Then what is the point of "required stats." Just because somebody really really really really wants to be a doctor or a air traffic controller or a stockbroker doesnt mean they get to. In life there is risk and rewards. Not everything works out the way each person wants it to, but it is usually as a result of the consequences of their actions.
Podiatry won't gain the respect it deserves until it becomes more stringent with its guidlines and requirements, ie NO DAT.
Hey geoff325, I would like to know your reasoning behind this statement. Do you really think that the DATs has that much power to cause the profession of podiatric medicine to have little respect? But more importantly, what makes you think the profession is not respected? All the patients I see at my DPM's office highly respect him...All the doctors (md & do) I have seen him interact with also hold him in high regards. He hold privledges in top-notch hospitals in southern calif. and even does rounds with the residents. Yes, it maybe true that there is a strange dichotomy btw ortho. and dpm but most ortho's choose not to deal with the feet (unless they specialize in feet, and few do) because they can make more $$ dealing with the knees, hips and shoulders and i would
assume would be a bit more challanging.
I only wonder why you would be willing to enter a profession you feel is not respected?
Unfortunately, I feel that podiatry is in that same place that dentistry was 10 years ago...a back up plan for
some lacking the stats to get into an med/dent school. Even you stated in a past post that you felt your stats were only good enough to get you waited listed for a allopathic md school.
There is nothing wrong with people making adjustments to their career path, as long as they are honesty about their motives and see themselves in that career for the long haul. In the end it only matter if you respect the choices you have made in your life and if you respect yourself.
Strangely I would agree that the MCAT, more so than the DATs would prepare one for the "question type" (being passage based rather than stem based) of the boards but thats it! With practice one can learn the stratagies from doing enough practice exams which we will do anyway to prepare for the boards. I'm curious to know if you have any data that shows the board pass rate from those taking the DAT? Do we really know that those students do worse on the boards? in school? or are we just assuming this?
BTW, I met with a dpm (who happens to be on the board that choose residents at a progam here in southern calif.) and according to him acceptance into a residency program is based on my performance in podiatry school, board scores, letters of rec and the interview. Strange...DATs and MCATS aren't discussed!
Now let me get off my soap box!