How good is the podiatry field out there?

[FRA]

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I've heard alot of different views on the field..SOme people say that the market is full of podiatrists and there are no jobs for new graduates.others say that older podiatrists will retire and there will be room for new podiatrists. What's the deal here? Did anyone in residency get any good job offers? what are the graduates saying about the field? Is it good out there with many opportunties?

 

[jonwill]

I've heard alot of different views on the field..SOme people say that the market is full of podiatrists and there are no jobs for new graduates.others say that older podiatrists will retire and there will be room for new podiatrists. What's the deal here? Did anyone in residency get any good job offers? what are the graduates saying about the field? Is it good out there with many opportunties?

Graduates are saying that it's a great medical specialty and if you work hard and get good training, you'll do very well for yourself.

 

[phillypd]

well, I was accepted to a few Pod schools...and a few carib MD schools....i was debating which one i want to do. For weeks i have been looking up Pod jobs and i don't see much options......so are people have a serious problem after residency? I heard they were, and i can't seem to find much employment offers to pods in any state......can someone clarify this?

 

[singingfootdoc]

there are jobs for us...baby boomers are getting sick, dying out...it's our turn to shine trust me...my boyfriend's mom needs a podiatrist in the Sacramento area, she was told at Kaiser she had to wait till Feb to see a podiatrist because they are booked solid...trust me..there are tons of jobs...

 

[jonwill]

well, I was accepted to a few Pod schools...and a few carib MD schools....i was debating which one i want to do. For weeks i have been looking up Pod jobs and i don't see much options......so are people have a serious problem after residency? I heard they were, and i can't seem to find much employment offers to pods in any state......can someone clarify this?

There are as many jobs out there for us as there is any medical specialist. The majority of physician jobs in the medical field are not posted but are found through word-of-mouth or recruiters. Our senior residents are literally getting job offers daily.

I can't for the life of me figure out where this myth comes from (that there are no jobs). Somebody please fill me in if you know.

 

[air bud]

well, I was accepted to a few Pod schools...and a few carib MD schools....i was debating which one i want to do. For weeks i have been looking up Pod jobs and i don't see much options......so are people have a serious problem after residency? I heard they were, and i can't seem to find much employment offers to pods in any state......can someone clarify this?

I agree with you. I went on to Monster.com and fully expected to find job offers like "Seeking foot and ankle surgeon in LA area. Must be good with hands and have good people skills. Base salary of 150k and ability to make much more!!!! Serious applicants only please."

learn how the real world works if you want to be a part of it someday.

 

[phillypd]

whoa,, sparkles..... I know how the real world works this is my second career (thank you)...however, this is what i heard so i'm asking the question to clarify. NOW, I just don't want to make a mistake by getting into this field and than can't find a job after residency...when i know for a fact that if i do the MD i will CERTAINLY get a good job....just trying to make a well informed decision....like i said, when i go on hospital sites....i never see podiatry needed....but i do see all other physician specialties.....wanted.....

 

[doclm]

whoa,,,calm down sparkles.....it ain't that serious. I know how the real world works this is my second career (thank you)...your not even in school yet so do really know what goes on after residency?...however, this is what i heard so i'm asking the question to clarify. NOW, I just don't want to make a mistake by getting into this field and than can't find a job after residency...when i know for a fact that if i do the MD i will CERTAINLY get a good job....just trying to make a well informed decision....like i said, when i go on hospital sites....i never see podiatry needed....but i do see all other physician specialties.....wanted.....

That is because most Podiatrists are not hired by the hospitals. Many DPM's are on staff at hospitals, so they can do their surgeries with their OR. However, most DPM's are found in solo with a private business, working in a podiatry group, a multispecialty group, or an Ortho group. You need to keep in mind that most podiatric surgeries are elective due to pain or cosmetic problems. Ofcourse you can get some fractures, tendon ruptures, or infected diabetic ulcers. However, when it comes to major trauma, the patients are sent to the ER at a hospital, where usually they are seen first by non-podiatric physicians. Although it would be very beneficial for patients if more hospitals did hire Podiatrists, its not the standard in hospital care.

I am not saying that hospitals don't hire Podiatrists, because some do, however to this day the majority of DPM's out there fit into the other areas that I previously listed. Also, if given the choice to work with a hospital versus within a solo or group practice, I think most DPM's would go with the private group.

 

[165007]

whoa,, sparkles..... I know how the real world works this is my second career (thank you)...however, this is what i heard so i'm asking the question to clarify. NOW, I just don't want to make a mistake by getting into this field and than can't find a job after residency...when i know for a fact that if i do the MD i will CERTAINLY get a good job....just trying to make a well informed decision....like i said, when i go on hospital sites....i never see podiatry needed....but i do see all other physician specialties.....wanted.....

If you have doubts then go MD.

Simple.

 

[cool_vkb]

You are not gonna find Podiatry job ads in monster.com or careerbuilder. There is a long list of jobs and practices for sale that appears every month in the APMA journal. There are also jobs listed on medhunters.com and some other podiatry related news sites or webpages like PMnews,etc.

 

[PMSIII]

whoa,, sparkles..... I know how the real world works this is my second career (thank you)...however, this is what i heard so i'm asking the question to clarify. NOW, I just don't want to make a mistake by getting into this field and than can't find a job after residency...when i know for a fact that if i do the MD i will CERTAINLY get a good job....just trying to make a well informed decision....like i said, when i go on hospital sites....i never see podiatry needed....but i do see all other physician specialties.....wanted.....

To clarify, as others have mentioned - most podiatry jobs are found through internal networking (hospitals we rotate through), our surgical residencies (attendings, former attendings, recent grads, etc.), and professional affiliations (APMA, state podiatry associations).

Most new grads work in group practices, multispecialty groups, and ortho groups. Most are on-staff at hospitals as well. The job opportunities are there but the training is a must. In order to land strong job offers, you need to have sound training, period. You have to keep in mind that podiatry is a smaller specialty than internal medicine/family medicine so you will not see many if any podiatric surgery job listings on monster.com for example. However, they are definitely out there and in need. My best advise for you is to contact third year residents and ask them about their offers. You can contact them by getting in touch with residency programs and ask these questions to direct sources. I am a fourth year student and have asked these questions numerously because I want to know the job market in the near future.

Bottom line is that you should pursue whatever field/specialty that makes you happy. Don't go into either fields (primary medicine vs podiatry) for the sole intention of money. Although, I should state that financial stability and rewards are definitely there for both specialties/fields. I recommend that you follow your instinct and speak with different specialists and shadow them at work before you make any decisions. This is a life-time committment just like marriage because being a doctor is a full-time responsibility that never stops at graduation.

All the best...

 

[phillypd]

for those with sound insight......thank you.....for the others who are just being rude..what ever..
I know my option is to go MD if i'm unsure..(zmeflyby)..that's why i applied and got accepted into both .......that's not what i was asking. And i'm not in it for the money, but i do need to pay my loans when i'm done..so i just wanted to know how the market is holding up right now.......

thanks to all

 

[Squiggy]

If you're not in it for the money pick what you want to commit your life doing. You can succeed in both pathways and fail miserably in both as well (pod and Caribbean med).

 

[G0dFather]

Most of the time people just want their Qs answered not analyzed n criticized n attacked..... that's y people ask .... if you don't like the Q being ask just move on n don't comment.... but everyone just attacks everyone on this thing .... its beginning to defy its purpose...

 

[215512]

Most of the time people just want their Qs answered not analyzed n criticized n attacked..... that's y people ask .... if you don't like the Q being ask just move on n don't comment.... but everyone just attacks everyone on this thing .... its beginning to defy its purpose...

 

[averagejoe123]

Originally Posted by G0dFather
Most of the time people just want their Qs answered not analyzed n criticized n attacked..... that's y people ask .... if you don't like the Q being ask just move on n don't comment.... but everyone just attacks everyone on this thing .... its beginning to defy its purpose...






.....so whens the date?

 

[bjolly]

I would think with the increasing rate of diabetes and the population aging, there would be a lot of demand for podiatrists in the coming years.

 

[GymMan]

I would think with the increasing rate of diabetes and the population aging, there would be a lot of demand for podiatrists in the coming years.

There is. And no amount of bs back and forth on here will change that. Who here in their right mind, and using common sense, would think otherwise? Aging people need healthcare in all facets. The feet are one of the first to go due to lifelong stress. Diabetes is at an alltime high. Put 2 and 2 together and you get the answer. If you can't figure this out how can you do well on the MCAT?

 

[APMAHelp]

Check out this link for information on the demand for the services of podiatrists:

http://www.apma.org/s_apma/bin.asp?CID=11&DID=22578&DOC=FILE.PDF

 

[Gryhu]

Check out this link for information on the demand for the services of podiatrists:

http://www.apma.org/s_apma/bin.asp?CID=11&DID=22578&DOC=FILE.PDF

Good Read. Pods are going to be in demand for years to come.