Podiatry option?

[zmkelchn]

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I have never even thought about being a podiatrist up until a few weeks ago. A pod lectured at my school on a surgical procedure he does at his foot and ankle center (nerve decompression for diabetics). I did not apply to any schools (MD, DO, or DPM), but would podiatry be a good option for someone who wants to do surgery if one wants to specialize. For example, for a MD or a DO to specialize in F&A, its 4 years of medical school, a 3-4 year residency, and then an additional 2-3 years of F&A fellowship. A podiatrist will have 4 years of podiatric med school, and then a 3 year residency and will be able to do the same surgeries as a MD (of course, just on the foot and ankle, assuming he/she does the 3 year residency). An MD or DO will be able to take general calls, a DPM would not. However, it seems that most pods generally have better hours and less on call time than the MD/DO orthopedic doctors.

Any advice, pros/cons, etc. before I apply to either program.

 

[apumic]

Research both areas.... Pods can have a great lifestyle and salary. (Lower salary than an MD but still great.) It really depends what you want to do. Are you willing to be forever restricted to foot/ankle medicine? It's really more of a personal choice than anything else. I'd post on the pod forums and/or look around. Also, google is your friend.

 

[J ROD]

Pod is not that bad and I hear the residencies are getting better. Some residencies teach you better than others.

You will not make the same money as a MD but if you get in a good location and are good, you can def make a nice living.

I think Pods are on the come up and thought about it myself before but MD is a better option for me.

 

[Catalystik]

See SDN's Pre-Podiatry forum for general discussions that can help answer your concerns.

 

[surgeonpod]

its not true.....some pods make than family practitionar and pediatrician

podiatrist
http://www.cejkasearch.com/compensation/amga_midlevel_compensation_survey.htm

http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&jobfamilycode=12&txtKeyword=podiatrist&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Healthcare+--+Practitioners&hdZipCode=48315&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=1&pagefrom=selectjob&hdJobCategory=HC03&hdGeoLocation=Utica%2C+MI+48315&countertype=0&totaljoblistnum=1&joblevelcode=2&hdCurrentPage=1&hdNarrowDesc=Healthcare+--+Practitioners&hdLocationOption=0&hdViewAllRecords=0&hdJobTitle=Physician+-+Podiatry&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=podiatrist&rdbSearchByOption=0&hdStateMetro=53&jobcounter=1&hdSortBy=0&hdJobCode=HC07000103&hdJSBoolDisplayAdvertisement=&hdAjaxKeyword=podiatrist&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23podiatrist%23&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=1&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=0

http://www.salaryexpert.com/index.c...salary-data-details&PositionId=2938&CityId=67



http://www.bls.gov/oes/2008/may/oes_mi.htm

http://www.cbsalary.com/salary_char...diatrist&specialty=Podiatrist+Orthopedic&ns=1

 

[surgeonpod]

here is the official salary for physicians, podiatric physicains and dentist....


http://www.cejkasearch.com/compensation/amga_physician_compensation_survey.htm

http://www.cejkasearch.com/compensation/amga_midlevel_compensation_survey.htm

 

[surgeonpod]

It all depends...

 

[surftheiop]

I had never really even heard of them until I started getting ready to apply to medical school, seems like its a pretty interesting field. I just wouldn't like that you have to choose one body system so early in your career (my same thoughts about dentistry).

I like that in medicine we will get to try almost everything before we choose

 

[surgeonpod]

just bcs you go to medical school doesn't mean that you will get to be that neuro surgeon or cadiothoracic surgeon That's only 5 to 10 percent of medical students who will get to be that surgeon.....If you are not in that top 70 MD school......you can pretty much forget about getting ROAD specialties...( radiology, orthopedic,anesthesiology,dermatology).....Internal medicine and family prac is not so hard to get.....but If you subspecialize like into cardiology or nephrology then you can make around $400,000.......medical school is awesome......but just bcs you want to be ortho surgeon ...doesn't mean you will become one..........that's prolly 10% of US medical graduates.......

 

[surftheiop]

just bcs you go to medical school doesn't mean that you will get to be that neuro surgeon or cadiothoracic surgeon that's only 5 to 10 percent of medical students who will get to be that surgeon.....if you are not in that top 70 md school......you can pretty much forget about getting road specialties...( radiology, orthopedic,anesthesiology,dermatology).....internal medicine and family prac is not so hard to get.....but if you subspecialize like into cardiology or nephrology then you can make around $400,000.......medical school is awesome......but just bcs you want to be ortho surgeon ...doesn't mean you will become one..........that's prolly 10% of us medical graduates.......

.... .... .....

 

[auburnO5]

just bcs you go to medical school doesn't mean that you will get to be that neuro surgeon or cadiothoracic surgeon That's only 5 to 10 percent of medical students who will get to be that surgeon.....If you are not in that top 70 MD school......you can pretty much forget about getting ROAD specialties...( radiology, orthopedic,anesthesiology,dermatology).....Internal medicine and family prac is not so hard to get.....but If you subspecialize like into cardiology or nephrology then you can make around $400,000.......medical school is awesome......but just bcs you want to be ortho surgeon ...doesn't mean you will become one..........that's prolly 10% of US medical graduates.......

Umm..... i would.... probably.... check on those numbers.....

 

[apolito2321]

just bcs you go to medical school doesn't mean that you will get to be that neuro surgeon or cadiothoracic surgeon That's only 5 to 10 percent of medical students who will get to be that surgeon.....If you are not in that top 70 MD school......you can pretty much forget about getting ROAD specialties...( radiology, orthopedic,anesthesiology,dermatology).....Internal medicine and family prac is not so hard to get.....but If you subspecialize like into cardiology or nephrology then you can make around $400,000.......medical school is awesome......but just bcs you want to be ortho surgeon ...doesn't mean you will become one..........that's prolly 10% of US medical graduates.......

Wow. I'm not trying to be mean, but please post your sources or detail your experiences that allow you to make these assumptions, as you are otherwise at risk of embarrassing yourself profusely. Also, I know this is a long shot, but try not to reply with "I heard it from X person, who heard it from..." as a reference. I like how you took the time to explain what ROAD specialties were to us, though. Thanks for that.

 

[surgeonpod]

k

 

[surgeonpod]

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sportsmedicine/ht/orthopedic.htm

 

[MaryLennox]

If you are not in that top 70 MD school......you can pretty much forget about getting ROAD specialties...( radiology, orthopedic,anesthesiology,dermatology)

uh huh . . . this is my favorite one.

i don't know how many med schools there are now, but i think it's in the neighborhood of 130+? so nobody in approximately the top HALF of med schools get into ROAD specialties?

I don't have my MSAR on me but I am fairly certain that most, if not all schools, frequently match in most, if not all these specialties.

 

[auburnO5]

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sportsmedicine/ht/orthopedic.htm

Wow what a great source.

"Difficulty: Hard"

Oh, it's difficult to become an orthopedic surgeon?? Who would've thought!!

 

[MaryLennox]

Wow what a great source.

"Difficulty: Hard"

Oh, it's difficult to become an orthopedic surgeon?? Who would've thought!!

well, it is About.com . . . if you can't trust their assessment, who can you really trust??

 

[apolito2321]

k

http://health.usf.edu/nocms/publicaffairs/now/pdfs/Match2009_LIST.pdf

That's the 2009 match list for USF, my undergrad, which is not a top 70 medical school. Check that for me, but I believe several students matched into ROAD specialties. Again, I ask you to support your claims.

About.com? You disappoint me 🙁.

 

[md2010sgu]

Hey man like everyone else said... if you can live with working SOLELY (no pun intended 😀) on the foot, go for it. That said, if you are looking for the "easy" way out without actually going to medical school than your probably better suited for something other than being a physician. Sorry if this seems harsh, but it's totally true.... Being a physician is hard grueling work, and it does NOT get easier, it's just harder the higher up you get because of more responsibility and less time to yourself (unless u want to be single without kids...than it won't be that much worse than residency). Fortunately, I love what I do and would never ever do anything else.

 

[Morsetlis]

But feet are smelly 🙁

 

[zmkelchn]

Thanks guys for the advice. And no, I am not looking for the "easy" way. Yes, I agree Pod school is easier to get into than traditional med school, but I'm sure the classes are basically on the same level of difficulty. There also seems to be a shift to the 3 year residency program with an emphasis on surgery from my understanding. If I have an interest in orthopedics and sports medicine, and have the ability to incorporate some derm, vascular, biomechanics, and primary care into one medical field, this field seems great. From the pods I shadowed, they averaged about 40-50 hours a week and made anywhere from $150,000-$300,000 and they all seemed enthusiastic about what they did. Of course, it took some time to get to this point, but hey, a med field that allows you to feel satisfied with your work, 40-50hrs a week with limited on call, and a comfortable salary seems good to me.

👍

 

[devilpup]

just bcs you go to medical school doesn't mean that you will get to be that neuro surgeon or cadiothoracic surgeon That's only 5 to 10 percent of medical students who will get to be that surgeon.....If you are not in that top 70 MD school......you can pretty much forget about getting ROAD specialties...( radiology, orthopedic,anesthesiology,dermatology).....Internal medicine and family prac is not so hard to get.....but If you subspecialize like into cardiology or nephrology then you can make around $400,000.......medical school is awesome......but just bcs you want to be ortho surgeon ...doesn't mean you will become one..........that's prolly 10% of US medical graduates.......

Grasshopper.

 

[Mackey]

Surgeonpod is my new favorite poster.

 

[surgeonpod]

Grasshopper.

You can suck my __ _ _ _ biatch

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

You can suck my __ _ _ _ biatch

It's the same size as that.

Now off you go to massage some feet.

 

[rama kandra]

this is awesome.

 

[auburnO5]

this is awesome.

Yes it is 👍

 

[Hoody]

But feet are smelly 🙁

no no. necrotizing facities is smelly. bowel in surgery is smelly. GI bledders are smelly. and as another poster mentioned, some types of lung infections can be putrid!

feet...no so bad.

 

[Mackey]

Hmm.. I think not. 😉

Your post says "no" but the wink says "yes."

Why don't you stop sending him mixed signals.

 

[snorlax]

no no. necrotizing facities is smelly. bowel in surgery is smelly. GI bledders are smelly. and as another poster mentioned, some types of lung infections can be putrid!

feet...no so bad.

good point! 😀

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Your post says "no" but the wink says "yes."

Why don't you stop sending him mixed signals.

If I stop that how will I manage to get him to massage my feet?

 

[devilpup]

You can suck my __ _ _ _ biatch

Weak.

Moderator, please ban this clown.

 

[zmkelchn]

surgeonpod - what point are you trying to make??? What does you initial post have to do with the pod option, assuming that individuals in med school will not get into their specialty. You’re just making ignorant posts here and causing problems. Lets grow up.

 

[surgeonpod]

I wish I never grew up!!!!