Chances?

[The Last Reclaimer]

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[Treaty of Dorsi]

I hate to ask this. Assuming I get a 500 mcat and I add 50 hours of pod shadowing, what are my odds?

cgpa 3.73
sgpa 3.54

ECs:
VA Hospital patient transporter: (50 hours)
Assisted Living Resident Activities Volunteer (156 hours)
Hurricane Harvey Mission Trip in Nederland, Texas (40 hours)
Pre-Med American Medical Student Association (PAMSA) Officer (126 hours)
Department of Chemistry peer leader (85 hours)

Sports medicine shadowing MD (11.5 hours)
Pediatrics shadowing DO (32.5 hours)
Family medicine shadowing DO (19.5 hours)
Orthopedic surgery shadowing DO (17 hours)
Diagnostic radiology shadowing MD (15 hours)
General dentistry shadowing (8.5 hours)
Anesthesia/ Various Surgery shadowing (46 hours)

Medical School Convention Attendance (24 hours)

You're fine. Pick your top 3 choices and apply once you get your MCAT result.

 

[The Last Reclaimer]

Thank you. Just trying to get a consensus if I am competitive or not.

 

[deleted1066189]

Why podiatry? Seems you've shadowed a lot of different specialties. You also need only 10-12 hours ish for pod shadowing.
Your GPA is already pretty competitive for med school. Podiatry is very non-competitive...you'd get into one of the larger schools with just a 490 MCAT.

 

[The Last Reclaimer]

It seems like gratifying/fulfilling work and a unique balance between surgery and long-term primary care. When I shadowed the other physicians, it's usually one or the other. For podiatry, it seems like it's both. Granted, the average salary seems unusually low from what I have seen but I am taking everything with a grain of salt and payment isn't 100% the reason why I would pursue any profession.

 

[deleted1066189]

long-term primary care.

podiatry is not long term primary care...unless you count monthly visits for "chip and clip".
Definitely shadow a podiatrist before you commit to anything. Shaving callouses and trimming toenails takes up a big portion of their day.

and payment isn't 100% the reason why I would pursue any profession.

It isn't, but podiatry school is pretty pricey. Even dental students have to be cautious now (some dental schools have $500-600k COA)

 

[OblivionDPM]

It seems like gratifying/fulfilling work and a unique balance between surgery and long-term primary care. When I shadowed the other physicians, it's usually one or the other. For podiatry, it seems like it's both. Granted, the average salary seems unusually low from what I have seen but I am taking everything with a grain of salt and payment isn't 100% the reason why I would pursue any profession.

Do not forget that only a handful of the same podiatrists make posts on this forum. It is not reflective of every podiatrist out there. The one's who are doing well (and there are a few that post regularly who definitely are) do not seldom complain while the ones who do not enjoy where they are in life tend to voice their concerns more often.

Main point is, as you stated, take many things stated with a grain of salt, but podiatry is what you make of it. It can be very lucrative if you put the work in. The debt is reasonably large, but if you can budget well and do not have any obligations (like me with my wife and kid), it's not as impossible as many make it out to be.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

podiatry is not long term primary care...unless you count monthly visits for "chip and clip".--It is not primary care, it is a subspeciality like cardiology and dermatology

Definitely shadow a podiatrist before you commit to anything. Shaving callouses and trimming toenails takes up a big portion of their day--This is not true. It depends on the DPM and how they work. For the most part, a DPM is in the OR 2-3 days per week and doing the regular bread/butter stuff the other 2 days or so. I know DPMs who are doing only surgery 5 days a week, then some just do the medicinal part and no surgeries but for the majority, there is a good mixture between the two. This is one of the good things about this field, if you suck at surgery, you can do the medicine part and still do fine financially.

It isn't, but podiatry school is pretty pricey. Even dental students have to be cautious now (some dental schools have $500-600k COA)--DDS has the worst loan debt even when compared to DO schools. DPM programs for the most part, if you are good with your financial plans should be under 300K. It is a lot lower if you can commute and not pay for living expenses/etc.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

I'm posting the official WAMC thread here for any future pre-pods reading this thread...try not to create a thread for "chances"; instead post your stats in the official WAMC thread. Thanks.

What Are My Chances: WAMC Podiatry

Hi guys, same old question but I did not find a right answer for my sister's situation. Well, she has 3.0 cGPA and 2.85 science GPA with 18 MCAT score. She's a junior now and wants to apply next year, so she wants to know if she could a decent chance to get in a pod school. Seriously, this...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[El-Rami]

Like DexterMorganSK pointed out, podiatry is not like primary care. It is a specialized field. However, I am assuming that when you compare podiatry to primary care, you are talking more about the clinical aspect. Let's call it "general podiatry," as one DPM I've shadowed recently likes to call it.

Practices can vary, but for the most part, I've seen DPMs primarily do nails and trim calluses. Throw in some diabetic ulcer debridements, orthotics, injections and nail removals. It could just be because of the DPMs in my area, but this has primarily been what I have seen. I have shadowed multiple DPMs.

However, I have seen one DPM who works in an ortho group, and he mainly does surgeries. This is the more desirable end of the spectrum. According to him it requires going to a top DPM residency and having some luck when looking for a job.

You'll also get mixed messaging whether or not DPMs are physicians. I've actually shadowed a podiatrist who shies away from the label while others will refer to themselves as physicians. If you are concerned about this and whether or not other people think of you as a physician could determine whether podiatry is a field you will be happy in.