AACPMAS 2015-2016 Cycle

[jmarshall20]

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what are ur stats brah

Undergrad; BA in economics, gpa, 3.1, post-bacc pre0med gpa 3.75, old MCAT 26, tons of extracurricular's and work experience. Most notably I was the president of my school's AMSA chapter (American Medical Student Association), worked/still work as a medical scribe in a level 1 trauma center, was vice president of Global Medical Brigade, tons of volunteer experience, TONS of shadowing experience, 2 research projects, yadda, yadda, yadda. Before going back to school for my post-bacc I worked for Wells Fargo Bank, in commercial real estate, and with a green technology consulting firm. Plus I'm married and tackled the post-bacc world while raising an infant daughter. The story could keep going, but I think you get the idea, haha.

I wouldn't consider my stats stellar, especially my MCAT. I only say that because from all of my AAMC practice tests I did well above that. On test day I choked, but this is life, and I chose to pursue podiatry and only podiatry as that's where my heart lies. So from a stats stand point I can't say they would be an apples to apples comparison with others, I had a lot of additional ammo in my back pocket including really strong letters of recommendation, which I know others have as well. All in all, if you get a foot in the door for the interview, a great interview can overcome any deficiencies in your stats. If your stats aren't great, and you bomb the interview, well that's kind of on you. It's up to you to properly prepare for your interviews and no one else's. And I'm using "you" as a general term, not directed at anyone specifically.

I know this is late advice but one of the biggest ways to stack the deck in your favor is to apply early. Decent stats get accepted early in the cycle. Decent stats don't get accepted later in the cycle. Also after the first wave of early students accept of decline those wait listed spots will be available. And worse case scenario; you don't get in this cycle....I'd suggest taking a year to make yourself a stronger applicant, get all your ducks in a row, then apply next cycle

 

[jmarshall20]

Hey evryone!

How is the interview at Scholl set up? Was it tough or were they all pretty chill for the most part?

Thanks

For me it was nice and relaxed. There were 2 interviewers and it was open file. They asked your general interview questions and generally just wanted to get to know you as a person and what your story is. It was an enjoyable experience.

At Barry they asked a lot more "tough" questions, thatweren't really tough, more direct and "Why did you get a C in XYZ class 10 years ago?" basically they wanted to know why you had any "red flags" and wanted to to be able to address them appropriately and not BS your way through it. I've heard from others before interviewing there that they will "rip your transcripts apart". I didn't feel they "ripped them apart", but they definitely did ask specific questions about certain semesters from years ago and specifics about the transcripts which they had in front of them and referenced them frequently. There was almost a good cop, slightly bad cop routine from the two interviewers. In the end I got accepted with scholarship. Just prepare ahead of time and you'll be good.

 

[jmarshall20]

Hey everyone, I'm interviewing on Monday at Barry. I know in interviews they always ask if you have any questions, but what's the etiquette for this? Is it an empty offer? I have legitimate questions that I'd like answered- like how Barry scored below the CPME national averages in several categories, why they feel they earned their responses from graduates, and what they're doing to correct it, as well as why their tuition is highest in the nation for Pod schools? What specific aspects about their school do they feel commands such a fee above the rest?

These are questions I'd really like to hear from them about but I'm afraid it may taint my whole interview, assuming it goes well. Wondering if anyone asked similar questions at other schools and what they felt the outcome was as a result.

I asked them essentially the same questions you asked. It didn't taint my interview at all, and they appreciated the questions. I wasn't exceptionally thrilled with their responses, but that's besides the point. These are questions that need to be asked, and to be honest if they take offense to any of these questions...well then that's kind of a red flag.

Just prepare and asked good insightful questions and you'll be good. Let me know how it goes.

 

[Podman16]

I asked them essentially the same questions you asked. It didn't taint my interview at all, and they appreciated the questions. I wasn't exceptionally thrilled with their responses, but that's besides the point. These are questions that need to be asked, and to be honest if they take offense to any of these questions...well then that's kind of a red flag.

Just prepare and asked good insightful questions and you'll be good. Let me know how it goes.

Just curious, what was their response for having such a low graduation rate?

 

[podiatrytime]

@podiatrytime
While it is true that ur mcat is low... you did get an invite... means they like other parts of ur application.. ur gpa, ur interest in pod, the level of classes u have taken etc..
if they did not like ur application, they could've saved their time interviewing u and ur time going to the school to interview

Take the interview opportunity to shine as to why even with that MCAT score, you could succeed in pod school..

I get your point, and hopefully that is the case. It's just that I've noticed people from this thread with similar MCAT score and higher GPA than mine getting waitlisted or rejected.

And yes! I'm definitely going to take this opportunity to standout.

 

[captgreg87]

I get your point, and hopefully that is the case. It's just that I've noticed people from this thread with similar MCAT score and higher GPA than mine getting waitlisted or rejected.

And yes! I'm definitely going to take this opportunity to standout.

I honestly think there is something else in your application that is standing out enough to Kent that they offered you the interview, which is great! I had a 19 on my second MCAT since my first one was too old to score and had a pretty decent GPA with a high Masters GPA. Kent rejected me an interview due to "an MCAT below our minimum", which I thought was very odd.

Even with your 19 MCAT I wouldn't be discouraged at all, I was quite worried with mine and I ended up getting excepted to both DMU and Scholl, so I think you will be in great shape especially if Kent is noticing something in particular within your application.

 

[Doc NaCl]

I also had an MCAT of 19. I was interview rejected at Kent for "an MCAT below our minimum". I was interviewed and got accepted at Barry, Scholl and waitlisted at Midwestern.
A good MCAT score is important to some schools and not others. I know at my interviews I was told that a medical student is much more than an MCAT. They wanted to see all sides of who I was, not just a 4 hour test.

Dont let your 19 discourage you.

 

[podiatrytime]

I honestly think there is something else in your application that is standing out enough to Kent that they offered you the interview, which is great! I had a 19 on my second MCAT since my first one was too old to score and had a pretty decent GPA with a high Masters GPA. Kent rejected me an interview due to "an MCAT below our minimum", which I thought was very odd.

Even with your 19 MCAT I wouldn't be discouraged at all, I was quite worried with mine and I ended up getting excepted to both DMU and Scholl, so I think you will be in great shape especially if Kent is noticing something in particular within your application.

I also had an MCAT of 19. I was interview rejected at Kent for "an MCAT below our minimum". I was interviewed and got accepted at Barry, Scholl and waitlisted at Midwestern.
A good MCAT score is important to some schools and not others. I know at my interviews I was told that a medical student is much more than an MCAT. They wanted to see all sides of who I was, not just a 4 hour test.

Dont let your 19 discourage you.

My GPA isn't impressive either but as you both said, there's probably something else in my application that's standing out.

If you guys don't mind me asking, what kind of MCAT-score related questions did they ask you both?

I'm trying not to worry too much, but after hearing many people getting rejected from Kent with a 19, I'm a little nervous. Haha 🙁

 

[MarsDominus]

I asked my interviewer at Western why their graduation rate is only 66% and a couple of other choice questions. I got accepted with a scholarship.

You definitely need to ask these questions. The answers they give and they way that they answer will tell you everything you need to know about the school, like whether they simply suck and will try to hide it or whether they know they suck but don't care (*cough* Western *cough*) or whether they know they suck and they really care about the students and are on track to implement change and improve outcomes.

How much scholarship did you get?

 

[bobtheweazel]

How much scholarship did you get?

From Western, $6000.

 

[MarsDominus]

Even though I have 3.7 cGPA, 510 MCAT, for some reason, I'm gravitated towards podiatry. I'm thinking of applying to one or two Pod schools as well. What schools would you guys recommend? I prefer one where I can get the most scholarships in.

 

[bobtheweazel]

Even though I have 3.7 cGPA, 510 MCAT, for some reason, I'm gravitated towards podiatry. I'm thinking of applying to one or two Pod schools as well. What schools would you guys recommend? I prefer one where I can get the most scholarships in.

On average, out of state pod school is cheaper than out of state med school. I wouldn't let cost be my deciding factor for any school. If you want to go to the school with the best academics, go with DMU or AZPod. If you want integration with DOs, go with DMU, AZPod, Western, or whomever else might be integrated. If you want to do research, maybe go with Scholl. If you want to get sucked up into a hurricane, go with Barry (hehe, jk, kinda). If you want to live in a big city, go with NYCPM. The point is, figure out what you're looking for in a school and then figure out which schools can give you that.

 

[Mofresh]

Just got in to NYCPM ans CSPM

 

[deleted585480]

Just got in to NYCPM ans CSPM

stats?

 

[SLCpod]

Even though I have 3.7 cGPA, 510 MCAT, for some reason, I'm gravitated towards podiatry. I'm thinking of applying to one or two Pod schools as well. What schools would you guys recommend? I prefer one where I can get the most scholarships in.

Though it does play a factor, scholarships aren't the best way to look at which school to attend. We kind of have that topic going on in the scholarship thread. Some schools have higher requirements to keep scholarships than others. Pod school is HARD. Don't go into it thinking it will be easy to maintain a 3.9. The majority posting in this thread have yet to attend school so they don't really have the ability to give you advice based on experience but rather give it based on expectation.

If I were in your shoes I wouldn't ask which school others think are the best but find the 2 that will help you succeed. There are some who prefer schools with a smaller class size (not integrated with 100+ DO's), some like more clinical experience, others like recorded lectures rather than attending class, and there are also those who go to a school based on solely location. My top 2 will probably be different than yours.

Good luck.

 

[babyelephant]

avg gpa at pod school 1 st year is 3.2...
avg gpa at pod 2nd year is 3.3....

this is avg was complied after talking to 3 schools.. dmu, cspm, azpod

 

[jmarshall20]

Even though I have 3.7 cGPA, 510 MCAT, for some reason, I'm gravitated towards podiatry. I'm thinking of applying to one or two Pod schools as well. What schools would you guys recommend? I prefer one where I can get the most scholarships in.

I think it's awesome that you are considering Podiatry. Have you gotten the opportunity to get some clinical and OR shadowing in? Also, if you don't mind my asking what is it that has you gravitating to the profession? As mentioned before there are a lot of factors that will determine what the best school is for you regardless of scholarship.

Also, I hope I'm not reading too much into your post, but it sounds like a slight put down to the profession in how it's worded. Not by any means saying that's the case, but podiatry school is no cake walk. Unfortunately a mistake frequently made by many incoming students is that it's going to be easier then "traditional med school", which is not the case. I feel podiatry is something you really need to be sure about and committed too. You're specialized from day one, so down the road there's no "maybe emergency medicine is what I really want to do".

 

[DamnCroissants]

How long is the turnaround time for DMU? They said 2-3 weeks, but I really hope that's not the case. AZPOD wants me to let them know by the 11th, and KSU/Temple by Christmas day. If it comes down to passing on AZPOD to wait for DMU, so be it, I really loved my DMU visit, and I could really see myself there. Otherwise, I'm going to go to Temple as it's second on my list in terms of fit and what they offer. AZPOD was very nice, and I was very, very impressed by their academic background, but DMU is a step above in terms of education/experience in my eyes. I'd also like to add that AZPOD does little to no research, which I may not want to do once I go to school, but I believe research is important to an ever-evolving curriculum/field. Without research, it is hard to stay at the forefront of medicine, where Temple/DMU can provide opportunities to those willing, having that option is important to me. Temple turned me off with their defensive attitude to being older and their constant advertisement of their clinic, but the students/faculty seemed extremely happy to be there (even the one's that I spoke to outside of the tour/lunch), and I really liked my day spent touring Philly. Temple offered me a large enough scholarship, combined with a positive visit outside of my few criticisms, to put them in second place.

 

[CardsFan92]

How long is the turnaround time for DMU? They said 2-3 weeks, but I really hope that's not the case. AZPOD wants me to let them know by the 11th, and KSU/Temple by Christmas day. If it comes down to passing on AZPOD to wait for DMU, so be it, I really loved my DMU visit, and I could really see myself there. Otherwise, I'm going to go to Temple as it's second on my list in terms of fit and what they offer. AZPOD was very nice, and I was very, very impressed by their academic background, but DMU is a step above in terms of education/experience in my eyes. Temple turned me off with their defensive attitude to being older and their constant advertisement of their clinic, but the students/faculty seemed extremely happy to be there (even the one's that I spoke to outside of the tour/lunch), and I really liked my day spent touring Philly. Temple offered me a large enough scholarship, combined with a positive visit outside of my few criticisms, to put them in second place.

My group interviewed on a Friday and heard back the following Wednesday. Other posters on here have said its taken up to a couple weeks after their interview to hear back

 

[jmarshall20]

Just curious, what was their response for having such a low graduation rate?

They kind of glossed over it to be honest. Before the interview I heard that a lot of it had to do with faculty and curriculum. I just took this with a grain of salt. During the interview they used the example of "what goes in is what comes out". They blamed the high attrition rate, poor board scores, and lack luster overall residency placement from the past few years on bringing in poor students in the first place. They said they addressed this by changing their selection process, and I can conform it's different than any of the other schools I applied and interviewed at. Secondarily they noted some issues with the curriculum, which they said had been addressed without any specifics given. Additionally they reported faculty changes had been made, but didn't go into details.

Their answers weren't unbelievable, but it just seemed like they weren't being fully straight forward and were sugar coating it. I can understand trying to save face. What I had issue with is that when discussing my interview with another interviewee, they were given a different response to the same question. That didn't sit well with me. But in the end who really knows. It appears they have taken the necessary steps to right the ship, and we'll see in the long run. Maybe next year they won't stipulate the improved numbers only take into account the "eligible students".

 

[underwood]

hey guys got my interview from Kent just today! Still waiting on my first choice SCPM. Also I wasnt keeping up with the thread, but i will when i have more time. Did anyone mention anything about residencies and the whole residency shortage etc.?? supposedly it shouldnt be as big of a problem by the time we graduate which would be 2020 ish.....any insight??

 

[bobtheweazel]

hey guys got my interview from Kent just today! Still waiting on my first choice SCPM. Also I wasnt keeping up with the thread, but i will when i have more time. Did anyone mention anything about residencies and the whole residency shortage etc.?? supposedly it shouldnt be as big of a problem by the time we graduate which would be 2020 ish.....any insight??

According to the Director of AZPod (Dr Page), the ultimate goal is to maintain 110% of the required residency positions, or a surplus of 10%. He stated that we are currently at a surplus (although I don't remember if it was actually at the 10% or not) for the current number of graduating students, but that the system is still working through older students who never got a residency because of the past shortage. He said that they should all be worked through the system by the time we graduate though, other than a small number of students who he says will probably never match into residencies because of personality.

If this is all true, then it should pretty much be a nonissue for nearly 100% of us by the time we graduate, except for the weirdos or people with abrasive personalities...so just don't be that guy...

 

[jmarshall20]

According to the Director of AZPod (Dr Page), the ultimate goal is to maintain 110% of the required residency positions, or a surplus of 10%. He stated that we are currently at a surplus (although I don't remember if it was actually at the 10% or not) for the current number of graduating students, but that the system is still working through older students who never got a residency because of the past shortage. He said that they should all be worked through the system by the time we graduate though, other than a small number of students who he says will probably never match into residencies because of personality.

If this is all true, then it should pretty much be a nonissue for nearly 100% of us by the time we graduate, except for the weirdos or people with abrasive personalities...so just don't be that guy...

samesies

 

[SLCpod]

According to the Director of AZPod (Dr Page), the ultimate goal is to maintain 110% of the required residency positions, or a surplus of 10%. He stated that we are currently at a surplus (although I don't remember if it was actually at the 10% or not) for the current number of graduating students, but that the system is still working through older students who never got a residency because of the past shortage. He said that they should all be worked through the system by the time we graduate though, other than a small number of students who he says will probably never match into residencies because of personality.

If this is all true, then it should pretty much be a nonissue for nearly 100% of us by the time we graduate, except for the weirdos or people with abrasive personalities...so just don't be that guy...

There is still a shortage. It is getting better but there are still about 100 people that are trying to match every year that have not matched in previous years. I get frustrated when people are told that there isn't a problem anymore because there certainly is. Its not possible for there to be a 110% availability every year because the graduation rate fluctuates up and down. It doesn't make sense for residency programs to put the money into positions that won't be filled.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

 

[bobtheweazel]

There is still a shortage. It is getting better but there are still about 100 people that are trying to match every year that have not matched in previous years. I get frustrated when people are told that there isn't a problem anymore because there certainly is. Its not possible for there to be a 110% availability every year because the graduation rate fluctuates up and down. It doesn't make sense for residency programs to put the money into positions that won't be filled.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Nobody has said that there isn't still a problem right now. Even Dr Page admitted that the system is still working through those previous students. We're saying that there shouldn't really be a problem by the time we graduate in 2020, or at least not enough of a problem to cause a major concern for students thinking of applying podiatry now.

Ive looked further into this and found that we are currently running at about a 10% surplus, depending on how you want to count.

So the matriculating class of 2011 numbered 672. The number entering in 2013 was 671. That should be about the same every year with the current cap of 680 across all schools.

Anyway, with about 672 students matriculating, and using the CPME outcomes data averaged across 2013-2015 which is the best we can do, about 538 students should graduate from each entering class of about 672. I'm obviously not counting students who fell back a year from upper classes nor students who fell back a year from the entering classes, I suppose this is all approximate anyway.

So with about 538 graduating students from an entering class, the total number of residency positions that would need to be available for them in 2015 would be about 592 for a 10% surplus.

Looking at the current CASPR directory (I counted the number of positions from every individual residency...took a while...someone had to do it), there are/were 225 residency programs participating this year with a total of 598 approved positions, 589 active positions. So that pretty much straddles the 592 mark and is right about where they want to be. There were also an additional 5 programs that did not participate at all, and with a little extrapolation from the average number of approved positions per program (2.66) then there should've been about another 13 positions available from those programs, had they participated.

So all together, between the programs that participated and those that didn't, there are probably about 611 total approved positions, which would be 0ver 70 surplus residency positions per year if all residencies make all positions available. But even with the positions that have currently been made available, there are a surplus of about 50 residency positions. So either way, I don't foresee there being too much of a residency shortage come 2020.

P.S., Besides all of that, if they were ever going to increase the cap on admissions or even allow a new school to open, then maintaining a healthy surplus of residency positions would be prudent. For this reason, I think they should keep pushing more and more hospitals to open new residencies, whether the positions will currently be filled or not. And as far as I know, that's what they're actually doing since we're already at the 10% surplus but there is still a push for more residencies to open.

http://www.aacpm.org/html/careerzone/pdfs/AACPM CIB-2013 Entering Class.pdf
http://www.aacpm.org/html/careerzone/pdfs/2015 CIB.pdf
http://www.casprcrip.org/html/casprcrip/directory.asp

 

[pharmbl]

Interviewed yesterday at DMU and ended up meeting @DamnCroissants. Really impressive program, I can see why everyone believes DMU is top notch.

 

[CardsFan92]

There is still a shortage. It is getting better but there are still about 100 people that are trying to match every year that have not matched in previous years. I get frustrated when people are told that there isn't a problem anymore because there certainly is. Its not possible for there to be a 110% availability every year because the graduation rate fluctuates up and down. It doesn't make sense for residency programs to put the money into positions that won't be filled.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

I really appreciate reading this. If you're going into medicine, particularly podiatry and to a lesser extent the newer DO programs, you are taking on an element of risk with regards to the match. This is something that we all have to come to grips with...it's okay that it's a little bit scary knowing the match process isn't 100% perfect and won't ever be.

We don't need to sugarcoat things because to do so would be to misrepresent the current state of the field. Not to say things are bad now (they certainly were in 2013)...but based on all the research I've done, there is a higher risk in podiatry of not matching than there is in MD/DO programs.

Part of my decision on becoming a podiatrist was accepting that risk, and then moving on.

 

[SLCpod]

Nobody has said that there isn't still a problem right now. Even Dr Page admitted that the system is still working through those previous students. We're saying that there shouldn't really be a problem by the time we graduate in 2020, or at least not enough of a problem to cause a major concern for students thinking of applying podiatry now.

Ive looked further into this and found that we are currently running at about a 10% surplus, depending on how you want to count.

So the matriculating class of 2011 numbered 672. The number entering in 2013 was 671. That should be about the same every year with the current cap of 680 across all schools.

Anyway, with about 672 students matriculating, and using the CPME outcomes data averaged across 2013-2015 which is the best we can do, about 538 students should graduate from each entering class of about 672. I'm obviously not counting students who fell back a year from upper classes nor students who fell back a year from the entering classes, I suppose this is all approximate anyway.

So with about 538 graduating students from an entering class, the total number of residency positions that would need to be available for them in 2015 would be about 592 for a 10% surplus.

Looking at the current CASPR directory (I counted the number of positions from every individual residency...took a while...someone had to do it), there are/were 225 residency programs participating this year with a total of 598 approved positions, 589 active positions. So that pretty much straddles the 592 mark and is right about where they want to be. There were also an additional 5 programs that did not participate at all, and with a little extrapolation from the average number of approved positions per program (2.66) then there should've been about another 13 positions available from those programs, had they participated.

So all together, between the programs that participated and those that didn't, there are probably about 611 total approved positions, which would be 0ver 70 surplus residency positions per year if all residencies make all positions available. But even with the positions that have currently been made available, there are a surplus of about 50 residency positions. So either way, I don't foresee there being too much of a residency shortage come 2020.

P.S., Besides all of that, if they were ever going to increase the cap on admissions or even allow a new school to open, then maintaining a healthy surplus of residency positions would be prudent. For this reason, I think they should keep pushing more and more hospitals to open new residencies, whether the positions will currently be filled or not. And as far as I know, that's what they're actually doing since we're already at the 10% surplus but there is still a push for more residencies to open.

http://www.aacpm.org/html/careerzone/pdfs/AACPM CIB-2013 Entering Class.pdf
http://www.aacpm.org/html/careerzone/pdfs/2015 CIB.pdf
http://www.casprcrip.org/html/casprcrip/directory.asp

Here are the numbers from CPME:
http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1511372/24394527/1392748166493/2014+CASPR+Stats+-+123113+rev1.pdf?token=jFZNcSjONynuOPD2KdM9klSof64=

There have been a total of 2 additional positions added this last year:
http://www.cpme.org/residencies/content.cfm?ItemNumber=6915

So what does this mean? There are about 10% of residency applicants that will go unmatched this year. Podiatry school applicants have been more competitive last few years so I would imagine the graduation percentage will increase. If we are adding 2 seats a year we aren't going to get 100% match any time soon. The CPME wants hospitals to open as many residencies as possible, but there is a thing called money. Every position must have the funding and it simply isn't there. There must also be enough cases at each program to allow for adequate training. There are programs that have the case load for more positions but don't want to create them because they want higher cases numbers for each resident.

I would be happy to see a 10% surplus but it just isn't going to happen. As I said before, I don't like it when admissions say that there is nothing to worry about. Of course you should worry about it. Let it be a kind reminder that you need to work hard in school and put yourself in a position to get a residency. You need to know that there is a chance you won't get a residency.

EDIT: This link is the most updated for the previous match: http://www.aacpm.org/pdf/PlacementUpdate.pdf

 

[bobtheweazel]

Here are the numbers from CPME:
http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1511372/24394527/1392748166493/2014+CASPR+Stats+-+123113+rev1.pdf?token=jFZNcSjONynuOPD2KdM9klSof64=

There have been a total of 2 additional positions added this last year:
http://www.cpme.org/residencies/content.cfm?ItemNumber=6915

So what does this mean? There are about 10% of residency applicants that will go unmatched this year. Podiatry school applicants have been more competitive last few years so I would imagine the graduation percentage will increase. If we are adding 2 seats a year we aren't going to get 100% match any time soon. The CPME wants hospitals to open as many residencies as possible, but there is a thing called money. Every position must have the funding and it simply isn't there. There must also be enough cases at each program to allow for adequate training. There are programs that have the case load for more positions but don't want to create them because they want higher cases numbers for each resident.

I would be happy to see a 10% surplus but it just isn't going to happen. As I said before, I don't like it when admissions say that there is nothing to worry about. Of course you should worry about it. Let it be a kind reminder that you need to work hard in school and put yourself in a position to get a residency. You need to know that there is a chance you won't get a residency.

EDIT: This link is the most updated for the previous match: http://www.aacpm.org/pdf/PlacementUpdate.pdf

So even if we assume the most recent graduating classes to be about 558, or even slightly higher, then for the current caspr/crip process there is still an excess of 31 active residency positions, which if maintained can work through the preexisting 87 students in just three cycles. And maybe more residencies will open or close and maybe higher proportions of students will begin to graduate or maybe not. But those are variables that we can't know right now. As it stands currently, the excess students will be worked through in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 matches and my class will not be going through the process until 2 years after that. So obviously people should do well and keep their personalities in check and be relatively likeable, but otherwise I don't think there's good reason to alarm current applicants and future students.

And actually, as I look at those CSPM stats again, that was for 2014 CASPR and we don't know how many of those preexisting students were worked through the 2015 match. The positions at that point would've been somewhere between the 2014 -4 position surplus and the current +31 surplus. So really we have the next four matches to work through fewer than 87 preexisting applicants before we even apply.

 

[SLCpod]

So even if we assume the most recent graduating classes to be about 558, or even slightly higher, then for the current caspr/crip process there is still an excess of 31 active residency positions, which if maintained can work through the preexisting 87 students in just three cycles. And maybe more residencies will open or close and maybe higher proportions of students will begin to graduate or maybe not. But those are variables that we can't know right now. As it stands currently, the excess students will be worked through in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 matches and my class will not be going through the process until 2 years after that. So obviously people should do well and keep their personalities in check and be relatively likeable, but otherwise I don't think there's good reason to alarm current applicants.

It's not a good idea to tell applicants there won't be a problem because there will be. It is a part of the medical profession game. You should be as worried about it as I am. I hope that when I am interviewing students as a 3rd year resident in 2020 I won't have to be thinking about how many won't be matching. When I was in your place I was hoping for the same thing you are but I realize now that it just isn't going to happen. The lack of residency generation the last year is concerning. Time will tell. Let's hope time is good to us.

 

[bobtheweazel]

It's not a good idea to tell applicants there won't be a problem because there will be. It is a part of the medical profession game. You should be as worried about it as I am. I hope that when I am interviewing students as a 3rd year resident in 2020 I won't have to be thinking about how many won't be matching. When I was in your place I was hoping for the same thing you are but I realize now that it just isn't going to happen. The lack of residency generation the last year is concerning. Time will tell. Let's hope time is good to us.

So following the 2015 match, there were 60 excess eligible applicants.

Active residency positions increased from 563 for the 2015 match to 589 for the current match, 2016.

558 students graduated in 2014, 547 in 2015. Until we see that stats for incoming classes actually are starting to increase significantly, we can't assume that a higher proportion of students will be graduating. Even if that does become the case, that will be the case for my class or future classes, not the existing classes. So significantly higher proportions of people graduating, if it does happen, probably shouldn't be expected to happen until at the earliest 2020. Conversely though, the push towards parity may very well increase education standards within that time frame leading to reduced graduation, so really who's to say either way.

Anyway, with your most updated stats, we're now looking at a situation where the remaining past students can be worked through the system within the 2016 and 2017 match, leaving the 2018 and 2019 matches—both with excess numbers of positions— before we apply in 2020. The 2016 residency positions are already set, so just for us to not work through the 60 excess eligible applicants by the time we apply, something like 35 positions would have to be made inactive and stay inactive over the 2017, 2018, and 2019 matches—no additional growth whatsoever by 2020. With the constant push for more residencies, I simply don't see that happening. And perhaps there are no dollars to significantly expand the number of residencies, which is a major part of your argument, but there is at least enough money to fund the current residencies and maintain the current surplus. If there weren't, then there wouldn't be a current surplus in the first place.

 

[babyelephant]

Can someone clarify this for me... This was on BLS... " However, because it is a small occupation, the fast growth will result in only about 2,400 new jobs over the 10-year period."

If this is the case.. then I am scared

 

[SLCpod]

So following the 2015 match, there were 60 excess eligible applicants.

Active residency positions increased from 563 for the 2015 match to 589 for the current match, 2016.

558 students graduated in 2014, 547 in 2015. Until we see that stats for incoming classes actually are starting to increase significantly, we can't assume that a higher proportion of students will be graduating. Even if that does become the case, that will be the case for my class or future classes, not the existing classes. So significantly higher proportions of people graduating, if it does happen, probably shouldn't be expected to happen until at the earliest 2020. Conversely though, the push towards parity may very well increase education standards within that time frame leading to reduced graduation, so really who's to say either way.

Anyway, with your most updated stats, we're now looking at a situation where the remaining past students can be worked through the system within the 2016 and 2017 match, leaving the 2018 and 2019 matches—both with excess numbers of positions— before we apply in 2020. The 2016 residency positions are already set, so just for us to not work through the 60 excess eligible applicants by the time we apply, something like 35 positions would have to be made inactive and stay inactive over the 2017, 2018, and 2019 matches—no additional growth whatsoever by 2020. With the constant push for more residencies, I simply don't see that happening. And perhaps there are no dollars to significantly expand the number of residencies, which is a major part of your argument, but there is at least enough money to fund the current residencies and maintain the current surplus. If there weren't, then there wouldn't be a current surplus in the first place.

I guess we can wait until March so we can debate about this again.

 

[SLCpod]

Can someone clarify this for me... This was on BLS... " However, because it is a small occupation, the fast growth will result in only about 2,400 new jobs over the 10-year period."

If this is the case.. then I am scared

They list the total number of jobs as 10,700 and therefore the 23% increase is only about 2,400. That does not take into account the number of podiatrists that will will be replaced due to retirement. Make sense or were you asking something else?

 

[bobtheweazel]

Can someone clarify this for me... This was on BLS... " However, because it is a small occupation, the fast growth will result in only about 2,400 new jobs over the 10-year period."

If this is the case.. then I am scared

In addition to what SLCpod said, there is an oft-quoted stat of 17,800 practicing pods "according to the APMA". Now I'm not a member of the APMA and don't have access to any of their practice surveys or statistics or anything, so I can't personally verify that. Also, AACPM estimates the number of practicing pods to be about 15,000 according to their 2015-2016 college information book. Anyway, the more practicing pods, the more retiring pods leaving vacancies for new pods in addition to any new jobs that are being created.

Furthermore, the BLS median salary data for 2012 is off from the APMA reported median salary data from 2012 by almost $40,000. Someone in a past thread claimed that BLS counts resident salaries in their calculations, which does make sense since on the income tax forms I'm sure the residents state that they are podiatrists.

10,700(BLS) vs 15,000(AACPM) vs 17,800(APMA) practicing pods.

$116,440(BLS) vs $154,000(APMA) median salaries.

With such disparate data, take it all with a grain of salt. If there were a serious job shortage then we would hear about it as often as we hear about the residency shortage...which may or may not exist itself...hehehe

 

[babyelephant]

I know there was a residency shortage 2011-2013ish... but that shortage is well taken care of now, and will continue to get better...

Anyway, thank you @SLCpod and @bobtheweazel !! You guys cleared up the "job outlook" confusion I had 🙂

 

[CardsFan92]

I know there was a residency shortage 2011-2013ish... but that shortage is well taken care of now, and will continue to get better...

Anyway, thank you @SLCpod and @bobtheweazel !! You guys cleared up the "job outlook" confusion I had 🙂

Not trying to be rude or anything (or pick on you in particular elephant because many posts on here are similar to this), but this to me is sugar-coating the current situation. Bob and SLC DIDN'T really come to the conclusion that the shortage is "well-taken care of" and will continue to get better. They both presented data that, to me, reads: While the current state of podiatric residencies isn't in the poor position it was in 2011-2013, there is still some cause for concern now and in the future with regards to placement rates and jobs. Applicants should be aware of this issue before they apply, and know that the outlook for the future status of podiatric residencies is likely to change.

 

[bobtheweazel]

Yes, unfortunately, SLCpod and I will have to agree to disagree for now. Until we have more data.

Also, let me say that I'm not trying to be the "everything's rainbows and butterflies" guy and I assume SLCpod isn't trying to be the "doom and gloom" guy. We're both just doing our best to interpret the available data, but nobody has answers about the future.

Maybe my Magic 8 ball...

...oh, hmmm...

 

[babyelephant]

Not trying to be rude or anything (or pick on you in particular elephant because many posts on here are similar to this), but this to me is sugar-coating the current situation. Bob and SLC DIDN'T really come to the conclusion that the shortage is "well-taken care of" and will continue to get better. They both presented data that, to me, reads: While the current state of podiatric residencies isn't in the poor position it was in 2011-2013, there is still some cause for concern now and in the future with regards to placement rates and jobs. Applicants should be aware of this issue before they apply, and know that the outlook for the future status of podiatric residencies is likely to change.

Yeah I agree... That was not the conclusion they were coming to...But the conclusion I was coming to.. From my conversation with Dr. Page from Midwestern, and other faulty at CSPM.. There really are no residency shortages currently for pods, and It will likely get better with more hospitals continuing to open up pod residences..


.. But like them and us on SDN and two sides of a coin, neither can tell what time will bring...

I understand what your are saying tho.. so to support what you are saying, yes we need to err on the side of caution 🙂

 

[Mofresh]

stats?

3.3 492 but I'm a 3 sport athlete and student body Secretary plus a lot more involvement

 

[pharmbl]

Have Kent State interview tomorrow. Anyone else coming?

 

[member10101010]

Has anyone heard back from November 23rd interview from scholl?

 

[Doc NaCl]

Has anyone heard back from November 23rd interview from scholl?

Yes just heard back on Friday, December 4th by email

 

[Mofresh]

Have Kent State interview tomorrow. Anyone else coming?

I was there

 

[babyelephant]

The diglets are still entering my grades... Its been 3 weeks haha

 

[spk9905]

The diglets are still entering my grades... Its been 3 weeks haha

Spoke to them and they said it should be done by this week.

 

[pharmbl]

I was there

Hah, that makes you the second person from SDN I have met coincidentally in the past week.

 

[TimmyTurner]

Hi everyone. Just finished my interview at Barry. Currently posting from the Miami airport.

Overall I'm happy and could see myself there.
The interview was very relaxed. I had practiced interviewing myself in front of the mirror in my room at the best western the night before. The very first thing one of the interviewers did was wave his hand over my application, and say "Ok, this all checks out, now- tell me about yourself." I'll leave more specific feedback in the appropriate section, but that first gesture was generally emblematic of the whole interview.

While waiting for the others to interview (there were 4 of us interviewing today) , we filled out a sheet front and back that asked about how we handle adversity and other things. I thought it was somewhat odd and wondered why they wouldn't just include it as a supplementary. Perhaps to keep as busy while we waited for the others to finish their interview.

We then had a golf cart tour of campus (pretty nice, not aesthetically mind blowing but it's got palm trees so for a new englander like myself it's great). We then met with one of the curriculum directors Dr. Shaw who awkwardly asked and answered a few questions for us in his office . He then showed us the cadaver lab.

We then went to the student center to eat lunch. After lunch, back to BUsPM for an automated presentation on financial aid (which was weird- they put us in a room with a recorded slide show, closed the door, and opened it when it was done ). Then we went to the clinical sites- definitely the highlight of the day. We got to meet Dr. Southerland who founded the Yucatan project and spoke freely about Podiatry in general which we all appreciated.

Our day ended, and we went our separate ways. Overall there were some things about the school I wasn't crazy about, but nothing that was a deal breaker. The best selling points for me to attend Barry are 1) their clinical sites ( Jackson North, Mt. Sinai, and Mercy hospital), 2) patient to student ratios are very low 3) the fact they are the only Pod school in Florida and most of the south, and, 4) oh yeah- it's in Miami.

sidebar- both interviewers told me there is no longer a matching crisis when I asked about it, they're just trying to place the students who missed out in previous years, I know this to be patently false but I just said OK and didn't get into contesting this.

 

[Podman16]

Deposit down for Midwestern, Arizona here I come!

 

[futuredr305]

Hi everyone. Just finished my interview at Barry. Currently posting from the Miami airport.

Overall I'm happy and could see myself there.
The interview was very relaxed. I had practiced interviewing myself in front of the mirror in my room at the best western the night before. The very first thing one of the interviewers did was wave his hand over my application, and say "Ok, this all checks out, now- tell me about yourself." I'll leave more specific feedback in the appropriate section, but that first gesture was generally emblematic of the whole interview.

While waiting for the others to interview (there were 4 of us interviewing today) , we filled out a sheet front and back that asked about how we handle adversity and other things. I thought it was somewhat odd and wondered why they wouldn't just include it as a supplementary. Perhaps to keep as busy while we waited for the others to finish their interview.

We then had a golf cart tour of campus (pretty nice, not aesthetically mind blowing but it's got palm trees so for a new englander like myself it's great). We then met with one of the curriculum directors Dr. Shaw who awkwardly asked and answered a few questions for us in his office . He then showed us the cadaver lab.

We then went to the student center to eat lunch. After lunch, back to BUsPM for an automated presentation on financial aid (which was weird- they put us in a room with a recorded slide show, closed the door, and opened it when it was done ). Then we went to the clinical sites- definitely the highlight of the day. We got to meet Dr. Southerland who founded the Yucatan project and spoke freely about Podiatry in general which we all appreciated.

Our day ended, and we went our separate ways. Overall there were some things about the school I wasn't crazy about, but nothing that was a deal breaker. The best selling points for me to attend Barry are 1) their clinical sites ( Jackson North, Mt. Sinai, and Mercy hospital), 2) patient to student ratios are very low 3) the fact they are the only Pod school in Florida and most of the south, and, 4) oh yeah- it's in Miami.

sidebar- both interviewers told me there is no longer a matching crisis when I asked about it, they're just trying to place the students who missed out in previous years, I know this to be patently false but I just said OK and didn't get into contesting this.

I'm sorry you came to Miami on a record setting rainy week. The Zoo was closed because the Lions could now swim over the safety gates, believe it or not. But anyways, good luck! You should hear back by Friday, the earliest.