podiatry future

[surgeonpod]

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Hi guys......
I have question.....i would really really appreciate it if you guys can help me with it. I am seriously considering podiatry medical school. Since the profession is small....I m not really sure if it's going to be stable in the future. I wanted to go to medical school....and got accepted to some medical schools in the carrebean. But, I didn't want to be primary care physician cz that would be pretty much my only option after going to carrebean medical school.

Before I spend 7 years of life into podiatric medicine? I want to know that there is security out there for me.
how much can I expect to make once i come out podiatry school and residency?

please please please help me.....give me your opinion ...i dont care if its negative or positive.....I just want your honest opinion.....thank you very much.

 

[janV88]

There is tons of opportunity in podiatry. The field has changed so much in the past 20 years (positive change) that I can only imagine what will happen in the next 20 years.

A popular option (well it's gaining popularity) is to sign with an ortho group. Expect to have a high volume of surgery and pay in the $200-300k as an associate.

If you are interested, research is in need of research podiatrists. Lots of research to be done and I would think (because there are so few research podiatrists) that it would be fairly "easy" to make a name for yourself.

As far as the "normal" or most common podiatry practice. From what I have seen, the majority of podiatrists usually work monday - saturday. 2 days..usually the mornings...are spent in the OR. Income is atleast $150k.

Income is something thats hard to "estimate". If you are in a bad location or you don't work hard then you could potentially earn as low as ~$50k. If you work hard, practice in a busy location, hire associates, open a surgery center, found a busy podiatry or multispecialty group...you could potentially make 7 figures. There are a lot of factors but if you are hard working, ethical, personable...you will most likely be payed well above the average american.

 

[surgeonpod]

There is tons of opportunity in podiatry. The field has changed so much in the past 20 years (positive change) that I can only imagine what will happen in the next 20 years.

A popular option (well it's gaining popularity) is to sign with an ortho group. Expect to have a high volume of surgery and pay in the $200-300k as an associate.

If you are interested, research is in need of research podiatrists. Lots of research to be done and I would think (because there are so few research podiatrists) that it would be fairly "easy" to make a name for yourself.

As far as the "normal" or most common podiatry practice. From what I have seen, the majority of podiatrists usually work monday - saturday. 2 days..usually the mornings...are spent in the OR. Income is atleast $150k.

Income is something thats hard to "estimate". If you are in a bad location or you don't work hard then you could potentially earn as low as ~$50k. If you work hard, practice in a busy location, hire associates, open a surgery center, found a busy podiatry or multispecialty group...you could potentially make 7 figures. There are a lot of factors but if you are hard working, ethical, personable...you will most likely be payed well above the average american.

klhlhlh

 

[janV88]

Thank you for answering so quickly....how reliable is the source where you got this $200,000 from? If this is the case, then how come podiatry school doesn't get flooded with the application? Why is it so much easier to get into? You are pretty much an orthopedic surgeon with a shorter residency with equal pay. Is it a respected field? do ppl make fun of them like chiro?

I got the $200k figure from various posts but here is one of the most recent example, http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=9008146&postcount=2

The reason why podiatry schools don't get flooded with apps is because the average pre-med...probably the average pre-anything...is full of wrong assumptions of what medicine/healthcare is really like. And there is a correlation between ease of acceptance and number of applicants. The more applicants, the higher the competition thus the higher the average stats.

I wouldn't say the pay is equal to ortho. Ortho has a lot of "big money" procedures that, relatively, pay more than foot and ankle surgery. An ortho can easily start out at $300k+.

As for respect...this is something that is earned. Your initials will not automatically give you respect...nor will they take away respect. I know that in the pre-med world, initials are everything. Pre-meds love to rank undergrad colleges, med schools, podiatry schools, specialties, etc. But in the real world it really does not matter. What you will be judged on is how good you are at what you do. Of course you will hear some ignorant rant against podiatrists but this occurs no matter what field you go into. Whether you go into internal med, family med, emergency med, or gen surg, ortho, psych...there will always be people out there who will put you down. Contrary to what pre-meds think...becoming an MD does not give you a key to the "old boy's club". Medicine is full of egos and you will experience discrimination no matter what specialty you go into.

As for getting made fun of. Like I said above...it'll probably happen. But from what I have read online and my experience with my brother being an MD and introducing me to podiatry...this notion of being made fun of just because one is a podiatrist usually only occurs among pre-med/med students. In the real world only the occasional a**hole will make fun of you just because you "only clip toenails".

In the end you have to do what you see yourself doing 30 years from now. If you are only looking for money...then podiatry is probably not for you. There are other fields which make more money. In my opinion the most underrated specialty as far as income goes is Emergency Medicine. One of my brother's senior residents just signed a contract for $300/hr. 😱 Imagine, an EM physician takes no call, "full time" is about 32-40 hours/week, and get paid $300/hour. If you work 40hr/week that is $600k/yr! Without taking call!

But who knows what will happen. With the looming healthcare bill and the current healthcare climate...things can change drastically in the years to come. This is why I suggest that you figure out what you see yourself doing 30 years from now. You have to figure out what you want to do.

 

[sorham]

From what I have heard Podiatry has a bright future, but you will hear the contrary too if you look for it. To me it all depends on how hard you are willing to work for it, both in school to get the right residency placement, and once you are out. From what I understand being a DPM does not mean automatic wealth, but the potential is there for a great career! Like janV88 said you could end up making 50k if you're lazy enough, but the average I always see is in the low to mid 100Ks with potential to make more depending on situation. There are a lot of threads arguing about income of a podiatrist on here, you can search them out if you want. As JanV88 said dirst just decide if you want to do this, it sucks getting into a career you dislike, money will come if you enjoy what you do and you're good at it. Go shadow a couple podiatrists and see what they say and what their days are like.

 

[surgeonpod]

Thank you guys for replying. I actually already shadowed a podiatrist a week ago. He said it's great and he likes it.....but he didnt tell me his annual income. He told me to go look it up on APMA website. I liked what I saw in the office. TO be honest.....I just wanted something to do in the healthcare and make good money. I dont care if i become dentist, podiatrist , pediatrician, or internist. Podiatry will be easiest for me to get in. I like dentistry a lot cz there is no residency after school. I dont like medical school for very LOng residency after medical school. It seems like you can make more money in podiatry than dentistry. give me some insight on that please. Oral surgeon would be something actually something I would enjoy more than podiatry. BUt i heard that its hard to get oral surgeon residency after dental school. Is that true?

 

[sorham]

versus dentist pod income here is discussion on another thread...
http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=363113&highlight=dentist+podiatrist

 

[surgeonpod]

thanks sorhahttp://www.bls.gov/oes/2008/may/oes_MI.htm

 

[spo01]

Thank you guys for replying. I actually already shadowed a podiatrist a week ago. He said it's great and he likes it.....but he didnt tell me his annual income. He told me to go look it up on APMA website. I liked what I saw in the office. TO be honest.....I just wanted something to do in the healthcare and make good money. I dont care if i become dentist, podiatrist , pediatrician, or internist. Podiatry will be easiest for me to get in. I like dentistry a lot cz there is no residency after school. I dont like medical school for very LOng residency after medical school. It seems like you can make more money in podiatry than dentistry. give me some insight on that please. Oral surgeon would be something actually something I would enjoy more than podiatry. BUt i heard that its hard to get oral surgeon residency after dental school. Is that true?

You should really find out what interests you the most. I think you will find through rotations and shadowing that those careers may not interest you as much as you think.
Many dentists do a residency too (atleast 1 year). Podiatry residency will be 3 years so it also has a "long residency after medical school".
Some podiatrists make more than dentists and some dentists make more than podiatrists. Generally speaking, of all the fields dentistry is where it's at in terms of money/hours and less bs in terms of how you are paid.

 

[PADPM]

surgeonpod,

I've read, and re-read your posts, and I would be hesitant to recommend that you presently become a podiatrist.

I'm simply being honest, and from reading your posts carefully it certainly does not seem as if you're entering the field because it's your first choice or because it's what your REALLY want.

Your posts are all over the place. In one post you state that you don't care if you are a podiatrist, a pediatrician, a dentist or an internist!!!! Well there is a HUGE difference between each one of those professions, so you really SHOULD "care".

Then, in another post you state you'd really prefer to be an oral surgeon vs. a podiatrist!! If that's the case, do you really want to spend a CAREER doing something you don't really want to do?

In another post, you stated that you considered dentistry because you didn't have to do a residency, yet podiatric residencies are now averaging THREE years.

And of course the question that seems to be your biggest concern is your future earnings and which profession "earns the most". If earnings is your primary concern, you're going to have to understand that no matter which profession you choose, there are NO guarantees. NONE.

There are podiatrists that make millions, and podiatrists that barely make a living. There are dentists and pediatricians with the same stats. And a local internist by one of my offices just shut his office because he couldn't meet his payroll!!

So, my recommendation would be to stop "shopping" and base your decision on which profession you actually want to practice as a CAREER. Income will follow, since all the professions you mention are extremely stable.

To be good at anything, it will take a commitment, so not wanting to do a residency doesn't really sound like someone that is presently committed.

There are a lot of other professions that make a lot of money without having to go through the rigors of professional school and post graduate training.

 

[surgeonpod]

surgeonpod,

I've read, and re-read your posts, and I would be hesitant to recommend that you presently become a podiatrist.

I'm simply being honest, and from reading your posts carefully it certainly does not seem as if you're entering the field because it's your first choice or because it's what your REALLY want.

Your posts are all over the place. In one post you state that you don't care if you are a podiatrist, a pediatrician, a dentist or an internist!!!! Well there is a HUGE difference between each one of those professions, so you really SHOULD "care".

Then, in another post you state you'd really prefer to be an oral surgeon vs. a podiatrist!! If that's the case, do you really want to spend a CAREER doing something you don't really want to do?

In another post, you stated that you considered dentistry because you didn't have to do a residency, yet podiatric residencies are now averaging THREE years.

And of course the question that seems to be your biggest concern is your future earnings and which profession "earns the most". If earnings is your primary concern, you're going to have to understand that no matter which profession you choose, there are NO guarantees. NONE.

There are podiatrists that make millions, and podiatrists that barely make a living. There are dentists and pediatricians with the same stats. And a local internist by one of my offices just shut his office because he couldn't meet his payroll!!

So, my recommendation would be to stop "shopping" and base your decision on which profession you actually want to practice as a CAREER. Income will follow, since all the professions you mention are extremely stable.

To be good at anything, it will take a commitment, so not wanting to do a residency doesn't really sound like someone that is presently committed.

There are a lot of other professions that make a lot of money without having to go through the rigors of professional school and post graduate training.

Thank you very much PADPM for helping me in this situation. I HAVe shadowed both podiatrist and dentist. I actually like both of them. I have always wanted to do something in healthcare and make good living either Physician, dentist, or podiatric physician. Based on my grades, I think it would be much easier for me to get into podiatry school than dental school. to PADPM- In your opinion....who makes more money on avg. ? podiatrist or dentist? bcs i would rather do something that would give me comfortable living. from reading other posts.....it seems like podiatrist are looked down upon by other healthcare ppl....what's your take on that? Thank you.🙂

 

[215353]

Thank you very much PADPM for helping me in this situation. I HAVe shadowed both podiatrist and dentist. I actually like both of them. I have always wanted to do something in healthcare and make good living either Physician, dentist, or podiatric physician. Based on my grades, I think it would be much easier for me to get into podiatry school than dental school. to PADPM- In your opinion....who makes more money on avg. ? podiatrist or dentist? bcs i would rather do something that would give me comfortable living. from reading other posts.....it seems like podiatrist are looked down upon by other healthcare ppl....what's your take on that? Thank you.🙂

Listen, if you are basing your future career choice on how much money you will potentially make and what other people think then you are setting yourself up for a dissapointing life and possibly failure.

There is a difference btw liking something and loving it. It really seems you haven't made your mind up yet. What do you specifically like about podiatry or dentistry other then the materialistic and superficial benefits? If you can't answer this question honestly with good reasons then your not ready to commit yourself to something for a lifetime.

Stop asking everyone on this forum about salaries and do a search please.

 

[GeauxT]

Surgeonpod, from what I can take from this thread, I would have to say that podiatry is not for you. I understand that you have pretty of questions that most have when investigating which direction to point their lives in, but it is obvious, at least here, that podiatry is not something you have any zeal for. It is simply one of several options, neither of which seem to be what you really want to do. None of the professions you listed have anything to do with each other besides going through some sort of medical school. Yes being any of those would mean you are a doctor, but it is like saying you are trying to decide between being a physics professor, an art professor, and an english professor. All professors yes, any similarities? No. My point is simply to say that simply settling for what is easiest to get into, and which has the shortest residency, and which guarantees the most money (nothing in life is guaranteed) is not going to lead to you being happy later in life. I think you need to heed PADPM's advice and take a good long look at what professions you are considering and why.

On a side note, one of the main reasons, in my opinion and experience, for any PERCEIVED inferiority in this profession is the fact that many come to it who, for whatever reason, were not successful in their application to other health science professions. The lower admissions standards of podiatry schools is NOT a reflection of an inferior institution, as many (possibly all) podiatry schools are associated with other medical schools, and pod students actually take the exact same classes and tests as "regular" medical students. As knowledge about the profession grows, so does respect for it. Modern day podiatrists are every bit physicians, and need not apologize to anyone!

I could continue...but I'll get off my soapbox best of luck if you do decide that podiatry is REALLY what you want to do.

 

[215353]

One more point on this potential salary nonsense....it doesn't mean jack what you could potentially make for one big reason...

If you don't do well in school and aren't in the upper 1/3 of your class then most likely you won't land one of the highly coveted residency spots that offer their residents the best surgical training opportunities....

Less skill = less lobbying power you have to get a solid salary coming out of your residency training with a pod or ortho group....

Private practice is becoming a thing of the past as well and in this economy it seems like a really daunting task as well.

 

[surgeonpod]

Surgeonpod, from what I can take from this thread, I would have to say that podiatry is not for you. I understand that you have pretty of questions that most have when investigating which direction to point their lives in, but it is obvious, at least here, that podiatry is not something you have any zeal for. It is simply one of several options, neither of which seem to be what you really want to do. None of the professions you listed have anything to do with each other besides going through some sort of medical school. Yes being any of those would mean you are a doctor, but it is like saying you are trying to decide between being a physics professor, an art professor, and an english professor. All professors yes, any similarities? No. My point is simply to say that simply settling for what is easiest to get into, and which has the shortest residency, and which guarantees the most money (nothing in life is guaranteed) is not going to lead to you being happy later in life. I think you need to heed PADPM's advice and take a good long look at what professions you are considering and why.

On a side note, one of the main reasons, in my opinion and experience, for any PERCEIVED inferiority in this profession is the fact that many come to it who, for whatever reason, were not successful in their application to other health science professions. The lower admissions standards of podiatry schools is NOT a reflection of an inferior institution, as many (possibly all) podiatry schools are associated with other medical schools, and pod students actually take the exact same classes and tests as "regular" medical students. As knowledge about the profession grows, so does respect for it. Modern day podiatrists are every bit physicians, and need not apologize to anyone!

I could continue...but I'll get off my soapbox best of luck if you do decide that podiatry is REALLY what you want to do.

Thank you guys for replying....I am accepted at Scholl college of podiatric medicine for 2014 class. But, when i tell ppl that i am going to podiatry school.......i dont like that stigma. But i dont care as long as i am making around 150,000. I could laugh my way to the bank. I wanted to do oral surgery or orthopedic surgeon. But podiatry is pretty much similar to orthopedic surgeon. What I am interested in is surgery and money. It's not all about the money but most of it is!!🙂

 

[PADPM]

Surgeonpod,

You read my post, but you DO NOT GET IT. Or you're obviously being sarcastic, because after reading all the posts, you can not be serious.

There is no guarantee that you will be accepted into a strong surgical residency program, and upon graduation there is no guarantee that you will be performing surgery as your primary source of income or as your primary source of patient care. And there is CERTAINLY never a guarantee of income upon graduation. So I believe you may be "counting your eggs before they're hatched".

If "most" of what you care about is the money, there are a LOT of other ways to make money, and I highly recommend you explore those routes, since they are a lot less time consuming and costly than the podiatric route.

Therefore, here's my advice:

Dentists make TONS of money, and podiatrists are just lowly toenail cutting, massage therapists that don't make squat.

PLEASE, dental school is for YOU.

 

[arez10]

I think before anyone else helps you with your decision, you should list reasons why you want to go into dentistry as well as reasons why you'd like to go into podiatry. If your only reasoning for both is money, then seriously consider forgetting about healthcare. I doubt you will be happy after all of this is through. Both fields are exhausting. You will have less time for friends and family and other free time. You will sleep less and study more. To truly be happy as a dentist, podiatrist, etc you need to more than tolerate it. You can't just say "Oh this doesn't seem bad" because you don't know how you will react when you actually go through dental/podiatry school and residency. So when it is actually harder than you imagined, you can't just have money get you through it. You need to have more of a passion for it otherwise you will be miserable.

 

[FootPro]

I think before anyone else helps you with your decision, you should list reasons why you want to go into dentistry as well as reasons why you'd like to go into podiatry. If your only reasoning for both is money, then seriously consider forgetting about healthcare. I doubt you will be happy after all of this is through. Both fields are exhausting. You will have less time for friends and family and other free time. You will sleep less and study more. To truly be happy as a dentist, podiatrist, etc you need to more than tolerate it. You can't just say "Oh this doesn't seem bad" because you don't know how you will react when you actually go through dental/podiatry school and residency. So when it is actually harder than you imagined, you can't just have money get you through it. You need to have more of a passion for it otherwise you will be miserable.

Nobody would do it if the pay off wasn't worth it.

 

[arez10]

If you read what I wrote carefully, I said money cannot be the ONLY reason to get into medicine. Of course if I was making minimum wage even after residency, it would be impractical to go into this career considering what it costs in loans to go through school.

 

[surgeonpod]

Surgeonpod,

You read my post, but you DO NOT GET IT. Or you're obviously being sarcastic, because after reading all the posts, you can not be serious.

There is no guarantee that you will be accepted into a strong surgical residency program, and upon graduation there is no guarantee that you will be performing surgery as your primary source of income or as your primary source of patient care. And there is CERTAINLY never a guarantee of income upon graduation. So I believe you may be "counting your eggs before they're hatched".

If "most" of what you care about is the money, there are a LOT of other ways to make money, and I highly recommend you explore those routes, since they are a lot less time consuming and costly than the podiatric route.

Therefore, here's my advice:

Dentists make TONS of money, and podiatrists are just lowly toenail cutting, massage therapists that don't make squat.

PLEASE, dental school is for YOU.

Thanks PADPM for replying.....I tried looking everywhere.....The healthcare practitionar makes the most money just abt anywhere u look.....I like studying medicine (i.e Foot and ankle surgery).....I also want to make money.

 

[Bootsie]

I definitely think that people going into podiatry should want to work with feet and know what they are getting into in the career. I also think it is reasonable to want to know what the earning potential is before taking on 150k in debt + interest and sacrificing 7 years. So thank you to those who replied because this question has been bothering me out for a while.