Podiatry to DO?

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DeezNutzonUrChin

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I have a few questions.

I'm teetering over the DO score chart for GPA and MCAT. 3.4 GPA 27 MCAT
Do people at podiatry schools have any luck transferring podiatry to DO? Specifically the DO/Pod schools like western, DMU, etc

Ultimately I want to be a surgeon, based on my research on microsurgery etc during undergrad podiatry seems to fit the bill more but what scares the daylights out of me is some posts on here showing how few jobs there are for podiatrists due to orthopedic surgeon pressure. I can do some type of surgery from all three programs, MD, DO, and DPM.

Money doesnt matter too much for me but if I can have a chance of making over 80,000 K a year then that would be kind of nice because Im making that now filling out excel spreadsheets all day.

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If you know you want to be a surgeon I would honestly go the DPM route. The residency is based upon that. You won't get that guarantee with DO.
 
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If you know you want to be a surgeon I would honestly go the DPM route. The residency is based upon that. You won't get that guarantee with DO.

Understood, and I would enjoy it, I am waiting to shadow a DPM in August, but the life style I want is sort of that of the surgeon.
I don't care about what kind of surgery it is honestly, I enjoy muscles and bone anatomy so podiatry as a whole is probably for me, but...

My reservations are the job market. In a thread someone told me to go to Monster.com and find what podiatry jobs there are. I live in Silicon Valley CA, and theres like one DPM job reserved for more primary care'ish podiatry work. A handful of other ones scattered all over the country.

But theoretically if I was like a cardiologist (I know I said surgery but I am comfortable with being an interventional cardiologist or anything with actual procedures) or a general surgeon of some specialty there are tons of job openings near by.

I really want to be in a hospital doing procedures most of the day and seeing some patients.

I really like what Ive read about the ideal podiatrist career, but again is the job market open?
 
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I'm leery of advising people to choose podiatry because it "guarantees" they'll be a surgeon. Of the podiatrists I met during my 4th year, most were in the OR a 1/2 day a week for some variation of 2-5 cases a week. I don't know if that sort of frequency is what you had in mind. Also, what does a "procedure" mean. Does being in a clinic count as being at a hospital? +1 for shadowing multiple podiatrists.

Job markets are highly regional as is the relationship with orthopedic surgeons.
 
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I'm leery of advising people to choose podiatry because it "guarantees" they'll be a surgeon. Of the podiatrists I met during my 4th year, most were in the OR a 1/2 day a week for some variation of 2-5 cases a week. I don't know if that sort of frequency is what you had in mind. Also, what does a "procedure" mean. Does being in a clinic count as being at a hospital? +1 for shadowing multiple podiatrists.

Job markets are highly regional as is the relationship with orthopedic surgeons.

I mean the best way I could describe procedure is patient on the table, physician in scrubs. doing something.

Thanks for the input, that probably isnt the frequency I was looking for.

When I first started looking into podiatry it seemed cool because I thought they would be going deep into the foot and the bones nerves muscles veins etc but the more I read about it, it seems more like blisters, sores, ingrown nails etc.
 
Just to add to what @heybrother said, 2-5 cases a week is probably pretty average amongst all podiatrists, but there is a wide variety with that as well. I worked with podiatrist who were in the OR with 2 full scheduled days and then would add on cases as needed and do a total 15+ cases a week. There are some pretty cool cases in podiatry too. It's definitely not as procedure oriented or surgery oriented as some other specialties like you mentioned. However, I would completely agree with shadowing a few podiatrists including some that are very surgically oriented. It will be the only true way to find out if this is what you're looking for.
 
Just to add to what @heybrother said, 2-5 cases a week is probably pretty average amongst all podiatrists, but there is a wide variety with that as well. I worked with podiatrist who were in the OR with 2 full scheduled days and then would add on cases as needed and do a total 15+ cases a week. There are some pretty cool cases in podiatry too. It's definitely not as procedure oriented or surgery oriented as some other specialties like you mentioned. However, I would completely agree with shadowing a few podiatrists including some that are very surgically oriented. It will be the only true way to find out if this is what you're looking for.

Thanks Im working on getting this done in a week or two, Im shadowing two separate private podiatry clinics.
My other concern was as mentioned, is podiatry a limited field? I really don't want to have to move somewhere in the middle of nowhere to be employed. Ive heard and read about this huge war between orthopedic surgeons trying to limit podiatrist options etc.
Im an engineer in the SV. I havent finished my masters yet but I could and pretty much have a guaranteed job here since there are so many jobs. I find being an engineer very boring based on my current career/internship but if I have to move somewhere wayy too urban far away from major cities or anything to do, Id rather just suffer the engineering career.
 
I don't think anyone can predict accurately what the job market for anything will be like 7+ years from now, it's constantly changing, remember that

I know and its why I am so excited to shadow a podiatrist. I am excited to actually see and ask what the job market is like.
If I can manage to do a few surgeries a week, even if its a day a week, I can probably get by, but if you want me to move somewhere far away in the middle of no where, probably not.
 
I mean the best way I could describe procedure is patient on the table, physician in scrubs. doing something.

Thanks for the input, that probably isnt the frequency I was looking for.
[...]

[...]
My other concern was as mentioned, is podiatry a limited field? I really don't want to have to move somewhere in the middle of nowhere to be employed. Ive heard and read about this huge war between orthopedic surgeons trying to limit podiatrist options etc. [...]
Podiatry is by definition a limited field. Also, the other specialties you've mentioned from ortho to gen surg to cardiology are all over the place. By your definition of a procedure you'd probably be satisfied as a chiropractor or massage therapist as long as you wore scrubs (hyperbole). You'd probably be best served by actually shadowing a couple of surgical specialties beyond podiatry, such as gen surg and ortho and some IM specialties (e.g., cardiologists do cardio cath, gastroenterologists perform procedures like EGDs, ERCPs, etc.). All of these specialties have vast differences between them and if undecided, you should really go for a more broad degree.
 
Podiatry is by definition a limited field. Also, the other specialties you've mentioned from ortho to gen surg to cardiology are all over the place. By your definition of a procedure you'd probably be satisfied as a chiropractor or massage therapist as long as you wore scrubs (hyperbole). You'd probably be best served by actually shadowing a couple of surgical specialties beyond podiatry, such as gen surg and ortho and some IM specialties (e.g., cardiologists do cardio cath, gastroenterologists perform procedures like EGDs, ERCPs, etc.). All of these specialties have vast differences between them and if undecided, you should really go for a more broad degree.

Its not just the scrubs, I dont know how to describe it, but being able to spend time in a room with assistants and work with the patients anatomy to fix a problem is what interests me. I do have around 500 hours in between family med, internal medicine, interventional radiology, cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery.

And for the past month in my internship I spectate robotic surgeries 8 hours a day and record data, write papers. Ive seen colectomies, hernia repairs, thoracic surgeries (various), prostatectomy, oopherectomy, hysterectomy, trans oral surgeries etc.
I understand what youre saying, what Im trying to get across Is I like the operating room. Family medicine and neurology bored me because it was alot of time in a clinic. I like neurology the subject but the continous time spent seeing patients with (usually) the same complication and just recommending PT, meds, or life style changes seemed to repetitive. I am yet to shadow a podiatrist and see what it is.
 
I mean the best way I could describe procedure is patient on the table, physician in scrubs. doing something.

Thanks for the input, that probably isnt the frequency I was looking for.

When I first started looking into podiatry it seemed cool because I thought they would be going deep into the foot and the bones nerves muscles veins etc but the more I read about it, it seems more like blisters, sores, ingrown nails etc.



In order to become a surgeon going the DO route, you'll have to get accepted into a surgery residency and that is based on your rank so there's no guarantee. If you are okay taking the chance of not doing surgery at all and becoming a general practice physician-- go DO. If you want surgery to be a guaranteed option for yourself, go DPM. What do you really want?
 
I have a few questions.

I'm teetering over the DO score chart for GPA and MCAT. 3.4 GPA 27 MCAT
Do people at podiatry schools have any luck transferring podiatry to DO? Specifically the DO/Pod schools like western, DMU, etc

Ultimately I want to be a surgeon, based on my research on microsurgery etc during undergrad podiatry seems to fit the bill more but what scares the daylights out of me is some posts on here showing how few jobs there are for podiatrists due to orthopedic surgeon pressure. I can do some type of surgery from all three programs, MD, DO, and DPM.

Money doesnt matter too much for me but if I can have a chance of making over 80,000 K a year then that would be kind of nice because Im making that now filling out excel spreadsheets all day.

You are competitive for a DO spot somewhere in the U.S. Go that route; you'll have a broadened education and be presented with a number of opportunities. Career planning is all about flexibility and the DO will provide you with that, not a DPM. If you can, choose the physician route. Don't specialize so early. If you don't get accepted, try again.
 
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