Will my physical disability keep me from being a pod?

[biogirl215]

Hi,
I'm a prospective pre-pod (rising college sophmore), and I'm worried my physical disability might keep me out of pod schools and/or license. I have cerebral palsy, which is pretty much a catch-all term for neuromuscular impairment resulting from brain damage. In my case, it affects my mobility and motor skills. I walk with a walker and obviously can't lift on carry much weight. My gross motor skills are good, but my fine motor's a bit weak, and I'd be worried about this impacting the surgerical part of DPM training and perhaps wound care to a lesser extent. I know you can't say definitively as you don't know me, and I do intend to ask the pod I'm shadowing for his opinion, but on the basis of what you know about the physical requirements for schools, licensure, and practice, do you think someone who can't stand/walk unassisted and with some fine motor difficulties would be barred from the profession on the basis of tasks required? Know any physically disabled pods?

Please be honest; you don't need to sugar coat your answer. If I can do it, that's wonderful. If I can't, I'd like to know that before I spend the next 3-ish years preparing only to be denied on physical grounds.

Thanks.

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[Feli]

I'm guessing most people won't answer this post due to the sensitive nature of the topic, but your best bet is just to contact the schools and read the handbooks. I'm sure you're not the first person in that kind of situation, so it never hurts to ask. I'll try to give you a couple things to think about...

I sent you a PM.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

Hi,
I'm a prospective pre-pod (rising college sophmore), and I'm worried my physical disability might keep me out of pod schools and/or license. I have cerebral palsy, which is pretty much a catch-all term for neuromuscular impairment resulting from brain damage. In my case, it affects my mobility and motor skills. I walk with a walker and obviously can't lift on carry much weight. My gross motor skills are good, but my fine motor's a bit weak, and I'd be worried about this impacting the surgerical part of DPM training and perhaps wound care to a lesser extent. I know you can't say definitively as you don't know me, and I do intend to ask the pod I'm shadowing for his opinion, but on the basis of what you know about the physical requirements for schools, licensure, and practice, do you think someone who can't stand/walk unassisted and with some fine motor difficulties would be barred from the profession on the basis of tasks required? Know any physically disabled pods?

Please be honest; you don't need to sugar coat your answer. If I can do it, that's wonderful. If I can't, I'd like to know that before I spend the next 3-ish years preparing only to be denied on physical grounds.

Thanks.

I think that Feli's advice is great. I would honestly call Meghan at DMU. She is a very honest person and will not try to sell you something that you cannot do for a living.

I think that you have a great grasp of what is expected of you in residency. I think that if you can get through residency that you can practice podiatry without having to do a lot of surgery. You can find a partner that would do all of the surgical work, but if you cannot get the post-grad training you can't practice.

 

[krabmas]

Hi,
I'm a prospective pre-pod (rising college sophmore), and I'm worried my physical disability might keep me out of pod schools and/or license. I have cerebral palsy, which is pretty much a catch-all term for neuromuscular impairment resulting from brain damage. In my case, it affects my mobility and motor skills. I walk with a walker and obviously can't lift on carry much weight. My gross motor skills are good, but my fine motor's a bit weak, and I'd be worried about this impacting the surgerical part of DPM training and perhaps wound care to a lesser extent. I know you can't say definitively as you don't know me, and I do intend to ask the pod I'm shadowing for his opinion, but on the basis of what you know about the physical requirements for schools, licensure, and practice, do you think someone who can't stand/walk unassisted and with some fine motor difficulties would be barred from the profession on the basis of tasks required? Know any physically disabled pods?

Please be honest; you don't need to sugar coat your answer. If I can do it, that's wonderful. If I can't, I'd like to know that before I spend the next 3-ish years preparing only to be denied on physical grounds.

Thanks.

I agree with Feli and Feelgood that you should contact the schools and ask. There was a disabled person that graduated from NYCPM either last year or 2 years ago. I do not know his exact diagnosis but he walked with forearm crutches. I am not sure what accomidations are made for him in residency, but he also graduated when you could still do POR or PPM residencies - non surgical.

Even if you manage to get thru residency there are still non-surgical things in podiatry that require fine tuned fine motor skills. This includes nail cutting, nail removal or avulsion, casting for orthoses, constructing pads and applying straps, applying casts for broken bones. All these things can be done by assistants as well except nail avulsions (I think). But you must be able to do them to prove that you are competent to the schools, and residencies.

Maybe you will be able to get by with out doing the above but it will be difficult.

Just my oppinion (without really knowing your true disability or ability level) but maybe a career in internal medicine would be better suited for you sine there is little procedural medicine and mostly physical exam and diagnosis. Just a thought.

In addition. if you do actually perform surgery in residency is it fair to the patient that you are surgerizing? They are real patients after all, not just for practice.

Just some things to think about.

 

[Feli]

...surgerizing?...

I double dare you to use the word "surgerizing" in grand rounds during your intern year at Inova.

 

[krabmas]

I double dare you to use the word "surgerizing" in grand rounds during your intern year at Inova.

Isn't that the best made up word ever?

I really think that I made it up as well. I do not recall hearing anyone else use it first.

You can use it too but you must quote me after.

 

[krabmas]

Isn't that the best made up word ever?

I really think that I made it up as well. I do not recall hearing anyone else use it first.

You can use it too but you must quote me after.

Oh crap - I just googled "surgerize" and there is a website www.surgerize.com

and many other hits for surgerize so I guess I did not coin the term. Oh well

 

[scpod]

... I know you can't say definitively as you don't know me, and I do intend to ask the pod I'm shadowing for his opinion, but on the basis of what you know about the physical requirements for schools, licensure, and practice, do you think someone who can't stand/walk unassisted and with some fine motor difficulties would be barred from the profession on the basis of tasks required?...

The following is from the academic catalog of one of the podiatry schools. Most medical schools include similar language in their catalogs as well. You may want to look up the schools you are interested in to make sure:

The School of Graduate Medical Sciences
acknowledges Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational
Rehabilitation Act and PL 101-336, the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA), but ascertains that compliance
with certain technical standards must be demonstrated
in all prospective candidates.
A candidate for the D.P.M. degree must have aptitude,
abilities, and skills in five areas: observation;
communication; motor; conceptual, integrative and
quantitative; and behavioral and social. Although technological
compensation is acceptable for some handicaps
in these areas, candidates must be able to perform
in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a
trained intermediary to perform certain tasks would
mean that a candidate’s judgment must be integrated
with another’s power of selection and observation.
Therefore, third parties cannot assist students in accomplishing
curricular requirements in the five skill
areas specified above...Candidates for the D.P.M. degree should have sufficient
motor function to elicit information from patients
by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other
diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to
do basic laboratory tests (urinalysis, CBC, etc.), carry
out diagnostic procedures (phlebotomy, paracentesis,
etc.) and read EKGs and X-rays. A candidate should
be able to execute motor movements reasonably required
to provide general care and emergency treatment
to patients. Examples of emergency treatment
reasonably required of podiatric physicians are cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, the administration of intravenous
medication, application of pressure to stop
bleeding, the opening of obstructed airways, the suturing
of simple wounds, and the performance of
simple obstetrical maneuvers. Such actions require
coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements,
equilibrium and coordinated use of the senses
of touch and vision...