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The following was a response to a question asked by a student on the podiatry management email. The question was basically - is a 2 or 3 year residency better? I just thought this was a good answer that we all could benefit from reading.
here it is...
RE: 2 Vs. 3 Year Residency (Jeff Merrill)
From: Richard Gosnay, DPM
My reaction is that a student or resident should always choose to obtain as much education and training as possible. Assuming that all other aspects of the training are equal, he should opt for the biggest, baddest, longest residency program that he/she can find. We have different opportunities at different points in our careers. And the best opportunity to be trained is during those years immediately after school. How many podiatrists take a year off to get more training after they have been practicing? Few...almost none. Once Dr. Merrill has been practicing for five years, he will have huge financial obligations that will preclude his going back for more training.
The quality of a residency is more than a matter of duration. A student should spend time observing the residency. He should ask questions. He should try to extern at programs that interest him. When a student visits a residency, the residents should be busy! Do the residents rotate through many departments? Do the residents have excellent surgical numbers? Some residencies pad their numbers by making junior residents log "A" cases. This means that the resident merely observes something like a hammertoe or an I&D so he can log the case as an "A." Are the residents really doing surgery, or are they just observing or retracting and cutting suture?
Residency is not a long period of a new podiatrist's life. It is a unique opportunity. A smart student will choose the most challenging residency he/she can get. There will be plenty of time to practice after residency. But there is only one best opportunity for post-graduate training. All other considerations being equal, the longer residency is better.
Richard Gosnay, DPM, Danbury, CT
here it is...
RE: 2 Vs. 3 Year Residency (Jeff Merrill)
From: Richard Gosnay, DPM
My reaction is that a student or resident should always choose to obtain as much education and training as possible. Assuming that all other aspects of the training are equal, he should opt for the biggest, baddest, longest residency program that he/she can find. We have different opportunities at different points in our careers. And the best opportunity to be trained is during those years immediately after school. How many podiatrists take a year off to get more training after they have been practicing? Few...almost none. Once Dr. Merrill has been practicing for five years, he will have huge financial obligations that will preclude his going back for more training.
The quality of a residency is more than a matter of duration. A student should spend time observing the residency. He should ask questions. He should try to extern at programs that interest him. When a student visits a residency, the residents should be busy! Do the residents rotate through many departments? Do the residents have excellent surgical numbers? Some residencies pad their numbers by making junior residents log "A" cases. This means that the resident merely observes something like a hammertoe or an I&D so he can log the case as an "A." Are the residents really doing surgery, or are they just observing or retracting and cutting suture?
Residency is not a long period of a new podiatrist's life. It is a unique opportunity. A smart student will choose the most challenging residency he/she can get. There will be plenty of time to practice after residency. But there is only one best opportunity for post-graduate training. All other considerations being equal, the longer residency is better.
Richard Gosnay, DPM, Danbury, CT
