podiatric medical school or just medical school?

[f0ot82]

hi. I've been reading all of the posts, present and past, and found something that really bothered me and got me a little frustrated. I am specifically talking about a post made my drZee. i'm very interested into going into podiatry and maybe i'm overreacting or am wrong... i dunno... please give me your input.

here's the link. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=277475
this is was drZee said:

"Agreed. I once overheard a podiatrist claiming she had gone to "medical school" in New York. Unfortunately for her, the other person she was talking to was actually an MD who had done their residency in NY and wanted to know which institution she went to. Finally she said new york college of podiatric medicine (NYCPM), but she didnt back down, instead saying that it was affiliated with some bigshot medical school and they have merged or something, hence it was as good as having gone to that bigshot institutions medical school. Can anyone believe this? this podiatrist was bragging about how she had gone to "medical school" when in fact it was podiatry school?? and all the people there had believed her until this MD had asked which school. I personally think this is happening too often, people without MD degrees making claims that are not always true. I mean for gods sake, some Chiropracters sell themselves as more qualified than orthopedic surgeons sometimes."




isn't podiatric medical school a medical school? what's wrong with a pod school graduate saying just "medical school"? if you graduated from podiatric medical school and say that u went to med school in ny, what's the big deal? does a student that graduated pod school have to say "i graduated from podiatric med school" instead of just saying a med school? i mean i would have no problems saying that i came out of pod med school b/c i'd be very proud of all of the hard work i put in. DPMs and MDs are both doctors!!!
i mean, should i or is it better if i do say that i came out of podiatric medical school instead of just saying medical school when people ask(possibly b/c they would assume i came from an allopathic med school and not a podiatric med school)?

also, are there a lot of jerks like these wherever i go? I mean by now, haven't MDs finally started giving DPMs a little more respect? or is it just this one person?

any and all inpuit would be nice. Thank you. I don't mean to start any trouble if it does.

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[NatCh]

I read through most of that thread until I saw that it was hugely made by the misinformed. There were a few folks who actually had some experience and reason, but the inflammatory folks were likely pre-meds with internal issues. I wouldn't pay attention to it.

I tell people "I went to podiatry school" just as a dentist says, "I went to dental school." If you're concerned mostly with being able to tell people you "went to medical school" without risking anyone wrinkling an eyebrow then perhaps going through an MD program would be a better choice. If you like what the podiatry profession offers then the terminology doesn't matter.

MD's will give you respect when you prove yourself to be a skillful clinician. If you're a lousy doctor then they won't.

 

[Feli]

NatCh's reply is perfect.^ You get respect with your skills (and you get skills with good training and effort).

My fiancee's friend who had just had a bunion surgery asked me, "I didn't even realize podiatrists don't have an MD degree until after my surgery! I can't believe you get to do surgery without an MD; how is that possible?" I smiled and asked her how the surgery went, and she commented that it seems fine. I asked her if she'd rather have a gen ortho MD who did 6 weeks of F&A and roughly 500 procedures in residency and would probably charge her more $... or a DPM who did 1000+ of foot procedures as a resident and would probably charge less $ (I knew the DPM who did her surgery and that that was an accurate statement). She got a confused look on her face and said, "oh."

I use the terms "podiatrist" and "podiatry school" when people ask me about my program; I think those terms are accurate descriptions and cause the least confustion. Some pod students use "podiatric medical school," "podiatric physician," or "foot and ankle surgeon" when responding to the same questions, and that's probably fine too - although it will lead to some misunderstandings. I think it's incorrect and misleading for podiatry students to say "medical school" (without the "podiatric" preface) because I reserve that designation for MD/DO programs and their students who will specialize after they finish school. They're subtle differences, but they appear to step on some toes. The only problem is that most of the people who take great offense to it are the people who have no idea what current DPM training is like...

These nomenclature issues are very small concerns in the grand scheme of things (although they always will be huge issues to some insecure people ). Every health care professional has an important role.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Great answers from both of you. The medical professional tent is big enough for all the professions, and everyone plays an important role.

Respect for the role that all of the the different professionals play in promoting the health of individual patients and the general population is at the core of what SDN is about.

Feli's answer could be incorporated into one of the FAQ's about podiatry.

 

[Feli]

I blame this whole ordeal on that Seinfeld episode (5.11). Pretty funny stuff and definetly worth renting for anyone who hasn't seen it...

http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheConversion.htm

 

[krabmas]

isn't podiatric medical school a medical school? what's wrong with a pod school graduate saying just "medical school"? if you graduated from podiatric medical school and say that u went to med school in ny, what's the big deal? does a student that graduated pod school have to say "i graduated from podiatric med school" instead of just saying a med school? i mean i would have no problems saying that i came out of pod med school b/c i'd be very proud of all of the hard work i put in. DPMs and MDs are both doctors!!!
i mean, should i or is it better if i do say that i came out of podiatric medical school instead of just saying medical school when people ask(possibly b/c they would assume i came from an allopathic med school and not a podiatric med school)?

also, are there a lot of jerks like these wherever i go? I mean by now, haven't MDs finally started giving DPMs a little more respect? or is it just this one person?

any and all inpuit would be nice. Thank you. I don't mean to start any trouble if it does.

Podiatry school is based on allopathic medicine. It is not DO or chiropractic or naturopathic. So distinguishing DPM school from MD school by saying allopathic does not distinguish much.

 

[Dr. Gangrene]

Very well put. I think the intent of your words is huge. Are you telling others you go to medical school because you are insecure about pod? If so, that is a problem.

I personally don't think calling pod school medical school is misleading, unless it is intended to be.
However, I most often say podiatric medical school (at which point I have to clarify what podiatric means )

Great post Feli.

NatCh's reply is perfect.^ You get respect with your skills (and you get skills with good training and effort).

My fiancee's friend who had just had a bunion surgery asked me, "I didn't even realize podiatrists don't have an MD degree until after my surgery! I can't believe you get to do surgery without an MD; how is that possible?" I smiled and asked her how the surgery went, and she commented that it seems fine. I asked her if she'd rather have a gen ortho MD who did 6 weeks of F&A and roughly 500 procedures in residency and would probably charge her more $... or a DPM who did 1000+ of foot procedures as a resident and would probably charge less $ (I knew the DPM who did her surgery and that that was an accurate statement). She got a confused look on her face and said, "oh."

I use the terms "podiatrist" and "podiatry school" when people ask me about my program; I think those terms are accurate descriptions and cause the least confustion. Some pod students use "podiatric medical school," "podiatric physician," or "foot and ankle surgeon" when responding to the same questions, and that's probably fine too - although it will lead to some misunderstandings. I think it's incorrect and misleading for podiatry students to say "medical school" (without the "podiatric" preface) because I reserve that designation for MD/DO programs and their students who will specialize after they finish school. They're subtle differences, but they appear to step on some toes. The only problem is that most of the people who take great offense to it are the people who have no idea what current DPM training is like...

These nomenclature issues are very small concerns in the grand scheme of things (although they always will be huge issues to some insecure people ). Every health care professional has an important role.

 

[azstdnt]

most of the time I just tell people I go to medical school because when I used to tell people I went to podiatric medical school they would ask "what is podiatry", so usually I just say i'm in medical school to cut things short. 9/10 people won't ask anything else. If they inquire I usually say I'm in the podiatric medicine program at midwestern university. I have yet to run into a doctor and tell them that i'm in medical school, but if I did I would probably say podiatric medicine program at midwestern and enlighten him on the way podiatrists are now being trained.

 

[Shann9989]

I concur, I don't think there's anything wrong with calling it medical school unless you're intentionally misleading them. If you are maybe you should be a PA or something. But basically.....its a SCHOOL that teaches MEDICINE... It seems to me I'd be more proud to say podiatric medical school because that means more often than not you get to go clinical in 2nd year rather than torturing yourself through the traditional MSIII. But seriously that first quote when they were saying "people claiming to be MDs" and "chiropractors selling themselves as more than orthos" blah blah, what MD are you trying to sleep with? That was just outrageous....take two vicodin and call me in the morning....

 

[kelus]

how about a compermise-

i know at azpod and dmu, the first two years of podiatry school are very similar to the D.O program. The first semester is only different by 3 credits. How about students who feel inclined to claim their in medical school do so for the first two years, but after that they call it podiatric medical school??? mabye by then, they will be proud of their choice?
ha...well. what do you think, everybodys happy

im a genuis

 

[jonwill]

What about Feetsy School???

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

What about Feetsy School???

That is to close to feces.

 

[NatCh]

That is to close to feces.

Proctdiatry School?

 

[grifgin]

I think you shouldnt use the term medical school, you should tell the person podiatric medicine etc.... we need to spread the word, thats the only way people are going to know about podiatry!!!!! i think that we atleast owe that to the profession???

 

[dallasite]

I think it depends on the context of the conversation that you are in. For example, I was a business and economics major in college. 95% of my friends are business people, and therefore most of the social functions I attend are business/banking/financial crap. So, in that instance when I introduce myself to strangers and they ask what I do etc... I say I'm in medical school or going to medical school or a med student or something like that (depending on where I was in life). And 9/10 people will just say, "Oh cool, do you know what you want to do?" And I say, "Yes, I'm going into Podiatry/Podiatric Medicine/Podiatrist...etc." And then another topic gets brought up. Most of the general public simply thinks: he's operating on me, he's charging me money, he is writing me yummy prescriptions and I will be healed; so he's a doctor and doctors go to medical school. And other than that, they don't care.

However, if I'm around scientific/medical people, I do think saying you are in "medical school" is misleading because you should assume they know the difference, and they will appreciate your detailed response.

But with the random public, they neither care, nor know what you're talking about. All they seem to care about is if I will prescribe them meds in 4 years (which a chiropractor can not, B T dubbs).

The bottom line is that podiatry school is a type of medical school. They are taught all systematic processes that are required for a doctor that will one day slice up people and saturate those systems with medications.

In the medical community it is socially unacceptable to claim podiatry school as medical school, but only because of social unawareness not legitimacy. I see this changing in the future.

Lastly, most hospital websites will list podiatrists under their "Find a Physician" and when you look up their profile, it states "College, Medical School, Residency." The medical school portion simply refers to his medical education, not the place at which The MD/DO was conferred.

Ohh... this brings up another point. What is the degree called? A Podiatry Degree? Podiatric Medical degree? A DO has a medical degree. That's another thread.

There's my opinion.

 

[CareBear9984]

What about Feetsy School???

very nice

 

[Buspar]

I concur, I don't think there's anything wrong with calling it medical school unless you're intentionally misleading them. If you are maybe you should be a PA or something. But basically.....its a SCHOOL that teaches MEDICINE... It seems to me I'd be more proud to say podiatric medical school because that means more often than not you get to go clinical in 2nd year rather than torturing yourself through the traditional MSIII. But seriously that first quote when they were saying "people claiming to be MDs" and "chiropractors selling themselves as more than orthos" blah blah, what MD are you trying to sleep with? That was just outrageous....take two vicodin and call me in the morning....

 

[Buspar]

I think you shouldnt use the term medical school, you should tell the person podiatric medicine etc.... we need to spread the word, thats the only way people are going to know about podiatry!!!!! i think that we atleast owe that to the profession???

 

[SouthernPod]

When I was shadowing a podiatrist, a patient asked where he went to school. He started his reply with " I went to medical school in...." That struck me as being odd as well. But, for me, sometimes it is just easier to say "medical school" (depending on how lazy I am feeling). But most of the time I say "podiatric medical school", just to be clear.

 

[Northerner]

NatCh's reply is perfect.^ You get respect with your skills (and you get skills with good training and effort).

My fiancee's friend who had just had a bunion surgery asked me, "I didn't even realize podiatrists don't have an MD degree until after my surgery! I can't believe you get to do surgery without an MD; how is that possible?" I smiled and asked her how the surgery went, and she commented that it seems fine. I asked her if she'd rather have a gen ortho MD who did 6 weeks of F&A and roughly 500 procedures in residency and would probably charge her more $... or a DPM who did 1000+ of foot procedures as a resident and would probably charge less $ (I knew the DPM who did her surgery and that that was an accurate statement). She got a confused look on her face and said, "oh."

I use the terms "podiatrist" and "podiatry school" when people ask me about my program; I think those terms are accurate descriptions and cause the least confustion. Some pod students use "podiatric medical school," "podiatric physician," or "foot and ankle surgeon" when responding to the same questions, and that's probably fine too - although it will lead to some misunderstandings. I think it's incorrect and misleading for podiatry students to say "medical school" (without the "podiatric" preface) because I reserve that designation for MD/DO programs and their students who will specialize after they finish school. They're subtle differences, but they appear to step on some toes. The only problem is that most of the people who take great offense to it are the people who have no idea what current DPM training is like...

These nomenclature issues are very small concerns in the grand scheme of things (although they always will be huge issues to some insecure people ). Every health care professional has an important role.

Good post buddy.

 

[WoodyJI]

isn't podiatric medical school a medical school? what's wrong with a pod school graduate saying just "medical school"? if you graduated from podiatric medical school and say that u went to med school in ny, what's the big deal? does a student that graduated pod school have to say "i graduated from podiatric med school" instead of just saying a med school? i mean i would have no problems saying that i came out of pod med school b/c i'd be very proud of all of the hard work i put in. DPMs and MDs are both doctors!!!
i mean, should i or is it better if i do say that i came out of podiatric medical school instead of just saying medical school when people ask(possibly b/c they would assume i came from an allopathic med school and not a podiatric med school)?

also, are there a lot of jerks like these wherever i go? I mean by now, haven't MDs finally started giving DPMs a little more respect? or is it just this one person?

any and all inpuit would be nice. Thank you. I don't mean to start any trouble if it does.

I've heard this "simplification" for describing their schooling from podiatry students before, and I don't know how anybody could use it and feel justified. I mean seriously, choosing to go from "podiatric medical school" to "medical school" instead of just saying "podiatry school" is puffery--plain and simple. You're not making things any "easier" for other people to understand. Why don't you just say you go to "school" when questioned--no room for confusion there, right? I'm going to make an analogy with some semantics here, but before I do, I want to make it CLEAR that I'm not trying to infer that podiatry school ≤ medical school. OK, here we go: A podiatrist saying that they're in medical school is the same as a junior-high student saying that they're in high school. Sure, pod students and med students are at the same level of education (professional/medical), but don't you see what leaving a select word out of the sentence can do? I know that the pod students who say they're in "med school" didn't just make this idea up, so where is this coming from? Why don't we have "dental medical school," "optometric medical school," "pharmaceutical medical school" so that we ALL can say we're in "med school"? We're all specializing on giving medical care to one portion of the body instead of the whole (that's not to say that we ignore systemic effects, but you get my drift). I've never heard a vet student say they're in med school, so why do podiatry students do it?

As an optometry student, I can understand that oftentimes it may be necessary to describe your training in layman's terms. Not everybody has heard of a podiatrist. The difference between an optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist is not one that most people know either--I'll just say I'm an eye doctor if they're confused, but I'll never just flat out call myself a doctor, and neither should you. It's not up to you to educate the public that a podiatrist/a.k.a foot doctor (or surgeon, if you like) is not an MD, but expecting people to think anything other than you're going to graduate with an MD when you say you're in "med school" is ludicrous.

 

[IlizaRob]

I've heard this "simplification" for describing their schooling from podiatry students before, and I don't know how anybody could use it and feel justified. I mean seriously, choosing to go from "podiatric medical school" to "medical school" instead of just saying "podiatry school" is puffery--plain and simple. You're not making things any "easier" for other people to understand. Why don't you just say you go to "school" when questioned--no room for confusion there, right? I'm going to make an analogy with some semantics here, but before I do, I want to make it CLEAR that I'm not trying to infer that podiatry school ≤ medical school. OK, here we go: A podiatrist saying that they're in medical school is the same as a junior-high student saying that they're in high school. Sure, pod students and med students are at the same level of education (professional/medical), but don't you see what leaving a select word out of the sentence can do? I know that the pod students who say they're in "med school" didn't just make this idea up, so where is this coming from? Why don't we have "dental medical school," "optometric medical school," "pharmaceutical medical school" so that we ALL can say we're in "med school"? We're all specializing on giving medical care to one portion of the body instead of the whole (that's not to say that we ignore systemic effects, but you get my drift). I've never heard a vet student say they're in med school, so why do podiatry students do it?

As an optometry student, I can understand that oftentimes it may be necessary to describe your training in layman's terms. Not everybody has heard of a podiatrist. The difference between an optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist is not one that most people know either--I'll just say I'm an eye doctor if they're confused, but I'll never just flat out call myself a doctor, and neither should you. It's not up to you to educate the public that a podiatrist/a.k.a foot doctor (or surgeon, if you like) is not an MD, but expecting people to think anything other than you're going to graduate with an MD when you say you're in "med school" is ludicrous.

I couldnt help but laugh a little after reading this post. Sounds like you are quite passionate about this. Good for you. I like those who can stand behind their beliefs.

I personally dont think it matters. Big deal. There are more important things to worry about than what someone calls their school. These debates are so trivial. Whether or not Billy Bob down the street thinks a DPM is an MD doesnt change the fact that the DPM provides the best foot and ankle care out there. Isnt that all what Billy Bob really wants? Someone who can provide the best care for him? Just because your average Joe doesnt familiarize himself with every facet of medicine does not mean that DPMs are misleading. Any resistance is just a ego.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I've heard this "simplification" for describing their schooling from podiatry students before, and I don't know how anybody could use it and feel justified. I mean seriously, choosing to go from "podiatric medical school" to "medical school" instead of just saying "podiatry school" is puffery--plain and simple. You're not making things any "easier" for other people to understand. Why don't you just say you go to "school" when questioned--no room for confusion there, right? I'm going to make an analogy with some semantics here, but before I do, I want to make it CLEAR that I'm not trying to infer that podiatry school ≤ medical school. OK, here we go: A podiatrist saying that they're in medical school is the same as a junior-high student saying that they're in high school. Sure, pod students and med students are at the same level of education (professional/medical), but don't you see what leaving a select word out of the sentence can do? I know that the pod students who say they're in "med school" didn't just make this idea up, so where is this coming from? Why don't we have "dental medical school," "optometric medical school," "pharmaceutical medical school" so that we ALL can say we're in "med school"? We're all specializing on giving medical care to one portion of the body instead of the whole (that's not to say that we ignore systemic effects, but you get my drift). I've never heard a vet student say they're in med school, so why do podiatry students do it?

As an optometry student, I can understand that oftentimes it may be necessary to describe your training in layman's terms. Not everybody has heard of a podiatrist. The difference between an optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist is not one that most people know either--I'll just say I'm an eye doctor if they're confused, but I'll never just flat out call myself a doctor, and neither should you. It's not up to you to educate the public that a podiatrist/a.k.a foot doctor (or surgeon, if you like) is not an MD, but expecting people to think anything other than you're going to graduate with an MD when you say you're in "med school" is ludicrous.

Idon't disagree with your thoughts, but just further food for thought. Podiatrist are the only group of "non-doctors" that are both surgeons (i.e. treating with surgical intervention) and physicians (i.e. using medical or pharmaceutical intervention). It could be argued that dentistry does the same but it is not universal, and while it is drug toothpaste and mouthwash are OTC. But of course a maxillofacial surgeon cannot be a doctor either b/c they are over-educated, and did not graduate from just an MD school.

DPMs are also the only one of the group to be required to do a residency. They are the only one in the group that also are trained with DOs/MDs in other medical specialties such as internal medicine, emergency med, general surgery, plastics, ect. Only DPMs have integrated schools with MDs and DOs.

Also, as we examine this argument in general, DOs have a completely different philosophy to there treatment that MDs. MDs never use OMM. But there are no philosophic differences in DPM treatments. So I guess DOs should not say they go to medical school either. That is would be absurd if a non-doctors training is more in-line philosophically than there own.

I guess when it is said and done only MDs go to medical school. DOs go to osteopathic school b/c they differ in treatment philosophies. DPMs go to podiatry school b/c they specialize too soon. Ect, ect.

 

[Buspar]

I've heard this "simplification" for describing their schooling from podiatry students before, and I don't know how anybody could use it and feel justified. I mean seriously, choosing to go from "podiatric medical school" to "medical school" instead of just saying "podiatry school" is puffery--plain and simple. You're not making things any "easier" for other people to understand. Why don't you just say you go to "school" when questioned--no room for confusion there, right? I'm going to make an analogy with some semantics here, but before I do, I want to make it CLEAR that I'm not trying to infer that podiatry school ≤ medical school. OK, here we go: A podiatrist saying that they're in medical school is the same as a junior-high student saying that they're in high school. Sure, pod students and med students are at the same level of education (professional/medical), but don't you see what leaving a select word out of the sentence can do? I know that the pod students who say they're in "med school" didn't just make this idea up, so where is this coming from? Why don't we have "dental medical school," "optometric medical school," "pharmaceutical medical school" so that we ALL can say we're in "med school"? We're all specializing on giving medical care to one portion of the body instead of the whole (that's not to say that we ignore systemic effects, but you get my drift). I've never heard a vet student say they're in med school, so why do podiatry students do it?

As an optometry student, I can understand that oftentimes it may be necessary to describe your training in layman's terms. Not everybody has heard of a podiatrist. The difference between an optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist is not one that most people know either--I'll just say I'm an eye doctor if they're confused, but I'll never just flat out call myself a doctor, and neither should you. It's not up to you to educate the public that a podiatrist/a.k.a foot doctor (or surgeon, if you like) is not an MD, but expecting people to think anything other than you're going to graduate with an MD when you say you're in "med school" is ludicrous.

 

[WoodyJI]

Idon't disagree with your thoughts, but just further food for thought. Podiatrist are the only group of "non-doctors" that are both surgeons (i.e. treating with surgical intervention) and physicians (i.e. using medical or pharmaceutical intervention). It could be argued that dentistry does the same but it is not universal, and while it is drug toothpaste and mouthwash are OTC. But of course a maxillofacial surgeon cannot be a doctor either b/c they are over-educated, and did not graduate from just an MD school.

DPMs are also the only one of the group to be required to do a residency. They are the only one in the group that also are trained with DOs/MDs in other medical specialties such as internal medicine, emergency med, general surgery, plastics, ect. Only DPMs have integrated schools with MDs and DOs.

Thanks for the info--I had not heard much of that, so what you told me has added some more respect in my mind for your profession .

I'm interested to know what residency flavors you have to choose from, and how long they go, etc. Also, are you sure DPMs having integrated schools with MDs & DOs is unique to podiatry? There's a school of optometry being built right now that I've heard will have something to do with DOs...not sure if it's true integration though (or whether or not that's even necessarily a good thing--pros/cons?). In my experience (just one year so far ), we've had non-optometrist education in my school, not only from MDs, but also from business professors/geneticists, etc. I'm not so sure that the fact that most dental, optometric, pharmaceutical, & veterinary schools are not "integrated" into DO/MD institutions per se means that they're not getting the same benefits that podiatry schools get.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for the info--I had not heard much of that, so what you told me has added some more respect in my mind for your profession .

I'm interested to know what residency flavors you have to choose from, and how long they go, etc. Also, are you sure DPMs having integrated schools with MDs & DOs is unique to podiatry? There's a school of optometry being built right now that I've heard will have something to do with DOs...not sure if it's true integration though (or whether or not that's even necessarily a good thing--pros/cons?). In my experience (just one year so far ), we've had non-optometrist education in my school, not only from MDs, but also from business professors/geneticists, etc. I'm not so sure that the fact that most dental, optometric, pharmaceutical, & veterinary schools are not "integrated" into DO/MD institutions per se means that they're not getting the same benefits that podiatry schools get.

Yeah, with the exception of one medical school (DO I think) the "integration" pretty much just amounts to class or two together. They may be required to be associated with a medical school however in some shape or form, if I remember correctly.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

Thanks for the info--I had not heard much of that, so what you told me has added some more respect in my mind for your profession .

I'm interested to know what residency flavors you have to choose from, and how long they go, etc. Also, are you sure DPMs having integrated schools with MDs & DOs is unique to podiatry? There's a school of optometry being built right now that I've heard will have something to do with DOs...not sure if it's true integration though (or whether or not that's even necessarily a good thing--pros/cons?). In my experience (just one year so far ), we've had non-optometrist education in my school, not only from MDs, but also from business professors/geneticists, etc. I'm not so sure that the fact that most dental, optometric, pharmaceutical, & veterinary schools are not "integrated" into DO/MD institutions per se means that they're not getting the same benefits that podiatry schools get.

Excuse the ignorance above.

Our residencies basically are all vanilla. We have two different "types" of residencies, a Podiatric Medicine and Surgery (PM&S) 24 months and 36 months. The main difference between the two formats is podiatrists that do a PM&S-24 are not allowed to sit for the rearfoot and ankle boards, PM&S-36 grads are. But while they are all the same format, they are all unique; some are based in trauma, orthopedics, general podiatry, diabetic care, ect. They all are required to have off-podiatry rotations similar to the internist year of MD/DO residencies.

The school that you might be speaking of is Western University in CA. They are also building another DPM program. And yes at the current time, DMU and AZPOD are the only programs that are fully integrated w/ DO programs. The format started at DMU and is becoming more popular w/in podiatry and obviously optometry has seen the benefits.

As for the pros and cons, there are many more pros such as: ability to keep the tuition low while sharing top notch facilities, extremely strong education b/c students must keep up with another program not just themselves, learning health care is a team sport by working w/ other specialties. I have never experienced this but when DMU first integrated (sounds funny to say), some DO students tried to act like they were above the DPMs. I can tell you for sure that does not occur any longer.

Not all DPM schools are integrated and it is not a requirement to be apart of a university.

I do feel that the education that is provided at MD, DO, DPM, DPT, DC, OD, PharmD programs, ect are all very similar. Biochem is biochem, you can't change the urea cycle. The differences are generally the quality of the student and the level of expectation. These two factors are not true w/in the same program format (i.e. MD vs. MD) or across formats (i.e. MD vs. DPM). I'm sure that there are DO schools that are much tougher than MD, and DPM schools much tougher than DO and perhaps some MD programs. I'm sure there are OD programs much tougher than some DPM programs.

That is why generally the conversation of what is a medical school or who is a doctor is dumb. They are all medical schools. I'm sure at your optometry school you don't study magic.

I've studied cardiology and rotated w/ vascular surgeons. Heck, I've sat next to foot and ankle fellows at one of the most prestigious orthopedic programs in the US and thought man you don't know crap about the foot. I don't consider myself or you less of a physician, surgeon, or doctor b/c I don't have an MD. That is just my take and God bless America. Seacrest out.

 

[billclinton]

hi. I've been reading all of the posts, present and past, and found something that really bothered me and got me a little frustrated. I am specifically talking about a post made my drZee. i'm very interested into going into podiatry and maybe i'm overreacting or am wrong... i dunno... please give me your input.

here's the link. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=277475
this is was drZee said:

"Agreed. I once overheard a podiatrist claiming she had gone to "medical school" in New York. Unfortunately for her, the other person she was talking to was actually an MD who had done their residency in NY and wanted to know which institution she went to. Finally she said new york college of podiatric medicine (NYCPM), but she didnt back down, instead saying that it was affiliated with some bigshot medical school and they have merged or something, hence it was as good as having gone to that bigshot institutions medical school. Can anyone believe this? this podiatrist was bragging about how she had gone to "medical school" when in fact it was podiatry school?? and all the people there had believed her until this MD had asked which school. I personally think this is happening too often, people without MD degrees making claims that are not always true. I mean for gods sake, some Chiropracters sell themselves as more qualified than orthopedic surgeons sometimes."




isn't podiatric medical school a medical school? what's wrong with a pod school graduate saying just "medical school"? if you graduated from podiatric medical school and say that u went to med school in ny, what's the big deal? does a student that graduated pod school have to say "i graduated from podiatric med school" instead of just saying a med school? i mean i would have no problems saying that i came out of pod med school b/c i'd be very proud of all of the hard work i put in. DPMs and MDs are both doctors!!!
i mean, should i or is it better if i do say that i came out of podiatric medical school instead of just saying medical school when people ask(possibly b/c they would assume i came from an allopathic med school and not a podiatric med school)?

also, are there a lot of jerks like these wherever i go? I mean by now, haven't MDs finally started giving DPMs a little more respect? or is it just this one person?

any and all inpuit would be nice. Thank you. I don't mean to start any trouble if it does.

Here is the unspoken rule:
MD's graduate from medical school and are physicians.
DPM's graduate from podiatry school and are podiatrists.
Both are doctors.

If a podiatrist tells someone they went to medical school or that they are a physician they will get laughed at (not necessarily to their face), especially if it is someone who has ever worked in the healthcare industry.

The only podiatrists that go around trying to convince people that they are physicians or that they went to medical school are the ones who feel bad because they did not have the grades or test scores to get into medical school. They are trying to deceive the public into thinking that their training is more extensive than what it really is.

Don't take this as being derrogotory to podiatry- this is just how the ranks work. Just as if you were a new recruit in the military- you wouldn't be able to call yourself a general if it was your only your first day. The title of physician and medical school is reserved for those who have went through the most extensive training. This is not to say that podiatrists do not have a very important niche in the field of healthcare- They do. Although their role is similar to a physician, historically and technically, it is different because it is restricted to the foot and ankle. Whereas, a MD's training is not limited to any one part of the body (even if they are an opthamologist- they are an MD first).

 

[billclinton]

I've heard this "simplification" for describing their schooling from podiatry students before, and I don't know how anybody could use it and feel justified. I mean seriously, choosing to go from "podiatric medical school" to "medical school" instead of just saying "podiatry school" is puffery--plain and simple. You're not making things any "easier" for other people to understand. Why don't you just say you go to "school" when questioned--no room for confusion there, right? I'm going to make an analogy with some semantics here, but before I do, I want to make it CLEAR that I'm not trying to infer that podiatry school ≤ medical school. OK, here we go: A podiatrist saying that they're in medical school is the same as a junior-high student saying that they're in high school. Sure, pod students and med students are at the same level of education (professional/medical), but don't you see what leaving a select word out of the sentence can do? I know that the pod students who say they're in "med school" didn't just make this idea up, so where is this coming from? Why don't we have "dental medical school," "optometric medical school," "pharmaceutical medical school" so that we ALL can say we're in "med school"? We're all specializing on giving medical care to one portion of the body instead of the whole (that's not to say that we ignore systemic effects, but you get my drift). I've never heard a vet student say they're in med school, so why do podiatry students do it?

As an optometry student, I can understand that oftentimes it may be necessary to describe your training in layman's terms. Not everybody has heard of a podiatrist. The difference between an optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist is not one that most people know either--I'll just say I'm an eye doctor if they're confused, but I'll never just flat out call myself a doctor, and neither should you. It's not up to you to educate the public that a podiatrist/a.k.a foot doctor (or surgeon, if you like) is not an MD, but expecting people to think anything other than you're going to graduate with an MD when you say you're in "med school" is ludicrous.

Exactly- this is how the general publics perception and how it is understood. Scenario:
Person off the Street: So what do you do?
Podiatry student: I'm a medical student.
Person off the Street: Oh, so do you know what kind of a doctor you want to be?
Podiatry student: A foot doctor.
Person off the Street: Oh, so you mean you are in podiatry school?
Podiatry student: Yes. Podiatric medical school.
Person off the Street: *snicker* oh ok.... so you are just going to work with feet?
Podiatry student: well, yes- but we take our first 2 years of classes with real medical students.
Person off the street: So do you have to do clinical rotations in all the core areas of healthcare (i.e. family med, internal med, surgery, psych, ped's, nero)?
Podiatry student: no.
Person off the Street: Well do you have to take USMLE Step 1,2, 2ce, or 3?
Podiatry student: well, no. But we do have 1 podiatry board exam to take.
Person off the Street: So, that would make a podiatrist, right? Since you aren't taking the united states medical licensing exam?

 

[PMSIII]

Exactly- this is how the general publics perception and how it is understood. Scenario:
Person off the Street: So what do you do?
Podiatry student: I'm a medical student.
Person off the Street: Oh, so do you know what kind of a doctor you want to be?
Podiatry student: A foot doctor.
Person off the Street: Oh, so you mean you are in podiatry school?
Podiatry student: Yes. Podiatric medical school.
Person off the Street: *snicker* oh ok.... so you are just going to work with feet?
Podiatry student: well, yes- but we take our first 2 years of classes with real medical students.
Person off the street: So do you have to do clinical rotations in all the core areas of healthcare (i.e. family med, internal med, surgery, psych, ped's, nero)?
Podiatry student: no.
Person off the Street: Well do you have to take USMLE Step 1,2, 2ce, or 3?
Podiatry student: well, no. But we do have 1 podiatry board exam to take.
Person off the Street: So, that would make a podiatrist, right? Since you aren't taking the united states medical licensing exam?

cute dialogue but allow me to correct a couple of things:
1) we have 3 parts to our board exams (not one) and we have further surgical board certifications upon completion of residency

2) we DO have clinical rotations in internal med, surgery, neuro, etc. during our PGY-1 year

for all its worth, I'm an advocate of identifying myself as a PODIATRY student and a PODIATRIST. The argument about podiatrists only studying feet is pretty weak and outdated I must say. 4 years of schooling and 3 years of residency over nothing but feet is a bit excessive don't you think? We treat the person attached to these feet - no this doesn't mean I'll manage the patient's diabetes, or perform open heart surgery after I'm done with a bunionectomy. I'm saying that I treat the patient within my scope of practice and recognize the pathology and make sure the patient is getting the proper care from respective specialists - Since you used the opthamologist example, my uncle is a practicing opthamologist and I shadowed his practice before - I will guarantee you that he'd never prescribe a BP medication or insulin to any of his patients because despite his legal capacity to do so (MD), he has a moral obligation to practice medicine within his scope and on that basis, he'd most likely refer his patient to an internist.

You do raise a valid point with having podiatry students identifying themselves as so rather than medical students but I hope you can appreciate what our education and training entails because ultimately we all must collectively function and "coexist" for the proper care and management of our future patients.

 

[billclinton]

cute dialogue but allow me to correct a couple of things:
1) we have 3 parts to our board exams (not one) and we have further surgical board certifications upon completion of residency

2) we DO have clinical rotations in internal med, surgery, neuro, etc. during our PGY-1 year

for all its worth, I'm an advocate of identifying myself as a PODIATRY student and a PODIATRIST. The argument about podiatrists only studying feet is pretty weak and outdated I must say. 4 years of schooling and 3 years of residency over nothing but feet is a bit excessive don't you think? We treat the person attached to these feet - no this doesn't mean I'll manage the patient's diabetes, or perform open heart surgery after I'm done with a bunionectomy. I'm saying that I treat the patient within my scope of practice and recognize the pathology and make sure the patient is getting the proper care from respective specialists - Since you used the opthamologist example, my uncle is a practicing opthamologist and I shadowed his practice before - I will guarantee you that he'd never prescribe a BP medication or insulin to any of his patients because despite his legal capacity to do so (MD), he has a moral obligation to practice medicine within his scope and on that basis, he'd most likely refer his patient to an internist.

You do raise a valid point with having podiatry students identifying themselves as so rather than medical students but I hope you can appreciate what our education and training entails because ultimately we all must collectively function and "coexist" for the proper care and management of our future patients.

Ah yes, there are a lot of similarities. But, the training is different and more focused in podiatry (which is probably a good thing). The training that MD students get is more extensive and more broad. .

Here is a story that you pod's will like- I remember a feel years back when was rotating through heme/onc a podiatrist who had kind-of diagnosed leukemia. I don't remember the exact details, but the kid had been limping for some time and having pain in his foot. His parents took him to a podiatrist. The podiatrist could not find anything wrong with the foot per say, but did a CBC. The WBCs were out of this world, so he referred them to heme/onc.... we dx the kid with ALL.

 

[SAFOOT]

Exactly- this is how the general publics perception and how it is understood. Scenario:
Person off the Street: So what do you do?
Podiatry student: I'm a medical student.
Person off the Street: Oh, so do you know what kind of a doctor you want to be?
Podiatry student: A foot doctor.
Person off the Street: Oh, so you mean you are in podiatry school?
Podiatry student: Yes. Podiatric medical school.
Person off the Street: *snicker* oh ok.... so you are just going to work with feet?
Podiatry student: well, yes- but we take our first 2 years of classes with real medical students.
Person off the street: So do you have to do clinical rotations in all the core areas of healthcare (i.e. family med, internal med, surgery, psych, ped's, nero)?
Podiatry student: no.
Person off the Street: Well do you have to take USMLE Step 1,2, 2ce, or 3?
Podiatry student: well, no. But we do have 1 podiatry board exam to take.
Person off the Street: So, that would make a podiatrist, right? Since you aren't taking the united states medical licensing exam?

A person off the street won't ask further than "what do you do", Let alone have the knowledge or curiosity to ask the remaining questions that are in that dialogue.

 

[billclinton]

A person off the street won't ask further than "what do you do", Let alone have the knowledge or curiosity to ask the remaining questions that are in that dialogue.

Well 95% of the time they will ask, "well what kind of doctor do you want to be?" I know, because I was asked it a billion times after I said I was in medical school. Eventually I just said I was a student. Got sick of explaining everything.

Now, only say maybe ~50% or less of the population know that podiatry and medical school are separate. So if you say foot doctor, most will realize that you were trying to talk yourself up. But you're right, the general public has little idea of how rigorous medical or podiatry schools are... or the difference between the education for that matter. However, if they were the same thing that involved the same level of training, then they would be merged... it would be easier and cheaper. However, I don't think many podiatrist would want the extra training.... I know if I were a podiatry student, I would only want to learn the most relevant info.

 

[SAFOOT]

Well 95% of the time they will ask, "well what kind of doctor do you want to be?" I know, because I was asked it a billion times after I said I was in medical school. Eventually I just said I was a student. Got sick of explaining everything.

Now, only say maybe ~50% or less of the population know that podiatry and medical school are separate. So if you say foot doctor, most will realize that you were trying to talk yourself up. But you're right, the general public has little idea of how rigorous medical or podiatry schools are... or the difference between the education for that matter. However, if they were the same thing that involved the same level of training, then they would be merged... it would be easier and cheaper. However, I don't think many podiatrist would want the extra training.... I know if I were a podiatry student, I would only want to learn the most relevant info.

Well at first you talked about person off the street, then you talk an actual medical student there is a big difference in the usage between a medical student and a person off the street. A podiatry student when talking to a MD student would refer to himself as a podiatry student because an MD student can understand the terminology.

Why would you think that by saying one is a medical student would be talking yourself up. Podiatric school is medical school and one can therefore refer to him/herself as a medical students, DO students don't call themselves osteopathic students. And also are you saying that podiatry is an incompetent field that one would need to say medical student as opposed to podiatric student to be high and mighty. It is unfortunate that these old egotistic beliefs are still common in the student community.

 

[Northerner]

Excuse the ignorance above.

Yeah, I didn't really contribute anything to this thread did I?

Anyway, can we all just agree that podiatrists are equivalent to shoe store employees and MD's are equivalent to the greek god Zeus, wielding lightning the power of which the world will grow to fear and tremble under the electric might? If you can't agree with this, you're being unreasonable.

 

[YellowRose]

i usually try to stay away from these discussions, but since i've had some experience, i'll add my two cents.

I'm a DO, trained as a general internist at a MD university program. I have subsequently finished training. we also did rotations at a community hospital, which podiatry interns also rotated with us in internal medicine. For the most part, the podiatry interns were hard working, friendly, and i enjoyed my interactions with them. Podiatry was pretty well integrated into our program, and we called podiatry consults often, and they were helpful, and were prompt when you called them for a consult in the ED. UCONN and New Britain General (for those of you familiary with the program)

the podiatry training (both medical and residency) is different though, more so than "just a few courses." all MD/DO students are required to have basic "core" rotations (ie, IM, ob/gyn, peds, psych, ICU, surgery, physical diagnosis, etc) during medical school which provide a foundation to further specialize your career later on. ALL medical students, regardless of career path must have a basic foundation of all general aspects of medicine, which is the basis of the USMLE/COMLEX step 3 (even pathologist must pass). I think thats the flaw in podiatry training. Podiatrist have become so specialized, so early on, that the training (as a student) in the other fields may be lacking, which i found evident when having podiatry interns on my service. Ideally, I think should be a subspecialty (like ophtho, ENT). we have ortho and Ob/Gyn interns rotate through our ICU, they are surgical fields also, but have a more firm understanding of general medicine because their medical school experience was comprehensive.

in the end, we are all about taking care of the patient, and if you are a podiatric physician, physician, podiatrist, or whatever you want to be called, as long as you are competent, practice within your scope, who cares.

food for thought....why is hand surgery a subspecialization of ortho (ie, hand fellowship after ortho resdiency) ? and podiatry is not? yes the hand has more nerves/function, but i argue the floot has more mechanics and daily stress.

 

[billclinton]

Well at first you talked about person off the street, then you talk an actual medical student there is a big difference in the usage between a medical student and a person off the street. A podiatry student when talking to a MD student would refer to himself as a podiatry student because an MD student can understand the terminology.

Why would you think that by saying one is a medical student would be talking yourself up. Podiatric school is medical school and one can therefore refer to him/herself as a medical students, DO students don't call themselves osteopathic students. And also are you saying that podiatry is an incompetent field that one would need to say medical student as opposed to podiatric student to be high and mighty. It is unfortunate that these old egotistic beliefs are still common in the student community.

It was a person off the street in each hypothetical example. If you are asked what you do for a living and you say "medical student" or "i go to medical school", the next question will almost always be, "Well what kind of doctor do you want to be?"

DOs are physicians that graduate from medical school because their educational training is held to the same standards as MD students- the training is identical. If a podiatrist training was the same, then they would just apply to medical school like everyone else. There are numerous differences as was listed above.

People, like yourself, call themselves medical students (or say they are going to medical school) to talk themselves up. It is plain and simple. For whatever reasons, physicians are seen as being more prestigious to the American public than a podiatrist. It is also a lot harder to gain entry to a medical school and the coursework is also more rigorous. There are many more and higher hoops for a MD to jump through than for a DPM. This is the reason why over the last 10 years or so podiatrists/chiropractors/physical therapists (not so much optometrists or dentists) have started to try incorporate the term "medical school" and "physician" into their job description. Because these terms equal prestige to the American public.... prestige -> more patients -> more money and more respect.

None of this is meant to undercut what you do... it's just that it will not look good to refer to yourself as a physician, medical student, or having went to medical school in front of someone who knows the difference. Just a "Word to the wise"...

you should be proud to call yourself what you really are- a podiatrist who went to podiatry school.... why try and make people think differently? Patients are going to love you based on your personality, bedside manner, and skills.

 

[billclinton]

i usually try to stay away from these discussions, but since i've had some experience, i'll add my two cents.

I'm a DO, trained as a general internist at a MD university program. I have subsequently finished training. we also did rotations at a community hospital, which podiatry interns also rotated with us in internal medicine. For the most part, the podiatry interns were hard working, friendly, and i enjoyed my interactions with them. Podiatry was pretty well integrated into our program, and we called podiatry consults often, and they were helpful, and were prompt when you called them for a consult in the ED. UCONN and New Britain General (for those of you familiary with the program)

the podiatry training (both medical and residency) is different though, more so than "just a few courses." all MD/DO students are required to have basic "core" rotations (ie, IM, ob/gyn, peds, psych, ICU, surgery, physical diagnosis, etc) during medical school which provide a foundation to further specialize your career later on. ALL medical students, regardless of career path must have a basic foundation of all general aspects of medicine, which is the basis of the USMLE/COMLEX step 3 (even pathologist must pass). I think thats the flaw in podiatry training. Podiatrist have become so specialized, so early on, that the training (as a student) in the other fields may be lacking, which i found evident when having podiatry interns on my service. Ideally, I think should be a subspecialty (like ophtho, ENT). we have ortho and Ob/Gyn interns rotate through our ICU, they are surgical fields also, but have a more firm understanding of general medicine because their medical school experience was comprehensive.

in the end, we are all about taking care of the patient, and if you are a podiatric physician, physician, podiatrist, or whatever you want to be called, as long as you are competent, practice within your scope, who cares.

food for thought....why is hand surgery a subspecialization of ortho (ie, hand fellowship after ortho resdiency) ? and podiatry is not? yes the hand has more nerves/function, but i argue the floot has more mechanics and daily stress.

Would you rather go without a hand or a foot? That would be such a hard decision.... esp if it was your non-dominant hand and dominant leg....

 

[kelus]

Dear yellowrose.
thank you for further supporting my time tested view that it is far easyeir to deal with a D.O rather then a M.D .

Dooige Houser being an exception (unless you have watched "white castle" )

 

[cool_vkb]

Person off the street: So do you have to do clinical rotations in all the core areas of healthcare (i.e. family med, internal med, surgery, psych, ped's, nero)?
Podiatry student: no.
Person off the Street: Well do you have to take USMLE Step 1,2, 2ce, or 3?
Podiatry student: well, no. But we do have 1 podiatry board exam to take.
Person off the Street: So, that would make a podiatrist, right? Since you aren't taking the united states medical licensing exam?

Well i dont know much abt the discusiion that is going on but you appear to me more of a hatefull fellow then a resonable person. You are in medical school, so i expect you to be responsible and reasonable.

In your madeup story you made the street guy ask the question " Do they take rotations in core areas?" . An your so called Podiatrist said "No!". That podiatry student shud be kicked on his butt for not knowing what he is doing. Where the hell did you heard that Pods dont do rotations or study in Surgery, IM, Ortho, Peds, Neuro stufff. In 3rd and 4th yr we have regular rotations and in residency there are many rotations where pods will be working independently with full capapcity as a IM physician during their IM rotation. Many pod residents even do knee, shoulder, hip replacements during their residencies.

So why didnt the podiatry student in your studpid ***** story answered all this. May be he cudnt answer because the person who wrote the story (i.e you) himself is very ignorant, prejudiced and troll guy when things come to Podiatry. You better do some research on Podiatry, subjects we take and other stuff before you start writing stories or essays. And more than that, we just started school and people have no time to visit their own SDN communities and see whats happening. What kind of a Med student are you? that you have so much time to browse all over SDN spilling your venomous/sarcastic writings. I am really in doubt if you are really a Med student or some rejected Pre-med student presently fliiping burgers? Because the people in my school (both pods and meds) are so freakin busy with the subjects tht we have no time to even discuss anything else apart from our own courses. And here you are like a free relaxed brid trolling here and there. that really suprises me boss!

But i do agree with you and when someone asks what school i go? I say i go to Podiatric Medical School and i will be a Podiatrist. And in the conversation i enlighten them abt the profession .

 

[dallasite]

Didn't I cover all this above? I'll continue to do what I do and bill clinton you can continue to make the most uncreative back-handed statements ever... "You're a dip****...but don't take that the wrong way...I like dip****s... dip****s are great... but you do know people laugh at dip****s. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way."

 

[dallasite]

....and I did NOT put those **** in there!!!

 

[billclinton]

Well i dont know much abt the discusiion that is going on but you appear to me more of a hatefull fellow then a resonable person. You are in medical school, so i expect you to be responsible and reasonable.

In your madeup story you made the street guy ask the question " Do they take rotations in core areas?" . An your so called Podiatrist said "No!". That podiatry student shud be kicked on his butt for not knowing what he is doing. Where the hell did you heard that Pods dont do rotations or study in Surgery, IM, Ortho, Peds, Neuro stufff. In 3rd and 4th yr we have regular rotations and in residency there are many rotations where pods will be working independently with full capapcity as a IM physician during their IM rotation. Many pod residents even do knee, shoulder, hip replacements during their residencies.

So why didnt the podiatry student in your studpid ***** story answered all this. May be he cudnt answer because the person who wrote the story (i.e you) himself is very ignorant, prejudiced and troll guy when things come to Podiatry. You better do some research on Podiatry, subjects we take and other stuff before you start writing stories or essays. And more than that, we just started school and people have no time to visit their own SDN communities and see whats happening. What kind of a Med student are you? that you have so much time to browse all over SDN spilling your venomous/sarcastic writings. I am really in doubt if you are really a Med student or some rejected Pre-med student presently fliiping burgers? Because the people in my school (both pods and meds) are so freakin busy with the subjects tht we have no time to even discuss anything else apart from our own courses. And here you are like a free relaxed brid trolling here and there. that really suprises me boss!

But i do agree with you and when someone asks what school i go? I say i go to Podiatric Medical School and i will be a Podiatrist. And in the conversation i enlighten them abt the profession .

Regarding the "clinical rotations" you do, please refer to yellow rose's post above. PA's do rotations as well, but that doesn't make them physicians. If you guys are so sore about being called a podiatrists, perhaps you should have reconsidered reapplying to to med school...

I listed a great story above that illustrated what a great role podiatrist play. I have merely been explaining why podiatrists are not considered physicians and why podiatry school is not considered medial school. Sure I might be the first one to tell you this and perhaps you are in shock--- but just wait until your reach the clinical years: if you call yourself a physician or refer to your schooling as medical school in the professional world you will hear the same sentiments that I have stated.... or perhaps you won't be the one receives the referral from the local PCP or ortho. Do you know how surgeons think?

Why are you so upset at me pointing out that fact that you are podiatrists?

 

[OSUDDS]

I thought this post about Billclinton was pretty accurate

"Check this guy's previous threads out! What a joke! Man...how unhappy with your life do you have to be to go and belittle other wonderful professions with your spare time. Are you sure you are a medical student? The ones I know spend their time talking positively about their professions and their colleagues surrounding them (podiatrists, dentists, etc.) unlike you. I bet you couldn't cut it...or got dumped by your girlfriend....or boyfriend....or whatever. You're one sad puppy. Don't let me get ahold of your feet, haha."

Its well over a year later and he hasn't stopped ranting...

 

[PMSIII]

you guys should relax and look at billclinton's posts with more objectivity. The guy didn't say anything out of the ordinary - we're podiatry students and are future podiatrists - what is the big deal? You are not by any means "less" of a doctor if you're a DPM so lets not get carried away with all the semantics. Sure there were some misconceptions in his previous post but I think they were pointed out already: i.e. our multiple board exams and certifications + core medical rotations of PGY-1. The story listed about the podiatrist referring to the Hem/Onco team is exactly what we should strive to be - integral members in the healthcare team who diagnose, treat (conservatively/surgically), and refer patients for ultimate care.


Bottom line is that respect is rendered according to the service that you provide for your patients and ability to work with others.

 

[OSUDDS]

all of his posts have been the same for almost a year and a half now. they go something like this..

:cry: dentists arent real doctors, pharmacists arent real doctors, podiatrists are stupid, optometrists are idiots, chiropractors are jokers :cry: ...

i think we all understand by now. thank you very much billclinton for enlightening us all. MDs are geniuses, and even though it doesnt take much to become a DO, they are near-godlike as well. got it. thanks.

 

[billclinton]

all of his posts have been the same for almost a year and a half now. they go something like this..

:cry: dentists arent real doctors, pharmacists arent real doctors, podiatrists are stupid, optometrists are idiots, chiropractors are jokers :cry: ...

i think we all understand by now. thank you very much billclinton for enlightening us all. MDs are geniuses, and even though it doesnt take much to become a DO, they are near-godlike as well. got it. thanks.

well i am sorry you are so hurt to be a podiatrist. perhaps you should switch professions? i never bashed dentistry/optometry/pharmacy. i have closer ties with these professions than i care go into detail about. Most of chiropractic is hogwash, but that is a different story reserved for fantasy and bedtime stories.

Anyways, I am sorry that I hurt your feelings by calling you a podiatrist... geesh.

 

[OSUDDS]

who said any feelings got hurt?

all i was doing, was implying that "billclinton" is an idiot. it doesn't hurt my feelings to say that.

 

[billclinton]

who said any feelings got hurt?

all i was doing, was implying that "billclinton" is an idiot. it doesn't hurt my feelings to say that.

during arguments some of us have to resort to lying and name-calling, while others use our reason and intellect. i guess it is easier to do the former when you are fighting a losing battle. you must be still sore from the rejections. Don't really, podiatry will be a wonderful career for you... as soon as you get that chip off your shoulder. your other option of course would be to retake the MCAT or DAT again. if you can increase that 24 a few points, i'm sure you would be able to get into some medical school. perhaps then you wouldnt be so angry.

 

[Feli]

you guys should relax and look at billclinton's posts with more objectivity. The guy didn't say anything out of the ordinary - we're podiatry students and are future podiatrists - what is the big deal? You are not by any means "less" of a doctor if you're a DPM so lets not get carried away with all the semantics. Sure there were some misconceptions in his previous post but I think they were pointed out already: i.e. our multiple board exams and certifications + core medical rotations of PGY-1. The story listed about the podiatrist referring to the Hem/Onco team is exactly what we should strive to be - integral members in the healthcare team who diagnose, treat (conservatively/surgically), and refer patients for ultimate care.


Bottom line is that respect is rendered according to the service that you provide for your patients and ability to work with others.