Do you have a point? The rhetorical questions you've proposed are applicable to basically any health care related field, MD/DO/DPM/DDS etc, so I'm not sure why you're attempting to single podiatry out here..
In what way is the post 'rhetorical' ?
I did not single out podiatry - was this not clear enough?
Also, this forum is about Podiatry after all; I cannot speak for professions other than my own. But I see that you feel able to take a definitive stance and comment about other professions. Do you have personal experience? Or are you simply making assumptions?
Whilst some concerns are shared, key issues highlighted in podiatry-bites' website are very specific to the profession of Podiatry. This is good enough a reason, not to single out, but instead to focus on Podiatry issues.
Maybe you're just placing these concerns in the context of podiatry for the OP,
Meaning what ? If you have a point to make, say it.
but still, it is more than "quite probable" that the concerns you've raised ARE relevant to ANY medical field.
By this I suspect you mean the concerns that podiatry-bites has raised.
I say 'quite probable' because I do not have the benefit of direct work experience in any of those other professions. You clearly feel much more comfortable about making such a definitive statement. And I am forced to repeat myself, there are issues specifically relevant to the practice of modern Podiatry; and there may well be other areas of commonality. Podiatry-bites makes those points very effectively. It pays to look at both sides of the coin.
But on this single layer I see we can agree on.
DPM salaries have been rising, demand for podiatric care is increasing
If true, that is good news - can you provide objective meaningful, heck even scientific evidence to support this view? Demand may well increase. People will always 'want' stuff but are they prepared to pay for it? How will the HMO situation affect you, and when co-payments are demanded, will your clients want to pay up? How easy is it for the newly qualified to get on those insurance schemes? I see in your post you selected some soft targets for riposte but you managed to dodge those very important issues.
Can you progress beyond
'I heard that salaries are rising'?
and I'm not exactly sure who is seriously competing against DPM's for "foot business" to the point of threatening job opportunities for podiatrists,
Come on, give me a break, you need to be blissfully blinkered to imagine podiatry has cornered a market. The orthotist will compete for orthoses. Then you have the dermatologist, the diabetologist, the vascular surgeon, the orthopedic surgeon, nurses to provide wound care etc etc etc. In contrast, no-one competes with the dentist or the opthalmologist. I know we like to think we can do it better than everyone else (where is the evidence?), but market forces and HMO's / Insurance / Hospital privilidges (or lack of) are of key importance. You can try ignore this all you like.
Heck, even the ever pervasive pedicurist will eat into your income.
so perhaps you could enlighten me.,
Is it getting clear yet ?
There is nothing wrong with understanding the risks associated with entering a career, but like any career, podiatry is what you make it. If you're good at what you do, in any career, I'm more than certain that success will follow.
And that is a fair point and no-one would dispute. In my view what podiatry-bites has to offer is a balance to the propaganda machine that would paint too rosy a picture, and for dubious motives. Also it is just a tinge naive to imagine the individual can affect those income devouring policies surrounding HMO's, insurance schemes etc.
When all is said and done the prospective student can make an informed decision. But he/she can do so only if equipped with all of the facts and cognisant of all of the pitfalls. The problem can arise when that student relies totally on those authorities and feels let down when too late, those 'new' facts begin to emerge.
'Heckling' and 'Miserable' - well the truth can sting and life isn't always comfortable. Podiatry-bites' website should be regarded as another resource. No more no less. The information offered is from of a seasoned professional, not that of a crackpot. And that after all was Prehealth1's question.
I see nothing wrong in re-dressing the balance and giving the student some of the necessary tools (i.e. questions). It is fair to assume some of it will be new, unfamiliar, even disturbing material. It is irrelevant that it could also affect other health professions.
And if there is nothing to hide, and all is rosy, well then, the choice will be an easy (easier) one for that student who can sleep well at night knowing the right choice has (probably) been made.
I made my choice 21 years ago, and personally I have no regrets. Clearly, not everyone gets to be so lucky.
Poder8ter: Enjoy your chocolate, and save me the soft centres.
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