I'm seriously bummed that there seems to be so much professional turmoil in podiatry. I'm a grad student planning to go to medical school in a couple years, and have a pretty high opinion of podiatry, for the following reasons:
1. I come from South Texas, where virtually everyone seems to have really nasty diabetes. Podiatrists do well there in part because they are able to deal with the foot issues of this population affordably. The average MD/DO seriously is NOT interested in feet unless they are turning black--by which time it's too late.
2. I saw a DPM for warts and she did an excellent surgical job of removing them. A dermotologist probably would have just given me more saliciclic (sp?) acid and sent me home, but they were really ugly (south texas surfer--my feet need to look good!) and my DPM was happy to get out the novocaine and dig those suckers out by the roots while I watched! Pretty cool, though it looked and felt like a shark had bitten off half my big toe...
3. In sum, it DOESN'T MATTER that an M.D./D.O. can legally do everything a D.P.M. can do. The bottom line is that they don't. I've never had an MD so much as glance at my feet during a physical exam. Feet are prone to infection, problems from bad shoe fit, blood supply problems, etc., and good wound/surgical care requires frequent visits and the attention of a specialist.
4. With the explosion of type II diabetes in this country, D.P.M.'s will be in increasing demand, although I don't know enough to say if the D.P.M. schools are graduating too many or not.
5. As a general internist, I would quickly learn who the best D.P.M.'s in the area were and send my badly diabetic patients to see them on a monthly basis. Same goes for minor surgery. If I knew a D.P.M. who was an accomplished deep-tissue surgeon, I would have no problems making surgical referrals to him or her.
6. Finally--WHO CARES IF MOST DPM'S ORGINALLY WANTED TO BE MD'S? ANYONE who can credibly apply to medical school today is a pretty accomplished individual. The world is full of skilled professionals of all types who didn't get into medical school, and we're better off for it.
High standards are a good thing, of course, and it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to close some of the weaker DPM schools if this is getting to be a problem. I suspect, however, that as the diabetes epidemic continues to explode, DPM's will be in greater demand.
1. I come from South Texas, where virtually everyone seems to have really nasty diabetes. Podiatrists do well there in part because they are able to deal with the foot issues of this population affordably. The average MD/DO seriously is NOT interested in feet unless they are turning black--by which time it's too late.
2. I saw a DPM for warts and she did an excellent surgical job of removing them. A dermotologist probably would have just given me more saliciclic (sp?) acid and sent me home, but they were really ugly (south texas surfer--my feet need to look good!) and my DPM was happy to get out the novocaine and dig those suckers out by the roots while I watched! Pretty cool, though it looked and felt like a shark had bitten off half my big toe...
3. In sum, it DOESN'T MATTER that an M.D./D.O. can legally do everything a D.P.M. can do. The bottom line is that they don't. I've never had an MD so much as glance at my feet during a physical exam. Feet are prone to infection, problems from bad shoe fit, blood supply problems, etc., and good wound/surgical care requires frequent visits and the attention of a specialist.
4. With the explosion of type II diabetes in this country, D.P.M.'s will be in increasing demand, although I don't know enough to say if the D.P.M. schools are graduating too many or not.
5. As a general internist, I would quickly learn who the best D.P.M.'s in the area were and send my badly diabetic patients to see them on a monthly basis. Same goes for minor surgery. If I knew a D.P.M. who was an accomplished deep-tissue surgeon, I would have no problems making surgical referrals to him or her.
6. Finally--WHO CARES IF MOST DPM'S ORGINALLY WANTED TO BE MD'S? ANYONE who can credibly apply to medical school today is a pretty accomplished individual. The world is full of skilled professionals of all types who didn't get into medical school, and we're better off for it.
High standards are a good thing, of course, and it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to close some of the weaker DPM schools if this is getting to be a problem. I suspect, however, that as the diabetes epidemic continues to explode, DPM's will be in greater demand.
