For those who think Caribb MD is a good idea.....

[RNtoMD87]

I agree. This seems like a good idea.

Yeah, all of the letter nonsense is confusing. I don’t even think our badges should distinguish RN or BSN.

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[GypsyHummus]

Idk why people choose the Caribbean vs doing Optometry or Podiatry. Even with the massive saturation, I’d go pharmacy before offshore MD school.

On the topic of DPMs taking the USMLE, I think a school in California already tried that and they didn’t do too hot because 1) students had to take the Pod boards anyway and 2) pods don’t take psych and obgyn. Other than that, DPMs take all the same classes as the DOs do.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Idk why people choose the Caribbean vs doing Optometry or Podiatry. Even with the massive saturation, I’d go pharmacy before offshore MD school.

On the topic of DPMs taking the USMLE, I think a school in California already tried that and they didn’t do too hot because 1) students had to take the Pod boards anyway and 2) pods don’t take psych and obgyn. Other than that, DPMs take all the same classes as the DOs do.

Don't pods take essentially the same classes for years 1 and 2?

 

[RNtoMD87]

Idk why people choose the Caribbean vs doing Optometry or Podiatry. Even with the massive saturation, I’d go pharmacy before offshore MD school.

On the topic of DPMs taking the USMLE, I think a school in California already tried that and they didn’t do too hot because 1) students had to take the Pod boards anyway and 2) pods don’t take psych and obgyn. Other than that, DPMs take all the same classes as the DOs do.

I agree with the sentiment but pharmacy seems miserable. Very difficult, pricy school and low wages along with lower job prospects. I think I’d stay a nurse or be a midlevel instead of that.

 

[HarmonicConvergence]

Idk why people choose the Caribbean vs doing Optometry or Podiatry. Even with the massive saturation, I’d go pharmacy before offshore MD school.

On the topic of DPMs taking the USMLE, I think a school in California already tried that and they didn’t do too hot because 1) students had to take the Pod boards anyway and 2) pods don’t take psych and obgyn. Other than that, DPMs take all the same classes as the DOs do.

I heard they did well. What's your source?

 

[IlDestriero]

? Because some people might not know that a MD is a physician?

I wonder what the badge buddy would say under a DNP?

Badge says: DNP
Badge Buddy says: not a physician

We have a similar system. DNP badges are the same as nursing badges, as they’re a nurse.

 

[RNtoMD87]

We have a similar system. DNP badges are the same as nursing badges, as they’re a nurse.

Eh I’d have them wear a midlevel badge as their scope of practice is far above mine.

 

[ciestar]

I agree with the sentiment but pharmacy seems miserable. Very difficult, pricy school and low wages along with lower job prospects. I think I’d stay a nurse or be a midlevel instead of that.

Retail pharmacy is why i bailed on pharmacy school. Terrible.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Everyone I know that went pharmacy works at Walgreens or Walmart, and makes less than I do.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

? Because some people might not know that a MD is a physician?

I wonder what the badge buddy would say under a DNP?

Badge says: DNP
Badge Buddy says: not a physician

Badge buddies are also helpful in that (in my experience) they are usually larger and bolder (often brightly colored) than the small letters after someone's name on their id badge- much easier to spot and interpret, even from a distance.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Don't pods take essentially the same classes for years 1 and 2?

Yeah, and at 3 schools they take the exact same classes side by side with osteopathic students for the first 2 years. After that, they do rotations in every specialty with the exception of a few like obgyn, because there isnt a lot of that kind of pathology in podiatry.

He has uncles and cousins who are in MD/DO/Podiatry. He even has a Podiatrist uncle who hires pod grads.
If you wanna know about any health career, Gypsy is who you go to. It's not like he picked all this info up straight from reading sdn or anything.

I have family in all aspects of healthcare and have asked them about various topics I read about on SDN to verify claims. I even have friends and family outside of medicine. Your obsession with my posting history is hovering around stalker like at this point, stop.

I agree with the sentiment but pharmacy seems miserable. Very difficult, pricy school and low wages along with lower job prospects. I think I’d stay a nurse or be a midlevel instead of that.

Yeah, I would do pharmacy only if I had to choose between caribbean vs pharm. From what I have researched, it used to be a pretty sweet gig.

I heard they did well. What's your source?

I cant recall specifically, but it was mentioned on a forum post by someone from the school and if I recall correctly, they stated the class did poorly because they weren't really studying for it.

 

[GypsyHummus]

I can see DPM schools eventually going under that umbrella, much the same way DOs have done in the last couple years, but I think we are looking at 10 years at least before the USMLE is consistently administered and DPMs become part of the MD/DO match.

I think what will enventually happen is DPM schools will be absorbed by DO schools. It makes the most sense for a DPM to get a medical school education because a lot of sestemic diseases are found in the foot first. Plus, Pod is very much a doctor in a “clinical” sense, there is very little different a DPM legally can do that a MD specializing in foot and ankle does in day to day practice. Sure, a DPM can’t prescribe diabetes medications, but when was the last time an Ortho surgeon did?

Anyway, for the OP topic, I think podiatry is a fantastic alternative to offshore schools. I also like Optometry too, as they are starting to leverage themselves as primary eye care docs more and more and pulling away from 24/7 refraction machine with glasses dispensing powers.

If I recall, my informal discussions with faculty at the school in CA had the first cohort with about a 40% pass rate and the next year about 60% under similar conditions as above (already taken POD boards, not enough prep, etc). There is a desire to integrate DPM grads into NRMP (for their limited slots) which becoming increasingly integrated with Ortho, Sports Med, Physiatry , etc, but to do so, having a standardize USMLE would be needed. But as noted above, DPM would need to address items in curriculum that outside of their scope. I have been watching this "dance" with MD/DO/DPM for 20 years, took 15 to get MD/DO to go under ACGME/NRMP together.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah, and at 3 schools they take the exact same classes side by side with osteopathic students for the first 2 years. After that, they do rotations in every specialty with the exception of a few like obgyn, because there isnt a lot of that kind of pathology in podiatry.

Okay well then not rotating in ob/gyn shouldn’t matter since most med students take Step 1 after the second year.

 

[PTPuser]

We have a similar system. DNP badges are the same as nursing badges, as they’re a nurse.

A situation like this came up a couple of years ago and the NPs fought hard for it. Their badge buddies says "RN" but they claim they're not just an "RN" they are "APRN" So the hospital gave them APRN, PA-C, and CRNA and they still weren't happy. Cause some of them are APRN, FNP, DNP, PNP, NNP etc after that whole mess, it's now just straight up Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant lol.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

A situation like this came up a couple of years ago and the NPs fought hard for it. Their badge buddies says "RN" but they claim they're not just an "RN" they are "APRN" So the hospital gave them APRN, PA-C, and CRNA and they still weren't happy. Cause some of them are APRN, FNP, DNP, PNP, NNP etc after that whole mess, it's now just straight up Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant lol.

God, those people are insufferable.