Could you give an estimate of how much time you/others who got at least a 3.0 gpa studied? I actually know someone that goes to another pod school and says people exaggerate about study time, and that around around 3 hours outside of a class a day (with possible weekends) is sufficient yet others say much more is needed. I figure I'd ask someone going to kent, since I'm trying to estimate how much time I'll be taking personally.

3. Did the externships/clinical time require a lot of driving? My car is a garbage and I'm debating looking for something else before I move. I had a HUGE commute in undergrad (~60 minutes one way), and it destroyed my car.

 

[J29622]

1. Could you give a basic rundown of how often you had actual class during your first two years? I know they have the online lectures but I normally like to attend class if I can.

2. Could you give an estimate of how much time you/others who got at least a 3.0 gpa studied? I actually know someone that goes to another pod school and says people exaggerate about study time, and that around around 3 hours outside of a class a day (with possible weekends) is sufficient yet others say much more is needed. I figure I'd ask someone going to kent, since I'm trying to estimate how much time I'll be taking personally.

3. Did the externships/clinical time require a lot of driving? My car is a garbage and I'm debating looking for something else before I move. I had a HUGE commute in undergrad (~60 minutes one way), and it destroyed my car.

1. From my recollection, we had class around 5-7 hours a day. I'm pretty far removed from the pre-clinical years, but I believe it was along those lines. Third year classes were MWThF, but only half days.

2. This is hard to say. I had one of the higher GPAs, so speaking for myself I put in probably a good 8-10 hours a day. I didn't go to class though. I know others who studied half that and did fine and people who studied more than me and struggled. My advice is to overestimate how much you need to study and adjust as needed.

3. It depends on where you go. I flew across the country for most of mine, so I ended up flying and renting a car most months. Other people I know ended up driving a TON. If you decide to drive to all your externships and they are reasonably spread out, you will be driving a lot.

 

[PTPuser]

Congratulations on your acceptance!

My advice is to hit the ground running. Expect that podiatry school is going to be far more rigorous than undergrad. The hardest class fall and spring will be anatomy (gross and lower respectively). Everyone I know who excelled spent a large amount of time in the anatomy lab outside of scheduled lab time.

At the end of the day, the name of the game is efficiency. You'll learn how to compartmentalize important information vs. not so important information. Until that point, I'd err on the side of overpreparedness, at least until you get through the first round of exams. If you do great, then you can reevaluate. Same for if you do poorly. Whatever you do, do NOT fall behind. You will find it to be very difficult to get caught up if you do.

Fortunately, it isn't magic. Just work your ass off and you'll be fine! Podiatry, and medicine in general, isn't all that complicated. It's not nuclear physics or quantum field theory - it's just about organizing and integrating a huge amount of relatively simple information.

1. From my recollection, we had class around 5-7 hours a day. I'm pretty far removed from the pre-clinical years, but I believe it was along those lines. Third year classes were MWThF, but only half days.

2. This is hard to say. I had one of the higher GPAs, so speaking for myself I put in probably a good 8-10 hours a day. I didn't go to class though. I know others who studied half that and did fine and people who studied more than me and struggled. My advice is to overestimate how much you need to study and adjust as needed.

3. It depends on where you go. I flew across the country for most of mine, so I ended up flying and renting a car most months. Other people I know ended up driving a TON. If you decide to drive to all your externships and they are reasonably spread out, you will be driving a lot.

Thank you so much! I'm hoping I made the right decision. It feels right but at the same I'm nervous, haha.

Was third year pretty 50/50 in terms of classes and rotation? Was 4th year filled with classes too?

 

[DexterMorganSK]

Thanks for doing this. Can you please talk a little about getting ready for an externship? Is there a way to prepare for one besides what is available online and from other students?

 

[J29622]

Thank you so much! I'm hoping I made the right decision. It feels right but at the same I'm nervous, haha.

Was third year pretty 50/50 in terms of classes and rotation? Was 4th year filled with classes too?

3rd year was more or less 50/50.

4th year we didn't have any classes. Only clinic / externships.

 

[J29622]

Thanks for doing this. Can you please talk a little about getting ready for an externship? Is there a way to prepare for one besides what is available online and from other students?

My advice for externships is to keep studying throughout 4th year. You will find that there is a lot that you'll be asked on externships that weren't taught in your classes. Some resources that people recommend are Prism, Crozer and Pocket Pods. These don't cover everything, of course, but they are a good overview of the basics. Realistically, as long as you do the above and work hard while you're there, you should be fine. Things like reading up on cases ahead of time, looking up pimp questions you didn't know the answer to, helping set up the OR etc. will make you stand out.

Otherwise, just study up on the program if you can find information on it. Small things like reading articles published by attendings there can be good to do.

 

[amint32]

Can you talk a little bit about why you chose podiatry over other medical career fields? Can you also shed some light on the demand for podiatrists and the difference and competition, if any, with lower extremity orthopedists? Thanks!!

 

[LackOfATP]

What made you choose KSUCPM over other DPM schools?

 

[J29622]

Can you talk a little bit about why you chose podiatry over other medical career fields? Can you also shed some light on the demand for podiatrists and the difference and competition, if any, with lower extremity orthopedists? Thanks!!

I knew from the beginning that I wanted a surgical specialty. I was interested because podiatry provided a combination of clinical and surgical practice as well as a generally reasonable work-life balance in most cases. The idea of guaranteed surgical training as a sub-specialist was appealing to me as well. I had the stats for traditional medical school with an MCAT score competitive for MD programs but ended up choosing podiatry after a lot of thought.

Podiatry in generally seems to be relatively in demand. Hospital jobs tend to be rather competitive, but more and more hospital jobs seem to be opening up. A vast majority of new residency graduates seem to be having little difficulty finding jobs. Obviously saturated areas such as major metropolitan areas near schools are tougher, but there are still usually jobs to be found.

As far as relationship with ortho goes, it's very regional. Some areas / hospital systems are less podiatry friendly. The northeast US in general seems to exhibit this trend. Other areas are pretty podiatry friendly where ortho is more than happy to send anything ankle or distal to podiatry.

 

[amint32]

Great information! I appreciate the help and time and good luck with your match and future endeavors!

 

[amint32]

If you don’t mind I have a few more questions. I was just wondering if there was much of a difference between different pod schools, a ranking perhaps or are they all similar in reputation. Also, I was wondering if you could touch on more on the scope of Pods practice, example amputations and procedures pods can perform. Thanks!

 

[J29622]

If you don’t mind I have a few more questions. I was just wondering if there was much of a difference between different pod schools, a ranking perhaps or are they all similar in reputation. Also, I was wondering if you could touch on more on the scope of Pods practice, example amputations and procedures pods can perform. Thanks!

From what I understand, the schools that are known for the best pre-clinical education are DMU and AZPOD - board pass rates seem to indicate this. The others seem to be pretty similar in terms of quality, although Barry had a pretty atrocious APMLE Part 1 pass rate a couple years back, which was in the 60-70% range. That being said, solid students in any of the schools shouldn't have much trouble passing their boards and landing good residency spots.

Overall, scope of practice for podiatry is pretty broad as far as surgery goes. Amputations typically are as high as at the ankle (Syme amputation). BKAs and such are typically done by orthopods / vascular. Pretty much any surgical procedure from the ankle and distal will fall under a podiatrist's scope of practice. This includes anything from bunions and toe amputations to supramalleolar osteotomies, total ankle arthroplasties, pilon fractures, external fixation, etc. It is somewhat state dependent but a vast majority of states follow this.

 

[Bubuddy]

Hey OP,

I am a Canadian pre-med interested in pod. I was just curious what the Canadian (or international) cohort is like at Kent. Do you see international students at a disadvantage (or at least, any common concerns) when it comes to residency?

Thanks for taking the time to do this!

 

[J29622]

Hey OP,

I am a Canadian pre-med interested in pod. I was just curious what the Canadian (or international) cohort is like at Kent. Do you see international students at a disadvantage (or at least, any common concerns) when it comes to residency?

Thanks for taking the time to do this!

We have a handful of international students in my class. The only disadvantage that I see when it comes to residency matching is that some programs don't sponsor work visas and some programs (DVA programs in particular) legally cannot hire non-citizens as residents. That being said, a vast majority of programs seem to accept international students and none of the ones I know have had any difficulty landing interviews at programs.

 

[J29622]

What made you choose KSUCPM over other DPM schools?

Sorry for the late response, didn't see your post.

My situation was unique. I had been living abroad when I applied during my gap year and I ended up submitting my application rather late. I interviewed at a few schools that still had seats available (DMU, KSUCPM and Temple). DMU filled up before they got to me, which was a bummer as it was my first choice. I ended up choosing between Temple and KSUCPM.

I didn't love the campus at Temple (run down) and while the students I met were nice, the entire interview process came off as disorganized. Maybe it was just when I was there. KSUCPM seemed more organized, the doctors I met were friendly and the campus is really well kept. In addition, I got a pretty solid scholarship from Kent and was drawn to the lower cost of living of Cleveland.

 

[amint32]

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I just received an interview invite from KSUCPM today! I have kind of a different question however, about how many interviewees are accepted? Do you know the number invited and the number accepted? Just trying to figure out how much weight they put on the interview and honestly just nervous about the process.

 

[PTPuser]

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I just received an interview invite from KSUCPM today! I have kind of a different question however, about how many interviewees are accepted? Do you know the number invited and the number accepted? Just trying to figure out how much weight they put on the interview and honestly just nervous about the process.

I interviewed for class of 2024 and they were probably the most relax interviewer I've ever had.

 

[sad1980s]

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I just received an interview invite from KSUCPM today! I have kind of a different question however, about how many interviewees are accepted? Do you know the number invited and the number accepted? Just trying to figure out how much weight they put on the interview and honestly just nervous about the process.

It was a relaxed interview pretty much verbatim off of the interview feedback section here on SDN. Isn't your interview going to be online though? I'd imagine that makes it even less stressful, but it's nice to be able to tour the campus.

As for your question, I don't think anyone actually knows how many interviewed get accepted but I'd imagine it's fairly high especially if your stats are average or above for kent.

 

[amint32]

Hello all just completed my interview today online with Kent State. Like in the comments above, it was extremely laid back and relaxed, almost conversational at times. Lasted about 20 mins plus time for the questions I had. Both interviewers were awesome and extremely kind! Online video format was great! Just basically like a combined FaceTime/Skype experience. I also recommend visiting the “virtual interview class of 2024” page they have put together on their site. It has a ton of great information and several helpful interviews.

 

[amint32]

Several helpful videos*

 

[PTPuser]

Hello all just completed my interview today online with Kent State. Like in the comments above, it was extremely laid back and relaxed, almost conversational at times. Lasted about 20 mins plus time for the questions I had. Both interviewers were awesome and extremely kind! Online video format was great! Just basically like a combined FaceTime/Skype experience. I also recommend visiting the “virtual interview class of 2024” page they have put together on their site. It has a ton of great information and several helpful interviews.

Best of luck! Hopefully you'll hear back by Friday. It took exactly a week for me.

 

[ballislifedotcom]

Is there a indoor gym/recreational center at KSUCPM campus? I can't seem to find anything on their website. Is there a nice commercial gym near the campus if not?

 

[PTPuser]

Is there a indoor gym/recreational center at KSUCPM campus? I can't seem to find anything on their website. Is there a nice commercial gym near the campus if not?

We have a very small gym in the building that is completely furnished. But you get free membership to FitWorks.