With all due respect, I wish pods would stop saying this crap. Not true and embarrassing.
It's fine, but I think that the first part of what I'd said, which you clipped off on quoting, is the key: doing a good or elite DPM residency.
If you read the words I chose again, I'm not so sure you would disagree. If I would have said the blanket statement 'podiatry is better at foot/ankle surgery than orthos' or '--- better than F&A ortho,' then yeah... that's unwise and wrong. No disagreement. Good DPM program grads have a whole lot to offer, though.
It's veeery worthwhile to seek good residency training as a DPM. The training we have available is very good. It's excellent at dozens of programs present day. Only a fraction of DPMs will get that, though. It canNOT be taken somewhat for granted as it can for MDs (just get the specialty they want, and where is minor importance).
The
average DPM training needs much improvement. There are many DPM programs that should not be approved and have horrific board pass rates and questionable competency in MANY aspects of F&A care - esp most surgery. That barely exists among MD/DO programs... occasional bad apple in terms of individuals, but programs are 95%+ adequate/good.
That should be the "parity" goal for podiatry - not just chronologic length of residency. But for now, current and future DPM students should try to get one of the top 50% or 25% or even elite programs if they can so that they get the best skills and the most options after residency. They are lucky to have more options than past DPM school grads, but we are still light years behind MDs on that uniformity of training and competence.
The point is just that a GOOD program gives any DPM what they need... now more than ever. Fellowship for a top DPM residency program grad would just be a cap feather or possible avenue into lecture circuit or to beef CV or whatever. But their training and skill was already very fine without fellowship.
Similarly, doing a mediocre DPM residency and then a fellowship doesn't close the skill gap. That is an unfortunate and common misconception nowadays with the fellowships push. That person will still be lagging behind most good 3yr trained DPMs and most F&A orthos in skill set since their residency volume/complexity/diversity simply was not there.
I feel that's the bottom line: horse then cart. The question to primary address as a DPM is a good residency... get the best stallion you can, and the rest takes care of itself. Pod school or fellowship mean little in comparison to residency skills. It is funny to me we're worried about fellowship when some of our residencies turn out the most elite F&A surgeons on the planet, most are adequate, and others are total garbage with little but I&Ds and low volume on basic bone surgeries double and triple scrub with questionable "teaching attendings." This is where the MD programs are typically far ahead of us: fairly standard quality of residency experience, quality of overall residency teaching faculty, board pass rates. We tend to act done and over with that DPM residency training facet simply because "all residency programs are 3 year" and we're on to thinking fellowships.
