Podiatry Career Satisfaction Poll 202[emoji2[emoji2391]9[emoji2391]]

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
diabeticfootdr

diabeticfootdr

Full Member
Verified Member
Faculty
Podiatrist
20+ Year Member
Joined
May 14, 2004
Messages
1,133
Reaction score
1,991

Attachments

  • IMG_1737.jpg
    IMG_1737.jpg
    306 KB · Views: 210
More than half of dpms in the poll were not very satisfied. Sounds consistent to me. I've said repeatedly that if podiatry was truly terrible then things would be easier, we'd all agree that changes need to be made. For now, continue to ignore us at your peril.
 
Adam Smasher said:
More than half of dpms in the poll were not very satisfied. Sounds consistent to me. I've said repeatedly that if podiatry was truly terrible then things would be easier, we'd all agree that changes need to be made. For now, continue to ignore us at your peril.
Click to expand...
Exactly... it's like "Neutral" feedback on eBay... we all know it's basically a negative.

The job of podiatry is not bad... it is simply the terrible ROI due to tuition inflation.
The majority of people answering PM News had much less debt. They're out of touch.
Present day, going to podiatry school and getting $300k-$400k+ of interest-bearing debt (on top of whatever from undergrad?) to have podiatry grads make under $200k on average is just not good ROI. It is not fun to have to go to rural areas just to salvage a reasonable income or hope for govt forgiveness just to pay off the loans.

....Nobody here can change that they made a rough financial decision... big debt with usually high end nurse / low end doc income.
While our decisions can't be changed, it is common sense to CAUTION those who are considering the same path.

Right now, I think the only people still telling young people (failed pre-meds, in this case) that HUGE loans are what they're "supposed to do" are the fluffers who benefit from a system of more podiatry student$, resident$, fellow$, associate$, sponsor$, etc. And we all know the OP here is one of those. People will think for themselves.
 
Last edited:
Anyway, good button pressing by Dr. Rodgers.

To me - the most dangerous narrative about this forum is
(a) we're repetitive
(b) we're boring
(c) and we have sticks up our asses.

Gotta keep it fresh and interesting. If we don't, in 40 years we'll be the future equivalent of PM News and kids at The Podiatry School for Nailcare and Woundcare Nurses will be asking if they should use Pocket Pod on clerkships at some other website probably run by a podiatry dean that pays for itself with Organogenesis and Tolcylen ads.
 
Feli said:
Exactly... it's like "Neutral" feedback on eBay... we all know it's basically a negative.

The job of podiatry is not bad... it is simply the terrible ROI due to tuition inflation.
The majority of people answering PM News had much less debt. They're out of touch.
Present day, going to podiatry school and getting $300k-$400k+ of interest-bearing debt (on top of whatever from undergrad?) to have podiatry grads make under $200k on average is just not good ROI. It is not fun to have to go to rural areas just to salvage a reasonable income or hope for govt forgiveness just to pay off the loans.

....Nobody here can change that they made a rough financial decision... big debt with usually high end nurse / low end doc income.
While our decisions can't be changed, it is common sense to CAUTION those who are considering the same path.

Right now, I think the only people still telling young people (failed pre-meds, in this case) that HUGE loans are what they're "supposed to do" are the fluffers who benefit from a system of more podiatry student$, resident$, fellow$, associate$, sponsor$, etc. And we all know the OP here is one of those. People will think for themselves.
Click to expand...
My older colleagues can’t understand why newer grads are graduating with over 300K loans. They would say “when I was in podiatry school, I worked and didn’t have any debt, why didn’t you work while in school?” Or “residents these days are lucky making 60K a year as resident, when I was a resident I made so much less.”
 
I'd love to see them run a poll with a simple, direct question: "Satisfied or Not Satisfied?"
 
Unfortunately there are reasons why admissions are so easy.

Does podiatry give many an opportunity to be a surgeon with a good income or is it a profession that has a long and expensive career path with variable training and a job market worse than many expected? Whoever said the answer can not be yes to both?
 
Bored Snorlax said:
I'd love to see them run a poll with a simple, direct question: "Satisfied or Not Satisfied?"
Click to expand...
I mean with only 2 choices I would be in the satisfied camp, but I'd still be on here telling students

(a) that the debt is high
(b) that the payor environment is deteriorating / rates are decreasing/ barriers are increasing
(c) that I can't afford enough staff to fight all of the above in (b)
(d) and that your situation will be worse because I'm an owner and you'll be keeping even less

My practice is an engine that runs entirely upon me as fuel.
 
heybrother said:
I mean with only 2 choices I would be in the satisfied camp, but I'd still be on here telling students

(a) that the debt is high
(b) that the payor environment is deteriorating / rates are decreasing/ barriers are increasing
(c) that I can't afford enough staff to fight all of the above in (b)
(d) and that your situation will be worse because I'm an owner and you'll be keeping even less

My practice is an engine that runs entirely upon me as fuel.
Click to expand...
No worries, I’ll just marry the daughter of the 90 y/o mustache pod in town.
 
heybrother said:
with only 2 choices I would be in the satisfied camp,
Click to expand...
Ditto me. Certainly I'm not going to say that becoming a podiatrist was the best thing I've ever done, because like the rest of us, I'm aware of the other things I could have done with my life and would not have needed to make the sacrifices that I continue to make. Disappointing, yes, but it hasn't been a horror show and I'm not going to lie and say it is.

Ultimately I don't like these kinds of questions, because presupposes an outsized importance of your career on your mental outlook. You are not your job. Your job should not be the only thing that brings you satisfaction in life. It shouldn't even be your main source of personal satisfaction. Because what happens if you need to take time off? Or when you retire? For some people it causes a major identity crisis if all they have is their work.

I work so I can finance things that actually DO bring me satisfaction. Not everything is within my reach, but many things are, and those are the pursuits that I allow to define me. To anyone out there who is truly miserable, it isn't necessarily the unpleasantness of podiatry keeping you down but rather that your work has overtaken the other dimensions of your life that bring you real joy and meaning.
 
Release a PM News age poll next. I’d wager a good majority made their money during the golden days.

Am I happy? Yes.

Would I be happier if I pursued a career that didn’t require 300-400k debt, rigorous schooling and training, I could work from home without call or fear of a lawsuit and still make the same money (with an extra 7 years of my life to make money to boot).

Also yes.

One thing I’ll say in support of podiatry is that between schooling and residency it did give me the ability to work hard and smart in a way that likely wouldn’t have challenged me mentally if I took a desk job. The noose of “you better pass this test or you’re SOL with a massive debt for life and no promising job” is a great motivator to get smart. There’s definitely something to that. But also - 7 years of your life. That’s a lot of time spent I could’ve climbed for management in a finance or some other drone job after college
 
Last edited:
desertpod8 said:
My older colleagues can’t understand why newer grads are graduating with over 300K loans. They would say “when I was in podiatry school, I worked and didn’t have any debt, why didn’t you work while in school?” Or “residents these days are lucky making 60K a year as resident, when I was a resident I made so much less.”
Click to expand...

That’s because they didn’t go to actual school. Ask them about the brachial plexus.
 
Hybrocure said:
That’s because they didn’t go to actual school. Ask them about the brachial plexus.
Click to expand...
There are podiatrists still practicing that graduated in the 90s who never took the MCAT. They got in with a GRE score. These DPMs sit on boards and make major decisions for the entire profession. They are the ones who make getting privileges hard in some states. They are the ones gate keeping. They are the ones giving expert testimony.
 
Retrograde_Nail said:
There are podiatrists still practicing that graduated in the 90s who never took the MCAT. They got in with a GRE score. These DPMs sit on boards and make major decisions for the entire profession. They are the ones who make getting privileges hard in some states. They are the ones gate keeping. They are the ones giving expert testimony.
Click to expand...
The 90s? There are ones still practicing from the 70s
 
Retrograde_Nail said:
There are podiatrists still practicing that graduated in the 90s who never took the MCAT. They got in with a GRE score. These DPMs sit on boards and make major decisions for the entire profession. They are the ones who make getting privileges hard in some states. They are the ones gate keeping. They are the ones giving expert testimony.
Click to expand...
These are the ones who also did a 12 or 24 month residency grandfathered in by our gold standard “abfas” lmao
 
That thread was truly memorable--and not because of the poll question
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Jummy Biffett
  • Poll Poll
Podiatry Satisfaction Poll
5 6 7 8 9
Replies
424
Views
26K
halluxander.the.great
H
D
  • Poll Poll
Podiatry Job Market Satisfaction
Replies
31
Views
5K
newfeet
newfeet
Homo sapien
Podiatry ancillaries
Replies
30
Views
3K
air bud
air bud
heybrother
Texas medical, veterinary, dental and podiatry applications - 2022-2025
Replies
23
Views
2K
Boba Foot
Boba Foot
DogSnoot
Pediatric Practice in Podiatry
Replies
20
Views
2K
heybrother
heybrother
Top