Pharmacist vs Podiatrist

[Jenny2007]

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[FarscapeGirl]

Umm, isn't a podiatrist a medical doctor? So maybe the question should be, which is more difficult to get into, medical school or pharmacy school.

I'd say they're both difficult to get into. If you really want the career, it's much easier to get into the program.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

Sweet Jesus. I'm giving up on the world. No, dingbat, podiatrists aren't medical doctors.

Wow. You do know I'm a real person, right? I don't think I deserve to be called a dingbat when I made a simple mistake. I've never been to a podiatrist, nor do I know any. I've always heard that a podiatrist is a foot doctor, so I assumed they went to medical school. An opthamologist is also called an eye doctor, and they are a full-fledged medical doctor who then completes additional training.

I wasn't sure, which I implied in my post. And I still maintain that a person should not choose a career based on which is easier to get into.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

You're an idiot. Opthalmologists are medical doctors, yes - so much so, in fact, that you've probably never seen one. Optometrists are probably what you're referring to - and no, they aren't medical doctors. As someone who is presumably pursuing a profession in health care, your ignorance is no longer cute.

Considering I've had eye surgery, I have seen an opthamologist. And I know exactly what I'm talking about.

I am accepted at the University of Washington's school of pharmacy for the class of 2013. I'm also a sixth year graduate student in molecular and cellular biology who will be getting my PhD. I know more about atherosclerosis and diabetes than most people.

Why don't you go back to figuring out how to get that great tan and quit calling people idiots for a simple mistake? My husband, also about to get a PhD, also thought a podiatrist had a medical degree. I imagine that's a common mistake.

 

[DayTTU17]

instead of an md they are dpm...honest mistake, there are very few podiatry schools in the nation i believe < 10 to op

 

[FarscapeGirl]

Yes, you know exactly what you're talking about: opthamologist?

And a simple mistake, huh? It's about a 6 year discrepancy in education.

I know what an opthamologist is, and after googling podiatrist, I realize they have a four year program that's different from medical school.

It's not a 6 year discrepancy in education that I didn't know that a podiatrist doesn't have a medical degree. The word ending is no different from psychiatrist, endocrinologist, and opthamologist, all which have medical degrees. If my graduate work was on foot issues, then I should know what a podiatrist is.

Just because you happened to have that exposure and learned that tidbit, good for you. It's too bad you haven't learned how to be polite.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

To the op, the fact that there are so few podiatry schools in the US likely means it'd be harder to get in (I seem to remember hearing that veterinary school is harder to get into than med school in part because there are much fewer veterinary schools).

Why particularly are you trying to decide between podiatry and pharmacy?

 

[diastole]

I'm not sure that a podiatry school is harder to get into. I was wasting time this weekend on their boards when I should have been studying and I noticed that a lower GPA is competitive for podiatry than it would be for pharmacy. For example, a person with a 3.4 GPA and a not so great MCAT was thinking of applying right now. Someone said that even though it was late in the cycle their GPA might save them and they might get in somewhere. I was kind of stunned that they can still apply now and still have a chance to get in. It appears that there aren't many schools but not as many people want to attend them.

 

[talkingdonkey]

A friend of mine wanted to go to dental school but did not do that well on the DAT. He had alright grades so he looked into podiatry school. He ended up with a scholarship to the University of Iowa. I believe the school accepted the MCAT, DAT or GRE as the entrance exam. It is worth looking into if you don't mind looking at feet all day.


As for me, I'm sticking to pharmacy......the drugs just make it all worth it.

 

[UNMorBUST]

Due to low exposure to podiatryalot of people dont realize it as a potential career. So yes standards, right now, are lower to get accepted to podiatry. However, much like other professional school the standards are quickly rising. Much like mentioned before, choose the career you would like regardless of difficulty seeking entry. Try shadowing a bit.

 

[MIkeNB]

The reasons why podiatry is easy to get into is not due to their programs being easier than others, they just teach differently. First they are a specialty program and beginning on the first year of pod school, they will re-expose (is that even a word?) you to all the necessary science you need. So a person with a 3.0 in their science courses and 25 in MCAT (acceptable knowledge of science) will have enough information to understand the more advance science in Pod school. Furthermore, not a lot of people understand Pod and their popularity is pretty low. Due to this, it also contribute to the low GPA and MCAT requirements.

However, this does not mean that pod schools are easy and I would say the concept is similar or even harder than dental school. Dental ur working on a person's teeth. The teeth will have nervous and circular system that they have to deal with while operating on the teeth. Pod, you have to deal with the feet which has a more complex system than the teeth and A lot more potential problems to deal with. Also, many Podiatrist will end up being surgeons and they MUST be trained in surgery in order to get their degree.

So even if many do not believe Pods are medical doctors and do not respect them as a health professional, please consider the training they must go through and their programs are just as hard as any other.

Plus, can't we all just get along? We're just all trying to be health professionals.

 

[alenadoma]

The reasons why podiatry is easy to get into is not due to their programs being easier than others, they just teach differently. First they are a specialty program and beginning on the first year of pod school, they will re-expose (is that even a word?) you to all the necessary science you need. So a person with a 3.0 in their science courses and 25 in MCAT (acceptable knowledge of science) will have enough information to understand the more advance science in Pod school. Furthermore, not a lot of people understand Pod and their popularity is pretty low. Due to this, it also contribute to the low GPA and MCAT requirements.

However, this does not mean that pod schools are easy and I would say the concept is similar or even harder than dental school. Dental ur working on a person's teeth. The teeth will have nervous and circular system that they have to deal with while operating on the teeth. Pod, you have to deal with the feet which has a more complex system than the teeth and A lot more potential problems to deal with. Also, many Podiatrist will end up being surgeons and they MUST be trained in surgery in order to get their degree.

So even if many do not believe Pods are medical doctors and do not respect them as a health professional, please consider the training they must go through and their programs are just as hard as any other.

Plus, can't we all just get along? We're just all trying to be health professionals.

Very well said 👍

 

[Clown]

haha this thread delivers!

You're an idiot. Opthalmologists are medical doctors, yes - so much so, in fact, that you've probably never seen one. Optometrists are probably what you're referring to - and no, they aren't medical doctors. As someone who is presumably pursuing a profession in health care, your ignorance is no longer cute.

you sir, are a douchebag

Wow. You do know I'm a real person, right? I don't think I deserve to be called a dingbat when I made a simple mistake. I've never been to a podiatrist, nor do I know any. I've always heard that a podiatrist is a foot doctor, so I assumed they went to medical school. An opthamologist is also called an eye doctor, and they are a full-fledged medical doctor who then completes additional training.

I wasn't sure, which I implied in my post. And I still maintain that a person should not choose a career based on which is easier to get into.

and you are an idiot for being offended over the internet

 

[MIkeNB]

Lol, soo much hatred in this forum. Its very rare for a thread to go on without an argument in this website. Health professionals are opinionated people. =)

 

[NaOH]

Lol, soo much hatred in this forum. Its very rare for a thread to go on without an argument in this website. Health professionals are opinionated people. =)

Eh, the internet brings out the worst in people.

 

[naseuy]

To the op, the fact that there are so few podiatry schools in the US likely means it'd be harder to get in (I seem to remember hearing that veterinary school is harder to get into than med school in part because there are much fewer veterinary schools).

Why particularly are you trying to decide between podiatry and pharmacy?

Off Topic, but farscape is awesome.

 

[ffpickle]

Off Topic, but farscape is awesome.

agreed, and that strand mofo seems like a douche

 

[bluesickle]

This thread reminds me of Seinfeld episode where Elaine was dating a podiatrist and Jerry was saying how he wasn't a real doctor.

 

[AMP11]

agreed, and that strand mofo seems like a douche

+1

 

[Podmeister]

This thread reminds me of Seinfeld episode where Elaine was dating a podiatrist and Jerry was saying how he wasn't a real doctor.

Yeah, that was a funny episode.

Podiatrist are not medical doctors...period.

As a practicing podiatrist, I find the profession sort of strange although I do enjoy every minute of it.

 

[rphfan2009]

I am just curious. which program is more difficult to get in?

It just really depends on what you want to do the rest of your life.

I couldn't do Podiatry myself...I can't get past the feet thing--LOL 🙂 But, I won't knock Podiatry either...its also a great field to be in. Shadow a DPM and see what you think...its the only real way of knowing whether its for you or not 🙂

 

[Farmercyst]

Let's leave the name calling in the lounge or another unmoderated forum.

 

[touchedarling]

However, this does not mean that pod schools are easy and I would say the concept is similar or even harder than dental school. Dental ur working on a person's teeth. The teeth will have nervous and circular system that they have to deal with while operating on the teeth. Pod, you have to deal with the feet which has a more complex system than the teeth and A lot more potential problems to deal with. Also, many Podiatrist will end up being surgeons and they MUST be trained in surgery in order to get their degree.

Dentists are surgeons too. DDS = Doctor of Dental Surgery. Some even go on to become oral surgeons and often complete medical training too so they end up with a DDS and MD.

 

[touchedarling]

Wow. You do know I'm a real person, right? I don't think I deserve to be called a dingbat when I made a simple mistake. I've never been to a podiatrist, nor do I know any. I've always heard that a podiatrist is a foot doctor, so I assumed they went to medical school. An opthamologist is also called an eye doctor, and they are a full-fledged medical doctor who then completes additional training.

I wasn't sure, which I implied in my post. And I still maintain that a person should not choose a career based on which is easier to get into.

It's an honest mistake. Don't worry about it.

 

[MIkeNB]

Yea I never reallly meant to say anything bad to the field of dentistry. They are a complex field. To be a surgeon in dentistry, you must advance further in ur education and spend must more time and money. For Pod, they are trained to be surgeons (major or minor surgery) during their 4 years plus residency. I just dont like how many people will use naming calling to feel better about their own career. In the world, we need all professions big or small. Just because one profession does more than another does not make them superior, it just means they're busier =).

But Podmeister, i would like to know what you mean by it being a "strange" field other than the fact that you're looking at dirty feet all day.

 

[Rusted]

Originally Posted by theStrand
You're an idiot. Opthalmologists are medical doctors, yes - so much so, in fact, that you've probably never seen one. Optometrists are probably what you're referring to - and no, they aren't medical doctors. As someone who is presumably pursuing a profession in health care, your ignorance is no longer cute.

Sorry, I havent read the rest of this thread, but I thought this was funny.
Allow me to rephrase.
"What you said was correct, but let me pretend you said something different then call you an idiot for being wrong."
If I could do that in the real world, I'd think I was pretty smart too.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

It's an honest mistake. Don't worry about it. No one thinks any less of you here because of it.

Thanks, touchedarling. After talking with the people I work with (a lab full of scientists), I realize how few people probably know podiatrists don't have medical degrees. I mostly was replying to theStrand because of his name calling. It's fine to correct people, but a thread where we're all trying to help each other make career decisions is maybe not the best place to be calling people idiots and dingbats. Besides, if we already knew everything, we wouldn't have to be going to pharmacy, medical, or podiatry school.

 

[SHC1984]

ewww....feet??? thats worst then teeth! Why on earth will anyone ever consider that path? 🙄 And the money isn't anything to really brag about either.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

ewww....feet??? thats worst then teeth! Why on earth will anyone ever consider that path? 🙄 And the money isn't anything to really brag about either.

I don't know if feet are grosser than teeth... They're usually a lot drier, for one thing, which tends to make things not as gross. And they may smell bad every once in awhile, but apparently the bacteria that make feet smell bad are in the same family of bacteria that are used to make certain cheeses... ;-)

To each his (or her) own, I guess.

 

[MIkeNB]

134k is nothing to brag about. BUT IT"S SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT =). Feet may be smelly but the mouth can smell also. Only difference, dentists get to wear face mask.

 

[bluesickle]

134k is nothing to brag about. BUT IT"S SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT =). Feet may be smelly but the mouth can smell also. Only difference, dentists get to wear face mask.

So what's worse, finding a "surprise" between someone's toes or finding a "surprise" between someone's teeth?

 

[SHC1984]

So what's worse, finding a "surprise" between someone's toes or finding a "surprise" between someone's teeth?

Both professions are nasty and smelly...but a dentist can make 250K+ and a podiatist can't make anywhere near that...

 

[UNMorBUST]

Both professions are nasty and smelly...but a dentist can make 250K+ and a podiatist can't make anywhere near that...

well it depends. Both fields are very similar when it comes to pay. It doesnt pay to be an associate. It does pay to be a practice owner. And some podiatrist earn 250k as well. It all comes down associate/owner + good location.

 

[sierradent]

how many podiatry schools are there in the us? what is the minimum MCAT and GPA requirments?

 

[sequential]

Yea I never reallly meant to say anything bad to the field of dentistry. They are a complex field. To be a surgeon in dentistry, you must advance further in ur education and spend must more time and money. For Pod, they are trained to be surgeons (major or minor surgery) during their 4 years plus residency. I just dont like how many people will use naming calling to feel better about their own career. In the world, we need all professions big or small. Just because one profession does more than another does not make them superior, it just means they're busier =).

But Podmeister, i would like to know what you mean by it being a "strange" field other than the fact that you're looking at dirty feet all day.

This statement is absolutely INCORRECT!! Let me ask you, what does DDS stand for? What would you classify dental implants as being?...how about root canals?...treatment of gum disease?....I can go on and on.

I can understand your passion towards podiatry...or was it pharmacy?? ...but I suggest you really research and acquire knowledge about a particular field before...well....blabbing gibberish.


By the way...why the change from pharmacy to podiatry? Also, if you were to be accepted into a pharmacy school this application cycle, would you still give it up and apply for podiatry school?


Just some thoughts!!

 

[FarscapeGirl]

This statement is absolutely INCORRECT!! Let me ask you, what does DDS stand for? What would you classify dental implants as being?...how about root canals?...treatment of gum disease?....I can go on and on.

I can understand your passion towards podiatry...or was it pharmacy?? ...but I suggest you really research and acquire knowledge about a particular field before...well....blabbing gibberish.


By the way...why the change from pharmacy to podiatry? Also, if you were to be accepted into a pharmacy school this application cycle, would you still give it up and apply for podiatry school?


Just some thoughts!!

Maybe he meant oral surgeons? I don't know what the training is for them, but I'm pretty sure it's something beyond dentistry school. I do remember that for one of my wisdom teeth surgeries, the dentist took care of it. But for the other one, for the ones that were impacted, I had to go to an oral surgeon. And there I could have had anesthesia, instead of just nitrous oxide.

And, just a suggestion, but if you're not a fan of dental surgery that's being performed on you, and you have the option of spending $50 for nitrous oxide, pay the $50. It's worth it when people are pulling your teeth out.

 

[sequential]

Maybe he meant oral surgeons? I don't know what the training is for them, but I'm pretty sure it's something beyond dentistry school. I do remember that for one of my wisdom teeth surgeries, the dentist took care of it. But for the other one, for the ones that were impacted, I had to go to an oral surgeon. And there I could have had anesthesia, instead of just nitrous oxide.

And, just a suggestion, but if you're not a fan of dental surgery that's being performed on you, and you have the option of spending $50 for nitrous oxide, pay the $50. It's worth it when people are pulling your teeth out.

DDS stands for doctor of dental SURGERY. Dental implants, as well as MANY other dental procedures, are types of surgery that GENERAL dentists are trained to preform. So his claim that "To be a surgeon in dentistry, you must advance further in ur education and spend must more time and money" is completely incorrect.

In your case, the same dentist who extracted your first wisdom tooth could have removed the second/more impacted tooth...just as a general dentist CAN refer a more complex root canal case to an endodontist. In both cases though, a general dentist receives training to preform both wisdom teeth extractions, root canals, treatment of gum disease, and many other types of surgery.

The bottom line is, the claims posted by the person (who apparently applied to and could not get into pharmacy school before settling on podiatry) was entirely not correct (as well as his claims in previous posts regarding dentistry which I won't get into). The purpose of my post was just to correct the incorrect info posted by the person so as to prevent other members from being misinformed by this person.

peace.....

 

[touchedarling]

Yea I never reallly meant to say anything bad to the field of dentistry. They are a complex field. To be a surgeon in dentistry, you must advance further in ur education and spend must more time and money. For Pod, they are trained to be surgeons (major or minor surgery) during their 4 years plus residency. I just dont like how many people will use naming calling to feel better about their own career. In the world, we need all professions big or small. Just because one profession does more than another does not make them superior, it just means they're busier =).

But Podmeister, i would like to know what you mean by it being a "strange" field other than the fact that you're looking at dirty feet all day.

Yeah I understand. 🙂 Just wanted to clarify any misconceptions that's all.

 

[MIkeNB]

alright guys, my bad. What's all this about me going into podiatry? Who say im not a prepharm anymore? why are you guys asumming stuff. lol. anyways. I changed mine to prehealth to make it easier to chat from forum to forum. I dont want to ask me "aren't you prepharm" each time I post something. I have to admit that i've been looking at the podiatry forum to gain more understanding of it.

Anyways, podiatry + dentistry both do minor surgery. THanks for clarifying that. When I was posting it, i totally forgot to consider wisdom teeth and root canals.

 

[Podmeister]

But Podmeister, i would like to know what you mean by it being a "strange" field other than the fact that you're looking at dirty feet all day.

Podiatry patients are very self conscious about their feet and present to the office rather squeeky clean but on rare occasions when body odor is a cause for concern, my medical assistants are the first line of defense to screen and spray down the patient with lemony fresh deodorizers before I enter the exam room. When I was a resident rotating through medicine and surgery, I’ve done my share of pelvic exams/rectal exams and assisted on hemorrhoid cases and plastic surgery cases with air-filled cauterized fat smoke, and never once did I questioned other specialties such as obstetrics-gynecology, family practice/internal medicine, proctology or plastic surgery.

The profession is strange in the sense that the title “podiatrist” can have ambiguous meaning due to differing scope of practice from one state to the next and multiple podiatric subspecialties which perpetuate public confusion and perception. Unlike “pharmacist”, “dentist”, or “optometrist”, where the general public has a clear understanding about each profession and their job descriptions, “podiatrists” are often time more confusing because not all podiatrists share the same scope of practice, training, skills and specialty. Take surgery for example, some podiatrists only perform minor office procedures, some perform only forefoot surgery, and some perform surgery on the entire foot and ankle. In some states, podiatrists are allowed to amputate the foot and assist on general surgery cases while in other states, such privileges or practices are not allowed. Some podiatrists specialize in diabetic foot infections and wound care while other podiatrists specialize in biomechanics, orthotics and sports medicine. The term “podiatrist” is too generalize and causes too many public misconceptions. Strange yet interesting.