Another Question...

[Johnblake]

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Ok guys, I have another question. Let me give you my story first. I've been on the waitlist at med schools for 2 years. Well I'm still on the waitlist, and could possibly get off before August. I didn't want to sit out one more year, though. So easy decision right? Keep busting my butt, re-take the MCAT, improve my application, and do what it is I've wanted to do from day one.

Well, here's the problem. I started looking for alternatives to medical school. I looked at PA, nursing, PT, Optometry, and everything in between. Well, then I found a podiatrist. He absolutely loved his job, spoke highly of the profession, had an energy that was contagious, and really made me want to look into podiatry further. So I shadowed another Podiatrist and he also spoke great of the profession, but also gave me some of the negatives so I wouldn't go into this blindly. He talked about the respect issue, and that DPM's are where DO's were about 20 years ago as far as respect. They were both great podiatrists and both still make me want to look into this thing further.

What scares me, regardless of whether it should or not, is how quickly and easy these interview invites have come. I just sent out my applications 10 days ago and already I've got 3 interview invites. I'm just trying to find the catch. I want to go into podiatry full force if podiatry school is what I'm going to do. I don't want to enter into this with questions.

I've seen nothing but positives (some small negatives) with podiatry after doing extensive research on comparing MD or DO vs. DPM. I can see so many advantages to this route over med school. If I had med schools call me today wanting to take me off the waitlist and accept me, I'd have to think very hard between podiatry and MD/DO. I've seen so many good things the more I've researched podiatry whereas the more familiar I've become with MD/DO the more bad things I've seen.

Why aren't people applying to podiatry schools? The advantages to it seem endless when considering the traditional medical route vs this route.

 

[NyMets85]

Wow, this sounds very familiar to what I was going through about four months ago. I found out I was waitlisted at WashU and Columbia for medschool, so I decided to apply to Pod Schools in February. Like you, I was quite confused to why I received interviews after only a couple of days. The only thing I can really say is that you only find it odd to receive these invites so quickly because you have gone through the medical school application process...twice. You are used to sending in an application, waiting 5 months, receiving an interview, then waiting 4 more months to receive an answer. Less people apply to Pod schools, so the turnaround time is muuuuch quicker.

Dont let this scare you, however. I was a little turned off by the whole process because I am used to working hard to receive an interview invite. However, once I began touring the pod schools, i realized that there really was no catch: the schools were awesome and so were the programs. My only advice to you is to go to your interviews with an open mind. You will tour programs that you will HATE (just like you would if you toured some med schools) however, i promise you that you will find those one or two programs that you will fall in love with, like I did. The one thing I have discovered through this process is just how f*cking terrible the med school application process was, and how it just turned me off to the whole profession. Although I felt a little uneasy at first about the pod application process, I can now say it was a welcome breath of fresh air: It finally feels nice to receive credit from schools for all the hard work I have put in during my undergrad years.

Although I am currently waitlisted at these great med schools, I have sent in my deposit to Scholl and have decided to attend in the fall. Excited about starting? YES... Pissed I havent been accepted to med schools? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

 

[NyMets85]

I also wanted to add that a lot of people arent applying to pod schools because it really is "the best kept secret" in medicine. Few applicants know what exactly a podiatrist does (such as surgery, sports medicine, wound care) so people are turned off by the profession in general (thinking they will be clipping toenails for the rest of their life). Also, most applicants just want the MD or DO at the end of their name, while others, such as myself, dont mind having a DPM, as long as I can do surgery the rest of my life and make good money in the process. PM me if you have any questions... GOOD LUCK!

 

[dpmPOD]

Ok guys, I have another question. Let me give you my story first. I've been on the waitlist at med schools for 2 years. Well I'm still on the waitlist, and could possibly get off before August. I didn't want to sit out one more year, though. So easy decision right? Keep busting my butt, re-take the MCAT, improve my application, and do what it is I've wanted to do from day one.

Well, here's the problem. I started looking for alternatives to medical school. I looked at PA, nursing, PT, Optometry, and everything in between. Well, then I found a podiatrist. He absolutely loved his job, spoke highly of the profession, had an energy that was contagious, and really made me want to look into podiatry further. So I shadowed another Podiatrist and he also spoke great of the profession, but also gave me some of the negatives so I wouldn't go into this blindly. He talked about the respect issue, and that DPM's are where DO's were about 20 years ago as far as respect. They were both great podiatrists and both still make me want to look into this thing further.

What scares me, regardless of whether it should or not, is how quickly and easy these interview invites have come. I just sent out my applications 10 days ago and already I've got 3 interview invites. I'm just trying to find the catch. I want to go into podiatry full force if podiatry school is what I'm going to do. I don't want to enter into this with questions.

I've seen nothing but positives (some small negatives) with podiatry after doing extensive research on comparing MD or DO vs. DPM. I can see so many advantages to this route over med school. If I had med schools call me today wanting to take me off the waitlist and accept me, I'd have to think very hard between podiatry and MD/DO. I've seen so many good things the more I've researched podiatry whereas the more familiar I've become with MD/DO the more bad things I've seen.

Why aren't people applying to podiatry schools? The advantages to it seem endless when considering the traditional medical route vs this route.

I think that more people don't apply to podiatry school because they simply aren't aware of what the profession entails and what it has to offer.

Take your own case for example; you never even considered podiatry until you actually took the time to research it, shadow a podiatrist, and actually *gasp* thought about doing something other than MD/DO; a lot of people won't put the time in to see what podiatry is all about. Some people can't get past the "not having MD/DO at the end of your last name" stage and think anything that isn't MD/DO is nonsense and to be frowned upon.

Some people just can't get over the idea of working with feet. I suppose many of these people don't understand that there are far worse things to work with in medicine than feet. 🙂

As far as the schools sending out invites, again this is tied to people not being aware of what podiatry has to offer. Not many people apply to podiatry school and as such podiatry schools have lower entrance requirements than their MD/DO counterparts. DO schools are easier than MD schools to get into not because their program is easier, but because less people apply to DO schools on the whole. As the number of people applying for acceptance goes up, schools are able to become more selective with who they choose to admit. I think this is what is happening with pod schools. To be sure, some pod schools are more selective than other pod schools, and pod schools overall seem to be becoming more selective from what I have heard. I woulden't take your invites to the pod schools as a negative sign; don't forget that this trend is related to demand and little else.

 

[hyperpodia]

Ok guys, I have another question. Let me give you my story first. I've been on the waitlist at med schools for 2 years. Well I'm still on the waitlist, and could possibly get off before August. I didn't want to sit out one more year, though. So easy decision right? Keep busting my butt, re-take the MCAT, improve my application, and do what it is I've wanted to do from day one.

Have you considered the carribean MD schools, I bet you will work just as hard, and when you finish you will have more options.
We all know that many MD residencies are filled by foreign doctors.

 

[Johnblake]

Have you considered the carribean MD schools, I bet you will work just as hard, and when you finish you will have more options.
We all know that many MD residencies are filled by foreign doctors.

It's not for me. The thought of going to a medical school where only 50% of people get residencies when they're done is a little frightening. Also, like I said, podiatry has completely intrigued me the more I've found out about it. Thanks everyone for your responses. I'd like to see some responses from someone that's been through podiatry school.

 

[krabmas]

Have you considered the carribean MD schools, I bet you will work just as hard, and when you finish you will have more options.
We all know that many MD residencies are filled by foreign doctors.

But then he could not be a podiatrist.

An MD or DO cannot be a podiatrist. Even if they do a wound care fellowship, endocrine fellowship, foot and ankle fellowship and whatever residency needed before all the fellowships they still would just have an MD or DO after their name, but not a DPM and hence would still not be a podiatrist.