Dr. Edwin Wolf Responds to Residency Shortage

Started by EK18
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EK18

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Here's the official response from Dr. Wolf about the current residency crisis. Thoughts?

He states that they are currently in the progress of negotiating more spots with hospitals but doesn't give a specific time frame for anything. While I sincerely hope that works out for future grads, he doesn't state anything about improving the situation of those who didn't match this year.

What do you guys think?
 

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EK18 said:
Here's the official response from Dr. Wolf about the current residency crisis. Thoughts?

He states that they are currently in the progress of negotiating more spots with hospitals but doesn't give a specific time frame for anything. While I sincerely hope that works out for future grads, he doesn't state anything about improving the situation of those who didn't match this year.

What do you guys think?
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Yeah this is more of a PSA/ask for help than reassuring us it will be solved/immediate solutions... As a 2017 future grad I am thoroughly terrified, and this letter didn't help... He even acknowledges that it will take significant time to fix the problem.......
 
MaxillofacialMN said:
Yeah this is more of a PSA/ask for help than reassuring us it will be solved/immediate solutions... As a 2017 future grad I am thoroughly terrified, and this letter didn't help... He even acknowledges that it will take significant time to fix the problem.......
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As a fellow 2017 grad I am also afraid for what the future holds. In fact, I would be lying if I didn't say that I thought about holding off Pod school for a year or two while I make myself more competitive for DO programs as a sort of plan B. That way, I can keep an eye on the residency crisis for a while and if things indeed seem to be all doom and gloom then I can still do something with my life.
 
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Hmm well he seems to be asking for help from the community towards the end to the letter which means he's looking for outside help. I think 1 thing that will concern me as a pod student is the fierce competition and in-fighting that will occur btwn students since you know your friend will be competing for the same residency. It would be nice if they could have given a time frame of when this issue will be fixed, but i would need a specific time frame.
 
EK18 said:
As a fellow 2017 grad I am also afraid for what the future holds. In fact, I would be lying if I didn't say that I thought about holding off Pod school for a year or two while I make myself more competitive for DO programs as a sort of plan B. That way, I can keep an eye on the residency crisis for a while and if things indeed seem to be all doom and gloom then I can still do something with my life.
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This is exactly what I've been thinking.
 
EK18 said:
As a fellow 2017 grad I am also afraid for what the future holds. In fact, I would be lying if I didn't say that I thought about holding off Pod school for a year or two while I make myself more competitive for DO programs as a sort of plan B. That way, I can keep an eye on the residency crisis for a while and if things indeed seem to be all doom and gloom then I can still do something with my life.
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It's normal, no need to feel bad about it. We are still young and there are plenty of options for us. Do what you think is right and don't regret it. 😎

I still think the field has a lot to offer, just the schools are screwing the profession. The problem I have with these new residency spots (say we got 700 residencies) is that do we really have a need for that many podiatrists? I know there is a demand but it's still a small specialty of medicine. I don't know at this point.
 
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I do not see anything that makes me feel better about the situation in that letter. It sounds like a plea for help, rather than a legitimate solution, which is what I was hoping for.
 
msion said:
It's normal, no need to feel bad about it. We are still young and there are plenty of options for us. Do what you think is right and don't regret it. 😎

I still think the field has a lot to offer, just the schools are screwing the profession. The problem I have with these new residency spots (say we got 700 residencies) is that do we really have a need for that many podiatrists? I know there is a demand but it's still a small specialty of medicine. I don't know at this point.
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I hear you. It's definitely not an easy pill to swallow. All that money spent on applications, airfare, suit, deposit, etc. is not cheap. Plus me and my girlfriend were really looking forward to moving to an entirely different part of the country together this coming August. Not to mention the whole fact that, well, I WANT to be a Podiatrist lol.

It basically comes down to whether or not we can do 4 years of pod school knowing that our hard work may or may not be rewarded in the end. But the fact that 104 fully qualified applicants didn't have spots? And the chance that this issue will compound into further years?

It almost makes me feel like going to podiatry school while knowing this would be irresponsible.
 
EK18 said:
I hear you. It's definitely not an easy pill to swallow. All that money spent on applications, airfare, suit, deposit, etc. is not cheap. Plus me and my girlfriend were really looking forward to moving to an entirely different part of the country together this coming August. Not to mention the whole fact that, well, I WANT to be a Podiatrist lol.

It basically comes down to whether or not we can do 4 years of pod school knowing that our hard work may or may not be rewarded in the end. But the fact that 104 fully qualified applicants didn't have spots? And the chance that this issue will compound into further years?

It almost makes me feel like going to podiatry school while knowing this would be irresponsible.
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I would wait and see. At least for some amount of time. It's easy to see that something went wrong, but it's not clear how wrong.

If the subsequent classes of 2014 and 2015 are smaller (which has been said), and if the leadership is working on solving the problem, and if the 10% increased enrollment has been taken away, then there is some measure of hope.
 
I hope the residency issues rectify themselves. I have been exploring podiatry as a viable option, but am becoming hesitant. What are the residency prospects looking forward, i.e. the class of '18 and '19? Or is it too early to tell?
 
I think it's hard to tell. It's a tricky numbers game deciding 4 years in advance for an incoming class. How Many will fail out, fail boards, drop out, how many new residencies will be made. It would be almost as bad to have 104 residencies not get students.
 
As I read his statement I am appauled by his lack of any concrete plans or any given timeline for which to expect results. As a member of the class of 2013 I have heard for over two years about the looming residency crisis and every statement to this day has been identicle to the one he presented the other day. They have always said that they are working on it and they always seem to be on the cusp of creating new programs that never materialize, we have lost positions over the past year and only created a select few. I personally know of a program that I will not disclose that has the numbers and case load to support an additional resident and they were hoping to have the position ready for match but the council has taken so long to approve their position they missed match, the scramble, and continue to wait for approval as they drag their feet. To me this is exactly the inaction that put our field into this predicament in the first place!
 
apollofx said:
the council has taken so long to approve their position they missed match, the scramble, and continue to wait for approval as they drag their feet
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The council has taken the typical 18-24 month approval period and shrunk it down to less than a year. In the case of programs who have their ducks in a row (complete applications, necessary hospital/surgical center affiliations, documented case load, etc.) the site visits have been expedited and the process has only taken a few months.

The CPME has standards as an accrediting agency that they have to follow. In cases where approval takes too long, it is generally because of the individuals trying to start the program. Which is where Dr. Wolf comes in. To make sure all of the I's have been dotted and the T's crossed. So you could say that he wasn't very helpful with this particular program, that may be fair. But the council? From what I've seen and heard, they have been conducting on-site visits as soon as the new program is ready for them.
 
apollofx said:
I personally know of a program that I will not disclose that has the numbers and case load to support an additional resident and they were hoping to have the position ready for match but the council has taken so long to approve their position they missed match, the scramble, and continue to wait for approval as they drag their feet.
Click to expand...

In the current climate of heavy duty finger pointing, I'm skeptical of stories like this. To my knowledge, if the program follows the guidelines, the CPME is not usually a choke point in the process of residency program or position genesis. If you provided specifics about the program, we could find out what is really going on and address it directly with the CPME and hopefully get things moving and get another student placed. If you don't want to post it publicly you could get in touch with the CPME yourself or PM the program to me and I would be happy to do it.


As a side note, there are a lot of reasons why residency programs close, reduce positions and don't expand to their already CPME approved capacity. Some residency directors feel adding additional residents would water down their numbers too much and reduce training quality for all those involved.

Some deal with funding issues and hospital based red tape even when they are approved for additional positions. For example, I know of a current program that is approved by CPME for an additional position but is unsure if the hospital will approve the additional resident. I also know of another program that is dealing with potentially losing the residency program entirely because the new hospital leadership doesn't like having podiatry residents in the hospital.

We, as students, are justifiably upset about the current residency situation, but we need to direct our criticism in the correct direction or it won't have any effect.

If the CPME needs to be raked over the coals, I will be first in line. As of now, I don't have reason to believe they do.
 
It is unacceptable and inexcusable that they allowed this to happen. There can be NO acceptable reason for this to have happened. Maybe they should open up a few more schools to see how many kids they can screw.
 
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What is really pathetic is the absolute absent response from the APMA. The APMA wants all the students to join, proclaiming "we have your back." There is absolutely nothing on the APMA website about the shortage. The news section states nothing about it. The APMA should have sent out an emergency call out to all physicians that are part of the APMA urging them to consider/start the process of developing a residency program. Instead they are silent on the issue at this point. The solution for this mess is for as many physicians as possible to start considering developing a program. The future of Podiatric Medicine depends on it. This is a profession a lot of people believe in, but our largest organized body seems quite silent while lives are ruined.
 
This makes me want to do a public health masters in occupational health to hold off until they can solve things more. Even if they created all of positions (107) that were slightly more than mildly interested, there would be a major backlog from past years for a while.
 
skierbum said:
This makes me want to do a public health masters in occupational health to hold off until they can solve things more. Even if they created all of positions (107) that were slightly more than mildly interested, there would be a major backlog from past years for a while.
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I have a very similar masters degree and I would recommend against it. If you are interested in public health you would be better served by epidemiology or biostats. If occupational health is that interesting to you I would suggest "Industrial Hygiene."

Public health masters have a tendency to spend too much time focusing on public health in general (ie. you'll have to dedicate a class to each core discipline, but many of them are a joke [behavioral health]) and insufficient time on the hard skills that employers want. You'll look back a year later and say "why didn't I take more toxicology classes".

Look into the requirements to become a Certified Industrial Hygienist. I worked for an international, billion dollar company and the heads of safety were always CIHs. Type CIH jobs into google and its as far as the eye can see. There isn't a safety job out there that they wouldn't rather have a CIH. These guys know their safety and health and the letters don't come easy. There's a kick your butt qualifying exam, requirements in chemistry, biology, medicine, ventilation, radiation, and something along the lines of a 7 year on the job training requirement that you should have been dedicated to implementing safety and health.

Last of all - you absolutely need to get an internship if you spend more than a year doing it. All the energy companies (think Chevron, BP, Alcoa) offer EHS internships and they pay well. Look into it from day one and find out if your department head will help you. We had recruiters from oil companies interviewing every year.
 
This is no longer a crisis, IMO, it's become a

TRAGEDY.

The crisis started yrs ago, the tragedy is the shattered lives of 104 young adults today.

I weep for these people and lament their situation and how scared they and their families must be in this horrible time.

What an aweful place to be today. My regards to you who are suffering.😍
 
WhiskrsPlaymate said:
This is no longer a crisis, IMO, it's become a

TRAGEDY.

The crisis started yrs ago, the tragedy is the shattered lives of 104 young adults today.

I weep for these people and lament their situation and how scared they and their families must be in this horrible time.

What an aweful place to be today. My regards to you who are suffering.😍
Click to expand...

Today will always be remembered as the day: "Whiskers is back."

I'm about to cancel my account before this place blows up.
 
I'm hear to love everyone and help ease some of this suffering I am feeling.

I was sitting in my big fat crumb ridden retirement chair eating thickly sliced bacon, undercooked eggs and smoking my stale retirement "cigars," and drinking a latte' when I was overcome with a special need to encourage this new generation of lost souls.

But then, then

Then the phone rang and it was her majesty, Alice B. Toakless, she just wanted to know if I knew where her brownies were that she baked recently.. She was of course cursed with the munchies and assured me she was in great need of somthing satisfying.

So I came here instinctively and immediately to find out what all the gnashing of toe nails was about and to see if I could find out what happened to those darn brownies....

I'm hear to find them brownies, but if I help some people along the way, then maybe things aren't so bad after all, That's just how I roll./
 
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That article did make me understand the situation more but the future doesn't look great. 2014 class will be taking their boards with a looming fact that they won't all have a residency after graduating, in addition to the 99 who will be reapplying. How soon can they get programs on board with uncertainty in funding? Who knows...
 
heybrother said:
I have a very similar masters degree and I would recommend against it. If you are interested in public health you would be better served by epidemiology or biostats. If occupational health is that interesting to you I would suggest "Industrial Hygiene."

Public health masters have a tendency to spend too much time focusing on public health in general (ie. you'll have to dedicate a class to each core discipline, but many of them are a joke [behavioral health]) and insufficient time on the hard skills that employers want. You'll look back a year later and say "why didn't I take more toxicology classes".

Look into the requirements to become a Certified Industrial Hygienist. I worked for an international, billion dollar company and the heads of safety were always CIHs. Type CIH jobs into google and its as far as the eye can see. There isn't a safety job out there that they wouldn't rather have a CIH. These guys know their safety and health and the letters don't come easy. There's a kick your butt qualifying exam, requirements in chemistry, biology, medicine, ventilation, radiation, and something along the lines of a 7 year on the job training requirement that you should have been dedicated to implementing safety and health.

Last of all - you absolutely need to get an internship if you spend more than a year doing it. All the energy companies (think Chevron, BP, Alcoa) offer EHS internships and they pay well. Look into it from day one and find out if your department head will help you. We had recruiters from oil companies interviewing every year.
Click to expand...
wow, thank you so much! i got accepted into the MPH program with a concentration in Environmental health, starts in Fall. I am excited, at the same time I have been a bit worried as far as what Id like to do with the degree. I recently graduated with my bachelors in community health education however, I took alot of bio, chem and math during my undergrad. I am currently an intern at a health district in St. Louis at the environmental health department, however I can not do much since I do not possess any certificates yet. I have been doing my research these days and I am interested in becoming a Certified Industrial hygienist. I am trying to stay on track, since I have no advice at the moment, glad I read your post. I feel a bit confident
 
Is this thread still relevant? Wasn't the issue mostly solved? I follow this forum loosely because a lot of it doesn't apply to me yet but if I read the match stats correctly, this year, only 7 people were left without a residency? or am I reading it incorrectly
 
skelper101 said:
Is this thread still relevant? Wasn't the issue mostly solved? I follow this forum loosely because a lot of it doesn't apply to me yet but if I read the match stats correctly, this year, only 7 people were left without a residency? or am I reading it incorrectly
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I would like to know as well, considering I just paid my deposit....
 
Don't be in the bottom 15% of your class, keep your gpa above 3.0, be friendly and show initiative during externships, and pass your boards the first time. If you do these things and apply to residencies where you would be a good fit stat wise and personality wise, you will be ok.

This applies to residencies in any field, not just podiatry.
 
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Is there any word if the increased funding that they are currently working on for MD residencies will translate to podiatry?
 
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