considering switching to podiatry school (long)

[NKcell123]

I'd like some opinions about what people think my chances are for getting into podiatry school.

I'm actually a 3rd year graduate student in Immunology, at a decent university. I've completed all my coursework, now am working on my comprehensive exam (next month) and of course just research. I'm miserable. I don't like this field, and my research is going nowhere. Everyone in grad school and most lab people are miserable, even professors. I'm a people person and feel like I need to be in a field where I'm with patients/people. I'm not sure that I'm cut-out for an M.D. program, but I do feel that I'm technically skilled, and would still like to be in the Medical profession. I honestly never considered Podiatry before. It never came to my mind as an option that was available to me. Most Biology majors either think -Med school, dental school, or grad school. Professions like podiatry and optometry seem to get overshadowed. I've recently seen a podiatrist twice for a foot problem I have. Once I saw her, got treated, and realized the kind of work she does, I felt like this was something more along the lines that I would be good at and would probably like. Though I have never actually shadowed a podiatrist.

I have never done an MCAT and my GPA is just a little over 3.0 but we're talking graduate level courses in Immunology, Cell Bio, Genetics, etc etc. My GRE scores were average, at least enough to get into grad school whatever they required.

So, how hard will the MCAT be? If I were to apply for Fall 2012, I'd have to take the MCAT by April probably, so that's about 3 months to study. more concerned about the chemistry section and biochemistry.

Do you think that my background is actually going to be negative? I don't want them to think I'm a quitter, but I have a good 30-35 years of a career ahead of me, and I cannot stay in a profession where I am going to be miserable. I'm sorry I never thought of podiatry school before.

The only thing I'm not looking forward to are taking more courses, I thought I was finished with them after completing 2.5yrs of grad school.

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[iVTECdailyy]

If you decide podiatry is the field for you, APPLY NOW. Temple is currently the only school that takes GRE scores, and it will only cost you $100 to apply. Sure you are only applying to one school, but $100 is nothing compared to losing another year in a field you no longer want to be in.

I'm sure if you apply now with your stats, you may have a shot at landing an interview at Temple.

Goodluck

 

[NKcell123]

If you decide podiatry is the field for you, APPLY NOW. Temple is currently the only school that takes GRE scores, and it will only cost you $100 to apply. Sure you are only applying to one school, but $100 is nothing compared to losing another year in a field you no longer want to be in.

I'm sure if you apply now with your stats, you may have a shot at landing an interview at Temple.

Goodluck

So I looked on their website. I need a reference from a podiatrist. how do I get that? Does that mean I have to shadow a podiatrist?

 

[DeterminedGirl1]

Podiatry schools require that you shadow/observe a podiatrist. It is really beneficial in that you will see what they do everyday and make sure you know what you are getting into. The letter from a podiatrist basically confirms that you have had an opportunity to shadow in the field and that you know what you are getting into before you jump into a 4 year program and decide it's not for you. You could probably ask the podiatrist that you saw, I am sure she would be more than happy to help!

 

[Pod Newman]

I'm not sure that I'm cut-out for an M.D.

The only thing I'm not looking forward to are taking more courses, I thought I was finished with them after completing 2.5yrs of grad school.

The MCAT is very doable for Pod school, realistically you only need a 20 to get in, so I wouldn't worry about that. With that said, judging from the statements above you seem to have the wrong idea about what a Podiatrist is. First off if you are not cut out for an M.D. as you state you need to think about why that is since being a Podiatrist is very similar in all aspects. Also your comment about more classes is understandable but not a good sign for pod school success. Podiatry is easy to get in, but that's where the easy stops. The school is very difficult, the main reason being is that you need to get A's on everything. If you don't you end up risking not getting a decent residency or worse yet not getting one period. The fact is you get an M.D. being an average student, you pass boards and you make 150k a year guaranteed so you can pay your loans back and feed your family. Pod school you get a D.P.M and you either killed it and got a good residency and 150K a year or you get a crappy one and you re stuck clipping nails for 60k a year. Trust me that's not a lot with 200k in loans. That's why it's easy to get in, but it is a Medical School and not easy to do well in. So in closing if you are motivated definitely go for it and work hard otherwise save your money cuz it is also "medical school" expensive. Good Luck!

 

[Ferocity]

The MCAT is very doable for Pod school, realistically you only need a 20 to get in, so I wouldn't worry about that. With that said, judging from the statements above you seem to have the wrong idea about what a Podiatrist is. First off if you are not cut out for an M.D. as you state you need to think about why that is since being a Podiatrist is very similar in all aspects. Also your comment about more classes is understandable but not a good sign for pod school success. Podiatry is easy to get in, but that's where the easy stops. The school is very difficult, the main reason being is that you need to get A's on everything. If you don't you end up risking not getting a decent residency or worse yet not getting one period. The fact is you get an M.D. being an average student, you pass boards and you make 150k a year guaranteed so you can pay your loans back and feed your family. Pod school you get a D.P.M and you either killed it and got a good residency and 150K a year or you get a crappy one and you re stuck clipping nails for 60k a year. Trust me that's not a lot with 200k in loans. That's why it's easy to get in, but it is a Medical School and not easy to do well in. So in closing if you are motivated definitely go for it and work hard otherwise save your money cuz it is also "medical school" expensive. Good Luck!

 

[bobdolerson]

Pod Newman....

Does your mom know you're using her computer?

 

[amaprez]

The MCAT is very doable for Pod school, realistically you only need a 20 to get in, so I wouldn't worry about that. With that said, judging from the statements above you seem to have the wrong idea about what a Podiatrist is. First off if you are not cut out for an M.D. as you state you need to think about why that is since being a Podiatrist is very similar in all aspects. Also your comment about more classes is understandable but not a good sign for pod school success. Podiatry is easy to get in, but that's where the easy stops. The school is very difficult, the main reason being is that you need to get A's on everything. If you don't you end up risking not getting a decent residency or worse yet not getting one period. The fact is you get an M.D. being an average student, you pass boards and you make 150k a year guaranteed so you can pay your loans back and feed your family. Pod school you get a D.P.M and you either killed it and got a good residency and 150K a year or you get a crappy one and you re stuck clipping nails for 60k a year. Trust me that's not a lot with 200k in loans. That's why it's easy to get in, but it is a Medical School and not easy to do well in. So in closing if you are motivated definitely go for it and work hard otherwise save your money cuz it is also "medical school" expensive. Good Luck!

 

[shenanigans327]

 

[javajava]

The MCAT is very doable for Pod school, realistically you only need a 20 to get in, so I wouldn't worry about that. With that said, judging from the statements above you seem to have the wrong idea about what a Podiatrist is. First off if you are not cut out for an M.D. as you state you need to think about why that is since being a Podiatrist is very similar in all aspects. Also your comment about more classes is understandable but not a good sign for pod school success. Podiatry is easy to get in, but that's where the easy stops. The school is very difficult, the main reason being is that you need to get A's on everything. If you don't you end up risking not getting a decent residency or worse yet not getting one period. The fact is you get an M.D. being an average student, you pass boards and you make 150k a year guaranteed so you can pay your loans back and feed your family. Pod school you get a D.P.M and you either killed it and got a good residency and 150K a year or you get a crappy one and you re stuck clipping nails for 60k a year. Trust me that's not a lot with 200k in loans. That's why it's easy to get in, but it is a Medical School and not easy to do well in. So in closing if you are motivated definitely go for it and work hard otherwise save your money cuz it is also "medical school" expensive. Good Luck!

Ya i agree. recent grads dont always make six figures...

Portion of te mostbrecent young members salary survey for first year associate base

3% <30000
18% 30k-50k
44% 50k-75k
20% 75-100k
8% 100k-125k
7% >125k

Fifteen percent of first years ge six figures. The mode is fifty to seventy five. There most likely is a bonus structure involved in tose figures hopefully, i think tey are like a tird of collections after you collect double your salary. So if you base at sixty, you would need to collect one twenty to start te bonus. If you want to level out to six figures ten you must collect an additional eigty grand so you have to collect two hundred thousand dollars to make a hundred gs. Of course that is gross so you will net around seventy grand. this is wit sixty tousand base, bonus is a third of collections after doubling salary and after income tax. However if your practice owner, survey show they net over a hundred grand and usually much more, but its hard to open your own pratice off te bat due to quarter of a million dollar loans..

Edit

Typed on tablet, many spelling errors

Opps calculated bonis for half of collections after doubling your salary. You wont get thatrate anywhere lol

 

[amaprez]

Ya i agree. recent grads dont always make six figures...

Portion of te mostbrecent young members salary survey for first year associate base

3% <30000
18% 30k-50k
44% 50k-75k
20% 75-100k
8% 100k-125k
7% >125k

Fifteen percent of first years ge six figures. The mode is fifty to seventy five. There most likely is a bonus structure involved in tose figures hopefully, i think tey are like a tird of collections after you collect double your salary. So if you base at sixty, you would need to collect one twenty to start te bonus. If you want to level out to six figures ten you must collect an additional eigty grand so you have to collect two hundred thousand dollars to make a hundred gs. Of course that is gross so you will net around seventy grand. this is wit sixty tousand base, bonus is a third of collections after doubling salary and after income tax. However if your practice owner, survey show they net over a hundred grand and usually much more, but its hard to open your own pratice off te bat due to quarter of a million dollar loans..

Edit

Typed on tablet, many spelling errors

Opps calculated bonis for half of collections after doubling your salary. You wont get thatrate anywhere lol

Wow my eyes hurt. Return that tablet man!

 

[arez10]

I just woke up to finish studying for my Pathomechanics final, and this made it a little better.

 

[flyhi]

Scalding coffee just singed my nostrils on the circuitous path from coffee cup to my computer screen. So worth it.

 

[flyhi]

The MCAT is very doable for Pod school, realistically you only need a 20 to get in, so I wouldn't worry about that. With that said, judging from the statements above you seem to have the wrong idea about what a Podiatrist is. First off if you are not cut out for an M.D. as you state you need to think about why that is since being a Podiatrist is very similar in all aspects. Also your comment about more classes is understandable but not a good sign for pod school success. Podiatry is easy to get in, but that's where the easy stops. The school is very difficult, the main reason being is that you need to get A's on everything. If you don't you end up risking not getting a decent residency or worse yet not getting one period. The fact is you get an M.D. being an average student, you pass boards and you make 150k a year guaranteed so you can pay your loans back and feed your family. Pod school you get a D.P.M and you either killed it and got a good residency and 150K a year or you get a crappy one and you re stuck clipping nails for 60k a year. Trust me that's not a lot with 200k in loans. That's why it's easy to get in, but it is a Medical School and not easy to do well in. So in closing if you are motivated definitely go for it and work hard otherwise save your money cuz it is also "medical school" expensive. Good Luck!

Wha??

 

[Pod Newman]

Ok so 60k might be on the low side and obviously you don't need all A's to be a great Podiatrist, but my message wasn't suppose to be statistical in nature. I was trying to generalize for the sake of the big picture. There are a lot of Podiatry students out there who are dreamers. I am a doctor and I will make a lot of money type people. My point was simply if you work hard Podiatry is a good thing. If you go into it half ass trust me your gonna come out half ass. Money doesn't grow on trees. In order to thrive you need to be good and in order to be good you need to have great training and those spots are limited and difficult to get into if you are not the best. This is true for any profession but specifically true for Podiatry because there is a big salary difference between the guys on the top and guys on the bottom. Why does everyone on this forum always get their panties in a bunch when someone says something factual about podiatry that may not be to their liking.

 

[Pod Newman]

The Bush thing was funny by the way!

 

[bobdolerson]

you need to get A's on everything. If you don't you end up risking not getting a decent residency or worse yet not getting one period. The fact is you get an M.D. being an average student, you pass boards and you make 150k a year guaranteed so you can pay your loans back and feed your family. Pod school you get a D.P.M and you either killed it and got a good residency and 150K a year or you get a crappy one and you re stuck clipping nails for 60k a year.

Ok so 60k might be on the low side and obviously you don't need all A's to be a great Podiatrist

Why does everyone on this forum always get their panties in a bunch when someone says something factual about podiatry that may not be to their liking.

Is that what we're calling overly-generalized overly-opinionated misinformation now? Factual?

The cold hard truth is, if you don't start posting more factual information with better research to back it up, you won't land a residency and won't be able to feed your family, or pay back your student loans.

 

[Pod Newman]

The cold hard truth is, if you don't start posting more factual information with better research to back it up, you won't land a residency and won't be able to feed your family, or pay back your student loans.[/QUOT]

I made a point of generalizing and clearly stated that the information was put in a non statistical matter to make a point. By saying factual I was referring to the general point of podiatry success depending heavily on the residency that one lands. Are there exceptions, sure, again it is a generalization. Again my point is simply that there is a limited number of really good residencies and in order to land one of those it takes a lot of hard work and success in Pod school. If you think that is wrong than you are entitled to your oppinion and I am not going to argue that. The whole point of my post in the first place is to give the OP an idea of how Podiatry works. He has already invested time and money into another field and I am sure he would appreciate a clear cut answer than "Yay Podiatry is the best go for it Man". He also stated that he wasn't looking forward to taking more classes and I simply wanted to let him know that it's not enough to just get through school. I know of many fellow graduates who did this very thing and are not very happy with their training in residency.

As far as factual stuff goes your comment above speaks for itself.

 

[bobdolerson]

I know ya' stated that...you know...after the fact.

Then proceeded to be curious as to why anyone would say anything about your "factual" statements.

Really? Are you really not getting this?

The whole point of my post in the first place is to give the OP an idea of how Podiatry works. He has already invested time and money into another field and I am sure he would appreciate a clear cut answer than "Yay Podiatry is the best go for it Man". He also stated that he wasn't looking forward to taking more classes and I simply wanted to let him know that it's not enough to just get through school. I know of many fellow graduates who did this very thing and are not very happy with their training in residency.

And you think you do them a better service than the "yay podiatry" guy by giving incredibly generalized untruths?

 

[Pod Newman]

In all fairness there isn't a single piece of factual data or a statistic on this forum that will be the exact infto that the OP needs to make his decision. By the time he graduates there will be another set of data that he can consider at that time. With that said he came here and asked a question. I gave him my opinion and stated why that is my opinion. Is my finacnial data spot on,no, I never claimed it was. I used a generic range of what the statistical research shows. The point of my post was the importance of success in Pod school and the way it correlates to future success in the field. Apparently everyone just focused on the exact figure of money which to be honest was more of an afterthough than something I intedede to make a point with. It seems that everyone here is very innsecure about their potential salary. Ultimatelly, you guys can pick the amounts you want. The point still stands. There is a difference between people with excellent training and people without that training. I am sure all of you future pods want to land the right residency? Am I wrong?

 

[trinifootdoc]

Ya i agree. recent grads dont always make six figures...

Portion of te mostbrecent young members salary survey for first year associate base

3% <30000
18% 30k-50k
44% 50k-75k
20% 75-100k
8% 100k-125k
7% >125k

Fifteen percent of first years ge six figures. The mode is fifty to seventy five. There most likely is a bonus structure involved in tose figures hopefully, i think tey are like a tird of collections after you collect double your salary. So if you base at sixty, you would need to collect one twenty to start te bonus. If you want to level out to six figures ten you must collect an additional eigty grand so you have to collect two hundred thousand dollars to make a hundred gs. Of course that is gross so you will net around seventy grand. this is wit sixty tousand base, bonus is a third of collections after doubling salary and after income tax. However if your practice owner, survey show they net over a hundred grand and usually much more, but its hard to open your own pratice off te bat due to quarter of a million dollar loans..

Edit

Typed on tablet, many spelling errors

Opps calculated bonis for half of collections after doubling your salary. You wont get thatrate anywhere lol

Please keep in mind that some of those lower figures, if not most, are the salaries of the DPMs who are currently in residency programs...

 

[javajava]

Please keep in mind that some of those lower figures, if not most, are the salaries of the DPMs who are currently in residency programs...

Young member salary surveys collect An Associates first year base. The statistic was described as associates first year base salary. Of course they must be a commensurate bonus structure.

Here is an older Young member Salary survey if anyone is intersted for the year two thousand and five, quoted from Jonwill,


2. How many years have you been in practice?
Years Frequency Percent
1 138 21.3%
2 171 26.4%
3 146 22.6%
4 107 16.5%
5 69 10.7%
6 10 1.5%
7 5 .8%
8 1 .2%
Total 647 99.5%
Missing 3 .5%

12. Which type of position do you currently hold?
Associate 254 39.2%
Independent contractor 53 8.2%
Partner small group (<3) 93 14.4%
Partner large group (>3) 28 4.3%
Solo practitioner 153 23.6%
Multidisciplinary group 43 6.6%
Other 24 3.7%
Total 648 99.7%
Missing 2 .3%

15. How did you find your current position?
Classified 80 12.6%
Word-of-mouth 201 31.7%
Residency program 108 17.0%
Head-hunter 8 1.3%
Other 238 37.5%
Total 635 97.7%
Missing 15 2.3%

18. What is your annual gross income (excluding
benefits)?
Under 30,000 24 3.8%
30,001-50,000 68 10.8%
50,001-75,000 132 21.0%
74,001-100,000 141 22.4%
100,001-125,000 76 12.1%
Over 125,000 189 30.0%
Total 630 96.9%

19. If you are an associate, what type of compensation do you receive?
Salary only 54 14.6%
Salary + bonus 220 59.3%
Income based on collections only 82 22.1%
Income based on billing only 15 4.0%
Total 371 57.1%
Missing 279 42.9%

22. Has there been a change in your income level over
the past year?
Increase 441 71.8%
Decrease 42 6.8%
No change 131 21.3%
Total 614 94.5%
Missing 36 5.5%

It also goes on to show that those with more surgical training tend to make more and that those in multi-specialty groups and large pod groups tend to make more than others as well. #15 shows that we find our jobs the same way that most docs find jobs (ie not classified ads or job postings). I always laugh when people say "I don't see any job postings for podiatrists."

 

[347932]

Jeez, is Caddypod posting on an alt again??

 

[Pod Newman]

Jeez, is Caddypod posting on an alt again??

No I am not Caddypod. Just a fellow podiatry student. I don't understand why you guys think my post was negative or against podiatry. It blows my mind that no one agrees that it is important to do well in Podiatry school in order to set yourself up for success in the field. I mean it's common sense. Basically that was all I was saying stemming from the OP's comment about not wanting more classes and my assumption that he would need more motivation for school in order to set himself up for future success.

 

[bobdolerson]

I think what you've failed to grasp is that the entire course of this thread would have been different if your first post wasn't one of generalized exaggeration and untruth. Now you're trying to defend your ridiculous entrance, as opposed to just making a properly thought out and supported post to begin with.

I think if you did that, there wouldn't be so many forum-gifs in response...

 

[Podophile]

To op:

Just investigate podiatry enough to know if its something that will actually make you happy, and not just less miserable.