DPM internist/hospitalist

[prettypod]

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I have been receiving a lot of questions about graduates who do not want to go into podiatry and one of them mentioned that you can be a hospitalist with the DPM training and diploma. Has anyone seen this in actual practice?

 

[NatCh]

I have been receiving a lot of questions about graduates who do not want to go into podiatry and one of them mentioned that you can be a hospitalist with the DPM training and diploma. Has anyone seen this in actual practice?

No way.

 

[Brodiatrist]

I have been receiving a lot of questions about graduates who do not want to go into podiatry and one of them mentioned that you can be a hospitalist with the DPM training and diploma. Has anyone seen this in actual practice?

I've never heard of a podiatrist being a "hospitalist" in the same role as an MD, where one only cares for patients in a hospital setting. Honestly, most F&A patients are discharged quickly and if they do stay longer, it's usually due to an underlying medical condition that podiatrists can't treat anyway.

Again, aside from a few unique positions created for community podiatrists who have a large surgical volume, I don't think this title applies to podiatrists as it would an MD.

 

[PADPM]

I have been receiving a lot of questions about graduates who do not want to go into podiatry and one of them mentioned that you can be a hospitalist with the DPM training and diploma. Has anyone seen this in actual practice?

You were given bad information. A hospitalist has training similar to an internist and cares for inpatients with varying systemic illnesses, and that does not fall under the care/scope of a DPM degree.

This has taken the burden off of many GP's, family docs and even internists who no longer admit patients on their own services or make "rounds" at the hospital, but instead rely on the hospitalist for all in patient care.

I hardly think that a patient with uncontrolled hypertension and other systemic illnesses will be under the care of someone with a DPM degree.

 

[NatCh]

Any chance that someone was confusing "hospitalist" with "hospital-based podiatrist?"

 

[Feli]

Any chance that someone was confusing "hospitalist" with "hospital-based podiatrist?"

Probably.

I have a few attendings that probably spend a third or half of their time rounding/consulting, doing surgery, and in the wound care center at the hospital. The still do office for follow ups and non-critical patients, though.

When you say "internist" or "hospitalist," you are referring to an internal med trained doc who did months and months of medicine as a student, a 3yr residency +/- fellowship (ICU, pulm, etc), and basically does admits, consults, and similar almost exclusively. Pod training exposes you to internal med, family med, and some med specialties, but your training is nowhere near their level and wouldn't prep you to be a hospitalist in the true sense of the word. Besides, it's just not in your scope as a DPM (for reasons just mentioned). At some hospitals, DPMs can admit patients, but even most of those require a co-admit with a MD or DO for med mgmt.