Where does the work come from?

[unnumzaan]

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Hi guys, I'm still new around here and hope this question doesn't come off as extremely ignorant or offensive. I feel like a small fish in a big sea and have tons of questions. But one has been bothering me for the past few days.

Everyone I've discussed the possibility of podiatry school with has responded with the same initial reaction: Do that many people need their feet/ankle treated? I understand that this mindset may be largely due to the public's unawareness of podiatry as a field and what podiatrists do. I'm definitely counting myself in that crowd.

So my question is, where does all the work come from? I don't know many people who have gone to see podiatrists, and those who have were one-time cases. Podiatry isn't like dentistry where routine procedures (cleaning/cavities) are part of most people's normal routine. In theory, it isn't anymore specialized than something like pediatric cardiology, but I still find myself pondering how in the world a multi-doc practice can be endlessly busy year around. What kind of care makes up the bulk of a practice's billing and how what proportion of patients actually become "return customers"?

I'm scheduled to start shadowing a local podiatry group practice in a few weeks. In the meantime, thanks for the great advice and answers, SDN rocks 👍. I posted this in Pod Students to get a greater scope of responses and to avoid being lost in the chances thread in pre-pod.

 

[PADPM]

Hi guys, I'm still new around here and hope this question doesn't come off as extremely ignorant or offensive. I feel like a small fish in a big sea and have tons of questions. But one has been bothering me for the past few days.

Everyone I've discussed the possibility of podiatry school with has responded with the same initial reaction: Do that many people need their feet/ankle treated? I understand that this mindset may be largely due to the public's unawareness of podiatry as a field and what podiatrists do. I'm definitely counting myself in that crowd.

So my question is, where does all the work come from? I don't know many people who have gone to see podiatrists, and those who have were one-time cases. Podiatry isn't like dentistry where routine procedures (cleaning/cavities) are part of most people's normal routine. In theory, it isn't anymore specialized than something like pediatric cardiology, but I still find myself pondering how in the world a multi-doc practice can be endlessly busy year around. What kind of care makes up the bulk of a practice's billing and how what proportion of patients actually become "return customers"?

I'm scheduled to start shadowing a local podiatry group practice in a few weeks. In the meantime, thanks for the great advice and answers, SDN rocks 👍. I posted this in Pod Students to get a greater scope of responses and to avoid being lost in the chances thread in pre-pod.

That's a very valid question, and a question that you really won't be able to comprehend the answer to until you shadow a busy doctor or busy group.

There are patients such as those with diabetes or vascular disease who come on a regular basis and there is a great variety of ailments treated daily, from trauma to children with warts, to severe deformities, to sport injuries, to ulcerations, to infections, to surgical consultations and those ailments can include nail, skin, muscle, tendon, bone, etc. Believe me, there is a lot of pathology available to treat.

If you REALLY want to do a little experiment to see if people "really" have foot problems, the next time you're at an event or party, let someone know you're a foot doctor and wait to see how long it takes for a dozen people to come up to you and start asking you questions about "a little problem" they've been having.

 

[Podophile]

At least 25.8 million people in the United States (8.3% of the population) live with diabetes (National Diabetes Information Clearing House). These numbers will continue to climb. This is why podiatrists will always be in business.

Disagree with this logic. How are they going to receive podiatric care if they don't know that podiatry exists?

It is our responsibility as foot & ankle experts to continue to self promote and educate patients, as well as explain and demonstrate what we have to offer the medical community. There is currently (and will continue to be) an increased NEED for foot and ankle care; we have to convince the public that they "need" to receive it from podiatrists and that they should not accept treatment from anything other than the foot & ankle experts.

 

[Podophile]

That's a very valid question, and a question that you really won't be able to comprehend the answer to until you shadow a busy doctor or busy group.

There are patients such as those with diabetes or vascular disease who come on a regular basis and there is a great variety of ailments treated daily, from trauma to children with warts, to severe deformities, to sport injuries, to ulcerations, to infections, to surgical consultations and those ailments can include nail, skin, muscle, tendon, bone, etc. Believe me, there is a lot of pathology available to treat.

If you REALLY want to do a little experiment to see if people "really" have foot problems, the next time you're at an event or party, let someone know you're a foot doctor and wait to see how long it takes for a dozen people to come up to you and start asking you questions about "a little problem" they've been having.

👍

 

[g squared 23]

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[Podophile]

Most primary care physicians won't touch the foot and usually refer any non-traumatic foot related issue to a podiatrist. Yes, current pods need to continue to promote the profession. I never really said they didn't.

Ok, agree with you there.