The craziest/weirdest misconceptions of "Podiatry" you've heard.
Started by Sabin
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Most people generally don't know what podiatry is, when I explain it to them, the second thing they ask is if I have a foot fetish
Haha!
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lol. true. i've been asked that too. its fun to freak people out and say yes (no offense to people that do, well a little...cuz thats weird to me).
We should all spam Bill Lawrence (writer of scrubs....im thinking about scrubs cuz im watching the finale now. good show
other than that, I think maybe some unamed organiztions/ associations need to send out more literature to colleges and high schools.
Yea thats a great idea to have a pod on HOUSE or Grey's ... I get stuff like " o isnt that a foot pedicurist" or " eww your gonna trim nails all day"... but after im done educating them about what a pod can do and become they automatically switch over lol
I am a little older, and don't hang out with 18 year olds. I am continually amazed at the number of people I encounter who have a fairly good idea of what pods do and have been to one or know someone close who has. granted, most thing pods are MD's. I always say i am going to podiatry school--not med school or podiatric medical school...but that is for another thread.
To Sabin: 70% of all stats are made up.
To rom3o: I think a foot fetish is the #1 fetish.
To rom3o: I think a foot fetish is the #1 fetish.
This may vary by region but, I'm from New York and nearly everyone I've talked to knows that podiatrists are 'foot doctors'.
Misconceptions about said 'foot doctor' in New York:
1. people think it is an MD (What's a DO??). Explaining that there are other degrees besides MD is much more difficult for people to understand than I thought!
2. the people that have some sort of an idea that it is not an MD say, so you get to scrape bunions all day? most of those people have no idea that people go to podiatrists for reasons beyond clip and chip... most of those people do not know that we perform surgery.
I attribute it largely to the backwardness of podiatry in the state of NY... still no ankle, it is shot down in the state senate and house every year... very very large ortho political power. the orthopaedic surgeons have quite successfully kept awareness of medical and surgical services provided by podiatrists to an astonishing low while at the same time spreading misinformation about our degree, our training, our surgical knowledge. sadly, even if the state law changes, orthos will make it impossible for pods to do complex rearfoot/ankle surgeries in hospitals for years to come (which is funny, because many of them were trained by/trained with DPMs during their residencies and F&A fellowships; so the ones who have the best knowledge about the topic know the facts, but chose to continue the monopoly on medicine that the AMA holds so dear to its heart).
unfortunately the NYPMA hasn't been successful in changing any of that. the leadership has largely been the good ole boys- they are uncomfortable with change, and would rather see the whole profession in NY suffer (and thus the patient who could have benefited from stages of foot amputation from a DPM, but instead got a BKA from the orthos and vascular surgoens etc). I guess once some of the older (graudated in 1967) doctors retire, and younger forward thinking pods like Natch, PADwhateveritis, jonwill etcccc, sift through the politics, maybe some change will occur!
wow that was looong
Misconceptions about said 'foot doctor' in New York:
1. people think it is an MD (What's a DO??). Explaining that there are other degrees besides MD is much more difficult for people to understand than I thought!
2. the people that have some sort of an idea that it is not an MD say, so you get to scrape bunions all day? most of those people have no idea that people go to podiatrists for reasons beyond clip and chip... most of those people do not know that we perform surgery.
I attribute it largely to the backwardness of podiatry in the state of NY... still no ankle, it is shot down in the state senate and house every year... very very large ortho political power. the orthopaedic surgeons have quite successfully kept awareness of medical and surgical services provided by podiatrists to an astonishing low while at the same time spreading misinformation about our degree, our training, our surgical knowledge. sadly, even if the state law changes, orthos will make it impossible for pods to do complex rearfoot/ankle surgeries in hospitals for years to come (which is funny, because many of them were trained by/trained with DPMs during their residencies and F&A fellowships; so the ones who have the best knowledge about the topic know the facts, but chose to continue the monopoly on medicine that the AMA holds so dear to its heart).
unfortunately the NYPMA hasn't been successful in changing any of that. the leadership has largely been the good ole boys- they are uncomfortable with change, and would rather see the whole profession in NY suffer (and thus the patient who could have benefited from stages of foot amputation from a DPM, but instead got a BKA from the orthos and vascular surgoens etc). I guess once some of the older (graudated in 1967) doctors retire, and younger forward thinking pods like Natch, PADwhateveritis, jonwill etcccc, sift through the politics, maybe some change will occur!
wow that was looong
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so the stuff you just talked about...how does NYCPM survive? why would someone go there then? are you tought rear foot stuff at school but just can't practice it later on? not trying to bash the school, but besides being in NYC (if that is your thing--not mine at all) what is the appeal of the school?
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This is a good point, I've wondered it too. Does NYCPMs curriculum reflect (or heavily biased) on what is defined as the scope of practice of a podiatrist in NY? i.e., If this is the case, will someone that practices outside of NY state initially struggle?
I don't go to NYCPM (I was writing about the NYPMA, the new york pod med assoc)-- I am just a New Yorker, but I am pretty sure that the school meets all requirements set forth by the CPME or they wouldn't be accredited. I assume you learn everything you need to in preparation for boards and residency, I'm sure Krabmas can chime in on that.
There are quite a few residency programs in NY... Buffalo, NYC buroughs, Long Island, maybe other upstate ones- Rochester, Syracuse, Albany?? I dont know for sure, but what I do know is that you are trained in rearfoot/ankle reconstruction (maybe by F&A orthopods, again Krabmas can comment), now if you want to stay in NY, you cannot practice a chunk of what you learned based on purely political reasons.
You can make some good money in NY, especially the city, so I'm sure that many want to stay, but I know that in Upstate NY, they are seeing a decline in young freshly trained podiatrists becuase they opt to go somewhere where the orthopaedic surgeons aren't degrading their education and arbitrarily restricting their liscence.
NY has legislation for legalizing gay marraige on the table, and if that passes and a revised scope for podiatry doesnt, that just shows how much power the orthopod lobby is in NY. Hell, pot is decriminalized up to a half ounce (you only get a ticket, that is no more dangerous than that of the speeding persuasion), and in the eyes of the general public, Id say that that is more dangerous** than a podiatrist practicing what he/she has been trained in residency to do.
**not it my eyes, weee, im flying!
haha, I realized after reading that again that I definitely could have worded it better... damned SUNY education, I knew I should have went to Cornell! (jk SUNY, i love you!)
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I am a medical student that rotates with podiatry students. They are real bright and helpful when it comes to their field of expertise. I am surprised people do not know what a podiatrist is. Personally, whenever I know podiatry is on staff I write orders for a podiatry consult. The stupid turf wars that go on are utterly rediculous. I can't stand when general surgeons try to take business away from you guys.
Best things heard were from the poster 'whiskers' on this board. Claims such as, DPMs will make less than garbage men or you'll be so far in debt you'll need to moonlight as a waiter or part time at McDonald's.
The list (his list actually) goes on and on, with these fine accurate assessments of the potential for DPM grads forthcoming. 🙄
The list (his list actually) goes on and on, with these fine accurate assessments of the potential for DPM grads forthcoming. 🙄
