Is there any way to transfer credits from POD school to DO/MD school

[hasanm1]

Hello
I am really interested in podiatry, but i am not a hundred percent on it. My question is: Say if i took classes at a pod school for a year and did not like it will i be able to transfer the credits that i took to a DO/MD schools if i did well in them. considering they have almost the same curriculum for the first 2 years. I forget the name of the school it has both a pod/do school in it and you are actually taking classes with DO students (saw it on another forum)

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[dtrack22]

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[air bud]

The only way you could transfer credits from POD to DO is if you went to DMU, AZPOD or Western podiatry schools, totally dominated those courses and somehow was able to get accepted to their DO schools.

The Pod credits you earned taking DO classes would probably not be able to be transferred to another DO school outside of DO programs associated with DMU, AZPOD and Western.

All of this moot though because if you attempt to apply to med school after quitting on pod you will have a really hard time convincing med school admissions that you are definitely committed to medicine.

Your better off not entering podiatry school. Just work on increasing your MCAT or undergrad gpa during your ye]
r off.

Way to be positive anklebreaker and assume he has ow stats. Just because you scored a 12m on the MCAT and had a 1.48gpa doesn't mean all pod students had low stats and did this as a backup

 

[hasanm1]

well i would like to add that getting in to a do/md school would be harder.. alot harder than a pod school from what i see on this forum. But that is not to say that my stats are not good enough to get in .. I do like the help and answers that i recieved from all of you

 

[karizma098]

Any school will most likely make you retake the first year. You have missed a whole year of OMM and most programs like to think their curriculum is special and will want you to prove you can handle it.

At DMU, going from pod to DO let's say, the actual professors may just give you the same grade you got in their class the previous go around. So the first year in the DO program wouldnt be bad at all. BUT you're also going to be TWO years behind since you cannot apply For the DO program until you have officially withdrawn from the pod program. If that is at the end of year 1 then you are not going to be able to apply in time to jump right into next year's incoming class. Meanwhile, lenders are now calling you asking for their $50 g's you borrowed. It goes without saying, though, that if family practice or some other specialty is what you really want to do then the few years you are put back shouldn't matter. Although, like Ankle Breaker mentioned they would be much better spent on raising your GPA to go DO in the first place.

Of course, none of this takes into account the fact that you may not have the stats to get into a DO program. I'd say it's about 60/40 in terms of pod students who could and couldn't.

My cousin tried transferring at DMU - they do NOT give you the same grade, from what he told me, the exams are not the same, you must retake all the classes. He ended up getting admitted to DMU after completing his DPM and
graduating. I don't know about 60/40 - the average MCAT to get admission into a pod school is in the 21 range, a school like DMU you need to be in the 27 range, and the very lowest in the 25 range for a lower tier school. not saying there aren't plenty of pod students with 27 mcats or higher, just that it's likely not 60%.

 

[karizma098]

well i would like to add that getting in to a do/md school would be harder.. alot harder than a pod school from what i see on this forum. But that is not to say that my stats are not good enough to get in .. I do like the help and answers that i recieved from all of you

if you want to be a physician, or want the opportunity to specialize in something outside of the leg/knee/ankle/foot, don't apply or go to podiatry school, you will end up regretting it later. Though if you feel that this is what you want, go to podiatry school, do well, and be happy. Just don't go to podiatry, dental, or pharm school with the intention of trying to transfer elsewhere later, don't go to a DO school with the intention of trying to transfer to MD, don't go to the carrib and try to transfer to DO, pick what makes you happy and stick with it!

 

[PodunkUDPM]

if you want to be a physician, or want the opportunity to specialize in something outside of the leg/knee/ankle/foot, don't apply or go to podiatry school, you will end up regretting it later. Though if you feel that this is what you want, go to podiatry school, do well, and be happy. Just don't go to podiatry, dental, or pharm school with the intention of trying to transfer elsewhere later, don't go to a DO school with the intention of trying to transfer to MD, don't go to the carrib and try to transfer to DO, pick what makes you happy and stick with it!

Technically in a lot of states podiatrists are "physicians" but I see what you're saying.

 

[karizma098]

Technically in a lot of states podiatrists are "physicians" but I see what you're saying.

i get it, it's been mulled over in so many threads 'podiatry is medical school', etc,

In a clinical or hospital setting, calling a DPM a physician kind of blurs the line between DPM/MD/DO. Two of these are licensed to practice medicine; so traditionally ( from what i've seen ) we reserve the use of the word 'physician' for MD/DO. Otherwise I know that in certain states medicare bills dpm under physician as well.

 

[NebraskaFoot]

My cousin tried transferring at DMU - they do NOT give you the same grade, from what he told me, the exams are not the same, you must retake all the classes. He ended up getting admitted to DMU after completing his DPM and
graduating. I don't know about 60/40 - the average MCAT to get admission into a pod school is in the 21 range, a school like DMU you need to be in the 27 range, and the very lowest in the 25 range for a lower tier school. not saying there aren't plenty of pod students with 27 mcats or higher, just that it's likely not 60%.

You do take the same tests but you are taking the course under an accredited college of the university. If you are a DO, you are talking anatomy that is under review by COCA (Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation). If you are a DPM, you are under the CPME flag. You cannot transfer from a DO school to an MD school for the same reason. Another example is the fact you cannot get credit for law school by taking a MBA business law class taught by the same professor at the same university.

Also, as previously mentioned you cannot apply for multiple programs. If you apply for the DO or DPM program, you must withdraw an application before being consider for the other. If you are attending the school you cannot transfer without reapplying. This is a safe guard from people trying to work the system. You can find these details in the university catalog.

I would suggest taking a step back and finding what you want, then applying. Too many people fall to the wayside during school (MD, DO or DPM) and some people regret their decision and quit after going through the four years.

 

[NebraskaFoot]

i get it, it's been mulled over in so many threads 'podiatry is medical school', etc,

In a clinical or hospital setting, calling a DPM a physician kind of blurs the line between DPM/MD/DO. Two of these are licensed to practice medicine; so traditionally ( from what I've seen ) we reserve the use of the word 'physician' for MD/DO. Otherwise I know that in certain states medicare bills dpm under physician as well.

Under all states podiatrist are physicians in the eyes of Medicare. This is not true in all states when it comes to Medicaid.

Just to play devils advocate, podiatrist would technically fall under the traditional heading of surgeon or barber. A physician is one whom is a practitioner of physic (drugs/medicine). This would be internist and general practitioner. Most podiatrist do not practice in this manner. The only thing I can think off the top of my head is neuropathy. Instead, we are lucky enough to fix the problem. We are surgeons. We take knives, saws, screws, plates, wire, pins, graft, etc and repair what is broken. Personally, you can keep the term physician; you'll never see orthopaedic or plastic surgeons trying to fight for the term physician.

 

[that1guyfromFL]

you'll never see orthopaedic or plastic surgeons trying to fight for the term physician.

Interesting point. Plastic physician doesn't have the same ring.

 

[dtrack22]

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[TimmyT]

I'd say around 60% of our DPM kids meet those criteria, especially since our class averages on exams have been the same as the DOs.


But i heard you guys have different exams. You really can't compare exams averages if you take different tests. Please correct me if am wrong. The dentists take the same classes with PODs and D.O.'s at Western but they get a watered down version of the test.

 

[sorham]

For the first year we take all the same classes and exams as the DOs. The DOs have OMM and an ethics class we don't have, but other than that same classes, same exact tests. Second year as dtrack said the systems are different, the only class we take with them second year is pharm, other than that all our classes separate second year. So yes for the first year you can compare test averages.

 

[karizma098]

You do take the same tests but you are taking the course under an accredited college of the university. If you are a DO, you are talking anatomy that is under review by COCA (Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation). If you are a DPM, you are under the CPME flag. You cannot transfer from a DO school to an MD school for the same reason. Another example is the fact you cannot get credit for law school by taking a MBA business law class taught by the same professor at the same university.

Also, as previously mentioned you cannot apply for multiple programs. If you apply for the DO or DPM program, you must withdraw an application before being consider for the other. If you are attending the school you cannot transfer without reapplying. This is a safe guard from people trying to work the system. You can find these details in the university catalog.

I would suggest taking a step back and finding what you want, then applying. Too many people fall to the wayside during school (MD, DO or DPM) and some people regret their decision and quit after going through the four years.

yeah you can. most schools around us take ( and have taken ) DO transfers as 3rd year students. the only requirement is the USMLE and no course failures.

 

[karizma098]

For the first year we take all the same classes and exams as the DOs. The DOs have OMM and an ethics class we don't have, but other than that same classes, same exact tests. Second year as dtrack said the systems are different, the only class we take with them second year is pharm, other than that all our classes separate second year. So yes for the first year you can compare test averages.

that's a pretty huge piece of the puzzle buddy. 2nd year = pathology, neuroscience, physiology, etc, which is pretty much what makes up our board exam and most of our medical knowledge. i'm not here to get into a pissing contest, we all have our role and love what we do. on the same team here.

 

[karizma098]

Under all states podiatrist are physicians in the eyes of Medicare. This is not true in all states when it comes to Medicaid.

Just to play devils advocate, podiatrist would technically fall under the traditional heading of surgeon or barber. A physician is one whom is a practitioner of physic (drugs/medicine). This would be internist and general practitioner. Most podiatrist do not practice in this manner. The only thing I can think off the top of my head is neuropathy. Instead, we are lucky enough to fix the problem. We are surgeons. We take knives, saws, screws, plates, wire, pins, graft, etc and repair what is broken. Personally, you can keep the term physician; you'll never see orthopaedic or plastic surgeons trying to fight for the term physician.

um. i don't know. last time i checked most surgeons considered themselves as physicians.

 

[TimmyT]

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[dtrack22]

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[DrRicky23]

um. i don't know. last time i checked most surgeons considered themselves as physicians.

Check out the thread I just posted in called "podiatrist vs. podiatric surgeon." I would love to hear what podiatrists think of my question and there have been a few posts in this thread that relate to what I'm talking about. MDs ... stay out of this one. I know you're being polite by saying we're on the same team, but plenty of you have come to this forum and started huge pissing contests. I want to hear what podiatry students think about this issue.

 

[sorham]

Path, Neuro, and Phys are all 1st year classes at DMU...

 

[karizma098]

Path, Neuro, and Phys are all 1st year classes at DMU...

Gotcha, that's pretty cool then. To be honest i had no idea, i'm always open to learning about other healthcare fields, It seems like our pre-clinical education is very similar, and the differences in rotations / residency end up only being relevant to what we specialize in anyways. i dig it.

 

[NebraskaFoot]

yeah you can. most schools around us take ( and have taken ) DO transfers as 3rd year students. the only requirement is the USMLE and no course failures.

Well it is not universal. At DMU you cannot transfer in the clinical years (http://www.dmu.edu/com/do/faq/). Other schools only allow osteopathic transfers (http://www.une.edu/com/admissions/advanced.cfm). But I cannot agree or disagree on the term "most" schools". I did a one minute google search and came up with these examples.

um. i don't know. last time i checked most surgeons considered themselves as physicians.

I think you missed the point of the message. I'm okay with being called a podiatrist b/c that is what I am. You will find in your career that many people will surprise you both positively and negatively. Podiatrists generally are smart and well trained. I know that I am not as knowledgeable on topics such as managing OB-GYN or neurosurgery, but I bet you would be surprised at how much orthopaedics (not just foot) and vascular surgery we know. We manage complicated patients on dialysis and that have had transplants. We pound chests during a code just like a "physician". We put in our share of advanced airways and hope to never do it again. I would suggest looking at the similarities not the differences b/c the similarities far out number the differences.

As I stated it was for conversation sake and under "traditional" terms. But I can tell you that if you ask them what do you do, the answer with be orthopaedic surgeon, cardiothoracic surgeon, oral-maxillofacial surgeon, etc. You may feel that you "know" these professions better than I would. I would dare to disagree. I have spent many moons, young grasshopper, in the OR with many well known surgeons and each of them saw me as a physician and a surgeon.

FYI: Your Chicago White Soxs keep a podiatrist on the medical staff. It makes my laugh, he is listed a the Team Podiatrist not as a physician but they also didn't list the ophthalmologist as a physician.(http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=cws)

 

[DrRicky23]

I think you missed the point of the message. I'm okay with being called a podiatrist b/c that is what I am. You will find in your career that many people will surprise you both positively and negatively. Podiatrists generally are smart and well trained. I know that I am not as knowledgeable on topics such as managing OB-GYN or neurosurgery, but I bet you would be surprised at how much orthopaedics (not just foot) and vascular surgery we know. We manage complicated patients on dialysis and that have had transplants. We pound chests during a code just like a "physician". We put in our share of advanced airways and hope to never do it again. I would suggest looking at the similarities not the differences b/c the similarities far out number the differences.

As I stated it was for conversation sake and under "traditional" terms. But I can tell you that if you ask them what do you do, the answer with be orthopaedic surgeon, cardiothoracic surgeon, oral-maxillofacial surgeon, etc. You may feel that you "know" these professions better than I would. I would dare to disagree. I have spent many moons, young grasshopper, in the OR with many well known surgeons and each of them saw me as a physician and a surgeon.

FYI: Your Chicago White Soxs keep a podiatrist on the medical staff. It makes my laugh, he is listed a the Team Podiatrist not as a physician but they also didn't list the ophthalmologist as a physician.(http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=cws)

This has gotten off topic from the initial question here, but NebraskaFoot has some interesting things to say about this debate in the "podiatrist vs. podiatric surgeon" forum. I encourage everyone to take a look b/c I'm a firm believer that titles are important to shed positive light on a profession and attract business. However, they also need to be accurate.