Why is dentistry more popular over podiatry?

[418865]

What made you choose MD/DO over dentistry or podiatry? I've been reading tons of threads in SDN recently and it seems like many of the competitive MD/DO residencies are competitive in nature due to the higher compensation and the relatively "less busy" lifestyle both of which seem to be associated with the pods and dentists. Reason I'm posting it on this part of the forum is because I want to know what turned you off regarding those careers other than simply being, "I don't wanna be a foot or teeth doctor"

Did any of you shadow a dentist or podiatrist to convince yourself 100% that it's not a profession you would want to do? Or do you just have a gut feeling that you will do anything but those? Also, most of the times when you ask a "prehealth" most either want to be "an MD (or DO..I sincerely don't want it to be another MD vs. DO crap hehe) or a dentist"..very few says "podiatry"...I get the feeling that dealing with feet can be perceived as "gross"..but the same can be said about tooth or gastro right? There are tons of predental students but I've never met a single prepod student or didn't even know of podiatry's existence until recently

Please don't troll...I don't want this thread to drag along..nor do I want it to turn into a podiatry bashing thread (or podiatry being the "last resort" or anything like that). I'm just curious to know why more people are doing dentistry (and I know many of my friends who choose it without shadowing a dentist!) over podiatry...also, if you are on MD/DO route..how did you come to conclusion that podiatry simply isn't for you?

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[Hotshy]

Please don't troll...I don't want this thread to drag along..nor do I want it to turn into a podiatry bashing thread (or podiatry being the "last resort" or anything like that). I'm just curious to know why more people are doing dentistry (and I know many of my friends who choose it without shadowing a dentist!) over podiatry...also, if you are on MD/DO route..how did you come to conclusion that podiatry simply isn't for you?

A physician saved my life, not a podiatrist. (But seriously)

 

[CodeBlu]

No podiatry for me because as much as I like ortho related stuff... just being able to work on feet is not cool for me.

As an MD/DO, you are offered way more flexibility, plus you're given a deeper understanding of the fundamental stuff both basic science and clinically. Sure a podiatrist could deliver a baby, but the MD/DO would have done a 6-8 week rotation in OB/GYN and would be more confident in their abilities to successfully deliver the baby, even if they were a radiologist.

 

[418865]

No podiatry for me because as much as I like ortho related stuff... just being able to work on feet is not cool for me.

As an MD/DO, you are offered way more flexibility, plus you're given a deeper understanding of the fundamental stuff both basic science and clinically. Sure a podiatrist could deliver a baby, but the MD/DO would have done a 6-8 week rotation in OB/GYN and would be more confident in their abilities to successfully deliver the baby, even if they were a radiologist.

I see..but when you specialize say in radiology (you look at X-rays after X-rays after X-rays) or rad onc (which seems to be again a very routined and monotonous task): you are getting confined in a very rigid services no? I guess being an internist or a family doctor will give you the most flexibility yet there seems to be lack of those due to financial incentives which seems to ultimately decide many docs' choice?

I didn't get why a podiatrist or a radiologist will have to deliver a baby....are you talking about just in case in some emergency situation?

 

[CodeBlu]

I see..but when you "specialize"...radiology (you look at X-rays after X-rays after X-rays) or rad onc (which seems to be again a very routine task): you are getting confined in a very "specific" task no? I guess being an internist or a family doctor will give you the most flexibility yet there seems to be lack of those due to financial incentives which seems to ultimately decide many docs' choice?

I didn't get why a podiatrist or a radiologist will have to deliver a baby..are you talking about some kind of emergency?

Right... but you're confined to this task after rotating through a bunch of stuff and finding something you like.

With podiatry... how do you know you're gonna like it? You shadow many podiatrists? At least in medicine if you find out you hate people, you can do rads or pathology.

And I mean that an MD/DO student gets a more comprehensive education of the body overall.

Dentists/Podiatrists and others get a very BRIEF overview of everythiing then zero in on the head and neck (dentists) or the feet and lower limbs (podiatrists).

 

[418865]

A physician saved my life, not a podiatrist. (But seriously)

hmm...but then again..when you are an MD you are not just a "physician"..u will most likely specialize in ENT or pediatrics....I think your argument applies more to say EM physicians or such? Again, I'm trying to look at both sides...I'm set to pursue an MD/DO applications and what not but wondering if there are things that you guys absolutely despised while shadowing experience or other experiences for which I can look out for?

 

[418865]

CodeBlu: thanks for your clarification...it makes clear sense to where you are coming from

 

[Hotshy]

an MD/DO student gets a more comprehensive education of the body overall.

Dentists/Podiatrists and others get a very BRIEF overview of everythiing then zero in on the head and neck (dentists) or the feet and lower limbs (podiatrists).

I would clarify that DMD students often have the same first two years as the MD students. I know at the University of Connecticut and Tufts, Both top ranked Dental schools, the MD and DMD students have all the sciences classes together the first two years.

My dentist who graduated from Tufts was actually talking about this with me a few weeks ago. "I don't know why I had to dissect the legs of a cadaver during dental school with the rest of the med students"

 

[Hotshy]

hmm...but then again..when you are an MD you are not just a "physician"..u will most likely specialize in ENT or pediatrics....I think your argument applies more to say EM physicians or such? Again, I'm trying to look at both sides...I'm set to pursue an MD/DO applications and what not but wondering if there are things that you guys absolutely despised while shadowing experience or other experiences for which I can look out for?

I was saved by a neonatologist/pediatrician shortly after birth, he then went on to be our family's pediatrician.

Actually, I really am not the best with kids and will not be going into pediatrics. I can never imagine myself doing that.

But as far as shadowing, I really liked everything I saw. Just remember that patience goes a long way when dealing with patients. That was something I definitely learned from shadowing, the patient actually said to me "you must have a lot of patience to want to be a doctor, people like me give them such a hard time, sometimes"

 

[UnclePhil]

hmm...but then again..when you are an MD you are not just a "physician"..u will most likely specialize in ENT or pediatrics....I think your argument applies more to say EM physicians or such? Again, I'm trying to look at both sides...I'm set to pursue an MD/DO applications and what not but wondering if there are things that you guys absolutely despised while shadowing experience or other experiences for which I can look out for?

Um.. believe it or not, ENTs and pediatricians save lives too. Unless you consider things like surgically removing cancerous tumors from your face not saving lives...?

Why am I not becoming a dentist or podiatrist? Because I have no interest in being either a dentist or a podiatrist. I'm not sure why would need more of a reason than that. It's pretty simple. Have I shadowed a dentist? No. Have I shadowed a podiatrist? No. So what? I haven't shadowed a lawyer either, or a college professor, or a bar tender and I can tell you pretty plainly that I don't have much interest in those professions either.

I prefer to do things I'm actually interested in rather than do things only because I'm not interested in the alternatives.

 

[CaliGirl14]

because i hate dentists and i kinda hate feet.

yeah i know sorry.

 

[postbacpremed87]

I think Podiatry could make sense for aspiring orthopods who are having a tough time getting into med school due to a lower gpa. Obviously the negatives have been said on here by CodeBlu - you're confined to the ailments/problems of foot and ankle. Positives you do get to perform surgeries on those areas those. You can make a decent salary of 180K on average and have a more controllable schedule. It would be a good backup option.

What made you choose MD/DO over dentistry or podiatry? I've been reading tons of threads in SDN recently and it seems like many of the competitive MD/DO residencies are competitive in nature due to the higher compensation and the relatively "less busy" lifestyle both of which seem to be associated with the pods and dentists. Reason I'm posting it on this part of the forum is because I want to know what turned you off regarding those careers other than simply being, "I don't wanna be a foot or teeth doctor"

Did any of you shadow a dentist or podiatrist to convince yourself 100% that it's not a profession you would want to do? Or do you just have a gut feeling that you will do anything but those? Also, most of the times when you ask a "prehealth" most either want to be "an MD (or DO..I sincerely don't want it to be another MD vs. DO crap hehe) or a dentist"..very few says "podiatry"...I get the feeling that dealing with feet can be perceived as "gross"..but the same can be said about tooth or gastro right? There are tons of predental students but I've never met a single prepod student or didn't even know of podiatry's existence until recently

Please don't troll...I don't want this thread to drag along..nor do I want it to turn into a podiatry bashing thread (or podiatry being the "last resort" or anything like that). I'm just curious to know why more people are doing dentistry (and I know many of my friends who choose it without shadowing a dentist!) over podiatry...also, if you are on MD/DO route..how did you come to conclusion that podiatry simply isn't for you?

 

[418865]

Um.. believe it or not, ENTs and pediatricians save lives too. Unless you consider things like surgically removing cancerous tumors from your face not saving lives...?

Why am I not becoming a dentist or podiatrist? Because I have no interest in being either a dentist or a podiatrist. I'm not sure why would need more of a reason than that. It's pretty simple. Have I shadowed a dentist? No. Have I shadowed a podiatrist? No. So what? I haven't shadowed a lawyer either, or a college professor, or a bar tender and I can tell you pretty plainly that I don't have much interest in those professions either.

I prefer to do things I'm actually interested in rather than do things only because I'm not interested in the alternatives.

I'm not saying ENTs and pediatricians don't save lives..as long as you are a "doctor"..I'm pretty sure you are saving a person's live...and I'm pretty sure it applies to podiatrists or dentists too.

But I totally understand your point of view as I currently feel the same about "dentistry" at least (after shadowing one..hehe). I would be interested to know how dentists choose that profession over podiatry..what kind of thought process goes into that..

 

[CodeBlu]

I'm not saying ENTs and pediatricians don't save lives..as long as you are a "doctor"..I'm pretty sure you are saving a person's live...and I'm pretty sure it applies to podiatrists or dentists too.

But I totally understand your point of view as I currently feel the same about "dentistry" at least (after shadowing one..hehe). I would be interested to know how dentists choose that profession over podiatry..what kind of thought process goes into that..

Ready for it....


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


Shocking I know right?

 

[418865]

I was saved by a neonatologist/pediatrician shortly after birth, he then went on to be our family's pediatrician.

Actually, I really am not the best with kids and will not be going into pediatrics. I can never imagine myself doing that.

But as far as shadowing, I really liked everything I saw. Just remember that patience goes a long way when dealing with patients. That was something I definitely learned from shadowing, the patient actually said to me "you must have a lot of patience to want to be a doctor, people like me give them such a hard time, sometimes"

haha thanks for sharing..I totally understand about "patience"...as my top choice if I choose MD/DO is: psychiatry..

 

[Isoprop]

I considered being a pod. Podiatry can be a very rewarding career. Diseases of the feet can be extremely debilitating and helping people get back on their feet (pun intended) feels pretty great. Patients can be extremely grateful compared to other specialties. Podiatrists also have to be cognizant of general health problems and not just of the feet (eg diabetes), so your scope wouldn't necessarily be narrowed down to just feet.

Thing is... I don't like surgery. And even though there's a medical side in podiatry, the surgery aspect of podiatry kills it for me.

Dentistry is just boring.

 

[418865]

Ready for it....


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


Shocking I know right?

I'd rather buy a chain of gas stations or shops if I want that $$$$$$$$ or becoming a governor might work too I guess?

But on a serious note..I heard pods make as much as dentists? uhhh..it's not like podiatrists make $100k less than dentists...if $$$$ is the case then isn't that just dumb and misinformed choice??

 

[418865]

I considered being a pod. Podiatry can be a very rewarding career. Diseases of the feet can be extremely debilitating and helping people get back on their feet (pun intended) feels pretty great. Patients can be extremely grateful compared to other specialties. Podiatrists also have to be cognizant of general health problems and not just of the feet (eg diabetes), so your scope wouldn't necessarily be narrowed down to just feet.

Thing is... I don't like surgery. And even though there's a medical side in podiatry, the surgery aspect of podiatry kills it for me.

Dentistry is just boring.

ahh thanks so much for bringing that up...there are quite visual foot surgeries up on youtube and I can't quite see myself into a surgery kinda speciality...can u be a podiatrist w/o performing surgery on a regular basis?

 

[418865]

wow this is dumb of me how I never considered it even though I had to frequent orthopedic surgeons quite a lot 5 years ago...

podiatry vs. orthopedist...can podiatrists do everything and more than an orthopedic surgeon?

 

[UnclePhil]

I'm not saying ENTs and pediatricians don't save lives..as long as you are a "doctor"..I'm pretty sure you are saving a person's live...and I'm pretty sure it applies to podiatrists or dentists too.

But I totally understand your point of view as I currently feel the same about "dentistry" at least (after shadowing one..hehe). I would be interested to know how dentists choose that profession over podiatry..what kind of thought process goes into that..

Maybe because they want to be a dentist instead of a podiatrist, there doesn't need to be any sort of real thought process.

Believe it or not, most people who go into the field care about more than simply being called "doctor". You want to know what is infinitely more important to me than having "doctor" in my title? What I am actually doing with my life as a "doctor." There is no reason why someone who wants to be a dentist should also have a desire to be a podiatrist. They are completely different jobs.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Feet are neeestyyy.

 

[Undecipherable]

Am I the only one turned off from dentistry because I wouldn't want to look into mouths all the time? Is that a really dumb reason to not want to go into it?

 

[pancakesyrup]

Because some people don't like feet.

 

[Slack3r]

Ready for it....


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


Shocking I know right?

You're taking a much more complex issue and making it very black and white. Why choose MD over DMD? Cus the MD behind your name adds inches to your dick?

Believe it or not, most people who go into the field care about more than simply being called "doctor". You want to know what is infinitely more important to me than having "doctor" in my title? What I am actually doing with my life as a "doctor." There is no reason why someone who wants to be a dentist should also have a desire to be a podiatrist. They are completely different jobs.

This.

 

[CodeBlu]

You're taking a much more complex issue and making it very black and white. Why choose MD over DMD? Cus the MD behind your name adds inches to your dick?

Um... cuz MD = 3rd year clinical clerkships in OB/GYN, Paeds, Surgery, Psych, and Internal Medicine.

DMD = dental school... with a whole hell of a lot of medical school stuff to learn/memorize that you don't need to be a dentist.

 

[dbeast]

Fair warning- I haven't read any of this thread except the title.

Everyone here is presumably okay with making out with someone... But how many people are okay with making out with someone's foot? Dentistry win.

 

[vin5cent0]

Dentistry and Podiatry both severely limit your options (Foot and mouth, essentially). If you aren't interested in either (I'm not), it's a pretty easy choice.

 

[Slack3r]

Um... cuz MD = 3rd year clinical clerkships in OB/GYN, Paeds, Surgery, Psych, and Internal Medicine.

DMD = dental school... with a whole hell of a lot of medical school stuff to learn/memorize that you don't need to be a dentist.

So doesn't it make sense that someone would choose dentistry or podiatry for actual reasons like someone chooses medicine? In your mind dentistry and podiatry are interchangeable backup options to medicine and not actual career paths?

 

[CodeBlu]

So doesn't it make sense that someone would choose dentistry or podiatry for actual reasons like someone chooses medicine? In your mind dentistry and podiatry are interchangeable backup options to medicine and not actual career paths?

Wrong. Not what I said at all.

 

[Morsetlis]

Dentistry is a long and notorious profession, just like medicine...

Podiatry has less of a history.

Whether somebody chooses dentistry or podiatry should have to do with which area of the body they like working with, shouldn't it?

 

[simondimond]

because podiatrists deal with feet.

feet are gross.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

My hands are unfit for any type of surgery that doesn't use a laser beam. Either way, I am not very coordinated, so I think drilling and crown making will be excruciating for me. Now with podiatry, I could probably pull it off, but that occupation has it's own problems, ie not enough residencies and again a few too many surgerys to preform.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

Prestige. You have schools for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary. Those have their own schools, so they even sound like a big deal. Podiatry is kind of like Physical Therapy; while often times they are also part of "school of medicine", they are not exactly the first thing you think of when people say Medical School. That is partially why it's not as popular, everyday people simply do not see it as "doctor-type" work.

Those that specifically want to pursue these fields do so, but most often probably do not even consider it. They either aim for the big names, PhD's, or nursing. Everything else is something that you really have to do your own research to really find out about.

 

[418865]

Dentistry is a long and notorious profession, just like medicine...

Podiatry has less of a history.

Whether somebody chooses dentistry or podiatry should have to do with which area of the body they like working with, shouldn't it?

True I agree as I pretty much feel the same way.....but I'm feeling there is an overwhelming "sense" that podiatry is "inferior" somehow than MD (that may be just me)...again, I don't know whether it's the society or podiatry involving going to the "podiatry school" or whatnot..but just saying "Feet is gross..or I don't want to be a foot doctor"...sounds to me a little weird..I'll of course shadow a podiatrist to find out personally for me..but I can't stop wondering what made dentistry looked at much more highly than podiatry even though both involve a very 'focused' and long years of education where if you change your mind (due to finding mouth or feet finding "gross" to work with or any other reasons)...you are kinda screwed.

I do acknowledge some major cons: i.e. 1) involves surgery and 2) they are very focused professions and you have to make up your mind pretty early..whereas an MD/DO..you get to truly "feel" out most of the professions and still get an option to be an orthopedist if you realize down the year and after trying out other "doctors" that you like to work with feet...

 

[418865]

Prestige. You have schools for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary. Those have their own schools, so they even sound like a big deal. Podiatry is kind of like Physical Therapy; while often times they are also part of "school of medicine", they are not exactly the first thing you think of when people say Medical School. That is partially why it's not as popular, everyday people simply do not see it as "doctor-type" work.

Those that specifically want to pursue these fields do so, but most often probably do not even consider it. They either aim for the big names, PhD's, or nursing. Everything else is something that you really have to do your own research to really find out about.

 

[418865]

Maybe because they want to be a dentist instead of a podiatrist, there doesn't need to be any sort of real thought process.

Believe it or not, most people who go into the field care about more than simply being called "doctor". You want to know what is infinitely more important to me than having "doctor" in my title? What I am actually doing with my life as a "doctor." There is no reason why someone who wants to be a dentist should also have a desire to be a podiatrist. They are completely different jobs.

I think the point of this thread is quite useless if I assumed and solely wanted to be a "doctor"..very purpose I'm posting is to see how people make up their minds on what kind of doctor they want to be..and what are the most important things they consider. No one can argue that they are not different jobs..but my question is..they are both "doctors" in every sense like an MD/DO (who too end up specializing in a certain body part/organ system anyway) too..but hardly anyone wants to be a podiatrist (and is it just they don't cause they already "know" or is it they shadow or some other method to ultimately know for themselves?) and it's looked upon as a "back up if Caribbean rejects you" type lol..but any way thanks for your inputs! I can definitely see the cons that many of you are posting (surgery, narrowed training, etc. when it comes to deciding btw MD vs. Dentistry/Pod) and "prestige" (when it comes down to Dentistry vs. Podiatry?)

 

[Wile]

Tl;dr but from what ive gathered....cause I wanna be a phsyician not a dentist or podiatrist. It's really as simple as that, it's what I'm interested in.

 

[Slack3r]

Wrong. Not what I said at all.

Um...

I would be interested to know how dentists choose that profession over podiatry..what kind of thought process goes into that..

Ready for it....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Shocking I know right?

 

[UnclePhil]

I think the point of this thread is quite useless if I assumed and solely wanted to be a "doctor"..very purpose I'm posting is to see how people make up their minds on what kind of doctor they want to be..and what are the most important things they consider. No one can argue that they are not different jobs..but my question is..they are both "doctors" in every sense like an MD/DO (who too end up specializing in a certain body part/organ system anyway) too..but hardly anyone wants to be a podiatrist (and is it just they don't cause they already "know" or is it they shadow or some other method to ultimately know for themselves?) and it's looked upon as a "back up if Caribbean rejects you" type lol..but any way thanks for your inputs! I can definitely see the cons that many of you are posting (surgery, narrowed training, etc. when it comes to deciding btw MD vs. Dentistry/Pod) and "prestige" (when it comes down to Dentistry vs. Podiatry?)

They're NOT doctors in the same way that an MD physician is. If you don't realize this, I think you need to look a little bit more into how an MD or DO physician is trained.

But I get the purpose of this thread. Basically you just want us to admit that we think podiatry is a fall-back option, and ask us why we look down on podiatry.

 

[418865]

They're NOT doctors in the same way that an MD physician is. If you don't realize this, I think you need to look a little bit more into how an MD or DO physician is trained.

But I get the purpose of this thread. Basically you just want us to admit that we think podiatry is a fall-back option, and ask us why we look down on podiatry.

huh? Did I not clarify couple times on the purpose of my post? But sure...if that makes your condescending self feel better..believe in that.

To anyone else who cares, I read this article which made me think more closely about podiatry medicine.

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/09/why-i-chose-podiatry-school/

I am still very much in MD route but now I will definitely shadow a podiatrist to figure it out personally. But meanwhile I posted here to understand..heck I'm done restating why I'm posting this thread lol.

 

[418865]

Answer to OP's question: "Why is dentistry more popular over podiatry?"

Because there are more rotten teeth in a person's mouth to drill/pull than there are toes on a diabetic's foot to amputate.

 

[shenanigans327]

This goes against my better judgement to weigh in on this...but I'll bite

Hate to break it to you guys...but not everyone in Pod school is an MD/DO reject

did it ever occur that some of us may have actually picked the profession because we enjoy the work? I was competitive at many DO programs and most of my classmates were as well, and ultimately I only applied to DPM programs.

I spent more than a "few years" in healthcare (including 2 years in the OR) prior to starting my pod program and Podiatry was the only thing I could see myself doing with the rest of my life. The good part of Podiatry is that it is a combination of many different fields of medicine in one: derm, vascular, plastics, endocrinology, ortho/surgery. The field has gone through alot of changes in the past few years with fully integrated residency programs across the country (where pod residents are fully integrated with MD/DO counterparts), namely UPenn, UMDNJ-NJMS amongst many others. Also, faculty of some medical schools and F/A orthopedic fellowship positions are indeed DPMs.

It gets old when people that have had little to no exposure in a field give opinions on how it is as a career...Ultimately, we're all here to specialize in a field and help our patients out...just a thought

 

[Mbeas]

I spent more than a "few years" in healthcare (including 2 years in the OR) prior to starting my pod program and Podiatry was the only thing I could see myself doing with the rest of my life. The good part of Podiatry is that it is a combination of many

Same here, and I can tell you the podiatrists at the OR I worked in were some of the nicest, most pleasant people to work with.

 

[418865]

This goes against my better judgement to weigh in on this...but I'll bite

Hate to break it to you guys...but not everyone in Pod school is an MD/DO reject

did it ever occur that some of us may have actually picked the profession because we enjoy the work? I was competitive at many DO programs and most of my classmates were as well, and ultimately I only applied to DPM programs.

I spent more than a "few years" in healthcare (including 2 years in the OR) prior to starting my pod program and Podiatry was the only thing I could see myself doing with the rest of my life. The good part of Podiatry is that it is a combination of many different fields of medicine in one: derm, vascular, plastics, endocrinology, ortho/surgery. The field has gone through alot of changes in the past few years with fully integrated residency programs across the country (where pod residents are fully integrated with MD/DO counterparts), namely UPenn, UMDNJ-NJMS amongst many others. Also, faculty of some medical schools and F/A orthopedic fellowship positions are indeed DPMs.

It gets old when people that have had little to no exposure in a field give opinions on how it is as a career...Ultimately, we're all here to specialize in a field and help our patients out...just a thought

awesome insight! I should've just posted on podiatry thread
But I've a quick and probably dumb question: can you be a podiatrist without doing any kinds of surgery?

 

[shenanigans327]

awesome insight! I should've just posted on podiatry thread
But I've a quick and probably dumb question: can you be a podiatrist without doing any kinds of surgery?

Ultimately, yes...in fact one of the Attendings on the pod boards gives great insight, as he's been at this for a long time, that it's more 'rewarding' (financially) remaining non surgical. The thought basis being that the time it takes to perform the surgery + the global fee (the time the patient comes in for follow up which are essentially free visits for upwards of 60-90 days) isn't as much as seeing 'bread and butter' and sports medicine patients (plantar fasciitis, sprains/strains, neuromas etc). He once quoted that one of his cases, which took upwards of 3-4 hours to complete paid him around $300 (after our awesome insurance system got around to reimbursement) vs. doing ingrown nail P+A's for upwards of $500 for 15 min of work.

Having said that, all pod residencies are 3-4 year surgically based residencies. So everyone will ultimately be trained to do the cases, but when you become an attending, it will be your call on whether or not you refer those cases out

Hope this helps!

 

[UnclePhil]

huh? Did I not clarify couple times on the purpose of my post? But sure...if that makes your condescending self feel better..believe in that.

To anyone else who cares, I read this article which made me think more closely about podiatry medicine.

http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/09/why-i-chose-podiatry-school/

I am still very much in MD route but now I will definitely shadow a podiatrist to figure it out personally. But meanwhile I posted here to understand..heck I'm done restating why I'm posting this thread lol.

Wow, you keep missing the point. My comment was not to say that being a podiatrist is any less of a doctor, it was to state that they are not the same thing (I'm pretty sure those were my words verbatim).

The purpose of an MD or DO program is provide a broad spectrum of training. So... yes, that does make it inherently different from a dentist or podiatrist. If you are interested in being a podiatrist, then go into podiatry, but if you are interested in having more options and having a more broad base of training, go MD.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

did it ever occur that some of us may have actually picked the profession because we enjoy the work?

That's shenanigans!

 

[circulus vitios]

Because feet are much more disgusting than teeth. I'll take meth mouth over a lardass's sweat covered hooves any day.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

And teeth can only get so bad, eventually they themselves start falling out and then you are just dealing with messed up gums. With feet, you have it on all layers. From scrapes to fungus, there is so much even before it reaches the bones.

 

[Andros84]

To the OP, I think a big factor is that more people are exposed to dentistry in the healthcare field than they are Podiatry. Ask any Podiatrist about how the public sees them, and the majority will tell you that most people are ignorant of what they actually do. They will also say that the profession does a horrible job at advertising.

I think most people who choose dentistry, podiatry, physical training, medical school, etc did because they knew thats what they wanted as a career. They didn't settle; they've always known or they witnessed something that they had to be apart of. Its that simple. Explore options, and find out what you want to do and will enjoy as a career. Thats the best favor you can do for yourself.

There are people who choose Podiatry because they didn't have the scores to get into medical school, but this is not everyone. In a way this is bad because they are settling, but maybe its their only shot to be a physician(their dream)? (and yes they are physicians)

People set the standards for how competitive professional schools are to get into, NOT the schools. Podiatry may be easier to ge into, but this does not mean that its a "lesser" profession than MD/DO school. If more people knew about Podiatry school, it would be more competitive because it seems to be a great profession to be in, at least for now.