questions about this profession.

[youngjock]

so i read someone's post a few days ago.
it seems that it is not easy to get a job or something.

so for an average student like myself, suppose that i graduate from the p. school with an average grade, what would be my future?

can i get a job that at least pay out my student loans, and can i pick a city and live happily ever after?

also what are the cut off grades and mcat in order to be accepted?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ussdfiant]

Originally posted by youngjock
so i read someone's post a few days ago.
it seems that it is not easy to get a job or something.

so for an average student like myself, suppose that i graduate from the p. school with an average grade, what would be my future?

can i get a job that at least pay out my student loans, and can i pick a city and live happily ever after?

also what are the cut off grades and mcat in order to be accepted?

You sound like you have your work cut out for you! I suggest you start your research by speaking with some pods.

 

[efs]

There is a lot more to it than grades.

It might be easy to get accepted, but you will need to work from there. Grades in school really don't mean that much. When you are looking at residencies most programs will look at more than jsut grades. Are you someone that they will be able to work with? Are you someone who has an interest in learning? How do they know this? What things have you done, or do you do in addition to classes? Have you made an effort to get to know them or their program?

Each program has different things that they look at. There are some that focus on grades. For others it matters who you know. It really varies. The other side of this is what do they have to offer you? Some programs have excellent training. Others are only so-so.

Jobs after residency is a whole other issue. You probably won't find many jobs listed anywhere, but there sure are some out there. Some people look to the residencies when they are trying to find help. Others look for people through word of mouth. It is a small profession, so a personal recommendation can mean a great deal. Many people also come into it expecting to open a private practice. This has it's own problems, but this is one area of medicine where opening private practices is still fairly common.

Best to do your research before jumping in. I would recommend talking to as many podiatrists in practice as you can. They will probably be your best source of information.

 

[youngjock]

yea, i would like to hear from the experts who are already in the school. I can probably find more than I need to know if i do an internet search.

 

[SawBones]

If you are an "average student" like you claim, then go to medical school. Trust me: medical schools are filled with "average students." (and this goes for both MD and DO schools) Do something utterly amazing and original that will make you "above average", and you'll get accepted. This will require you to sit down, look at your community and see where you can start some intervention that others have overlooked. (READ: don't volunteer in an ER or do some other pathetic activity that 90% of premeds seem compelled to participate in)

Anyways, Podiatric Medicine was a great field in the past. Unfortunately, outside forces are crushing it and their applicant pool has dropped so dramatically that the schools no longer even require the MCAT in order to be accepted. I've received numerous e-mails from podiatrists trying to go to DO schools. Despite acceptances, they can't get funding because they have had to default on their podiatric school loans.

I don't want to completely discourage you from podiatric medicine because it is a rigorous, respected field and I readily admit that pods know more about feet than I will ever know. I just want you to closely examine the current state of the profession before investing your time and money.

BTW, when I was in college, a podiatrist changed my life forever. I was suffering from incredible back and neck pain that had practically stopped my athletic activities and was starting to impact my daily life. The pod built some custom orthotics for me, and I pretty much got my life back, thanks to her. As a result, I have the utmost of respect for pods and I sincerely hope that their professional situation will improve in the near future.

 

[cg2a93]

Troll