Podiatry?

[Arijos0222]

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Hi am a high school student looking into Podiatry as a potential career choice. I am a little hesitant about joining the profession, however, I like what Podiatry offers.

I've always wanted to be a surgeon, but I think for the most part, no surgeon works 50 hours a week, and I don't want to use my whole life as a crutch for only others. I like helping people and that is my main goal in life, but I want to feed my own happiness and personal desires as well.

How can a Podiatrist control how much they work? Does anyone know if reimbursements will change? (since MD/DO's get paid higher for the same procedures) Typically, how long are the surgeries? How complicated? Is there enough variety of foot and ankle procedures that 10 years from now it still has intellectual stimulation? How grateful are the patients? Are the procedures life changing?

In what practice setting allows for a reasonable lifestyle? How much does the average podiatrist make after 3+ years of practice? How much school debt does the average Podiatrist accumulate?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cascade11]

I would always recommend shadowing a few podiatrists in your area and seeing how they do.
As for income stuff read this great post by PADPM: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=635198
Medicine is in flux right now with the whole universal care and no one knows how precisely it will affect physicians. You will have a better idea in 4 years so you are in a better position to choose than us.