What should I do?

[ill be a doc soon]

Hi all,
A little background about me: I did not have the strongest undergraduate record. I graduated with a 2.8c/2.6s gpa from a top 25 school. After that, I decided to spend a year doing a postbacc in which I raised my gpas to 3.0, with the thought I was going to apply to DO school. During winter break last year (I had 9 weeks off), I studied for the MCAT and managed to pull a 514.

While doing this I also looked into other career options in the medical field, since I cannot see myself doing anything other than that. A friend of mine is in podiatry school, and he told me about podiatry so I started researching more and more about the field, and it turns out its something I would be interested in pursuing. Originally, I wanted to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist, considering my background (my family has problems with sleep, anxiety, Ive had problems with depression in the past, I have a brother with autism, etc).

After looking into podiatry I'm really split 50/50 between what I want to do. I know psychiatry and podiatry are like polar opposites, but I feel that both provide great relief to patients which is why Im split between these two. Im going to start shadowing a podiatrist next week so perhaps my opinion will change. Ive also shadowed and MD and DO (both FM docs), and I havent really had an opportunity to shadow a psychiatrist (I doubt one would even let me).

So heres the deal: Ive mentioned the idea of podiatry to my parents but they are repeatedly telling me to get into a 'real' medical school, and that podiatrists have no respect. They're even telling me to go to the caribbean before choosing podiatry. I do know 5 people who have been successful from the caribbean (2 of them matched this year). I do care a little about being respected, but if I enjoy what Im doing I doubt it would matter. Money wise, ive read that podiatrists can make comparable amounts to dentists, family docs, and the ceiling is quite high. I guess for my parents it comes down to whether as a podiatrist, I would be respected by my MD/DO colleagues. Money isnt really the issue here.

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[zukunft195]

Hi all,
A little background about me: I did not have the strongest undergraduate record. I graduated with a 2.8c/2.6s gpa from a top 25 school. After that, I decided to spend a year doing a postbacc in which I raised my gpas to 3.0, with the thought I was going to apply to DO school. During winter break last year (I had 9 weeks off), I studied for the MCAT and managed to pull a 514.

While doing this I also looked into other career options in the medical field, since I cannot see myself doing anything other than that. A friend of mine is in podiatry school, and he told me about podiatry so I started researching more and more about the field, and it turns out its something I would be interested in pursuing. Originally, I wanted to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist, considering my background (my family has problems with sleep, anxiety, Ive had problems with depression in the past, I have a brother with autism, etc).

After looking into podiatry I'm really split 50/50 between what I want to do. I know psychiatry and podiatry are like polar opposites, but I feel that both provide great relief to patients which is why Im split between these two. Im going to start shadowing a podiatrist next week so perhaps my opinion will change. Ive also shadowed and MD and DO (both FM docs), and I havent really had an opportunity to shadow a psychiatrist (I doubt one would even let me).

So heres the deal: Ive mentioned the idea of podiatry to my parents but they are repeatedly telling me to get into a 'real' medical school, and that podiatrists have no respect. They're even telling me to go to the caribbean before choosing podiatry. I do know 5 people who have been successful from the caribbean (2 of them matched this year). I do care a little about being respected, but if I enjoy what Im doing I doubt it would matter. Money wise, ive read that podiatrists can make comparable amounts to dentists, family docs, and the ceiling is quite high. I guess for my parents it comes down to whether as a podiatrist, I would be respected by my MD/DO colleagues. Money isnt really the issue here.

Would you genuinely enjoy specializing in foot care, or are you feigning interest in this option in order to mentally prepare yourself for what you expect to be a disappointing DO application cycle?

Do you want to make a living peddling Adderall to college kids and Ritalin to the concerned mothers of "overactive" (normal) children, or do you want to clip grandma's crusted-over toenails?

If you only care about "patient relief," in a general sense, you could save time and become a PT or OT or PA. What are you specifically looking for in a profession?

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Hi all,
A little background about me: I did not have the strongest undergraduate record. I graduated with a 2.8c/2.6s gpa from a top 25 school. After that, I decided to spend a year doing a postbacc in which I raised my gpas to 3.0, with the thought I was going to apply to DO school. During winter break last year (I had 9 weeks off), I studied for the MCAT and managed to pull a 514.

While doing this I also looked into other career options in the medical field, since I cannot see myself doing anything other than that. A friend of mine is in podiatry school, and he told me about podiatry so I started researching more and more about the field, and it turns out its something I would be interested in pursuing. Originally, I wanted to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist, considering my background (my family has problems with sleep, anxiety, Ive had problems with depression in the past, I have a brother with autism, etc).

After looking into podiatry I'm really split 50/50 between what I want to do. I know psychiatry and podiatry are like polar opposites, but I feel that both provide great relief to patients which is why Im split between these two. Im going to start shadowing a podiatrist next week so perhaps my opinion will change. Ive also shadowed and MD and DO (both FM docs), and I havent really had an opportunity to shadow a psychiatrist (I doubt one would even let me).

So heres the deal: Ive mentioned the idea of podiatry to my parents but they are repeatedly telling me to get into a 'real' medical school, and that podiatrists have no respect. They're even telling me to go to the caribbean before choosing podiatry. I do know 5 people who have been successful from the caribbean (2 of them matched this year). I do care a little about being respected, but if I enjoy what Im doing I doubt it would matter. Money wise, ive read that podiatrists can make comparable amounts to dentists, family docs, and the ceiling is quite high. I guess for my parents it comes down to whether as a podiatrist, I would be respected by my MD/DO colleagues. Money isnt really the issue here.

Don't worry about respect. Their responses are just because they don't understand what a podiatric education/training include. Once they see you endure 4 years of medical school, a 3 year surgical residency, and working hard as a doctor who is an expert in the foot and ankle, then you will gain respect. Your parent's response is probably similar to what most of society thinks. The 3 year residency is new and so podiatry will come around. It definitely could use someone like you who owned that MCAT to advance the profession even further and improve its reputation!

 

[ksucpm21]

Do what you love and what makes you happy, period. It's hard to ignore outside and familial pressures but at the end of the day you have to do what is going to make you the happiest and what you have the greatest passion for.

 

[skim25]

Hi all,
A little background about me: I did not have the strongest undergraduate record. I graduated with a 2.8c/2.6s gpa from a top 25 school. After that, I decided to spend a year doing a postbacc in which I raised my gpas to 3.0, with the thought I was going to apply to DO school. During winter break last year (I had 9 weeks off), I studied for the MCAT and managed to pull a 514.

While doing this I also looked into other career options in the medical field, since I cannot see myself doing anything other than that. A friend of mine is in podiatry school, and he told me about podiatry so I started researching more and more about the field, and it turns out its something I would be interested in pursuing. Originally, I wanted to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist, considering my background (my family has problems with sleep, anxiety, Ive had problems with depression in the past, I have a brother with autism, etc).

After looking into podiatry I'm really split 50/50 between what I want to do. I know psychiatry and podiatry are like polar opposites, but I feel that both provide great relief to patients which is why Im split between these two. Im going to start shadowing a podiatrist next week so perhaps my opinion will change. Ive also shadowed and MD and DO (both FM docs), and I havent really had an opportunity to shadow a psychiatrist (I doubt one would even let me).

So heres the deal: Ive mentioned the idea of podiatry to my parents but they are repeatedly telling me to get into a 'real' medical school, and that podiatrists have no respect. They're even telling me to go to the caribbean before choosing podiatry. I do know 5 people who have been successful from the caribbean (2 of them matched this year). I do care a little about being respected, but if I enjoy what Im doing I doubt it would matter. Money wise, ive read that podiatrists can make comparable amounts to dentists, family docs, and the ceiling is quite high. I guess for my parents it comes down to whether as a podiatrist, I would be respected by my MD/DO colleagues. Money isnt really the issue here.

IMO, if you have time worrying about what other people think of you, then you are not working harder than you should be. If you work your butt off and give your patients the care they deserve, then you will earn respect. There will always be people out there that won't respect you and I hope it won't deter you from your goals in life. Heck, it's not just podiatry that doesn't get respect. Even though DOs can do everything MDs can, there are times where they are still not respected by the MD community.

A lot of people don't know what podiatry is or what it takes to get there. We go through 4 years of schooling (some schools learning along side DOs and MDs), and then 3 years of surgical residency. IMO, it would be easier to go to podiatry or DO/MD schools in the states than trying for caribbean schools, but that's your call.

With podiatry, as a subspecialty, you have to understand that we have limited practice with our license. Depending on where you will practice, you will most likely have to stay in the foot and ankle region. If you wish to do things in other regions of the human body, then podiatry might not be for you.

One thing I like about podiatry is that your job is set in stone. Once you graduate and go through residency, you will know that you will work with the foot and ankle. If you go the traditional route (MD/DO), then there is a chance for you to get into the specialty that you want. I heard stories where students were aiming for specialties like Orthopedics, Ophthalmologist, dermatologist, etc. In the end, they ended up in family practice or Internal medicine.

Whatever you end up picking, just make sure that it is the route you really want to go for and don't care about what your parents say. It's your life. Even if they don't like what you pick in the end, I'm sure they won't mind after seeing your paycheck/way of life and how happy you are with it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[zukunft195]

By the way, OP, if you ever feel like dissuading yourself from considering podiatry, I'd recommend skimming through some of the posts on here from long-time podiatrists: http://www.podiatrytoday.com/if-you-had-do-it-all-over-again-would-you-still-be-podiatrist

 

[poditrained]

By the way, OP, if you ever feel like dissuading yourself from considering podiatry, I'd recommend skimming through some of the posts on here from long-time podiatrists: http://www.podiatrytoday.com/if-you-had-do-it-all-over-again-would-you-still-be-podiatrist

*Long-time podiatrists posting 7 years ago that didn't have access to the level of education + 3 surgical residency offered today. Your ignorance to that fact is part of the problem. Educate yourself.

Keep in mind:

1. Declining reimbursement is a common complaint associated with all specialties of medicine.

2. Respect will come when you demonstrate your value by doing your job (that you hopefully love) to the best of your ability.


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[Cranjis McBasketball]

By the way, OP, if you ever feel like dissuading yourself from considering podiatry, I'd recommend skimming through some of the posts on here from long-time podiatrists: http://www.podiatrytoday.com/if-you-had-do-it-all-over-again-would-you-still-be-podiatrist

Any long time practicioner of medicine is going to complain. Because the entire health care industry has declined. So any doctor that has been in their specialty for a long time is going to have negative things to say. It definitely isnt just podiatry

 

[Podstar]

Only you can answer this question. I suggest you shadow a podiatrist in a private practice and hospital setting and then assess what you think of both options. However, I will say respect of others and pleasing your parents should not be factors in the decision; your decision should be for you.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

1. You're an adult and you should be making your own decision. The only person that should care about what a degree means to others is you and only you.
2. After shadowing a DPM, if you feel that podiatry is something you can see yourself in then, by all means, apply for next year's class, regardless of what anyone else thinks about the profession.
3. If you want to apply straight to Do schools then I suggest only applying to the new schools. But, before you apply, head over to the Pre-DO forum and ask there what others think and also message GORO (he's an adcom) about your chances, if you were to apply straight.

Good luck!

 

[Weirdy]

It seems you are still leaning towards DO as your true calling.

Do not use podiatry as a replacement unless you are happy doing podiatry.

1. Ignore what your family is telling you. They will not wake up 5 years from now to do your job for you. Pick what you want. Even after you become a doctor, they will still have expectations/opinions/remarks/bull**** to spew. It is their job to push you.

2. Shadow. Know both the good and the bad. Know it so well you get sick of it. You cannot ignore the bad of a profession thinking it will replace what you originally wanted. You need to be honest with yourself. I do not think you are doing that right now.

3. Money and respect cannot and will not replace what you wanted to do originally. If you are looking at money and respect in podiatry to make up for the fact that it is not DO, you are already selling yourself short (and the profession frankly). Do no compromise on something you will invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in and countless years for the rest of your life.

A high MCAT tells me you have the test taking skills and memory to do well academically. Judging from your concerns, you do not have the conviction or spine to reapply DO. You value your parents and relatives opinions but you need to learn to take it with a grain of salt. There is a difference between being ignorant and being receptive. Their advice is sound but they are not you. There is nothing wrong with blocking it out. If I listened to my relatives and parents ****ting on my decision to pursue anything other than MD/DO, I wouldn't have gotten this far or learned how to be happy with my own decisions.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

1. You're an adult and you should be making your own decision. The only person that should care about what a degree means to others is you and only you.
2. After shadowing a DPM, if you feel that podiatry is something you can see yourself in then, by all means, apply for next year's class, regardless of what anyone else thinks about the profession.
3. If you want to apply straight to Do schools then I suggest only applying to the new schools. But, before you apply, head over to the Pre-DO forum and ask there what others think and also message GORO (he's an adcom) about your chances, if you were to apply straight.


Good luck!

If you don't mind me asking, where was the Postbacc done? Was it an SMP? Congrats on that killer MCAT!

 

[ill be a doc soon]

Hi everyone, thanks for responding. Im going to start shadowing a podiatrist next week after finals end, and Ill make a decision from there. Whatever I choose, I know I will be happy doing it. The truth is, the removal of this grade replacement policy for DOs really f*cked me over, and I woudve had a 3.3-3.4 but now Im barely above 3.0.

If you don't mind me asking, where was the Postbacc done? Was it an SMP? Congrats on that killer MCAT!

I did a DIY postbacc with a combination of CC, extension, and University courses (43 credits total). Thanks, I guess I got lucky on the MCAT lol.

 

[GypsyHummus]

I have little doubt in your ability to get into a podiatry school, as your stats are good (MCAT is fantastic, GPA is meh= good chances, not 100% but like 90%) but you have to first think if you want to be a podiatrist. I would shadow. I didn't see myself being a podiatrist until I actually shadowed one, and now its something I can see myself doing for 40+ years.

I have my doubts that you could get into MD or DO school. Its getting more competitive to get into those schools and a 3.0 is really low. Not saying you won't get in, but I have doubts. Still go for it, might as well if you got the cash.

Podiatry is gross. If you can deal with gross, you will find it to be a wonderful profession. It all depends on your tolerance. Id rather do podiatry than not be a doctor at all.

Respect is an interesting topic. I can tell you outside of MD and DOs and a few nurses, the rest of the world views Pods as physicians. Legally, this is also starting to reflect in how medicaid views Pods; a big bill in congress is going to pass to put pods on the same level moneywise as other doctors in the Veterans Administration. DOs face discrimination and a lack of respect as well, although that is becoming less true as the years go by. Unless you go to MD school, you will always have people questioning your training and ability. I believe in the 8+ years on your pod journey, relations between the big three "Doctors" (MD, DO, DPM), are just going to get better. This mandatory 3 year residency was a very good thing.

Never, ever go to the caribbean. Way to much of a risk. Do a post bacc linkage with a DO or MD school first before doing that. Id even recommend going to pharmacy school before the Caribbean. for every success story, there are ten horrible failure stories.

Hi all,
A little background about me: I did not have the strongest undergraduate record. I graduated with a 2.8c/2.6s gpa from a top 25 school. After that, I decided to spend a year doing a postbacc in which I raised my gpas to 3.0, with the thought I was going to apply to DO school. During winter break last year (I had 9 weeks off), I studied for the MCAT and managed to pull a 514.

While doing this I also looked into other career options in the medical field, since I cannot see myself doing anything other than that. A friend of mine is in podiatry school, and he told me about podiatry so I started researching more and more about the field, and it turns out its something I would be interested in pursuing. Originally, I wanted to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist, considering my background (my family has problems with sleep, anxiety, Ive had problems with depression in the past, I have a brother with autism, etc).

After looking into podiatry I'm really split 50/50 between what I want to do. I know psychiatry and podiatry are like polar opposites, but I feel that both provide great relief to patients which is why Im split between these two. Im going to start shadowing a podiatrist next week so perhaps my opinion will change. Ive also shadowed and MD and DO (both FM docs), and I havent really had an opportunity to shadow a psychiatrist (I doubt one would even let me).

So heres the deal: Ive mentioned the idea of podiatry to my parents but they are repeatedly telling me to get into a 'real' medical school, and that podiatrists have no respect. They're even telling me to go to the caribbean before choosing podiatry. I do know 5 people who have been successful from the caribbean (2 of them matched this year). I do care a little about being respected, but if I enjoy what Im doing I doubt it would matter. Money wise, ive read that podiatrists can make comparable amounts to dentists, family docs, and the ceiling is quite high. I guess for my parents it comes down to whether as a podiatrist, I would be respected by my MD/DO colleagues. Money isnt really the issue here.

 

[J29622]

In response to the poster who provided a link to disgruntled Podiatrists, virtually every Podiatrist I've spoken to (some of whom in high positions in the profession) has had very positive things to say. If you look at career satisfaction surveys between different medical specialties, Podiatry is consistently above a most specialties. It's not a perfect profession (none are), but posting a biased source and presenting it as fact seems disingenuous.

Once you factor that Podiatry is on the upswing presently (legislative improvements, significantly improving training and subsequent increasing public perception), it is a fine career choice for someone interested in a medical specialty that provides both surgical and clinical aspects. Just make sure you know what you are getting into (you don't get to change specialties later on).

 

[GypsyHummus]

I would say my experience has been 50-50 on weather or not a pod would do it all over again. However, this is always added with "I would not have done medicine in the first place" from the ones who said they wouldn't want to. I've met nobody who was lukewarm on pod.

And there is a perfect profession. It's called dermatology.

In response to the poster who provided a link to disgruntled Podiatrists, virtually every Podiatrist I've spoken to (some of whom in high positions in the profession) has had very positive things to say. If you look at career satisfaction surveys between different medical specialties, Podiatry is consistently above a most specialties. It's not a perfect profession (none are), but posting a biased source and presenting it as fact seems disingenuous.

Once you factor that Podiatry is on the upswing presently (legislative improvements, significantly improving training and subsequent increasing public perception), it is a fine career choice for someone interested in a medical specialty that provides both surgical and clinical aspects. Just make sure you know what you are getting into (you don't get to change specialties later on).

 

[J29622]

I would say my experience has been 50-50 on weather or not a pod would do it all over again. However, this is always added with "I would not have done medicine in the first place" from the ones who said they wouldn't want to. I've met nobody who was lukewarm on pod.

And there is a perfect profession. It's called dermatology.

Medicine in and of itself is a very demanding profession so it makes sense that people may get burnt out and turn sour on it. As you stated, that's definitely not unique to Podiatry though and other specialties suffer MORE from this (Primary Care boasts a 20% satisfaction rate last I checked. Nephro, Neuro, Gen Surg. and Psych were also really bad along with others). A vast majority of MD/DO's will end up in these type of fields. For Podiatry, the same survey was at around 55% satisfaction, which is above a large number of specialties (a few above it IIRC were Ophto, Derm and Plastics, but definitely a minority).

I assume that's in jest, but Dermatology isn't perfect to me. Given I'm drawn to the surgical aspects of Podiatry, I am not particularly interested in doing Derm all day. It's a great lifestyle though, that's for sure.

 

[ill be a doc soon]

Ok, another question: I was looking at the handbook and I saw that multiple schools accepted someone with a 2.3 gpa, and also people were accepted with mcat scores in the mid teens.
How often do schools accept students of this caliber? Do they go on to do well?


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[Cranjis McBasketball]

Ok, another question: I was looking at the handbook and I saw that multiple schools accepted someone with a 2.3 gpa, and also people were accepted with mcat scores in the mid teens.
How often do schools accept students of this caliber? Do they go on to do well?


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My guess is the matriculants didnt have both a low GPA and a low MCAT. Low GPAs probably had higher MCATs and great ECs and vice-versa.

 

[GypsyHummus]

There was a thread about low GPA students in Pod schools a while ago. A majority of the consensus from the pod students that replied stated that either the low GPA students pulled themselves up by the bootstraps, or they failed out. A surprising amount ended up pulling themselves up by the bootstraps.

Interviewing, I could deff see some people with those scores in undergrad (2.5), but they prolly had master GPAs and/or high other factors mitigating the GPA. I was probably the only person in my interview group with a low 490 MCAT score, a surprising amount of people had MCATs in the low 500s. There was only one student that interviewed with me that had a 505.

Personally, I think it is unacceptable to have a GPA under a 2.7 overall in undergrad, that is a B-. I mean come on, its not that hard to get all Bs in school.

One thing that I noticed at some pod schools is that like medical schools in the state, once you are in, the schools do their best to keep you in, unlike the caribbean. Even if it means repeating a year, pod schools are going to drag you by the ear to finish your degree. This is both a good and a bad thing, as while people are eventually going to finish, there are some people that should not be cutting into people's feet. They would be much better suited to teaching, which some pods end up doing.

Ok, another question: I was looking at the handbook and I saw that multiple schools accepted someone with a 2.3 gpa, and also people were accepted with mcat scores in the mid teens.
How often do schools accept students of this caliber? Do they go on to do well?


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[GypsyHummus]

Honestly, the more common folk in Pod school are those with subpar GPA and MCAT scores for traditional Medical School MD/DO (<3.2, <497 MCAT) but would still make really good docs. I fell into this category, and I am extremely grateful for the podiatry option, because without it, I would have been stuck either finding another career in healthcare like pharmacy (shudders) or optometry (bleh) or risk it in the caribbean.