So you want me to feel bad because some websites don't consider podiatrists to be physicians? That is easily countered by the fact that many doctors, insurance companies, and hospitals systems consider podiatrists to be physicians and members of medical staff (including chief of surgery, CMO, etc). Come on, I work with tons of MD's and am consulted daily by them. I went to school with a ton of DO's. They don't think any less of me because of my degree. They think of me as a foot and ankle specialist. So it is a weak argument when you say, "Oh, you don't know what they are saying about you". Yea, I do. I work with all of them.
I liked your point about doing a one year medical internship. Most podiatric residency programs already do that. Pod interns function on internal medicine, infectious disease, general surgery, vascular, plastics, etc and are given the same responsibilities as their MD/DO counterparts. It is for that reason that pods are now more easily able to get admitting privileges at hospitals.
Again, my question was: "What is true parity". PADPM brought up some excellent points. In the end, if DPM's received true parity, what would be the point of a DPM degree? You might as well make it an MD/DO specialty.
I did not come to this site to argue, fence, or volley with podiatry. However to address your: "You want to make me feel bad." I can not MAKE you feel bad. You can only make yourself feel bad. This is not about feelings rather about True Parity and or lack thereof. Yes many insurance companies, hospital staff's lump podiatry into the category of `physician' largely for convenience on behalf of the hospital - No. You do not have admitting privelages as a DPM as the H and Ps are podiatric H and Ps and an MD/DO will ultimately be responsible (maybe in a few states that is not the case but if I were a DPM I'd certainly want to know the laws and consequences for taking on responsibilties outside of my scope of practice you can frame this as an argument but this is a situation in flux and politically charged rather than based on academics). The same insurance companies also pay you less because you are DPM physicians and the same hospitals generally give you DPM physician status. You can counter these things till the cows come home and these shoddy arguements will not function as the central issue on this thread, True Parity, which means a global rather than isolated True Parity which would encompass ALL of podiatry in a world you will at some point come to acknowledge can exist with or without podaitry as evidenced by its elimination from some medicaid programs. Hence lack of income for DPM `physicans.' Neither you or I will ever know what is truly in the minds of other people. At best you can read what is written, chance upon some conversations but these are anectodal items not to be mistaken for the larger picture. If in all honesty you can say that you perform the same duties as a PGY-1 12-24 hour shifts (not exact quotes to trifle with) direct responsiibilities dealing with life and death medical conditions and you understand and can incorporate the components of a complete physical examination, admission to discharge montoring, I am misinformed. Last time I looked, there were all sorts of residencies for podiatrists with NO unfying duties other than learning how to peform foot surgery. IF surgery of the foot is, to you, the be all and end all to being a physician and that sets well in your mind. OK. It isn't for me and those forces who will ultimately decide upon the notion of True Parity. My suggestion for REAL stratified ACGME residencies will make for a component of attaining True Parity - a concept which seems elusive to many of the posters. You seem to fancy anectode, try this: Call an orthodeic surgery colleague and compare EOBs for the exact CPT and ICD codes, is there equal pay? Call a GP or IM and compare reimbursement for E and M codes. DPMs will not get reimburesed the same amount of money for the same E and M codes as MD/DO `specialists'. Are we clear on this? There is no equal pay for equal service rendered by DPMs. You can fact check this around the country - Please, check how much you will be reimbursed by medicare 99212 (DPMs rarely go to the 99213 but you can look these things up and compare reimbursements - hey you wanted facts? 0K, sorry but the numbers don't lie, close, but still money is money and if you do not believe these things, now, at some point you may. At the end of the day an MD or DO will get paid more for the same or similar service, you're kdding yourselves if you blindly say otherwise without checking this out). After you disover these items to be true, you've got to find these things out for yourselves, the effort alone will work wonders for your state of mind. Like I said, a recognized ACGME program is not the black box mystery of those things which are podiatry residencies. They are unstraified, confusing and unequal nationwide, let alone globally.
It has become abundantly clear that DPM students, residents and such can or will not be mindful of the notion: "I do not know what I do not know."
Thank all of you for your input, I did press a bit on a few issues, but refuse to argue point by point the nuances and flaws of your arguements. Some of them are patently false and there will be laws, rules and regulations along with courts, attornies and judges who will ultimately rule on these matters of True Parity. I came here to gather material. What I got was a sampling of `fragility' feeble arguments: "Do plumbers read carpentry books?" That's about as podiatric as it can get: Do ENTs read about Internal Medicine. Does the general contractor have a sense for what the other subcontractors are doing. "I have MD/DO relatives
." Please. "I work with tons of MD/DOs
" And get equal pay too, yeah, right. "I sit side by side with DOs," and know how they cogitate
.sure you do. Mind reading and telpathy are part of the DPM curriculum, right?
In all this has been an
. I'd like to characterize it as interesting, but; it's been more frustrating. I held out a few suggestions to stir up some ideas as part of an investigation toward True Parity entering a world popluated by DPMs that BELIEVE is one in which is an integral part of medicine and medical specialties in the US. Some of you are in devout believers as noted by what you've posted and that I am far removed from your `realities' - That's OK. I know, very much about what I don't know and spend a large part of my time taking suggestions about things which might heighten my awareness. I haven't read any posts suggesting any studies or literature substantiating any of your assertions. No, to the contrary a flurry of, at best mediocre `arguements' begging refutation. How will that play out in courtrooms and such toward True Parity?
Hey, I gave it a shot, no one came back to theis thread on True Parity having followed my instructions to try viewing MD/DO sites rather returning to argue why they should not.
Listen: I do not think podiatry has evolved much in the last twenty years. Sure you can hob knob with MD/DOs and can chat it up about what terrific foot and ankle surgeons you are and that you are going to have great futures and all the doors will spring open and the world will accept the DPM as an equal member of the medical team and on and on
But as I started out these posts with a quote from PK Dick: ~Reality is what happens even after we stop believing in it~ Remains true. There was one response acknowledging that some of the things I'd posted were accurate - that glimmer of maturity/intellect was refreshing, until the collective podiatric mindset dug in their collective heels and spewed out the same know - it - all blather so many have heard, read and discarded for a long time. Am I old and out of touch? I don't think so. Am I in a position to take material gleaned from many sources, analyse those things and develop a cogent theory and make reccommendations based upon my observations? You betcha. Lotsa luck - I came here to help, not to argue. If True Parity was something desired, the posts on this board suggest that podiatry will circle the wagons. Maybe an opportunity will present itself again in your lifetimes when you've gotten a bit of maturity. If you wanted guidance, I did offer. Clearly you guys/gals already know it all - Yeah, lotsa luck.
I don't know what I don't know. I do know this: An unwilingness to disabuse notions of parity is not the path to parity.
