Leaving podiatry for MD/DO

[Metamorphosis.DO]

I wholeheartedly feel you OP. I am in my late 20s ad a third year and I regret my decision every day. If I could go back in time, I should've studied MCAT more and re-applied DO. Giving PA a chance then going to med school honestly wouldn't been bad choice as well.

Every day, Podiatry's scope of practice is narrowing while NP/PAs win grounds on expansion of their scope. Podiatry schools in general are losing current students because many are dissatisfied with the profession pushing parity so much that they are suffering taking MD level classes, learning the MCAT for APMLE, 4 year of grueling curriculum, and coming out with SUCH a LIMITED SCOPE and MEDICAL licensure. There's literally no satisfaction or excitement of graduating because you essentially are doing the jobs Primary Care and Orthopedists can do except they don't want to because it does not pay well nor respect.

The applicant pool is shrinking since 4 years ago with 16% decrease on the steady compared to the past. Podiatry is not popular. Many who wants to go into this profession either are following their parents foot steps or washed out MD/DO applicants. Very few are in love with podiatry...

Recent higher up strategic meetings is aiming to recruit middle school students as the primary target for Podiatry so in 10 years they can apply... I mean how dumb is that. Not undergards, high schools, but MIDDLE SCHOOL.

Lastly, with the USMLE and White Paper situation, it is projected that we will not have a chance to speak with the ACGME until 10 years tops.

In essence, the parity talks are futile and we will see the downward trend of the profession despite making Podiatry 4 years, mandatory residency for 3 years, and coming up with fellowships...

I wish I could easily transfer to DO because majority of materials we are learning is up to par with them, except we just cannot practice due to legislation and our profession being what it is.

It would be best for Podiatry to focus more on endocrinology, rheumatology, and family practice so we can be absorbed into primary care to tackel physician shortages... Hell, we should join the NP/PA in fight for expanded scope of practice so we can have that piece of bread as well

I'm sure Im gonna get lots of angry responses by Podiatry Loyalists and Feet breeders but the climate of being a Podiatry Student is WAY different than the current practioners so be weary my old dudes

/endrant

So what are your plans?

Also.. I didn’t realize how much they are pushing for parity. It’s kind of odd. What is the attitude of your classmates?

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[WhistleBrewer]

So what are your plans?

Also.. I didn’t realize how much they are pushing for parity. It’s kind of odd. What is the attitude of your classmates?

In my past I wanted to do Primary Care as an Urgent Care Doctor because I wanted to make a difference in someone's life while they are at their worst. Now I'm just going to graduate, do the residency, and probably be hired by Orthopedists / Hospital to bite toe-nails until I die...

In all seriousness though unlike idealist optimist Podiatrists, I know our limited scope and profession. I'll advocate for Podiatry to be a thing of the past and be absorbed into general medicine as a specialty.

I'd say quarter of my classmates have a clue to what limits we have. The other quarter regret coming to our program. The other quarter have no clue. The other quarter failed out or are repeating a year.

It's gross how much our profession care to be "respected" by MD/DO despite being the bastard child of medicine

 

[PhD_to_DO]

I recognize this. My last MCAT is not expired but will expire if I stay the 4th year and I will need to take it again in may ( right before extnerships) leaving me 3
Months to study as much as I can. There is very little to lose taking it at that point. I think DO schools would appreciate having finished another school. I’m also of the mindset that since all my loans are federal, I will be paying the same 10% of my income to it regardless of where the number is. I have my own philosophy for doing that. My current thoughts are to see what happens to any DO schools that will still take my app and valid MCAT ( only a few are still open ) and then take MCAT in may and apply everywhere early next year to begin right after podiatry graduation. At this point, having the degree will leave me a safety valve.

My wife sits on the ADCOM at ATSU-SOMA and admittedly this is an n=1 situation but I think that her views on this are very prevalent across admissions personnel at US DO and MD schools. SOMA does admit students who are leaving other careers after having practiced in that career for some time. They’ve never admitted a student who has either applied before finishing their previous professional school or someone who is attempting to switch a year or two after finishing. A good friend of mine applied to SOMA last year while he was in his P3 year in pharmacy school and while he did get the interview, he and his decision making process/commitment was shredded during the interview. My wife (and most of her colleagues) would absolutely go into an interview with an open mind if you were applying to medical school after having worked as a podiatrist for 5-10 years but if you were applying before you finished or shortly thereafter, they would question your maturity, wisdom, commitment and unless you could present a compelling reason for why you are trying to make the switch before having put in significant time in the field, you would not get a seat. I put in 12 years as a uni professor before applying to med school and every interview that I had asked lots of questions about why the career switch. You need to be prepared to discuss this and it better be for more reasons than fear about your earnings potential.

 

[Beniacker08]

I’m having a bad case of grass is greener syndrome.

Im 24- 3rd year pod student

Podiatry, unlike many other medical specialties, has no real average salary. So you don’t know if you’ll be making 80K or 1M a year. It’s up to luck in many ways? Anyway I’m in 24 YO and in my 3rd year. Already passed boards that only had a 76% pass rate this year, got through all the tough classes ( which BTW were 90% the same classes with the same professors as our MD school) so they drove me into insanity, but I passed them all. I chose podiatry because I was scared of the potential to not match into orthopedics after 4 grueling years of med school. So I went the safe route of guaranteeing myself surgery and will be doing many of the same things an FA- orthopedist would do. Everyone assumes I couldn’t get into med school. But I actually graduated with a 3.85 GPA and about 50th percentile MCAT, good enough for many DO schools. I’m about to start a 3 year residency next year and am having some second thoughts when I hear about some people in the field making under 200K for the rest of their life. This seems so low given the work put in. I’m up at night every night til 4 am wondering if I should just apply to DO schools and switch after graduating podiatry in a year so I don’t lose my progress. This way I’ll have infinite possibilites. I like the field honestly but get scared of being “ locked in “ What do you guys think?

Stick with podiatry school. I (4th year DO applying IM) just did an infectious disease rotation with a third year podiatry resident who’s gonna be graduating and going to partnership with a well-established podiatry clinic. He will then take over that podiatry clinic. Starting salary for him is about 200K a year base and then whatever patience he brings in. Cushy lifestyle, surgeries pretty much every day, rounding as normal, better hours. You get to be in depth with different fields of medicine alongside podiatry (I.e. infection disease, FM, ortho) tons of diabetic foot ulcers, fractures, ect. I asked him why did he go into podiatry did he just really enjoy feet he said no he enjoyed the cushy lifestyle the salary and he had a family to consider. Plus many orthopedic groups have podiatrist on staff to handle basically anything below the ankle. I would stick with podiatry this point in terms of salary and lifestyle.

Signed a DO student with lots of Debt

 

[Metamorphosis.DO]

Stick with podiatry school. I (4th year DO applying IM) just did an infectious disease rotation with a third year podiatry resident who’s gonna be graduating and going to partnership with a well-established podiatry clinic. He will then take over that podiatry clinic. Starting salary for him is about 200K a year base and then whatever patience he brings in. Cushy lifestyle, surgeries pretty much every day, rounding as normal, better hours. You get to be in depth with different fields of medicine alongside podiatry (I.e. infection disease, FM, ortho) tons of diabetic foot ulcers, fractures, ect. I asked him why did he go into podiatry did he just really enjoy feet he said no he enjoyed the cushy lifestyle the salary and he had a family to consider. Plus many orthopedic groups have podiatrist on staff to handle basically anything below the ankle. I would stick with podiatry this point in terms of salary and lifestyle.

Signed a DO student with lots of Debt

Worth considering.

 

[WhistleBrewer]

Believe it or not, DPM tuition is equivalent, perhaps even more than some of the MD/DO programs. A great cash grab indeed. Many DPM salaries for associate positions start as low as 80-100K as many elderly Podiatrists says: "i was paid this much so should you too". The old eat their young in this profession which is super toxic

 

[donda96]

I’m having a bad case of grass is greener syndrome.

Im 24- 3rd year pod student

Podiatry, unlike many other medical specialties, has no real average salary. So you don’t know if you’ll be making 80K or 1M a year. It’s up to luck in many ways? Anyway I’m in 24 YO and in my 3rd year. Already passed boards that only had a 76% pass rate this year, got through all the tough classes ( which BTW were 90% the same classes with the same professors as our MD school) so they drove me into insanity, but I passed them all. I chose podiatry because I was scared of the potential to not match into orthopedics after 4 grueling years of med school. So I went the safe route of guaranteeing myself surgery and will be doing many of the same things an FA- orthopedist would do. Everyone assumes I couldn’t get into med school. But I actually graduated with a 3.85 GPA and about 50th percentile MCAT, good enough for many DO schools. I’m about to start a 3 year residency next year and am having some second thoughts when I hear about some people in the field making under 200K for the rest of their life. This seems so low given the work put in. I’m up at night every night til 4 am wondering if I should just apply to DO schools and switch after graduating podiatry in a year so I don’t lose my progress. This way I’ll have infinite possibilites. I like the field honestly but get scared of being “ locked in “ What do you guys think?

As someone that always wanted to do foot and ankle work and just got into pod school and excited to start, posts like this scare me. I have the stats to go DO (3.6,504) but I know I’m not gonna match ortho from a DO school or at least it’s gonna be an uphill battle. I know all about what podiatry is going through and I’m totally fine with that, the limitations and MD/DO’s lookin down on them but I rather do pod than end up in FM, psych, IM, idk that’s just me. However posts like this get me thinking if I should drop it all and apply to DO schools (yea I didn’t do the AAMCAS or AACOMAS, I’ve always been dead set on pod) . Im scared of regret, I love podiatry and I’d love the job, I know that, but would I regret it down the line?? Idk I’m yet to be a student and get into the thick of things so I can’t answer that for myself

 

[PTPuser]

DPM will never get the prestige that MD/DO has. It won’t get the pay either because at the end of the day the training is less. But it is beyond respectable.

Depending on where you're practicing, no one truly cares nor knows the differences between any of the degrees. All they care and will know you by is whether you are the guy or gal / non-binary etc that can get the job done.
In regards to pay, there are a lot of models out there on how physicians get paid. And us DPM are included in that model and use the same billing codes as orthopods.

 

[PTPuser]

It would be best for Podiatry to focus more on endocrinology, rheumatology, and family practice so we can be absorbed into primary care to tackel physician shortages... Hell, we should join the NP/PA in fight for expanded scope of practice so we can have that piece of bread as well

I'm sure Im gonna get lots of angry responses by Podiatry Loyalists and Feet breeders but the climate of being a Podiatry Student is WAY different than the current practioners so be weary my old dudes

/endrant

No. I didn't go into podiatry to med manage medicine or their sub-specialties. I'm there as a co-consultant and making sure that their current medical plan doesn't have a negative affect to their lower extremities and will make recs as needed to their PCP and specialist.

I'm not a loyalist or breeder of the field, but I entered this field so I don't have to do those things you listed above.

I still stand by the fact that if anyone is considering the field, please make sure you do your study / talk to podiatrist out there before entering. We say many times on this forum and to others who asked our opinion. It is a solid options to practice medicine but you have to shadow, understand and be honest with yourself.

I was very aware of what I'm getting into because I had a whole career before pod school where I was exposed to the field and the very routine practice of it. So I'm aware of what I'm getting myself into.

For most people, if you have the grades / mcat, you should go to MD DO if there is even a slight feeling that you might not want to work with feet.

 

[Feli]

This is more a case of personal growth and what you want out of medicine or podiatry. Decide goals and then and decide your path to them.

If you want significance, there will always be ppl above you (if you're ER then others are surgeons, if you're a gen or ortho surgeon, others are heart surgeons or did better fellowship or have better income than you, if you're heart surgeon other peers work at more prestigious univ/hosp or others are pedi onco surgeons, etc). There is always somebody richer, smarter, better looking, etc. It is a game you will not win.

If you want income and reasonable hours and to help people, the only things that really beat podiatry are some other procedure-based specialties that are more outpt than inpt (ENT, derm, optho, plastics, etc), which are logically not very easy to match... for that reasoning. The IM specialties can be ok, but the massive documentation and Rx needed from trying to get decent income just from office visits and little else can be daunting. Rad and anesth and others are ok, but I don't really see why you even go to health professional school if you don't want to deal with patients much?

I think a lot of podiatrists probably envy MD (perceived) income, and a lot of MDs wish they could have podiatry's lower stress and better hours. You can't have it all. I don't think any of the classmates or co-residents I ever had who applied them self in school or training are regretting podiatry (maybe the rare ones who are just not happy people overall and would be grumbling even if they were in the shoes of Brad Pitt or Steph Curry or Zuckerberg?).

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

Just choose your own path and don't listen to a bunch of random ppl who are not you, lol.

 

[apollofx]

I’ll be honest I didn’t read every reply here but I’ll tell you I had the same thoughts when I was in your position. Years later I love what I do and am the youngest person I know to own my own practice. I will admit sometimes I wish I went MD ortho to do some hips and knees but as far as foot and ankle I think I’m just as good and better than they are. Medicine is not a “golden ticket” anymore, you have to work hard to get those big paydays. I don’t know that I would recommend medicine in general to anyone coming up but if it’s what you want keep at it.

 

[Amed]

I’m having a bad case of grass is greener syndrome.

Im 24- 3rd year pod student

Podiatry, unlike many other medical specialties, has no real average salary. So you don’t know if you’ll be making 80K or 1M a year. It’s up to luck in many ways? Anyway I’m in 24 YO and in my 3rd year. Already passed boards that only had a 76% pass rate this year, got through all the tough classes ( which BTW were 90% the same classes with the same professors as our MD school) so they drove me into insanity, but I passed them all. I chose podiatry because I was scared of the potential to not match into orthopedics after 4 grueling years of med school. So I went the safe route of guaranteeing myself surgery and will be doing many of the same things an FA- orthopedist would do. Everyone assumes I couldn’t get into med school. But I actually graduated with a 3.85 GPA and about 50th percentile MCAT, good enough for many DO schools. I’m about to start a 3 year residency next year and am having some second thoughts when I hear about some people in the field making under 200K for the rest of their life. This seems so low given the work put in. I’m up at night every night til 4 am wondering if I should just apply to DO schools and switch after graduating podiatry in a year so I don’t lose my progress. This way I’ll have infinite possibilites. I like the field honestly but get scared of being “ locked in “ What do you guys think?

You know, you are young. ( I would say do it even if you were old) Because, If that is what you want to do-- Then do it. Actually, I think you are the average age of students first matriculating into medical school. Not to mention, after completing the schooling for podiatry, medical school will be WAY EASIER. Follow your dreams man!!

 

[TrueWolverine]

Definitely sounds like a case of "the grass is always greener." My buddy's wife wanted Ob/gyn but didn't get her top choices and ended up matching IM. She's sort of made it work but absolutely hated residency and is not where she wants to be right now. It happens in all aspects of medicine. I think you need to do some self-reflection and figure out why you are interested in medicine and what you want out of a career in medicine. It sorta sounds like you're just chasing a paycheck and if that's the case you likely won't find any medical career fulfilling.

As a 2nd year resident (who very much enjoys the ortho side of podiatry) I can tell you I have zero regrets going this route. We are specialists and other fields respect that. Other specialties know virtually nothing about the foot and ankle (some pages we get from the ED are hilarious because they struggle even naming the bones in the foot). We even have a sports med orthopod here who sends all his foot stuff to the DPM in the group. He does ankle fractures and achilles ruptures, sure, but he refers a lot 1) because he has a lot of other stuff to do and 2) it really isn't his area of expertise. In fact, most of the orthopods in that group hate foot and ankle stuff and give it away any chance they get.

Our clinic is also a million times more interesting than ortho or medical specialties in my opinion. I'd honestly rather do in-office debridements, injections, and procedures (which we probably do more than any other specialty) than do some generic ortho exam for a total knee replacement. I never thought I'd enjoy wound care as much as I do either. The physical act of debriding is satisfying and getting a wound to heal is incredibly fulfilling. Not to mention wound care is a surgical field. We had a doc come and speak while I was at school who said "the diabetic foot is a surgical foot" and it's 100% true. No one understands the biomechanics of the foot in relation to wounds like we do. You wanna make a lot of money? Become THE wound care guy. You'll get tons of surgery and everyone will love you because you're doing things they don't want to.

As far as the whole pay thing is concerned- our residents who graduated last year both signed for a little over $200k/yr, one with a hospital and the other with a MSG. I just talked to a couple classmates and some of their graduating residents have signed for $300k, $290k, and $260k, some of them even getting a retention stipend during their third year. If you don't want to make $60k, don't take a job that pays that much. We have the potential to make way more than a lot of primary fields and honestly more than a lot of non-surgical specialties.

Are there docs out there with complexes who might think less of podiatry? Sure....but they're few and far between and honestly every specialty takes crap from somewhere- hospitalists hate ED docs for trying to admit all the time, FM hates the way hospitalists manage their inpatients, podiatry hates when ID tries to put every single patient on outpatient IV abx, blah blah blah.....if that bothers you then you better be dang secure in whatever specialty you choose.

It's too bad some of you guys didn't really know what you're signing up for when you got into pod school. No one loved the first two years of med school (MD, DO, or DPM) so I would say if you've had the chance to do some rotations and still don't want to do it then I'd get out sooner rather than later. There's plenty to enjoy in podiatry, just have to be okay with you're choice. Whatever you do, just know that the other side of medicine may not have what you're looking for either.

 

[ldo2017]

I’m on the same boat as you just a year below you. I’ve thought about waiting till after residency and I’m finically stable then I’ll reconsider going back to school as a DO and pick a different career or go to PA school. Please keep us updated.

 

[TrueWolverine]

I wholeheartedly feel you OP. I am in my late 20s ad a third year and I regret my decision every day. If I could go back in time, I should've studied MCAT more and re-applied DO. Giving PA a chance then going to med school honestly wouldn't been bad choice as well.

Every day, Podiatry's scope of practice is narrowing while NP/PAs win grounds on expansion of their scope. Podiatry schools in general are losing current students because many are dissatisfied with the profession pushing parity so much that they are suffering taking MD level classes, learning the MCAT for APMLE, 4 year of grueling curriculum, and coming out with SUCH a LIMITED SCOPE and MEDICAL licensure. There's literally no satisfaction or excitement of graduating because you essentially are doing the jobs Primary Care and Orthopedists can do except they don't want to because it does not pay well nor respect.

The applicant pool is shrinking since 4 years ago with 16% decrease on the steady compared to the past. Podiatry is not popular. Many who wants to go into this profession either are following their parents foot steps or washed out MD/DO applicants. Very few are in love with podiatry...

Recent higher up strategic meetings is aiming to recruit middle school students as the primary target for Podiatry so in 10 years they can apply... I mean how dumb is that. Not undergards, high schools, but MIDDLE SCHOOL.

Lastly, with the USMLE and White Paper situation, it is projected that we will not have a chance to speak with the ACGME until 10 years tops.

In essence, the parity talks are futile and we will see the downward trend of the profession despite making Podiatry 4 years, mandatory residency for 3 years, and coming up with fellowships...

I wish I could easily transfer to DO because majority of materials we are learning is up to par with them, except we just cannot practice due to legislation and our profession being what it is.

It would be best for Podiatry to focus more on endocrinology, rheumatology, and family practice so we can be absorbed into primary care to tackel physician shortages... Hell, we should join the NP/PA in fight for expanded scope of practice so we can have that piece of bread as well

I'm sure Im gonna get lots of angry responses by Podiatry Loyalists and Feet breeders but the climate of being a Podiatry Student is WAY different than the current practioners so be weary my old dudes

/endrant

I guess here's the "angry response" you were looking for but keep in mind I'm a 2nd year resident and not an "old dude."

Overall it just sounds like you should have gone into primary care and I'm sorry you ended up in podiatry. Most of this post is pretty far off base. Our scope of practice is absolutely not shrinking. Look at the ankle privileges we have compared to a few years ago. We can do fractures, scopes, fusions, and in most states TAR's. I'm not sure how much more of a scope you want because we can also prescribe anything we need. I've called in antibiotics, narcotics, colchicine, prednisone, flexeril, and plenty of other things for patients and never had any pushback. Not to mention orthopods aren't out there treating rheumatoid or other systemic issues either, mostly because none of us have any interest in managing it (hence why we specialized).

Comparing us to primary care or saying we should focus on a medicine specialty is laughable. We're absolutely a surgical specialty and the only other comparable specialty is a foot and ankle fellowship trained orthopod. Our foot and ankle numbers blow a 5 year ortho residency's numbers out of the water.

I'm a little confused when you say "a majority of the materials are up to par with [MD/DO], except we just cannot practice due to legislation and our profession being what it is." What else are you looking for out of this profession that you can't do? Again, maybe just an unfortunate situation where you didn't fully understand podiatry when you applied but in almost all states we have a pretty full scope related to the foot and ankle.

Anyway....that's my 2 cents from someone who's also new to the profession and enjoying just about every minute of it. There's a lot to like about the field but if you are going to be self-conscious about your career choice then it may be best to look elsewhere. Honestly no shame in it either, we want people who want to be here and I hope you can find a field you truly enjoy and can be proud of.

 

[PTPuser]

Definitely sounds like a case of "the grass is always greener." My buddy's wife wanted Ob/gyn but didn't get her top choices and ended up matching IM. She's sort of made it work but absolutely hated residency and is not where she wants to be right now. It happens in all aspects of medicine. I think you need to do some self-reflection and figure out why you are interested in medicine and what you want out of a career in medicine. It sorta sounds like you're just chasing a paycheck and if that's the case you likely won't find any medical career fulfilling.

As a 2nd year resident (who very much enjoys the ortho side of podiatry) I can tell you I have zero regrets going this route. We are specialists and other fields respect that. Other specialties know virtually nothing about the foot and ankle (some pages we get from the ED are hilarious because they struggle even naming the bones in the foot). We even have a sports med orthopod here who sends all his foot stuff to the DPM in the group. He does ankle fractures and achilles ruptures, sure, but he refers a lot 1) because he has a lot of other stuff to do and 2) it really isn't his area of expertise. In fact, most of the orthopods in that group hate foot and ankle stuff and give it away any chance they get.

Our clinic is also a million times more interesting than ortho or medical specialties in my opinion. I'd honestly rather do in-office debridements, injections, and procedures (which we probably do more than any other specialty) than do some generic ortho exam for a total knee replacement. I never thought I'd enjoy wound care as much as I do either. The physical act of debriding is satisfying and getting a wound to heal is incredibly fulfilling. Not to mention wound care is a surgical field. We had a doc come and speak while I was at school who said "the diabetic foot is a surgical foot" and it's 100% true. No one understands the biomechanics of the foot in relation to wounds like we do. You wanna make a lot of money? Become THE wound care guy. You'll get tons of surgery and everyone will love you because you're doing things they don't want to.

As far as the whole pay thing is concerned- our residents who graduated last year both signed for a little over $200k/yr, one with a hospital and the other with a MSG. I just talked to a couple classmates and some of their graduating residents have signed for $300k, $290k, and $260k, some of them even getting a retention stipend during their third year. If you don't want to make $60k, don't take a job that pays that much. We have the potential to make way more than a lot of primary fields and honestly more than a lot of non-surgical specialties.

Are there docs out there with complexes who might think less of podiatry? Sure....but they're few and far between and honestly every specialty takes crap from somewhere- hospitalists hate ED docs for trying to admit all the time, FM hates the way hospitalists manage their inpatients, podiatry hates when ID tries to put every single patient on outpatient IV abx, blah blah blah.....if that bothers you then you better be dang secure in whatever specialty you choose.

It's too bad some of you guys didn't really know what you're signing up for when you got into pod school. No one loved the first two years of med school (MD, DO, or DPM) so I would say if you've had the chance to do some rotations and still don't want to do it then I'd get out sooner rather than later. There's plenty to enjoy in podiatry, just have to be okay with you're choice. Whatever you do, just know that the other side of medicine may not have what you're looking for either.

Hahaha don't give out too much. We gotta gate-keep! Let them be blinded and chase that "prestige" and the MD/DO after their name.

 

[shaggybill]

I had a chiropractor who, every time he adjusted me, complained about how much he wishes he went to MD/DO. I don’t know why he went into chiro. It sounds like he doesn’t either. He did an internship with one during his undergrad after waning to do orthopedics for years. Anyway, he mentioned that he spoke to a medical school in the state where he works (DO school) and they said they would put him in at year 3 as long as he could concurrently take a couple courses with the first and second years to catch him up on OPP/procedures.

$10k he was lying. No way any med school, DO or MD, is going to let a chiropractor start at year 3. You still have to take Step 1, and nobody is going to pass that without having years 1-2 fresh under their belt. And Step 2 is at the end of Year 3, and nobody is going to go straight into 3rd year clinical rotations without having the clinical knowledge, pharm knowledge, and everything else knowledge from years 1-2. Chiropractors, no matter how good they are at chiropracting, can't just waltz into 3rd year and do well, and medical schools, of all people know this.

 

[newfeet]

I’m having a bad case of grass is greener syndrome.

Im 24- 3rd year pod student

Podiatry, unlike many other medical specialties, has no real average salary. So you don’t know if you’ll be making 80K or 1M a year. It’s up to luck in many ways? Anyway I’m in 24 YO and in my 3rd year. Already passed boards that only had a 76% pass rate this year, got through all the tough classes ( which BTW were 90% the same classes with the same professors as our MD school) so they drove me into insanity, but I passed them all. I chose podiatry because I was scared of the potential to not match into orthopedics after 4 grueling years of med school. So I went the safe route of guaranteeing myself surgery and will be doing many of the same things an FA- orthopedist would do. Everyone assumes I couldn’t get into med school. But I actually graduated with a 3.85 GPA and about 50th percentile MCAT, good enough for many DO schools. I’m about to start a 3 year residency next year and am having some second thoughts when I hear about some people in the field making under 200K for the rest of their life. This seems so low given the work put in. I’m up at night every night til 4 am wondering if I should just apply to DO schools and switch after graduating podiatry in a year so I don’t lose my progress. This way I’ll have infinite possibilites. I like the field honestly but get scared of being “ locked in “ What do you guys think?

I have that syndrome... I've been practicing since 2014 and I still wonder if I should have gone to medical school, retake the MCAT, etc. If you think you can do it and carry the possible debt from it I say go for it.

 

[PirateKing]

Lmao this is a classic case of "Grass is greener on the other side."

I read a post on reddit last year of a student who was considering dropping out of DO school for DPM school just because of how much they love surgery. Their steps scores were not competitive enough for Ortho and because of this were thinking of applying to DPM schools just so they could still do surgery in some aspect. They decided against it at the end because of the extra debt factor but they regret their choice because they will be pursuing family medicine, which they are not so passionate about.

As for salary, as stated by others above, the average 200k-300k contracts are what I have seen from 3rd year residents that I know in person. This is not just one or two people that I have asked but rather multiple residents who have all quoted similar numbers.

 

[ToodleLoo22]

I’m having a bad case of grass is greener syndrome.

Im 24- 3rd year pod student

Podiatry, unlike many other medical specialties, has no real average salary. So you don’t know if you’ll be making 80K or 1M a year. It’s up to luck in many ways? Anyway I’m in 24 YO and in my 3rd year. Already passed boards that only had a 76% pass rate this year, got through all the tough classes ( which BTW were 90% the same classes with the same professors as our MD school) so they drove me into insanity, but I passed them all. I chose podiatry because I was scared of the potential to not match into orthopedics after 4 grueling years of med school. So I went the safe route of guaranteeing myself surgery and will be doing many of the same things an FA- orthopedist would do. Everyone assumes I couldn’t get into med school. But I actually graduated with a 3.85 GPA and about 50th percentile MCAT, good enough for many DO schools. I’m about to start a 3 year residency next year and am having some second thoughts when I hear about some people in the field making under 200K for the rest of their life. This seems so low given the work put in. I’m up at night every night til 4 am wondering if I should just apply to DO schools and switch after graduating podiatry in a year so I don’t lose my progress. This way I’ll have infinite possibilites. I like the field honestly but get scared of being “ locked in “ What do you guys think?

My feeling is you will constantly look back and wonder. I am married to a podiatrist and he does. He is a phenomenal surgeon yet loses patients to md/do due to degree. It is very hard to find employment but if you can work for a large hospital system you will be ok. It is very challenging in todays environment where you have giant hospital systems “owning” the patients and referrals to do well as an independent. If you do continue - check out where you go if you are going into private practice - that that style of practice is still done. Where we live it does not and there are very few podiatrists employed by the large hospitals. If you’ve made it thru podiatry school going to MD/DO school at least first 2 years will be easy for you.

 

[deleted959484]

Current M1 here who almost took my DPM offers over MD. I always thought that if podiatry was a subspecialty it would be right up there with the most competitive specialties. That being said I am so glad I ended up going to MD/DO route. Life/salary in the future will be more flexible and guaranteed regardless of specialty. If debt is a major concern, look into service scholarships- military or VA HPSP, NHSC etc.

Nonsurgical specialties that might provide the same variety, procedures, cushy lifestyle as podiatry include rural FM, PM&R, Sports Med, Urgent care, or even becoming a wound care physician...

To OP, take the MCAT again and go from there if your super serious. If not, try to make the most out of the profession as other users have pointed out.

 

[ToodleLoo22]

I'm a IMG who already took the USMLE1,2 and APMLE1,2. Be honest with you, passing the APMLE doesn't mean anything. USMLE is a very different story :|

What are you doing now?

 

[aurevoir0711]

I started med school at 31. You are definitely not too late to start. However, do keep in mind that med school is far more challenging than anybody can ever imagine. I never understood it until I started medical school. Every year is full of surprises and you have to have a strong dedication to complete med school, then residency. Even as an attending, learning never stops. It is definitely not for everybody, so make sure to do some reality check before you apply. Also, if you want to go into medicine solely for money, that will be a huge red flag, which will be easily discerned by the adcoms.

 

[Weirdy]

It would be best for Podiatry to focus more on endocrinology, rheumatology, and family practice so we can be absorbed into primary care to tackel physician shortages... Hell, we should join the NP/PA in fight for expanded scope of practice so we can have that piece of bread as well

I'm sure Im gonna get lots of angry responses by Podiatry Loyalists and Feet breeders but the climate of being a Podiatry Student is WAY different than the current practioners so be weary my old dudes

/endrant

On what planet are you living where a DPM should be primary managing diseases of endocrine, rheum, and family medicine? What the f*&^ are you talking about? I didn't realize a 3rd year spoke for the entirety of this profession. I entered knowing it would suck more than MD/DO in terms of job prospects, pay, and prestige. I like what I do. I am just a naive first year resident -but come the f*(* on man.

If you wanted primary care that bad and wanted to "make a difference" and all that self serving bulls***, you should have quit 1st year and switched to DO instead of getting this far- without starting clerkships, residency, or real world practice yet- and sh***ting on the profession.

I like to b*(** and moan about this profession as much as the next person, I could never see myself managing endocrine, rheumatological, or family medicine pathologies. Never. I have siblings who specialize in it and love it. Love them to death, but that could never be me. We laugh about it all the time.

I am neither a "Podiatry Loyalist" or "Foot Breeder". I entered this field as a prepod spouting the same nonsense you did. Came to terms with our role in healthcare, and even came to enjoy how much we can do even if our specialty is locked into foot and ankle. Ingrown toenail? Sure. Little ankle sprain? Sure. Diabetic wounds? Sure. Need something amputated? Sure. Ankle fracture? Sure. Bunions? Sure.

Do YOU see endocrinologists using their unrestricted plenary license to take patients to the OR for a lapidus or toe amps or I&D? No. They practice what they are trained to do, and do a good job at it. Just like your quoted rheumatologists and your beloved family medicine doctors. My family is full of them. I like being locked into foot and ankle. I like being a surgical consult as a resident. All of these things may change when I get out into practice. But I like clinic and I like being able to offer surgery as a treatment option. I've seen DPMs, Podiatrists, Foot and Ankle Specialists, Foot and Ankle Surgeons or whatever they want to call themselves set up shop, create their own opportunities, and do very very well for themselves.

Don't use your FOMO of never getting to be a Grey's anatomy cowboy to s**** on this profession.

 

[newfeet]

Lmao this is a classic case of "Grass is greener on the other side."

I read a post on reddit last year of a student who was considering dropping out of DO school for DPM school just because of how much they love surgery. Their steps scores were not competitive enough for Ortho and because of this were thinking of applying to DPM schools just so they could still do surgery in some aspect. They decided against it at the end because of the extra debt factor but they regret their choice because they will be pursuing family medicine, which they are not so passionate about.

As for salary, as stated by others above, the average 200k-300k contracts are what I have seen from 3rd year residents that I know in person. This is not just one or two people that I have asked but rather multiple residents who have all quoted similar numbers.

I am one of those people who got a 200 plus salary out of podiatry residency. I didn't even go to one of the best residency. As far as salary I've done well. I think you can still suffer from the grass is greener syndrome no matter how good the salary is if you aren't passionate about podiatry.

My feeling is you will constantly look back and wonder. I am married to a podiatrist and he does. He is a phenomenal surgeon yet loses patients to md/do due to degree. It is very hard to find employment but if you can work for a large hospital system you will be ok. It is very challenging in todays environment where you have giant hospital systems “owning” the patients and referrals to do well as an independent. If you do continue - check out where you go if you are going into private practice - that that style of practice is still done. Where we live it does not and there are very few podiatrists employed by the large hospitals. If you’ve made it thru podiatry school going to MD/DO school at least first 2 years will be easy for you.

I decided in residency that I wanted to be at a hospital. The trade off was living in a rural part of the country. It’s been rough but I never wanted to be in private practice. That’s probably the only reason why I would go back in time and do an MD instead of a DPM.

 

[heybrother]

We are covering a lot of ground in this thread.

#1 I think a lot of podiatry students experience a moment of "pride" somewhere around 2nd year where they think - man, if I made it this far I could have been an MD/DO. Less charitably, a very successful DPM at an integrated program might think - why am I crushing pharm/everything and these real doctors are getting Cs.

I think a more productive way to think about this is - you've received a wonderful science and medical education. Be grateful for the opportunity to have been integrated with and make friends with other future physicians.

#2 - I don't claim to know all the financial dynamics of family medicine / outpatient internal medicine specialties, but I think we may be misunderstanding their salaries. First - $200K is a lot of money. Secondly, $200K earned working 3.5-4 days a week with no call, no weekends, 30 minute encounters, a lunch break, 4 weeks off, etc is ...sustainable. There's people out there working more and working less, but I don't think the above is to be crapped on.

#3 - The origin of the word prestige is illusion. Prestige is what your mom feels when she tells people her son is a doctor. Whatever you do and however a big deal you are - you will still have to enjoy what you do and draw fulfilment from it.

#4 - I crap on podiatry a lot because the history of this forum is people who can't seem to see what podiatry is. They think they'll be an internist or be in the OR everyday or just doing total ankle replacement. You won't. That said, it is still possible to build a very straight forward podiatry practice that is enjoyable. Surgery generates basically all of my stress. Otherwise I work easy outpatient hours. I don't take any call except on operative patients who call me and I can go months without receiving a phonecall after hours. I either operate on my surgery take or I take it off and I otherwise work 3.5. I solve all manner of chronic problems every single day. I believe the expression is - "You should have come to me first."

#5 - All of the "limited scope of practice" talk in this thread just puts a huge smile on my face. Limited scope of practice means I do an awesome job on the part of the body I'm an expert at and refer out the rest. The key to this though is not to be a punter - its to create referrals that actually benefit the patient. Recognizing when foot pain is actually radiculopathy or vascular disease etc.

#6 - I lose zero sleep over the cases I didn't do. There's an expression in the GS forum - "thank you for the interesting consult." People just need to let the crap slide by. If a PCP does a matrixectomy and then "doesn't know what it should look like" - that's just another $100 in my pocket and they'll come to me for the other side.

The OP should do whatever they want. I wish them all the best of luck and could use more FM/IM people to refer patients to me. Future pre-pods should do everything they can to go into this field knowing what we actually do. This thing where people don't shadow anymore is very problematic to me.

 

[nimbus]

Graduating would only help your chances, quitting would only hurt your chances. Graduate then apply to DO schools.

I’m not in academics but just based on common sense, it seems like a waste of time and money to complete podiatry school if one has no intention of practicing podiatry.

 

[nimbus]

My wife sits on the ADCOM at ATSU-SOMA and admittedly this is an n=1 situation but I think that her views on this are very prevalent across admissions personnel at US DO and MD schools. SOMA does admit students who are leaving other careers after having practiced in that career for some time. They’ve never admitted a student who has either applied before finishing their previous professional school or someone who is attempting to switch a year or two after finishing. A good friend of mine applied to SOMA last year while he was in his P3 year in pharmacy school and while he did get the interview, he and his decision making process/commitment was shredded during the interview. My wife (and most of her colleagues) would absolutely go into an interview with an open mind if you were applying to medical school after having worked as a podiatrist for 5-10 years but if you were applying before you finished or shortly thereafter, they would question your maturity, wisdom, commitment and unless you could present a compelling reason for why you are trying to make the switch before having put in significant time in the field, you would not get a seat. I put in 12 years as a uni professor before applying to med school and every interview that I had asked lots of questions about why the career switch. You need to be prepared to discuss this and it better be for more reasons than fear about your earnings potential.

So they basically expect people to double down their sunk cost? Terrible decision making process imo.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

So they basically expect people to double down their sunk cost? Terrible decision making process imo.

Maybe but at the end of the day, the admissions committees just want to be sure that those who they admit are committed to finishing their training and are pursuing medicine for the “right” reasons. In the case of OP, it sounds like his reasoning for making the switch surround money and career options; these reasons wouldn’t fly for most admissions folks at most medical schools.

 

[nimbus]

Maybe but at the end of the day, the admissions committees just want to be sure that those who they admit are committed to finishing their training and are pursuing medicine for the “right” reasons. In the case of OP, it sounds like his reasoning for making the switch surround money and career options; these reasons wouldn’t fly for most admissions folks at most medical schools.

Admissions committees live in some weird fantasy land. They need to get real. Money and career options are usually on the top of everybody’s list despite what is written on admissions essays.

That’s how Harvard always strives for a “diverse” incoming class but 75% of their undergrads go into finance. Somehow they start with a “diverse” class but homogenize those idealistic young kids into bankers, hedge fund and private equity analysts in 4years.


And look at derm. Is skin soooo interesting that it attracts a disproportionate segment of top medical school grads?

 

[Prehealth1011]

Let's be honest, he's not gonna outright say Yes I'm doing the switch for the $$$

When adcoms ask, the answer will be somewhere along the lines of "I've always been interested in primary care and the holistic medicine approach of osteopathic medicine is what gets me going"

 

[Jaydog2424]

Wow first things first thank you to everyone who has answered in here over the past couple of days. I really do appreciate you all. I actually was in this forum before starting podiatry school and recognize many of your names when I was giving different careers in medicine some thought. To be clear with everyone. I do think podiatry is awesome for many different reasons. And I’m sure at the end of the day someone who dislikes aspects of medicine in one specialty will probably dislike the overlapped aspects in every other field… I think a lot of what I go through and many others in podiatry school is an ego complex. We work our behinds off in school, see good results, and wonder about just how far we could have applied that effort in other fields that we previously thought we may have had less of a shot at. I’m not scared to admit I have this issue. It seems human from these replies. And I’m thankful this forum wasn’t a complete negative Nancy show. I heard everything from all over the spectrum. I think the most perfect thing I can do for myself right now, since I’m really not worried about the loans (I’m way more worried about my happiness ) is to study for the MCAT, take it in may, begin my externships while applying early to MD/DO schools. I can observe podiatry in a hospital setting daily and interact with other residents from other specialties throughout the next year starting in June. I’ll be thrust into seeing things instead of just merely wondering. By the end of 4th year I will (hopefully) have an acceptance to ponder and can choose to go directly into that immediately after graduation or I can continue on with residency in pod. I think by then I will feel more settled having observed all that I will in the next year at different hospitals/clinics and it will no longer by a hypothetical scenario but a true choice. IMO nothing to lose by taking this approach. Thank you to everyone who answered from students to attendings. I appreciate you all. Will update when final decision is made.

 

[Robin-jay]

Every day, Podiatry's scope of practice is narrowing while NP/PAs win grounds on expansion of their scope.

Our scope is narrowing?

 

[Robin-jay]

I think the most perfect thing I can do for myself right now, since I’m really not worried about the loans (I’m way more worried about my happiness ) is to study for the MCAT, take it in may, begin my externships while applying early to MD/DO schools.

I envy you greatly. I care way too much about my finances to go into 500k+ debt for a DO.

I genuinely wish I was able to care about lack of finances at your level, perhaps I would be happier in many ways (even though I'm still perplexed how you could not care about loans, but simultaneously care about future earnings so much).

 

[Damson]

Finish up DPM degree.

 

[Jaydog2424]

I envy you greatly. I care way too much about my finances to go into 500k+ debt for a DO.

I genuinely wish I was able to care about lack of finances at your level, perhaps I would be happier in many ways (even though I'm still perplexed how you could not care about loans, but simultaneously care about future earnings so much).

Because to me I value lack of regret over any amount of money. Especially after hearing from all of these docs. Regardless of my loan amount I will be on the 10% of my income plan, for the 25 years or whatever it is. So to me life won’t change besides tax bomb lol. I’ll get there when I get there.

 

[Damson]

Because to me I value lack of regret over any amount of money. Especially after hearing from all of these docs. Regardless of my loan amount I will be on the 10% of my income plan, for the 25 years or whatever it is. So to me life won’t change besides tax bomb lol. I’ll get there when I get there.

Like others have pointed out, adcoms care about commitment. To switch paths into DO in the middle of a DPM is a sign of lack of commitment to them. To finish a degree program before applying for the next degree shows commitment; in their mind, you will be a candidate who is likely to see the DO degree through.

 

[G0dFather]

Even if you do FM/IM the pay is respectable and those jobs are available everywhere.

Even though i have been pressed for time recently i just had to respond to this out of a good conscience to say it like it really is. This is a very interesting thread and scenario, knowing what i know now if i can go back to my 24 year old self i would tell them to jump ship due to ending up being in a path of least resistance later down the line. To the OP please pay attention to what waka wrote, this is very KEY. If you are going to remain in healthcare (which is insanity in of itself) and want the most control, value and flexibility go MD/DO. Unless you are going to run a BUSINESS you will not make REAL money in podiatry. The choices are very very very very limited otherwise despite what anyone tells. You can even see it for yourselves if you come to our side of the forums, one needs to pretty much COLD CALL and plead to some ceo to find an awesome "high" paying job, AND/OR live near horses, cows, and corn fields otherwise you maybe stuck making 60-75 bucks an hour with minimal benefits, who wants to be in that position after all the time and money spent up to that point?? Dont take my word for it, pretend you are finishing your residency in 6 more months and you are now looking for a job, start your search on any familiar job site and look at what you will find, now compare that to MD/DO... note the NUMBER of options and the TRANSPARENCY of what they post in regards to what the work entails and what you will get compensated. Its just that simple.

I really wish things were different but they aren't and havent changed much since 10 years ago. Now that im in it and i see how much of a joke the leadership is and all the back and forth they do, its no wonder there is no progress being made in the profession. When i was in school it was still the same talk and it turns out that even before i started school it was the same talk... and it is still the same talk, parity this and that etc ... meanwhile the degree unfortunately (and sad to say this) has no real VALUE. That's what really is the problem here. Compared to other degrees such as MD/DO its a no brainer in terms of what it can offer compared to a DPM in so many ways ( ie. PRESTIGE, MONEY, RESPECT, IN DEMAND, FLEXIBILITY, VALUE etc) .... its been a decade and the stats of admission hasnt really even gotten that much better for DPMs.... contrast that with DO/MD that keeps getting more and more competitive, the numbers and the DEMAND speak for themselves.. Forget my children in the future, i didnt advise my medschool bound younger sister 2 years ago to even consider something like this when she asked, at first i advised her to do tech or finance but if she had to go do healthcare i told her DO or MD from the start and look nowhere else.

A bit about surgery in podiatry...Surgery in the pod field is really what they promote to reel you in, just look at any pod college brochure or website but in reality it is a major CON ( ie praying on your CONfidence). It is clinged on so hard because it is seen as the one saving grace and major prestige booster in the field when in reality its complete trash from a reimbursement standpoint and has a slew of other issues associated with it.

Despite all this i do enjoy the field but only because i was able to create for myself an ideal situation through a business/offices. I did this out of necessity after understanding/analyzing the landscape too late and seeing the limited options i have due to the shortcomings of the profession and degree. Make no mistake, I am well aware that if anything happens to my business/insurances/payers/healthcare climate etc ( i.e i really have no control and they own me) .. i am screwed due to what my degree can ultimately provide for me. All of my effort now goes into getting to a point where i dont have to depend on any of this to live and diversifying what i have earned so far away from it, until then one feels the stress and being cornered for sure. I would strongly advise you not to be in this position and go MD/DO without looking back IF you have the money to do it at this point because you clearly still have the time at age 24 even though you did waste alot of it already.

 

[call1800doctorb]

This profession is a hoax. They can’t decide whether they want parity or to stay uniquely podiatry. The parity talk is empty nonsense. There is no real direction in where the profession is going. There’s a lot of angry podiatrists who wish they had become an MD/DO and spend their life bitter. If you can pursue MD/DO go for it because I think Podiatry is going nowhere fast. Podiatry schools are forcing their students to do idiotic things like taking the CBSE, why? The NBME already made it clear Podiatrists CANNOT sit for the USMLE. None of it makes sense. However, you’ll have to graduate with your DPM first to show DO programs that you’re reliable.

 

[Robin-jay]

This profession is a hoax. They can’t decide whether they want parity or to stay uniquely podiatry. The parity talk is empty nonsense.

I feel like DO's had many issues before finally winning many parity battles. They even fall into the same trap of wanting parity, but staying uniquely DO. But over time, it did work out for them. Even if the direction is slow, it appears like it is trailing behind MDs/DOs at a stable pace. As long as we can comfortably pay off our loans reasonably with decent physician income, work reasonable hours, be physicians/surgeons, etc. then I'm fine with the situation while working closer to parity.

A lot of my feelings will probably ride on my income as an attending. If it's <100k, thats a major issue. if its >150k, I can work with that.

 

[donda96]

I feel like DO's had many issues before finally winning many parity battles. They even fall into the same trap of wanting parity, but staying uniquely DO. But over time, it did work out for them. Even if the direction is slow, it appears like it is trailing behind MDs/DOs at a stable pace. As long as we can comfortably pay off our loans reasonably with decent physician income, work reasonable hours, be physicians/surgeons, etc. then I'm fine with the situation while working closer to parity.

A lot of my feelings will probably ride on my income as an attending. If it's <100k, thats a major issue. if its >150k, I can work with that.

I feel like DO's had many issues before finally winning many parity battles. They even fall into the same trap of wanting parity, but staying uniquely DO. But over time, it did work out for them. Even if the direction is slow, it appears like it is trailing behind MDs/DOs at a stable pace. As long as we can comfortably pay off our loans reasonably with decent physician income, work reasonable hours, be physicians/surgeons, etc. then I'm fine with the situation while working closer to parity.

A lot of my feelings will probably ride on my income as an attending. If it's <100k, thats a major issue. if its >150k, I can work with that.

I’ve talked to a lot of podiatrists, both those that work in hospitals and those that opened their own shop, im still yet to talk to one that started out with <$150k. They do stress that those that didn’t do well in school and end up in subpar residencies can end up with <$100k. I mean I feel like in healthcare you get what you put in. Like in MD/DO, if you don’t bust ass, you end up in FM, IM, psych or even unmatched and f’ed, in podiatry if you don’t bust ass you end up in a trash residency and a trash job (I’m pretty much paraphrasing what a podiatrist I talked to said to me). I’m in a position where I have the grades to go DO at least (3.6 sGPA, 504 mcat) but my passion in foot and ankle can’t let me leave the thought of podiatry. If I don’t end up matching ortho, I’ll literally be miserable. The only deterrent factor for me has been the salary too, but life in itself is a gamble so why not? 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

[Robin-jay]

They do stress that those that didn’t do well in school and end up in subpar residencies can end up with <$100k.

I don't know, as it seems like most residencies have enough to teach you what you need to know for surgery and lower extremity care. Hospitals especially don't seem to care where you did your podiatric residency, and more that you just completed one. I can't imagine many hospital staff pondering about a podiatry residency and what its prestige was.

So really any residency should be enough to prepare you to work for hospitals across the country. Should be similar to private practice.

I feel like it's more about who you know, and how well you work with them, rather than how well one did in school.

Just to get through podiatry schools already means you fit the criteria by the school to be rendered the ability to further education and participate as a physician and a surgeon.

My personal belief is that any GPA 3.0 or higher is fine, and passing boards even with retakes is fine. My belief is that 2.5-2.99 is also fine, but more limiting.

I think your residency options probably start to hurt <2.5. But if it can be explained due to a horrible semester or so (a legit excuse, not made up), then it's probably still ok.

I have friends with 2.7 GPA who I would trust much more with a surgery than people I know with over 3.5 GPA.

For example, many podiatry students were accepted to podiatry school with very low bachelor GPAs (<3.0 ), low MCAT scores (<20th percentile), and they all still managed to be in the same situation as their colleagues with 3.5 GPAs and 60th MCAT scores.

One may not be the most competitive for said residency, but at the end of the day higher tier and lower tier podiatrists could easily end up working together. I draw exceptions at those <10th percentile and >90th percentile. Everyone in between is kind of the same imho.

I really can't imagine hospital staff refusing to hire a podiatrist because of the residency they went to.....

 

[donda96]

I don't know, as it seems like most residencies have enough to teach you what you need to know for surgery and lower extremity care. Hospitals especially don't seem to care where you did your podiatric residency, and more that you just completed one. I can't imagine many hospital staff pondering about a podiatry residency and what its prestige was.

So really any residency should be enough to prepare you to work for hospitals across the country. Should be similar to private practice.

I feel like it's more about who you know, and how well you work with them, rather than how well one did in school.

Just to get through podiatry schools already means you fit the criteria by the school to be rendered the ability to further education and participate as a physician and a surgeon.

My personal belief is that any GPA 3.0 or higher is fine, and passing boards even with retakes is fine. My belief is that 2.5-2.99 is also fine, but more limiting.

I think your residency options probably start to hurt <2.5. But if it can be explained due to a horrible semester or so (a legit excuse, not made up), then it's probably still ok.

For example, many podiatry students were accepted to podiatry school with very low bachelor GPAs (<3.0 ), low MCAT scores (<20th percentile), and they all still managed to be in the same situation as their colleagues with 3.5 GPAs and 60th MCAT scores.

One may not be the most competitive for said residency, but at the end of the say higher tier and lower tier podiatrists could easily end up working together. I draw exceptions at those <10th percentile and >90th percentile. Everyone in between is kind of the same imho.

I really can't imagine hospital staff refusing to hire a podiatrist because of the residency they went to.....

Yea i didn’t know pod school was easy to get into till I got on here and Reddit lol. I legit celebrated when I got in lol then I did my research…. 😐

I see what you mean tho, I’ll imagine that because the field is rather small (9 schools) the training at all residency programs will be standard enough to prepare everyone. What about restrictions in different states, does that affect residency training? Like some states allow above the ankle and some limit strictly to just the foot. Won’t that affect the training and cases the resident will get and be well versed in?

Also, everything in life is about who you know, regardless of the field you’re in.

 

[Robin-jay]

Yea i didn’t know pod school was easy to get into till I got on here and Reddit lol. I legit celebrated when I got in lol then I did my research…. 😐

I see what you mean tho, I’ll imagine that because the field is rather small (9 schools) the training at all residency programs will be standard enough to prepare everyone. What about restrictions in different states, does that affect residency training? Like some states allow above the ankle and some limit strictly to just the foot. Won’t that affect the training and cases the resident will get and be well versed in?

Also, everything in life is about who you know, regardless of the field you’re in.

I'm not sure on what state allows what, but to my understanding the vast majority of states are very reasonable in their foot and ankle care in terms of being comparable to one another.

Well, think of this way. In MD/DO schools, what specialty you get into matters. They don't seem to sit around the prestige of the program within a specialty like we do.

In podiatry, literally everyone is going into the same specialty, so everyone is on such level footing. In life, we all want to "hierarchy" everything, and so we kind of did that within our specialty. Residency just helps gives you the tools to be successful. Some residencies are better than others, but at the end of the day, it matters on the success you can bring yourself after residency.

 

[call1800doctorb]

I feel like DO's had many issues before finally winning many parity battles. They even fall into the same trap of wanting parity, but staying uniquely DO. But over time, it did work out for them. Even if the direction is slow, it appears like it is trailing behind MDs/DOs at a stable pace. As long as we can comfortably pay off our loans reasonably with decent physician income, work reasonable hours, be physicians/surgeons, etc. then I'm fine with the situation while working closer to parity.

A lot of my feelings will probably ride on my income as an attending. If it's <100k, thats a major issue. if its >150k, I can work with that.

My only issue is I wish they would pick one goal and go with it. If the direction they want is parity then they should even be willing to abandon the DPM degree to get it. If we’re protecting our niche that’s fine too, dentists have done very well with their limited scope. Pick one and go all in. What frustrates me is they seem to be all over the place.

 

[newfeet]

My only issue is I wish they would pick one goal and go with it. If the direction they want is parity then they should even be willing to abandon the DPM degree to get it. If we’re protecting our niche that’s fine too, dentists have done very well with their limited scope. Pick one and go all in. What frustrates me is they seem to be all over the place.

They don’t have clear path for parity. Parity means different things to different people. Some people want legal parity md=do=dpm. Others want financially parity. Personally I think “parity” will not happen because there is no set definition. That was the conclusion of the report the APMA put out a few months ago.

 

[G0dFather]

A lot of my feelings will probably ride on my income as an attending. If it's <100k, thats a major issue. if its >150k, I can work with that.

By the time you finish 150K would be a disaster of a salary for what you went through ... 150k is a big problem now if you debt to income ratio is more than 1 to 1

The only deterrent factor for me has been the salary too, but life in itself is a gamble so why not?

Do you see how wild that sounds ....Yeah sure just gamble the rest of your life away in hopes of maybe getting a high paying job compared to making an informed/educated decision to enter into a field that has a standardized compensation all across the board

pod school was easy to get into

Yes there is a reason for that .... go a look at the MD/DO stats ( especially DO) 10 years ago, 20 years ago... its a steady incline upwards

 

[Aresnebula]

I wish we could do these rotations while still in school. Would help me immensely right now.

Idk which school you are in but at my school, during 4th year, we have Emergency med, internal med, and gen surg rotations. If your school has the same type of rotations then I would suggest sticking to DPM, graduate then applying to DO. Also this way, you can get a taste of general medicine while rotating through these fields and see if this is something you really wanna do.

 

[Robin-jay]

By the time you finish 150K would be a disaster of a salary for what you went through ... 150k is a big problem now if you debt to income ratio is more than 1 to 1

Even though i have been pressed for time recently i just had to respond to this out of a good conscience to say it like it really is. This is a very interesting thread and scenario, knowing what i know now if i can go back to my 24 year old self i would tell them to jump ship

That sort of confuses me, because you mentioned a scenario where you would jump ship to DO in your 24 year old self, meaning you somewhat support the OPs decision of going into DO. The most likely scenario is the OP would make around 250k, more or less, with a debt of close to 500k or so.

This would be a 1 to 2 income to debt ratio.

 

[Jaydog2424]

Yea i didn’t know pod school was easy to get into till I got on here and Reddit lol. I legit celebrated when I got in lol then I did my research…. 😐

I see what you mean tho, I’ll imagine that because the field is rather small (9 schools) the training at all residency programs will be standard enough to prepare everyone. What about restrictions in different states, does that affect residency training? Like some states allow above the ankle and some limit strictly to just the foot. Won’t that affect the training and cases the resident will get and be well versed in?

Also, everything in life is about who you know, regardless of the field you’re in.

Easy to get into… but hard to stay in and do well.. spoken to all my professors who teach at our Dental and MD school… our tests are 80-90% the same questions for those profs.