ACFAS training courses

[podiatryresident]

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Hello,

Could you please give me some feedback or advice about these courses ?

ACFAS - Education Calendar

www.acfas.org

I consider myself being in average program, with hands on forefoot but not much in rear-foot, I'm PGY-2.
I already registered for the ankle scope course. How about other courses ? I have heard good feedback from some of my seniors but I would like to know more from here. I hope to get other recommendations from other courses too if possible
My goal is to become normal podiatrist, not really interested in reconstructive or complex cases but I'm willing to learn
Thank you so much!

 

[podiatryresident]

Hard to say. What are your goals professionally? You said you graduated from an average program. That's ok. But that means advanced cases like total ankle replacement, external fixation, charcot recon, trimal/pilon trauma, MIS surgery should be off the table for now. You need to log cases and get comfortable just operating before you take on bigger more complicated pathology.

You need refine the basics and get good at the basics. I would def do an ankle arthroscopy course. It takes about 50 scopes to start getting really good at them and start doing more advance cases with scopes. Doing a course or two could speed this up a little.

I would also do courses that focus in forefoot/midfoot pathology as that is really the majority of what you will see and get referred as a podiatrist. Must be able to fix complicated hammertoes and bunions. Getting good at flatfoot recons would be a good skill to acquire for the average podiatrist.

Also master achilles tendon pathology as a lot of your patients will come in with calcific achilles tendinosis which will fail physical therapy. These are slam dunk cases you should feel very comfortable doing.

Hate to say it but getting comfortable with wound care will definitely put food on the table and clothes on your back. If you are hospital employed I would accept every wound you can get your hands on.

Mastering diabetic offloading surgeries to heal ulcers or to prevent recurrence of ulcers are also an easy money maker that is low stress since the patients have neuropathy and don't complain.

There so many lower stress cases/ procedures or combination of procedures we can do as podiatrists which pay just as much or more than a total ankle replacement or complicated trauma. Please understand that and act accordingly.

Thanks @Retrograde_Nail for valuable information

 

[Feli]

Arthroscopy is a good course by Acfas... not worth the price tag, but they know it's residency Cme money and not out of pocket for 95% of ppl taking scope course. It's better use of the Cme allowance than a lot of other things... get on waitlist early.

The hardest part of ankle arthroscopic cases imo is getting portals consistently right. That makes or breaks any chance of good visualization and results. With bad portals, you'll damage equipment, struggle, even hit cutaneous nerves. Plenty of vids on portals (i used mainly Coughlin DVD vid that came with textbooks).

The scope course is useful, though... do it 2nd or 3rd year. It helps with skill and good certificate to have when applying for privileges (many hospitals have TAR, arthroscopy, etc as "special privileges"). Ankle scope is fair learning curve and doesn't pay too well, but it's something you'll probably do roughly monthly even in standard podiatry PP... more in high volume offices or ortho-type refers setup.

...in terms of other courses or stuff in general, just do a program with a lotta surgery. You can pick most stuff up with vids afterwards if you have good surgical fundamentals. Rep cadaver labs are ok and free, but it's a lot of lost office time or personal time typically. TAR (if you believe in that stuff) and other things obviously need courses + certificates for those privileges.

Good training >>> mediocre training + courses. This is why it's so sad how bad on cases volume/diversity many "approved" podiatry residencies are... and why most podiatry fellowships exist. You just don't see it in ortho, gen surg, etc where they come out of residency not doing a ton of overall cases and many reps of all common procedures... but in podiatry, it happens a lot.

 

[hematosis]

The AO trauma course could be good if the faculty included orthopedic trauma surgeon. Im not going to pay 1300 for a podcaster Dr Johanna Richey to teach me how to fix a pilon fracture.
I've heard Brad Yoo attends some of these which is great but the faculty is all DPM's. Get some Harbor View trauma guys in there like Matt Graves and I will attend that course 10/10 times otherwise its a waste of my money.

 

[Retrograde_Nail]

The AO trauma course could be good if the faculty included orthopedic trauma surgeon. Im not going to pay 1300 for a podcaster Dr Johanna Richey to teach me how to fix a pilon fracture.
I've heard Brad Yoo attends some of these which is great but the faculty is all DPM's. Get some Harbor View trauma guys in there like Matt Graves and I will attend that course 10/10 times otherwise its a waste of my money.

Shots fired.

Agree with this 100%. But the Harborview guys hate podiatry. Like HATE podiatry. Their fellowship generates the new generation of podiatry hating foot and ankle orthopedists every year.

 

[hematosis]

I don't know that the trauma guys care as much as the F/A fellows do but agree the hate still exists in that region. The course could use any AO trauma faculty that is not a plaid blazer wearing ACFAS bro.