Bad shadowing - Why Podiatry?

[dan4269]

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So I was super excited about shadowing today only to have the Podiatrist tell me to go to medical school and then spent the next 6 hours attempting to fear-monger me away from the profession. So I guess I'm looking for some positive input into why people chose Podiatry and how they are enjoying it.

 

[dan4269]

That's tough. I'm sure you were kind of let down by the experience. I would consider what this podiatrist said but I do think you should attempt to shadow another podiatrist and get his/her opinion. Then after those experiences you can make more of an informed decision on whether pod is right for you or not. Getting opinions on an anonymous forum prob won't help.

Yeah I guess I was just looking for some positive reinforcement on why people chose Podiatry lol. Unfortunately this was the only Podiatrist I could get to say yes in the month I have been going to and calling offices about shadowing. Was just so disappointed when the first 5 mins was "Go to med school, I went to Pod school because I'm lazy" and then they proceeded to bring out insurance checks and show me how much they AREN'T getting.

 

[amaprez]

Yeah I guess I was just looking for some positive reinforcement on why people chose Podiatry lol. Unfortunately this was the only Podiatrist I could get to say yes in the month I have been going to and calling offices about shadowing. Was just so disappointed when the first 5 mins was "Go to med school, I went to Pod school because I'm lazy" and then they proceeded to bring out insurance checks and show me how much they AREN'T getting.

It is absolutely necessary to shadow someone who is passionate about his/her profession no matter what you're applying for. Someone who's bitter or cynical will simply pass the negativity onto you. This happens in everywhere, because there will always be people who are dissatisfied in their chosen field. I assure you there are plenty of podiatrists out there who are satisfied in what they do.

See underneath the underneath. In this case, recognize that 'insurance reimbursements are not as high for podiatrists as they are for MD surgeons.' This is the message your podiatrist was trying to impart and it's apparently the reason he/she is bitter. Judge for yourself if that reason is enough to turn you off the profession. If it isn't, drop this guy and go shadow another podiatrist who enjoys his career.

 

[Podiatry1]

It is absolutely necessary to shadow someone who is passionate about his/her profession no matter what you're applying for. Someone who's bitter or cynical will simply pass the negativity onto you. This happens in everywhere, because there will always be people who are dissatisfied in their chosen field. I assure you there are plenty of podiatrists out there who are satisfied in what they do.

See underneath the underneath. In this case, recognize that 'insurance reimbursements are not as high for podiatrists as they are for MD surgeons.' This is the message your podiatrist was trying to impart and it's apparently the reason he/she is bitter. Judge for yourself if that reason is enough to turn you off the profession. If it isn't, drop this guy and go shadow another podiatrist who enjoys his career.

FWIW (I am a first year pod student) I shadowed a pod and ortho.

The pod was all about going into the profession and showed me how much $ she WAS making....

The entire time I was with the ortho he was trying to convince me to NOT go into medicine.

 

[fzwarrior]

FWIW (I am a first year pod student) I shadowed a pod and ortho.

The pod was all about going into the profession and showed me how much $ she WAS making....

The entire time I was with the ortho he was trying to convince me to NOT go into medicine.

I considered going into podiatry also and had an extremely positive shadowing experience with the podiatrist I followed around. I decided to go to med school instead of podiatry because I want to go into a non-surgical specialty. The podiatrist did not shy away from saying how much money you can make in the profession. He said the newer podiatrists are coming in with improved surgical skills and voluntarily work their butts off and roll in mass amounts of money. In other words, if you want to work hard after you graduate and like what you do, the money will follow. With the new healthcare law that is looming, I would bet that most medical specialties (especially ortho) are going to take big hits. Just know that there are podiatrists out there (like the one I shadowed) who absolutely love their jobs and are passionate about what they do.

 

[Podiatry1]

I considered going into podiatry also and had an extremely positive shadowing experience with the podiatrist I followed around. I decided to go to med school instead of podiatry because I want to go into a non-surgical specialty. The podiatrist did not shy away from saying how much money you can make in the profession. He said the newer podiatrists are coming in with improved surgical skills and voluntarily work their butts off and roll in mass amounts of money. In other words, if you want to work hard after you graduate and like what you do, the money will follow. With the new healthcare law that is looming, I would bet that most medical specialties (especially ortho) are going to take big hits. Just know that there are podiatrists out there (like the one I shadowed) who absolutely love their jobs and are passionate about what they do.

Yeah. It seems like the main problem with the guy that OP shadowed is he confessed that he was lazy. if you are lazy at ANYTHING you are not gonna make $$$. you gotta work hard for it.

 

[NoStress]

So I was super excited about shadowing today only to have the Podiatrist tell me to go to medical school and then spent the next 6 hours attempting to fear-monger me away from the profession. So I guess I'm looking for some positive input into why people chose Podiatry and how they are enjoying it.

That's unfortunate, but there are plenty of podiatrists out there that can show you the positives of the profession. I found the podiatrist I'm shadowing in the AACPM website (http://www.aacpm.org/contactpod/default.asp). He was very helpful and enthusiastic about his profession. Aside from the positives, he did mention a few of the iffy parts (as is true with any career) but, nonetheless, it is definitely an experience that helped me decide to apply. I've seen my fair share of surgeries (from simple to complex procedures,) in-office procedures, consults, pre-ops, post-ops, orthotic measurings, galore.

You'll hear opinions from both sides, so you should definitely try to find another podiatrist that isn't so pessimistic. There are good ones out there, so don't get discouraged!

 

[dan4269]

That's unfortunate, but there are plenty of podiatrists out there that can show you the positives of the profession. I found the podiatrist I'm shadowing in the AACPM website (http://www.aacpm.org/contactpod/default.asp). He was very helpful and enthusiastic about his profession. Aside from the positives, he did mention a few of the iffy parts (as is true with any career) but, nonetheless, it is definitely an experience that helped me decide to apply. I've seen my fair share of surgeries (from simple to complex procedures,) in-office procedures, consults, pre-ops, post-ops, orthotic measurings, galore.

You'll hear opinions from both sides, so you should definitely try to find another podiatrist that isn't so pessimistic. There are good ones out there, so don't get discouraged!

The funny thing is that IS the website that I used to get the Podiatrist to contact me lol. It was just weird because I didn't even ask nor do I care about income as Ive already turned down plenty of boring jobs that paid extremely well. I'm back in school and looking into medicine because it is what will make me happy. As long as I can live comfortably I'm fine. This person was just so determined to keep me 100 miles from the profession that I was blown away. This really was the shadowing I was most excited about (and I've shadowed opts, Dentists, Pharms, MD's, and DO's) and it was just really disappointing.

 

[347932]

So I was super excited about shadowing today only to have the Podiatrist tell me to go to medical school and then spent the next 6 hours attempting to fear-monger me away from the profession. So I guess I'm looking for some positive input into why people chose Podiatry and how they are enjoying it.

Unfortunately, some of our colleagues see the new generation as competition rather than all the positive things associated with a new generation of practitioners. As was mentioned, there are plenty out there who will welcome you and encourage you to succeed.

 

[dyk343]

Some people will not be happy no matter what the situation. I can think of a couple in my class that will likely turn into bitter practitioners in the future. Most of us are very excited about where we are going though.

Finding people to let you shadow is a pain, and I sympathize for what you are going through as I had a bad experience as well. I finally found someone else to allow me to shadow and it was a very positive experience.

I am just a lowly second year, but so far I am very happy with my situation and I foresee my happiness to continue well into the future.

Good luck with your career choices.. do what feels right.

 

[PADPM]

Some people will not be happy no matter what the situation. I can think of a couple in my class that will likely turn into bitter practitioners in the future. Most of us are very excited about where we are going though.

Finding people to let you shadow is a pain, and I sympathize for what you are going through as I had a bad experience as well. I finally found someone else to allow me to shadow and it was a very positive experience.

I am just a lowly second year, but so far I am very happy with my situation and I foresee my happiness to continue well into the future.

Good luck with your career choices.. do what feels right.

#1 Why would this loser put his name on a list and offer to have young doctors shadow him if all he is going to do is trash the profession?

#2 You should contact the site where you obtained his name and let them know about your experience.

#3 I would similarly NOT be impressed by any doctor who spent the whole time telling you how much money he/she was making. Success is not just based on money, but a host of other factors including loving what you do AND doing it well. There are plenty of very RICH doctors of all specialties who are terrible doctors.

#4 In the majority of states, if an orthopedic surgeon or DPM performs the same surgery, they will both get reimbursed the exact amount. Although there are a few exceptions, and some insurance companies differ, the majority of states and insurance companies pay with "parity", which means the procedure is reimbursed X amount of dollars no matter which doctor performs the procedure.

If it makes you feel any better, years ago our group actually had an F/A fellowship trained orthpedic surgeon working for US. He had great credentials and was fellowship trained by a world famous F/A orthopod, but unfortunately he did not have good skills so his contract was not renewed. He sure looked great on paper.

 

[Andros84]

Yeah I guess I was just looking for some positive reinforcement on why people chose Podiatry lol. Unfortunately this was the only Podiatrist I could get to say yes in the month I have been going to and calling offices about shadowing. Was just so disappointed when the first 5 mins was "Go to med school, I went to Pod school because I'm lazy" and then they proceeded to bring out insurance checks and show me how much they AREN'T getting.

This guy would have been disappointed no matter what specialty he was in, imo. Like PADPM said, insurance companies reimburse the same. Also, I agree with Kidsfeet that the training new grads are getting is seen as competition to older Pods, which is true (sink or swim), so you can see why they might be bitter.

I always remember this quote by a doc that said, "No amount of money is worth this amount of stress." So, you can see why if someone, a physician, feels they aren't getting paid enough, they are going to be pissed off because thats what they care about. Don't chase the money, you'll go nuts; and I know you, the OP, have voiced that.

My dad is a physician. Most of his patients are Medicare. Medicare has reduced reimbursement for one of the surgeries he performs by 500% over the years. Yes, he's frustrated with that. Does he complain and hate his profession? Absolutely not. He still does the surgery because its what his patients need, because thats what he enjoys doing and on top of that he still gets paid very well to do it (at least for now). However, Medicare is kind of a different issue that we probably shouldn't get into here.

 

[dan4269]

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone. I honestly have been so turned off by the profession since the shadowing that I never went back and started doing more shadowing other places. Then I logged on today and saw more posts in this thread and I think it's shown me that I should give the shadowing another chance. Hopefully the next one won't start the conversation off with why I should go to med school🙂

 

[flyhi]

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone. I honestly have been so turned off by the profession since the shadowing that I never went back and started doing more shadowing other places. Then I logged on today and saw more posts in this thread and I think it's shown me that I should give the shadowing another chance. Hopefully the next one won't start the conversation off with why I should go to med school🙂

Don't give up just because of one toolhead! What part of the country are you in? As PADPM said, I would definitely give feedback to the APMA regarding your shadowing experience so someone else doesn't get a bad deal. They specifically asked for me to let them know how my experience went.

 

[dan4269]

Don't give up just because of one toolhead! What part of the country are you in? As PADPM said, I would definitely give feedback to the APMA regarding your shadowing experience so someone else doesn't get a bad deal. They specifically asked for me to let them know how my experience went.

Normally I have no problem stirring the pot up if I think someone was worth doing it for but I just want to move on. The lists of podiatrists in my area are slim and they all know each other. Not worth the drama so I'm just going to move on.

 

[347932]

Normally I have no problem stirring the pot up if I think someone was worth doing it for but I just want to move on. The lists of podiatrists in my area are slim and they all know each other. Not worth the drama so I'm just going to move on.

This podiatrist would never know that you contacted the APMA about it. He would just not be recommended in the future. Call the APMA. Please. I personally don't want to see anyone else have a bad experience with this Practitioner like you did. It's not fair to people like you, and hey, you can start making a difference in the profession right now. Wouldn't that be great?!

 

[flyhi]

This podiatrist would never know that you contacted the APMA about it. He would just not be recommended in the future. Call the APMA. Please. I personally don't want to see anyone else have a bad experience with this Practitioner like you did. It's not fair to people like you, and hey, you can start making a difference in the profession right now. Wouldn't that be great?!

👍

 

[dan4269]

Thought I'd let everyone know that after giving it a second shot with a new Podiatrist that it went great! Was really an awesome experience and I really enjoyed it. The funny thing is the Podiatrist I shadowed today actually shadowed the Podiatrist that I had a horrible experience with when they were in undergrad and said that Podiatrist was just as bad as when they shadowed them. Which means this person has been scaring people off for a good 10+ years. Anyways, great experience and I'm glad I took the advice here.

 

[BenPRunkle]

Thought I'd let everyone know that after giving it a second shot with a new Podiatrist that it went great! Was really an awesome experience and I really enjoyed it. The funny thing is the Podiatrist I shadowed today actually shadowed the Podiatrist that I had a horrible experience with when they were in undergrad and said that Podiatrist was just as bad as when they shadowed them. Which means this person has been scaring people off for a good 10+ years. Anyways, great experience and I'm glad I took the advice here.

Good to hear! What was it about this pod that made you enjoy it more? Did he perform so interesting procedures or did he give you some new helpful insight?

 

[dan4269]

Good to hear! What was it about this pod that made you enjoy it more? Did he perform so interesting procedures or did he give you some new helpful insight?

I just LOVED the aspect of physically working on your patients during their visit. I didn't see anything crazy. Saw a wart removal where a big chunk of skin was basically cut out of their foot, two complete toenail removals, a toe drainage (basically a ton of blood was built up inside their toe) and some ingrown toenail removals. Routine items from what I understand but I loved it. I loved the immediate satisfaction the patients had, the respect the Podiatrist received (even had a few MD's as patients who were awesome and nice), and the honesty of the Podiatrist.

The Podiatrist worked really hard to seem neutral when talking about the profession to let me make my own decisions but also didn't hold anything back. Overall, I really enjoyed it and am scheduled to go back next week.

 

[flyhi]

Thought I'd let everyone know that after giving it a second shot with a new Podiatrist that it went great! Was really an awesome experience and I really enjoyed it. The funny thing is the Podiatrist I shadowed today actually shadowed the Podiatrist that I had a horrible experience with when they were in undergrad and said that Podiatrist was just as bad as when they shadowed them. Which means this person has been scaring people off for a good 10+ years. Anyways, great experience and I'm glad I took the advice here.

YAY!!

I am SOOO happy you had a great experience! I wanted you to experience that so much and kudos to you for making it happen 👍👍

 

[PADPM]

Thought I'd let everyone know that after giving it a second shot with a new Podiatrist that it went great! Was really an awesome experience and I really enjoyed it. The funny thing is the Podiatrist I shadowed today actually shadowed the Podiatrist that I had a horrible experience with when they were in undergrad and said that Podiatrist was just as bad as when they shadowed them. Which means this person has been scaring people off for a good 10+ years. Anyways, great experience and I'm glad I took the advice here.

Maybe he's afraid of competition and is afraid that a well trained, young DPM will open across the street. If he discourages every student, they won't want to go into the profession as potential competitors.

 

[dan4269]

Maybe he's afraid of competition and is afraid that a well trained, young DPM will open across the street. If he discourages every student, they won't want to go into the profession as potential competitors.

From talking to the new Podiatrist it sounds like the 1st one I shadowed is a Podiatrist who wishes they were an MD and made A LOT of bad business decisions when they became a Podiatrist. I think they were just bitter because they thought they were choosing the easy way out (which they weren't) and now assumes that anyone who wants to go into Podiatry is doing it to take the easy way out.

 

[DPMer]

It is absolutely necessary to shadow someone who is passionate about his/her profession no matter what you're applying for. Someone who's bitter or cynical will simply pass the negativity onto you. This happens in everywhere, because there will always be people who are dissatisfied in their chosen field. I assure you there are plenty of podiatrists out there who are satisfied in what they do.

See underneath the underneath. In this case, recognize that 'insurance reimbursements are not as high for podiatrists as they are for MD surgeons.' This is the message your podiatrist was trying to impart and it's apparently the reason he/she is bitter. Judge for yourself if that reason is enough to turn you off the profession. If it isn't, drop this guy and go shadow another podiatrist who enjoys his career.

I think this pod went through bad experiences in his or her practice: maybe a lawsuit, or maybe parity isssues with MDs, or even the high malpractice insurance and high capitation he or she has to go through every year (which eats up a huge portion of profits in any practice). I bet you it it is one of these or a combination of these factors that made the podiatrist negative in front of you when you shadowed.