Ask an attending anything

[JAJE]

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Hey pre-pods,

I remember being in your shoes and having so many questions, so I wanted to create a space to help you out. I'm a practicing podiatric physician, and I'm here to answer any questions you have about the profession.

I've been through it all—from studying for the MCAT and applying to podiatry school, to the grind of classes, the stress of residency applications, starting my career, and settling in.

This is a no-judgments zone, so ask whatever is on your mind. Here are some topics I'm open to discussing:

• The Day-to-Day: What is it really like to be a podiatrist?
• The Path: My journey through podiatry school, residency, and my first job.
• The Money: Income, debt, and financial considerations.
• The Job Search: How I found my job and what to look for.
• The Hindsight: What I wish I knew before starting and if I would do it all over again.
• Work-Life Balance: Is it possible?

Nothing is off-limits. Ask me anything! I'm here to provide some genuine feedback and insights.

Looking forward to your questions.

 

[heybrother]

Hey pre-pods,

I remember being in your shoes and having so many questions, so I wanted to create a space to help you out. I'm a practicing podiatric physician, and I'm here to answer any questions you have about the profession.

I've been through it all—from studying for the MCAT and applying to podiatry school, to the grind of classes, the stress of residency applications, starting my career, and settling in.

This is a no-judgments zone, so ask whatever is on your mind. Here are some topics I'm open to discussing:

• The Day-to-Day: What is it really like to be a podiatrist?
• The Path: My journey through podiatry school, residency, and my first job.
• The Money: Income, debt, and financial considerations.
• The Job Search: How I found my job and what to look for.
• The Hindsight: What I wish I knew before starting and if I would do it all over again.
• Work-Life Balance: Is it possible?

Nothing is off-limits. Ask me anything! I'm here to provide some genuine feedback and insights.

Looking forward to your questions.

What would your student loan debt look like if you were borrowing under the new constraints of the "One Big Beautiful Bill"?

 

[JAJE]

What would your student loan debt look like if you were borrowing under the new constraints of the "One Big Beautiful Bill"?

No change. I was on the good side of the student loan bell curve when I graduated and only had to borrow about $125k to get myself a DPM degree. A little bit of scholarship, a lot a bit of hard work. I refinanced my federal loans anyways after residency to a better consolidated private loan rate. Student loans are a burden for many though, I'm not blind to that. Cost of education is wild. New attendings should follow White Coat Invester advice and live like a resident for a few years after residency. Avoid lifestyle creep, then loan repayment is manageable. I understant the variables at play for student loan burden are wide ranging and nobody is on equal ground. Some have spouses who work, some come from money, some land a great job quickly.

 

[caliking87]

If you are set on a location, and that location sucks for jobs should you try and open your own practice?

 

[caliking87]

Or if I’m just starting residency and podiatry pays bad in my location (CA) should I leave and find a new career

 

[JAJE]

If you are set on a location, and that location sucks for jobs should you try and open your own practice?

A lot of factors here to consider. Can the area support another podiatrist? Does your spouse work? Starting a practive is hard hard work. I'd would make a detailed pro's and cons list. Certainly some areas are easier to start a practice than others.

Or if I’m just starting residency and podiatry pays bad in my location (CA) should I leave and find a new career

If you'rve already taken loans for school thats a tough pill ot swallow calling it quits at the beginning of residency. I would look at other markets where you may feel comfortable working and living. There is good opportunity in Podiatry. Post DPMs that have good and great experiences are less vocal about it than those who are on the other end of the spectum.

 

[heybrother]

I will never understand people who say they are going to drop out of the field in residency before practicing.

 

[Feli]

I will never understand people who say they are going to drop out of the field in residency before practicing.

Yeah, they should just do a fellowship to buy more time to maybe find a non-turrible podiatry job. 🙂

It can be depressing at some residencies, especially if the seniors/grads are taking crummy and/or low pay jobs or there are few interesting cases or surgeries going on.

I agree 100% on at least finish residency, try it out in practice for awhile... too far in and waaay too far in debt not to.
Many of us have considered quitting or career change (I studied computer programming and brainstormed various other side hustles or escape plans back when I was a podiatry associate... eventually did solo podiatry office). At the end of the day, student loans are non-bankruptable and it's a matter of fact that it is pretty VERY hard to find something making more than podiatry (even if all one has is $150k associate job).

Most DPM grads are in for $300k or more now, student interest rates on that have more than doubled in the last 10-15yrs... $125k wouldn't even cover 4yrs tuition + basics at the lowest cost pod school (RGV) anymore - nowhere near covering living costs. I doubt it'd cover more than about 1.5 or 2yr of pod tuition + living at Western or Scholl. It's a much different ROI for podiatry now versus even just 10 or 20 years ago.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What were key characteristics you looked for regarding a residency or a potential job opportunity?

 

[air bud]

What were key characteristics you looked for regarding a residency or a potential job opportunity?

Not toenails all day long.

 

[Bluecollarmed]

If you are set on a location, and that location sucks for jobs should you try and open your own practice?

It depends on your ability/mindset to run a practice and practice medicine. Starting a practice is no easy task, ask the plenty of people on here who have done it, some multiple times. You have to go into it wanting and willing to do it, less so as a backup option. It also depends what you mean by "location". Are we talking west LA, anywhere in San Francisco, southern California, the southwest, west of the Mississippi, north of the mason Dixon... The narrower it is the less opportunities available and even slimmer that timing will be on your side of new additional position opening, old doc retiring, health issue causing someone to leave etc.

 

[Feli]

It depends on your ability/mindset to run a practice and practice medicine. Starting a practice is no easy task, ask the plenty of people on here who have done it, some multiple times. You have to go into it wanting and willing to do it, less so as a backup option. It also depends what you mean by "location". Are we talking west LA, anywhere in San Francisco, southern California, the southwest, west of the Mississippi, north of the mason Dixon... The narrower it is the less opportunities available and even slimmer that timing will be on your side of new additional position opening, old doc retiring, health issue causing someone to leave etc.

Yeah, this is the case for anything podiatry, unfortunately.

There are a few places where podiatry PP almost cannot fail (usually an opening from an office retire, far rural, nursing homes or work other DPMs don't want, etc). There are many other places where you need to fight hard and take any patients same-day or lose them to nearby competitors... supergroups get bigger and broader every year. And even the places with less saturation right now can quickly change and become saturated.

Similarly, the majority of hospital DPMs or ortho group DPMs have a less than rock-solid job situation. The constant threat is that an ortho group, even one F&A ortho or a gen/trauma ortho who likes F&A work, a better/cheaper DPM, system budget cuts, or even just the wrong admin or two could end their precious little field trip pretty damn quick. We are oversupplied. There are clearly less people gunning for a $200k VA job or boondocks CAH job than a big city hospital pod job, but there are hundreds of applications for any decent job post and thousands of DPMs cold calling hospitals for jobs nonetheless.

...Podiatry's a profession with far more practicing docs than the public or the job market really needs. It's just reality that the VAST majority of us aren't working where we want... and still aren't making what we'd like to. Is it as bad as chiro? No... but it's far worse than any MD/DO specialty in terms of supply/demand and job options and worse than any surgeon MD/DO type in pay.