DMU, Western, AZPod and Integration w/ DO schools

[deleted941029]

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Do these schools have to take classes usually not associated with podiatry (ie psychiatry and reproductive system) since their curriculum is integrated with the DO schools?

 

[Weirdy]

Do these schools have to take classes usually not associated with podiatry (ie psychiatry and reproductive system) since their curriculum is integrated with the DO schools?

Google goes a long way.

AZpod curriculum:
Curriculum

Western curriculum:
https://www.westernu.edu/mediafiles/registrar/2017-2018-catalog/cpm.pdf#page=42

DMU curriculum:
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Program < Des Moines University

 

[Packers4lifeDPM]

AZpod takes all the basic science classes with the DO students. Only ones we don't take are psychology, IMM, and OMM. We take our own podiatry specific classes during those times normally. We also have a couple other classes that we take with a couple other specialties such as physical diagnosis which is with 4 other specialties.

 

[dj-Roomba]

AZpod takes all the basic science classes with the DO students. Only ones we don't take are psychology, IMM, and OMM. We take our own podiatry specific classes during those times normally. We also have a couple other classes that we take with a couple other specialties such as physical diagnosis which is with 4 other specialties.

I can understand not taking ICM and OMM but I think you guys should be taking psych with us

 

[Packers4lifeDPM]

Ya I am not sure why we don't have it.

 

[firenation]

This is real late, but WesternU pods are very integrated with the DO students and we take everything together. Our shared curriculum covers all systems and basic sciences. We also take clinical skills classes together. When DOs have OMM once a week, pods do podiatry.

 

[deleted941029]

This is real late, but WesternU pods are very integrated with the DO students and we take everything together. Our shared curriculum covers all systems and basic sciences. We also take clinical skills classes together. When DOs have OMM once a week, pods do podiatry.

How do you feel about the way the curriculum is set up? Is it something that you deem beneficial for a podiatric medical student or does it not really matter?

 

[firenation]

How do you feel about the way the curriculum is set up? Is it something that you deem beneficial for a podiatric medical student or does it not really matter?

Even more late lolol I'm sorry! WesternU just had a rough semester of cardio, renal and resp and I didn't check back all semester long, so I apologize.

I think it really depends on what you want to gain out of your education. If you want to just stay within the scope of podiatry, I'd say it's not super essential to your curriculum. We're doing repro right now, and my classmates and I sometimes wonder why we are practicing DREs and pap smears. Despite my complaining, I do think that our integrated education is beneficial in the grand scheme of things. I think its helpful to understand how the entire body functions, and being able to thoroughly learn that before honing in on the lower extremities can help us better understand our patients and what they are going through at the end of the day.

 

[Dr.PatchAdams]

Agreed! As I near the end of my schooling, I'm grateful for the medical emphasis and education I received at WesternU.

 

[Glorg]

I'm just finishing my 2nd year at Western and we take all the same classes/tests that the DOs do, including Repro and Psych and clinical. The only time we separate from them is when they take OMM, we go off and take our Podiatry focused classes (biomechanics, trauma, radiology, podopediatrics, etc.) There isn't a magical barrier above/below the tibial tuberosity, so it truly is important to view Podiatry as a medical sub-specialty rather than it's own separate profession. Regardless of what specialty you're in you're going to come across patients who are pregnant or have psychiatric illness, so it's important to understand how that influences their condition/treatment.

TLDR: The curriculum is challenging but completely worth it! It never hurts to be the best physician that you can be.

 

[njfisch]

I am finishing my first year at WesternU. The curriculum is majorly integrated with the DO program. You take one podiatry specific class as the DO class take their OMM class. It is a challenging curriculum but it's worth it once you start rotating with DOs and MDs during your clinical years and first year of residency!

 

[Mena.I]

Do these schools have to take classes usually not associated with podiatry (ie psychiatry and reproductive system) since their curriculum is integrated with the DO schools?

Speaking on behalf of my WesternU experience, the school philosophy is that you are a doctor first before you are specialized. So you take everything the DOs are taking asides from their osteopathic focused classes. With that, the school places Podiatry specific classes in place of those osteopathic classes, so really you are being a doctor with a podiatry focused scope. You cannot say one part of the body does not matter to pediatric problems. You could have a patient presented with foot pain due to obesity - with your general medical background knowledge and good history taking skills you can learn that this patient has a history of eating disorder due to some psychological problem and the best course of treatment is to send that patient to a psychiatrist who can help with this disorder instead of just treating the foot splints or callecues and not addressing the underlying issue.