Hello. I am a senior in high school at the moment and am stuck between pursuing two entirely different fields of medicine, as odd as it sounds. I am currently interested in both podiatry as well as psychology. I happen to be attracted to podiatry because of the nature of the physical procedures I would be able to perform on my patients. However, I also happen to be very psychologically perceptive and inclined. I successfully finished AP Psychology during my Sophomore year in high school, and my teacher said I was one of the brightest she had ever had. I feel as though pursuing a Phd. in the field and teaching as a professor in a four year university would come very naturally to me. So, I am at a crossroads. Would it be practical or reasonable for me to pursue both a D.P.M degree and eventually open a private practice, and teach psychology during other times of the day? If so, what would be the most efficient path I could take in order to achieve this duality? Thanks.
Possible to have a private podiatry practice while also teaching psychology at a university?
- Thread starter Ranseurus
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2009
- Messages
- 19,352
- Reaction score
- 27,027
I don't think there is an efficient way to do this. They do MD/Ph.D degrees, bu the vast majority of those are in Neuroscience as far as I know. To teach you'd need at least a masters in Psych.
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2006
- Messages
- 22,805
- Reaction score
- 5,265
It is good that you are kicking around some ideas. I'm not sure how feasible it'd be to go through two pretty divergent training programs, though you might find a middle ground if you enjoying aspects of teaching (and your study/interactions w. psychology were in the form of taking classes/seminars in areas of interest).
During your undergraduate years it'd be helpful to do some shadowing so you can "walk in somebody's shoes" and see what a typical day in each respective field would entail. Each path will have its own frustrations and hangnails, so it's important to know some of them before diving in.
I cannot speak to podiatry, but I do know that to teach in the psych world you'll need to gain experience in/around the classroom. Volunteering in research labs and TA'ing for a class during your 2nd/3rd/4th years. It's important to walk before you run, and TA'ing is very helpful in that regard.
If you are able to do all of these things you should be able to put your best foot forward.
It isn't often I get to use much foot humor, so thank you for indulging me. 😀
The advice is all still valid and hopefully helpful.
During your undergraduate years it'd be helpful to do some shadowing so you can "walk in somebody's shoes" and see what a typical day in each respective field would entail. Each path will have its own frustrations and hangnails, so it's important to know some of them before diving in.
I cannot speak to podiatry, but I do know that to teach in the psych world you'll need to gain experience in/around the classroom. Volunteering in research labs and TA'ing for a class during your 2nd/3rd/4th years. It's important to walk before you run, and TA'ing is very helpful in that regard.
If you are able to do all of these things you should be able to put your best foot forward.
It isn't often I get to use much foot humor, so thank you for indulging me. 😀
The advice is all still valid and hopefully helpful.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2007
- Messages
- 10,827
- Reaction score
- 5,612
This
This dude just asked about be a psychiatrist and teaching psychology too. Throwing feet into the mix is just making this wacky....🙂
This dude just asked about be a psychiatrist and teaching psychology too. Throwing feet into the mix is just making this wacky....🙂
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2013
- Messages
- 102
- Reaction score
- 11
There's absolutely no reason why you have to decide this now. Over my years in college, I had 3 majors (we didn't have a traditional psych major at my ugrad). I had two very different full-time jobs when I graduated, then went back to school for Psych. Going back to school for psych with my background seemed random on the surface, but it definitely wasn't- a long, winding path took me there. And I feel like that path, and the skills I picked up along the way, has helped me a lot. When you're younger with less experience, it's easy to feel like you need that laser focus, but that's not really how the world works, in my experience.
My advice: pick a school that gives you options to do both pre-med and psych. Sometimes, you can be a psych major AND on a pre-med track. During your 4 years, get a lot of different experiences and take a lot of different classes- in medicine, psych, stats, math, research, and anything else that seems interesting. Have an incredibly good math and science foundation, along with different types of research experience, and you will have tons of flexibility throughout your career, no matter what you end up doing.
My advice: pick a school that gives you options to do both pre-med and psych. Sometimes, you can be a psych major AND on a pre-med track. During your 4 years, get a lot of different experiences and take a lot of different classes- in medicine, psych, stats, math, research, and anything else that seems interesting. Have an incredibly good math and science foundation, along with different types of research experience, and you will have tons of flexibility throughout your career, no matter what you end up doing.
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2007
- Messages
- 1,480
- Reaction score
- 1,006
I agree with this post and T4C's foot humor.
Good to be thinking about this now and thinking of ways to get your foot in the door. Good luck! 👍
