For "The Message"

[drmoon]

I know that a couple of posters will recognize me from my pseudonym.

All I can tell you is if you feel this strongly about podiatry in your first year, RUN don't walk away from the misery that awaits!!!!

I had misgivings about podiatry when I matriculated back in 1994. You sound exactly like I did. Frankly, I didn't believe it WAS medical school after about the 1st month. I couldn't believe the stuff I was hearing from everyone. I figured I was stuck even though I was having some serious problems with what I was hearing and also dealing with the constant comparisons betweens pods and MD's/DO's. I kept thinking....well, I'm going to be at least 25k in debt and I don't want to be a salesman again! And, I took all of those pre-med classes, took the MCAT, etc., etc.. Well, now I'm 2.5 years out of my worthless PPMR and I've seen the writing on the wall. I'm currently busting a nut trying to prepare for the MCAT and, hopefully, I'll get into a DO (or less likely) or MD school.

I'm one of those DPM's mentioned who is actually starting all over. I could NEVER in my worst imaginations picture myself as a DPM in the next 20 years or so. It'll take me at least 15 years to make a decent living (if ever) and then I'm always going to have that nagging feeling that I'm not really a doctor. I'm sure that this statement is going to rile many, but the fact is that podiatry training is a far cry from MD/DO training. A far cry. What you guys are doing in your 3rd and 4th years and what many of you will do as a "residency" is so far removed from what a real medical student does that you could never call yourselves physicians. And, this is not to say that DPM's don't fill a very necessary niche in the medical world. The fact is, though, that you will never be treated more than a 2nd class citizen. The facts are so numerous it would take me days to list them. Even the stinking military lists DPM's along with other "allied health professionals" like optometrists and physical therapists.

I could literally go on and on and on and on (and I know annoy efs to no end), but you need to wake up and liken this podiatry experience exactly what a chiropractic student experiences. How many of us thought about podiatry but nixed the idea because of the suspicion that they aren't "real" doctors and they have to act more like businessman than doctors??? Well, my friend, podiatry is essentially the same. You're a little more advanced in terms of education and rights/priveliges, but the reality is that THERE WILL BE NO JOBS WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR (LIKELY) WORTHLESS RESIDENCY!

You're going to need to be incredibly self-reliant, be able to live on Top Ramen for a good long while, have an endlessly understanding spouse, be completely happy cutting disgusting toenails day in and day out, not do any surgeries for a long while despite your training (I have 3 close friends who finished 2 or 3 year programs and they've YET to cut on someone!), be ready to pay back $1700.00/month in student loans no matter if you have a job or not, not have any recourse to get your loans repaid by the government (called loan repayment programs, which exist for practically all other health professionals EXCEPT PODIATRISTS), be asked all of the time if you are a real doctor, have your dignity tested by hospitals who will require you to get the OK from an ortho surgeon if you wish to do any kind of surgery (and, of course, this is assuming that you ever get ANY priveliges in a hospital since they will require at minimum a PSR from you) etc., etc..

In case you didn't get the gist of this post....

RUN DON'T WALK TO THE NEAREST EXIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PACmatthew]

Dr. Moon,

I respect you greatly for your honesty about the profession. I wish these guys would believe you, but everyone has to learn the hard way it seems. I am a PA in FP and am starting SO school in the summer. I completely understand your issues because I have similar ones. I believe your issues are worse in ways though, because you have the title Dr. My best bud and colleague is a Pod whom I share an office with. He is relegated to sharing an office with me, the PA, while all the physicians have their own office! He gets constant grief from the ortho's in our area because he gets a lot of the ankle business through ER referrals. That drives them ape shi#, and thus he gets paid back when it comes time for the hospital committees to vote on Pod priviledges. It looks like he will not be able to do ankles anymore as ortho is claiming it to be their territory! I really do understand and respect the hell out of you. Come join me at TexasCOM!

 

[different strokes]

This is really strange. Where I live, the podiatrists get a lot of respect from people. Noone seems to ask them or wonder if they are "real" doctors. I have heard physical therapists say, "we need to follow the physician's (and yes podiatrists) order."

 

[drmoon]

Most patients will not question whether or not you're a doctor. It's mostly from the other health professionals (especially MD's and DO's who, for the most part, do not think you are their equal).

I should have stated more concisely that podiatrists DO serve a necessary and well appreciated function in our society. There are things that a podiatrist does that other health professionals do not do or are not interested in doing.

But, I stand by the spotty education and training and this is where I think that pods are not equals to MD's and DO's. Also, the entrance requirements for pod school are ridiculously low. In fact, there aren't even enough applicants to fill the schools seats this year!!! There weren't enough last year, either. I mean, C'MON!! NOT ENOUGH APPLICANTS!!! In this entire friggin' world there aren't even 300 people who want to be a podiatrist!! That completely floors me! The schools have systematically lowered their standards for admission to the point where even a pulse may not be a requirement

Anyway, I'll add more later