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Here is my synopsis of a doctor that I shadowed and interviewed. I discarded his name due to privacy but everything else is there.I have 5 patients that he treated and his time spent with them in the office along with an interview section. Enjoy.
.Dr. DPM.
. .
.Profile: .
·. ..35 years old, married two children.
·. ..College: New York College of Podiatry.
·. ..Residency: 3 years, certified by new York state and new jersey in foot and ankle surgery.
·. ..Opened up practice immediately after residency in 2003.
·. ..Patient database in hundreds.
·. ..Average number of patients in a day: 5 per hour for a total between 35-40.
. .
.December 28th, 2009.
.(Slow day).
.Total Patients: 21.
. .
.Patient #1.
·. ..Gaudy cyst removal.
·. ..50 years old.
·. ..Guat deposit on joint.
·. ..6 min.
.Patient #2.
·. ..Diabetic patient.
·. ..80 years old.
·. ..Filing down nails with vacuum machine.
·. ..Heel fissure.
·. ..8 min.
.Patient #3.
·. ..Diabetic patient.
·. ..43 years old.
·. ..Psoriasis lesion.
·. ..Scalpel removal.
·. ..Cream prescription.
·. ..4 min.
.Patient #4.
·. ..Motorcycle accident.
·. ..26 years old.
·. ..Nerve damage, toes curled neurological .
·. ..Operation to all 5 toes with nail in big toe and pins in lesser toes to straighten them out done by Dr. Lemberger.
·. ..Removal of pins.
·. ..X ray.
·. ..New dressing.
·. ..20 min.
.Patient #5.
·. ..Ingrown toenail.
·. ..56 years old.
·. ..Cut nail along horizontal.
·. ..Cortorized bottom of toe so nail doesnt grow anymore.
·. ..Inflamed nail cut in other toe.
·. ..Filing down using machine.
·. ..12 min.
.Interview:.
. .
.Q: How long is your typical day?.
.A: .
. I work from 9-12 then from 2-5pm, 5 days a week usually. I cant take off four weeks at a time but for the most part I can take off 2-3 days off anytime I want..
. .
.Q: What did you think of school?.
.A: .
.The main thing you absolutely need to understand is that going into podiatry school compared to medical school is that they are both identical in the first two years. You will have to work extremely hard even in the first two years of pod school as you will in medical school. After that however things get easier because you have already chosen your specialty and the rotations are already set up to certain standards which you can expect. This is nice if podiatry is something you absolutely want to do, not so nice if you change your mind halfway through. I know an obgyn who went to pod school and then dropped out after her first year because it wasnt for her. In medical school you can do whatever you want and have a lot more flexibility when choosing a specialty.
. .
.Q: what about going to medical school first then specializing in podiatry?.
.A: .
.This route is probably not the best idea. Let me tell you why. If you go that route you would be an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in the foot and ankle care. This is a dying field because generally podiatrists have taken over this area of the body. For orthopedic surgeons, they make more money in surgery for the hip, knees and upper extremities versus feet. There are some ortos in foot surgery left, but then again they are usually accompanied by a pod. If this is what you want to do the best thing financially would be to go straight to pod school. .
. .
.Q: Tell me about NYCPM and other Pod schools you would recommend:.
.A: .
.The thing with my school was that it was very clinical based, which was nice. Im not much for academics in the classroom setting. Harlem is Harlem, which although I would never live in the area, I had absolutely no problem going to and from the school. In NYC you see almost everything which was why I think I got quality education there. As far as pod schools that I would recommend, I would have to say the top three are Temple U, NYC, and Chicago..
. .
.Q: Do you have any thoughts on AZPOD?.
.A:.
. I personally wouldnt recommend it since it is a very new school and they dont have any roots established yet in podiatry. I would be very cautious applying there but also would encourage you to do more research on it. Another school that has a bad/ok rep is Barry in Miami. Although it is in Miami, again it doesnt have many roots and you probably dont get to see much as far as diversity in the clinical rotations. .
. .
.Q: What is the absolute worst part about podiatric medicine and your practice?.
.A: .
.There arent really a lot of thing that I can think of, because I truly love this profession. In school the problem with pods is as I stated earlier, you are in it for the long haul. You have already chosen your specialty and there is no wiggle room. But there is another side to it as well in that you dont need to worry about placement for rotations when the time comes. As far as my practice goes, I dont generally have a problem with my patients since what I do is low risk. I do however have many problems with insurance companies. When I have patients, many times I have to pre authorize medications and procedures on the phone which is total BS. Im a doctor, I shouldnt have to speak to a non professional on the other line of the phone to convince them that it is right. Also for example, pre-authorizing an MRI from different insurances companies is a huge hassle. It really prevents me and many other doctors, not just in podiatry, from practicing true medicine. I really dont think its going to get any better when you grow up, and in fact I think it will get worse. Sure many more people will be covered by insurance, but its the insurance companies that are laughing their way to the bank, not us..
. .
.Q: What is the best thing I can do then to optimize my medical education?.
.A: .
.If you want to have total control over your career, total control over your time, and total control over your finances, you MUST absolutely MUST open your own doors. Im glad I started my own practice early on in the game because I am living rather comfortably now and can work many more hours if I wanted an extra few grand per month, I just choose not to. .
. .
.Q: ..What did you think of opening up your own practice without any sort of team fellowship?.
.A:.
.It was hard but very exciting. You have to market yourself very well and sit down with doctors so they can give you referrals to your office. As you get to create a database of clients, they refer more patients to you by word of mouth if your services are legit. You can also sway who you want to see as you create a practice. You can sub specialize in pediatrics, or just athletics etc. The possibilities are endless when you open your own doors, but you must be a good business man for sure. .
. .
.Q: Why New Jersey?.
.A: .
.I-m originally from the city but my wife is from NJ so naturally I thought id practice here. It is also a great area to raise my children. There is something important you need to know about medicine in New Jersey. There is always someone else. If I wanted to close down my practice people can easily go to another pod, and thats where the quality of my work really stands out amongst other pods. Financially you can make much more in somewhere like Virginia where there may not be another pod for 50 miles and you are the only one. In this case you can negotiate with the insurance companies to pay you more. Over here in NJ insurance companies just laugh at you if you were to do the same. .
. .
. .
.Notes:.
. .
.Dr. stated that 80% of his salary comes from his office and 20% comes from operations he does at centrastate medical center. He opts not to take many surgeries as he is content with his current salary and wants more time to himself. .
.Dr. DPM.
. .
.Profile: .
·. ..35 years old, married two children.
·. ..College: New York College of Podiatry.
·. ..Residency: 3 years, certified by new York state and new jersey in foot and ankle surgery.
·. ..Opened up practice immediately after residency in 2003.
·. ..Patient database in hundreds.
·. ..Average number of patients in a day: 5 per hour for a total between 35-40.
. .
.December 28th, 2009.
.(Slow day).
.Total Patients: 21.
. .
.Patient #1.
·. ..Gaudy cyst removal.
·. ..50 years old.
·. ..Guat deposit on joint.
·. ..6 min.
.Patient #2.
·. ..Diabetic patient.
·. ..80 years old.
·. ..Filing down nails with vacuum machine.
·. ..Heel fissure.
·. ..8 min.
.Patient #3.
·. ..Diabetic patient.
·. ..43 years old.
·. ..Psoriasis lesion.
·. ..Scalpel removal.
·. ..Cream prescription.
·. ..4 min.
.Patient #4.
·. ..Motorcycle accident.
·. ..26 years old.
·. ..Nerve damage, toes curled neurological .
·. ..Operation to all 5 toes with nail in big toe and pins in lesser toes to straighten them out done by Dr. Lemberger.
·. ..Removal of pins.
·. ..X ray.
·. ..New dressing.
·. ..20 min.
.Patient #5.
·. ..Ingrown toenail.
·. ..56 years old.
·. ..Cut nail along horizontal.
·. ..Cortorized bottom of toe so nail doesnt grow anymore.
·. ..Inflamed nail cut in other toe.
·. ..Filing down using machine.
·. ..12 min.
.Interview:.
. .
.Q: How long is your typical day?.
.A: .
. I work from 9-12 then from 2-5pm, 5 days a week usually. I cant take off four weeks at a time but for the most part I can take off 2-3 days off anytime I want..
. .
.Q: What did you think of school?.
.A: .
.The main thing you absolutely need to understand is that going into podiatry school compared to medical school is that they are both identical in the first two years. You will have to work extremely hard even in the first two years of pod school as you will in medical school. After that however things get easier because you have already chosen your specialty and the rotations are already set up to certain standards which you can expect. This is nice if podiatry is something you absolutely want to do, not so nice if you change your mind halfway through. I know an obgyn who went to pod school and then dropped out after her first year because it wasnt for her. In medical school you can do whatever you want and have a lot more flexibility when choosing a specialty.
. .
.Q: what about going to medical school first then specializing in podiatry?.
.A: .
.This route is probably not the best idea. Let me tell you why. If you go that route you would be an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in the foot and ankle care. This is a dying field because generally podiatrists have taken over this area of the body. For orthopedic surgeons, they make more money in surgery for the hip, knees and upper extremities versus feet. There are some ortos in foot surgery left, but then again they are usually accompanied by a pod. If this is what you want to do the best thing financially would be to go straight to pod school. .
. .
.Q: Tell me about NYCPM and other Pod schools you would recommend:.
.A: .
.The thing with my school was that it was very clinical based, which was nice. Im not much for academics in the classroom setting. Harlem is Harlem, which although I would never live in the area, I had absolutely no problem going to and from the school. In NYC you see almost everything which was why I think I got quality education there. As far as pod schools that I would recommend, I would have to say the top three are Temple U, NYC, and Chicago..
. .
.Q: Do you have any thoughts on AZPOD?.
.A:.
. I personally wouldnt recommend it since it is a very new school and they dont have any roots established yet in podiatry. I would be very cautious applying there but also would encourage you to do more research on it. Another school that has a bad/ok rep is Barry in Miami. Although it is in Miami, again it doesnt have many roots and you probably dont get to see much as far as diversity in the clinical rotations. .
. .
.Q: What is the absolute worst part about podiatric medicine and your practice?.
.A: .
.There arent really a lot of thing that I can think of, because I truly love this profession. In school the problem with pods is as I stated earlier, you are in it for the long haul. You have already chosen your specialty and there is no wiggle room. But there is another side to it as well in that you dont need to worry about placement for rotations when the time comes. As far as my practice goes, I dont generally have a problem with my patients since what I do is low risk. I do however have many problems with insurance companies. When I have patients, many times I have to pre authorize medications and procedures on the phone which is total BS. Im a doctor, I shouldnt have to speak to a non professional on the other line of the phone to convince them that it is right. Also for example, pre-authorizing an MRI from different insurances companies is a huge hassle. It really prevents me and many other doctors, not just in podiatry, from practicing true medicine. I really dont think its going to get any better when you grow up, and in fact I think it will get worse. Sure many more people will be covered by insurance, but its the insurance companies that are laughing their way to the bank, not us..
. .
.Q: What is the best thing I can do then to optimize my medical education?.
.A: .
.If you want to have total control over your career, total control over your time, and total control over your finances, you MUST absolutely MUST open your own doors. Im glad I started my own practice early on in the game because I am living rather comfortably now and can work many more hours if I wanted an extra few grand per month, I just choose not to. .
. .
.Q: ..What did you think of opening up your own practice without any sort of team fellowship?.
.A:.
.It was hard but very exciting. You have to market yourself very well and sit down with doctors so they can give you referrals to your office. As you get to create a database of clients, they refer more patients to you by word of mouth if your services are legit. You can also sway who you want to see as you create a practice. You can sub specialize in pediatrics, or just athletics etc. The possibilities are endless when you open your own doors, but you must be a good business man for sure. .
. .
.Q: Why New Jersey?.
.A: .
.I-m originally from the city but my wife is from NJ so naturally I thought id practice here. It is also a great area to raise my children. There is something important you need to know about medicine in New Jersey. There is always someone else. If I wanted to close down my practice people can easily go to another pod, and thats where the quality of my work really stands out amongst other pods. Financially you can make much more in somewhere like Virginia where there may not be another pod for 50 miles and you are the only one. In this case you can negotiate with the insurance companies to pay you more. Over here in NJ insurance companies just laugh at you if you were to do the same. .
. .
. .
.Notes:.
. .
.Dr. stated that 80% of his salary comes from his office and 20% comes from operations he does at centrastate medical center. He opts not to take many surgeries as he is content with his current salary and wants more time to himself. .
