Pod vs DO

[MED090]

Hello,

I have a question I would like to pose to everyone. I anticipate people will likely respond with “go with what you are most interested in.” However, I am interested in both Osteopathic Medicine and Podiatry. I have shadowed in both fields and enjoyed both immensely. I have been accepted into both programs, so I am trying to figure out what I would like to do. Does anyone have any input/opinions on either program/field? It seems they can both make similar average salaries, you can work in a hospital or private practice for either, and they courses seem very similar. Obviously, I understand that with Podiatry I will be focusing on the foot and ankle as well as doing surgery. I understand that DO would give me more leeway to choose varying specializations. Also, how comparable are the board exams for both? I have reviewed material for the USMLE fairly thoroughly, though I know I would take the complex with osteopathic medicine. I know nothing about the podiatry board exam. Additionally, a Podiatrist mentioned that the ability to bill for surgery within an office setting helped to allow many Pods to work in private practice versus DO in cost. I though some people that were either in school or already in the field might be able to contribute points that I haven’t considered. Please feel free to give me negatives or positives.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ro221]

Hey I am a Pod- students although i cannot comment on any DO related topics. I can answer your question about pod. boards. Our boards are obviously geared towards us. Which is why some students may say the APMLE are "more straight forward" then USMLE. There is a focus on lower extremity with over some overlapping topics to which is included in USMLE. All in all I'd say all nine school do a sweep job of preparing their students. Our boards are pass/fail. Most pod schools have close to 90% pass rate for boards part 1 some schools even higher with avg being around 89. Also in current news, there is talk that the two pod school in Cali are being used as test subjects to incorporate USMLE for all pod schools. This does not mean we will take USMLE boards in the near future but just means in the future our exams, APMLEs, may be very similar. Again all this is very new. Hope this helps!

 

[Zaiko]

Shadow physicians in primary care. If you are ok with doing those specialties, go DO.

 

[heybrother]

If you are interested in having a truly diverse medicine practice of adults and children covering the full spectrum of human ailments - the choice is clear. I have no comment on the upward battle you'll face for competitive specialities. I was very impressed by the incredibly broad knowledge that the last medicine doctor I worked with had. You'll have opportunities to be inpatient, outpatient, urgent care, potentially in emergency rooms, etc.

I would not use our board as a determining factor in choosing podiatry or not choosing podiatry. Our boards are junk.
Podiatrists can choose to perform minor procedures in their office. This can be very cost efficient for the patient and the podiatrist. It is not however a reason to choose to be a podiatrist.

In general, most podiatrists are outpatient, private practice doctors. Depending on their practice setup they may be asked to consult on inpatients or emergency room patients. Podiatrists who are employed by hospitals are still likely to have a practice that resembles this.

 

[madb0x]

My boyfriend is in podiatry school and he picked that over DO. He picked his decision based on location of program and reputation of program. Although he was very interested in pediatrics, the location of the podiatry school and the somewhat "easier" path to surgery made podiatry school the winner!!

 

[feet2017]

It really comes down to what you want to practice and that's something that is hard to tell. Some people like medicine, medicine/procedural, and mostly procedural specialities. Podiatry is a good mixture of medicine and being procedural, but you are stuck with looking at the feet and all the great smelling wounds that come with it. Podiatry boards are much easier compared to USMLE regardless of the content (for arguments sake) of each exam because APMLE is pass/fail and there is no pressure to do well. Granted if you go in with the attitude of doing well on APMLE you will pass with flying colors and think to yourself why did I study so hard. But you will be confident that you passed.

 

[surfguy84]

Shadow physicians in primary care. If you are ok with doing those specialties, go DO.

This isn't exactly true. Almost half of the 4th year class at my school just matched into specialties, including ortho, neurosurg, and ENT.....and something like 95% of those who matched into primary care matched in the field of choice...so its not like they got stuck doing primary care.

If you want a field like PMR, EM, Psych, Neurology, or even Anesthesia these days...it doesn't take much effort to ensure you match there as a DO.

Derm, Plastics, Ortho, high tier uni programs....yeah, its a lot more difficult.