a bit ambivalent

[jon316]

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i am going to DMU in the Fall of 2012. I shadowed 3 different poditrists in Los Angeles area prior to the application proceas and recently told them about going to the podiatry school. All of them said that i should apply to DO schools since the field of podiatry is saturated and students cant find jobs after finishing training.

i dont think this is the case. i made my decision. I will study podiatric medicine. all the naysayers can say whatever they want.

what you folks think? 😕

 

[frankcfromny]

i am going to DMU in the Fall of 2012. I shadowed 3 different poditrists in Los Angeles area prior to the application proceas and recently told them about going to the podiatry school. All of them said that i should apply to DO schools since the field of podiatry is saturated and students cant find jobs after finishing training.

i dont think this is the case. i made my decision. I will study podiatric medicine. all the naysayers can say whatever they want.

what you folks think? 😕

I've heard this before, but you'll never know for sure until you get out and see for yourself. One podiatrist I shadowed suggested this without outright saying it, and the other one I shadowed told me to 100% pursue it. I will say that the one who was all for it is an older man and the one who was hesitant was a lot younger so maybe he has a different take on it. Who knows? Congrats and good luck.

 

[Doc Foot]

DO's have their fair share of hardships in competing with MD's as well. The grass is always greener...

 

[jccalalafc]

ditto with the regional saturation, i would believe that, for example, for all the talk about the shortage of nurses, there is an oversaturation of nurses in southern california
however, i was wondering if the other regions dont have as many pods for a reason, such as its not as recognized as much? possibly, i dunno, just a thought...for some reason, i wouldnt mind living in seattle despite the weather

 

[jonwill]

Medicine is a business. If you try to open a business in a saturated place, you are going to have a hard time. One of my partners has a brother (DDS) who is barely scrapping by because his wife insisted that he open up in her home town which happens to be super saturated. This poor dentist has been in practice for years and can barely pay the bills. So should I go over on the dental forums and tell them how horrible the profession is and that they are all going to fail? Of course not. I know tons of dentists that are all doing great.

I've heard all that crap as I started podiatry school and then went through residency. Of course I had to be smart about job offers etc but I did just fine and so did all of my buddies.

 

[JonScholl]

Medicine is a business. If you try to open a business in a saturated place, you are going to have a hard time. One of my partners has a brother (DDS) who is barely scrapping by because his wife insisted that he open up in her home town which happens to be super saturated. This poor dentist has been in practice for years and can barely pay the bills. So should I go over on the dental forums and tell them how horrible the profession is and that they are all going to fail? Of course not. I know tons of dentists that are all doing great.

I've heard all that crap as I started podiatry school and then went through residency. Of course I had to be smart about job offers etc but I did just fine and so did all of my buddies.

I definitely agree with everything you've said. Also, could you define "just fine"

 

[Madura]

Congrats and good school choice (in my biased opinion being that I'm a first year DMU student). May I ask why you chose DMU coming from LA? We don't see too many people from the west coast here.

Here is my perspective on your question ... a huge number of podiatrists will be retiring by the time we finish residency (baby boomers I guess). One in 3 Americans have diabetes and that number is rising every day. Podiatry just got GME funding for its residencies, which are longer, standardized, and very surgical, which opens up more opportunities to specialize in specific areas. The Medicaid crisis should be dealt with by the time we start practicing being that we were barely shy of the vote count needed to pass the bill last term. Everything goes in cycles ...residency shortages, global economy, doctors' income, and the list goes on, but not even those LA docs can ignore the upward trend we are seeing in our field now. The DMU professors have assured us we will have more patients than we can take care of by the time we get going. I'll see you in August! Make sure you relax until then 🙂

 

[bobdolerson]

I'd suggest getting a DPM and a doctorate in genetics at the same time. Sure, it's more difficult, but with any luck you can find a way to induce the growth of extra feet and provide yourself with all the income you'll ever need. Bam. 50% market growth.

Try and make the feet sprout on the legs, though, or we'll have a hard time getting 'em into our scope of practice.

 

[Traum]

Would due some serious due diligence. A DPM degree has very limited value outside of clinical podiatry. If you have a medical condition and/or decide you want to leave clinical podiatry, what can you do with the DPM degree? There have been very few that have leveraged the podiatry degree to other medical facets, professions, occupations.

However, in many medical/non-medical circles, the DPM remains a raised eyebrow, an unknown, and/or an ancillary service provider.

An MD (or DO) has a vast array of options--all the ABMS specialities, research, admin, insurance, etc...than podiatry. You do not have to over-explain your qualifications ad infinitum, education, training, etc...DOs have some discrimination, however, again, they have full access to all the specialities in medicine. Podiatry is its' own island, without amalgamation with ACGME, LCME, ABMS, ABSITE, podiatry remains a stand alone.

Thank you, and good luck. Keep your options open.

 

[347932]

Would due some serious due diligence. A DPM degree has very limited value outside of clinical podiatry. If you have a medical condition and/or decide you want to leave clinical podiatry, what can you do with the DPM degree? There have been very few that have leveraged the podiatry degree to other medical facets, professions, occupations.

However, in many medical/non-medical circles, the DPM remains a raised eyebrow, an unknown, and/or an ancillary service provider.

An MD (or DO) has a vast array of options--all the ABMS specialities, research, admin, insurance, etc...than podiatry. You do not have to over-explain your qualifications ad infinitum, education, training, etc...DOs have some discrimination, however, again, they have full access to all the specialities in medicine. Podiatry is its' own island, without amalgamation with ACGME, LCME, ABMS, ABSITE, podiatry remains a stand alone.

Thank you, and good luck. Keep your options open.

I disagree with this. There are plenty of options, although they may be more "hidden". There are examples of Podiatrists doing other non clinical related paths. "Few" maybe be somewhat correct due to proportionality, but truly why go into Podiatry if not to be a clinician?

 

[jon316]

I don't think so. Also aren't you the person who was kicked out of NYCPM for academic dishonesty. I have been reading about you and your tendency to use two usernames. One is Traum, the other is Neil...something. You have been saying negative things about podiatry. Your uncle and brother are two podiatrists in the family who are not fond of podiatry. I don't know buddy, I am not sure why I would even listen to a person who is very negative from the get-go.

😴

Would due some serious due diligence. A DPM degree has very limited value outside of clinical podiatry. If you have a medical condition and/or decide you want to leave clinical podiatry, what can you do with the DPM degree? There have been very few that have leveraged the podiatry degree to other medical facets, professions, occupations.

However, in many medical/non-medical circles, the DPM remains a raised eyebrow, an unknown, and/or an ancillary service provider.

An MD (or DO) has a vast array of options--all the ABMS specialities, research, admin, insurance, etc...than podiatry. You do not have to over-explain your qualifications ad infinitum, education, training, etc...DOs have some discrimination, however, again, they have full access to all the specialities in medicine. Podiatry is its' own island, without amalgamation with ACGME, LCME, ABMS, ABSITE, podiatry remains a stand alone.

Thank you, and good luck. Keep your options open.

 

[bobdolerson]

Well...this sucks...

After all this studying for biochem, anatomy, physiology, patholy, neurology, immunology, etc, etc...all I really wanted to do was administration work, so to hear that my options are limited with this degree regarding signing papers and overseeing day-to-day activities of practicing physicians, I'm now starting to rethink my choice.

End sarcasm.

Your options in life are limited to your motivation and innovation. Improvise, adapt and overcome. Bill Gates dropped out of college, and I've worked for more than my fair share of extremely affluent individuals with nothing more than a high school diploma.

Will you have every opportunity that an MD/DO has? Well...probably not entirely, but a "maybe then, if possibly" scenario shouldn't stop you from pursuing a goal. Hell, if people went along those lines, we would have no professional athletes; if you've seen any of them in an interview, I wouldn't trust the majority of them to pour the milk in my cereal.

A backup option in the same field is nice, but I think having more limited backup options in the case of a debilitating dysfunction is a poor reason to base your education and goals. If you're smart, motivated, personable and motivated (notice I said that twice?), then you'll find something to do that you enjoy.

 

[air bud]

wrong buddy. you read one post from someone else who didnt know what they are talking about.

 

[jon316]

Well...this sucks...

After all this studying for biochem, anatomy, physiology, patholy, neurology, immunology, etc, etc...all I really wanted to do was administration work, so to hear that my options are limited with this degree regarding signing papers and overseeing day-to-day activities of practicing physicians, I'm now starting to rethink my choice.

End sarcasm.

Your options in life are limited to your motivation and innovation. Improvise, adapt and overcome. Bill Gates dropped out of college, and I've worked for more than my fair share of extremely affluent individuals with nothing more than a high school diploma.

Will you have every opportunity that an MD/DO has? Well...probably not entirely, but a "maybe then, if possibly" scenario shouldn't stop you from pursuing a goal. Hell, if people went along those lines, we would have no professional athletes; if you've seen any of them in an interview, I wouldn't trust the majority of them to pour the milk in my cereal.

A backup option in the same field is nice, but I think having more limited backup options in the case of a debilitating dysfunction is a poor reason to base your education and goals. If you're smart, motivated, personable and motivated (notice I said that twice?), then you'll find something to do that you enjoy.

 

[bobdolerson]

I appreciate the contribution, friend.

 

[AttackNME]

i am going to DMU in the Fall of 2012. I shadowed 3 different poditrists in Los Angeles area prior to the application proceas and recently told them about going to the podiatry school. All of them said that i should apply to DO schools since the field of podiatry is saturated and students cant find jobs after finishing training.

i dont think this is the case. i made my decision. I will study podiatric medicine. all the naysayers can say whatever they want.

what you folks think? 😕

No one can predict how the job market for podiatry is like in 7 years.

 

[Temperature101]

If your GPA and MCAT are competitive for DO, you should think hard about what these pods told you. If you decide to do DO, try to get an ortho residency.

 

[PADPM]

I'm sorry, but this entire thread has an unusal premise in MY opinion.

First, you have to decide if you would be happy with the field of podiatry. If that's not the field that actually interests you, there is no need to move on. On the other hand, if it is a field you truly believe you're interested in, why would you worry about what will happen if you fail? Having a back up plan in life is great, but not choosing podiatry because OTHER opportunities may be limited if you're not successful is disturbing to me.

I doubt that the vast majority enter podiatry to not practice and find other possible opportunities. As I've stated dozens of times on this site, if you work hard, practice ethically and treat your patients well, you WILL succeed. I don't advise entering ANY field worrying what will happen if you fail.

This is especially true regarding a field where you've dedicated 4 extra years after college, 3 years of residency and countless amount of money. This field is not a get rich quick profession, but as I've also stated on this site numerous times, I can honestly count on one hand the number of DPMs who I know who are not successful. And as I've also stated, almost all of them expect to be successful without dedicating the time or hours.

Yes, I do understand the "what if" question. But if you have confidence in yourself, than have confidence in the profession IF it's the profession you truly want.

In any field or any situation, you will always hear more about the disgruntled few than the happy majority.

It's analagous to when a patient comes into the office stating that they would NEVER have bunion surgery because he/she heard it was horrible, extremely painful, blah, blah, blah. And I can HONESTLY state after many, many years of practice and performing a lot of surgery, that those statements could not be further from the truth. But one disgruntled patient barks loudly (and the person that had the "horrible experience" is never a patient YOU did the surgery on) and people listen.

Podiatry is doing well and thriving and will continue to thrive for those who want to practice in the profession and are willing to dedicate the time to become successful and maintain that success. But that's not just true in podiatry, it's true of any profession.

 

[baseballplaya13]

PADPM 👍