Training programs

[fredeye]

I have been following the letters kids write in to websites who did not match. What kind of entitlement thinking is this? What do these graduates expect us to do, drop what we are doing and make training programs? Business is not so great we need the competition. If the hospitals and universities need podiatrists they should be training them. Every day the whining about not getting what you wanted or expected. This is how life is, no guarantees. Nobody is going to give you anything in business. I read all this talk about how much money you are going to make and all the things you can do now go out and do it like we did.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Shireiqiang]

I think the reason these graduates feel entitled to training is because many are qualified. They have spent a lot of money, and they are left with large loans and few if any options to pay them back. I don't know if there is a solution, but I think it is unfair to paint each of these graduates with the same entitled color. I feel like they have a pretty darn good reason to be upset.

 

[fredeye]

I can understand that they are upset because they get taught that there are so many opportunities when in fact business is not so good for podiatry especially in this economy. Many of us expected to retire and that is not happening. You want to talk about life being unfair to fellas working way after they would like. Does that make them less of a person? Life is not fair. Many things happen. Many of us did not expect to be working this long but we do it and suck it in. It is hard for a young person to picture what life will be later on and working to build a practice and keeping it going with more hoops and circles every year. This is a rewarding career if you are your own boss which most are. But it is a lot of struggle so you have to roll with the rough times. I have no complaints and wish that the people starting understood you are the only person who you can count on. I think if the law says you got to have this or that it should be for the colleges to make for. Adjust the money for inflation and maybe it is a wash.

 

[jellybean2020]

I have been following the letters kids write in to websites who did not match. What kind of entitlement thinking is this? What do these graduates expect us to do, drop what we are doing and make training programs? Business is not so great we need the competition. If the hospitals and universities need podiatrists they should be training them. Every day the whining about not getting what you wanted or expected. This is how life is, no guarantees. Nobody is going to give you anything in business. I read all this talk about how much money you are going to make and all the things you can do now go out and do it like we did.

The profession is looking for selfless practitioners to jump-start or contribute to new residencies in this crisis. You basically came to a student forum to say "I want to retire, not train new competitors." That's certainly your prerogative, but you should be aware of how you're coming across.

 

[fredeye]

If you want selfless people to work for nothing go to the people who tell you how much demand there is in the real world. Do not put words thar were not written. I did not say I want to retire. I said what most podiatrists say which is that you students have been led to believe there is such a great need in America for podiatrists. I see how you have people come here and go on about these big groups and hospital positions. Where are they to train you?

 

[dtrack22]

I see how you have people come here and go on about these big groups and hospital positions. Where are they to train you?

Those are the 3,000-ish DPMs that do train us....it's the rest of the profession you should be asking about.

 

[fredeye]

Those are the 3,000-ish DPMs that do train us....it's the rest of the profession you should be asking about.

3000. So what is the problem?

 

[DrGonz]

someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Life is not always fair, you are correct, but to sit back and do nothing about it is just as bad. Your position is basically.. ahh. your 200k in debt... that sucks.

 

[jellybean2020]

3000. So what is the problem?

The problem is that many of those DPM's seem to not be in a position to start or run a residency (due to whatever reasons, I don't pretend to know).

Hopefully more podiatrists out there who are passionate about medical education will take up the torch. On the other hand, if every single successful podiatrist thought "I have my own worries; those kids need to learn nothing is guaranteed in life" .....well who'd want to join a profession like that?

 

[dtrack22]

3000. So what is the problem?

3000 doesn't get you 600 residency positions. Pretty simple really.

 

[fredeye]

The problem is that many of those DPM's seem to not be in a position to start or run a residency (due to whatever reasons, I don't pretend to know).

Hopefully more podiatrists out there who are passionate about medical education will take up the torch. On the other hand, if every single successful podiatrist thought "I have my own worries; those kids need to learn nothing is guaranteed in life" .....well who'd want to join a profession like that?

Do any of you know how much it pays and how many circles and hoops and time from work it takes to set up a program? This is not the same as a paid academic teaching position at a medical center, it is mostly charity work and many times the graduate opens an office up the street from you. Years in litigation. Podiatry education is not like medical education. Medical schools do not have departments of podiatry. Always some subdivision of orthopedics and there is no big rush for them to start training podiatrists. You have to be realistic about how the world works and what the place in it for us is. The 3 year training for a podiatrist is too much. Podiatry schools graduate podiatrists-foot specialists and should be able to go right to work. This you should have known from day one.

 

[Traum]

There is immense/enormous bureaucracy to construct a podiatric post grad program.

The avg DPM is too busy just eeking out a living and trying to code, run the foot shop than deaingl with the huge burden of creating residencies, the red tape, paper work, and the very real fear of another pod opening up next door.

Money is primary. Period. Save the idealistic happy talk and smiles to imbecilic pollys, professors, and the "news" "media." You got >250K+ student loans, rent, used car, insurance, utilities, food, toiletries-- maybe a kid--you got to live your life and pay those nonstop bills. Not unreasonable?

Stop the Horatio Alger stories of 'hard' work, work 'hard' pay those dues, and false promises that someday you'll hit it big, big time. Someday.....yep, like over the the rainbow--the elusive pot of Au. It is a myth for the masses and their agents of the elite, and middle class sheeple to remain stuck on the debt hamster wheel. Just ask those "Deans"--sell you some Horatio Alger myths and the ignorant students/parents take out even more loans based on false promises and somedays......illusions.

Connections mean everything--it's all who you know, save the "hard work" stories for naive "professors" who dont know what they dont know. It's the sizzle, not the steak. Connections. That's american life. Life skills 101.


Podiatry as it stands remains flawed. the world does not need more and more and more foot and sometimes ankle surgeons--they need well rounded podiatrists akin to the dental model.Dentists don't have forefoot and rearhoof "boards" and they can immediately do dentistry post school. Pods cannot.

Why can't pods earn a living doing podiatry immediately post school and pay those huge american student loans (free or greatly paid by taxes in other countries)----when did the quasi mini orthopod thing come into fashion--b/c it never was nor was there any demand from the citizentry, the AMA, nor CMS.

 

[jellybean2020]

right on cue

 

[robopod97]

Here is my advice to current 3rd year students. If you fail Part I of the National Board Exam the first time and have failed courses, you are doomed in the current environment. Time to exit while you still have a chance. If you are a second year student and have multiple failures your chances are very slim you will get a residency program. If you are a first year student and fail courses, you can still recover before you get in over your head. If your colleges are not advising you to separate then be smart and take care of yourself first.

 

[Podophile]

Here is my advice to current 3rd year students. If you fail Part I of the National Board Exam the first time and have failed courses, you are doomed in the current environment. Time to exit while you still have a chance. If you are a second year student and have multiple failures your chances are very slim you will get a residency program. If you are a first year student and fail courses, you can still recover before you get in over your head. If your colleges are not advising you to separate then be smart and take care of yourself first.

This sounds right to me. Getting decent grades in Podiatry school is difficult, but merely PASSING is NOT. If you can't hack it and struggle to pass, you should seriously, seriously consider cutting your losses and not wasting another few years and amassing an insane amount of debt that you will not be able to pay off. Try nursing: it's easy, requires little thinking with no postgraduate training, and it's shift work.

 

[PatchAdamsFan]

Try nursing: it's easy, requires little thinking

I almost broke a few keys responding to the naivety of this post. Pray tell, do you have any experience in the nursing profession or any of the respective coursework? There are many fast-paced and rigorous programs out there pumping out great nurses/NP's, and it is anything but easy.

 

[Traum]

RNs can earn 65-80K plus overtime, and NPs ~115K with loan repayment with no residency/post grad requirements. NPs are considered PCPs by CMS/ACOs. Podiatry is placed with chiropractors and optometrists. 2013

 

[dyk343]

nm.

 

[Podophile]

with no postgraduate training, and it's shift work.

These are 100% true objective statements. The rest of my statement should have said IMO and I should have more directly compared nursing to Podiatry school.

IMO, nursing programs no matter how rigorous do not compare in difficulty to the academic rigors of Podiatry school (IF you're doing it right). Just passing Podiatry isnt difficult, but neither is just passing nursing school, which IMO is even easier.

I didn't mentioned anything about NP programs specifically, you must have just assumed.

Hard to believe someone would get offended when comparing nursing to Podiatry:

Nursing = 4 years of undergraduate training

Podiatry = 4 years of Undergrad + 4 years Podiatry Graduate school + 3 years post graduate

4 years vs 11. Yeah, pretty intense and muy dificile.

 

[pipetman]

To the original poster, it is not that simple to "go out and do what we did"

I think the director that posts on etalk labels out pretty well why the unmatched can't go "out and do what we did". Maybe you are disgruntled in your profession but you had the luxury of training. Its sort of like a man who had a HS diploma and had a good union job for 20 years complaining about "them kids" who went to "college" and expect jobs while he can sit comfortable because back then, all you need was that HS diploma. Maybe back then you did do one year to get liscenced, and you are an attending so you must be certified to sit on insurance boards- good on you, just jumping at straws here- but even if an unmatched graduate got a liscence in the six or seven states he still couldnt get insurance to cover him, which basically equates to no patients.


I doubt these grads feel entitled; they want to use the education they are in debt for and that is not an unreasonable expectation.

 

[ftankle surgeon]

Completely agree with Pipetman

 

[jonod1107]

RNs can earn 65-80K plus overtime, and NPs ~115K with loan repayment with no residency/post grad requirements. NPs are considered PCPs by CMS/ACOs. Podiatry is placed with chiropractors and optometrists. 2013

Confirms you know nothing.

 

[heybrother]

Confirms that he knows how to get a rise out of people who still haven't figured out how to recognize the trolls on this board.