Is This True Podiatry Residents and Attendings?

[Lilmasie]

I had recently been accepted to Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. Prior to applying to podiatry school I had applied to DO schools, but did not quite cut it. That being said, I did not want to take a year off due to family pressure and decided to jump into podiatry school. I had readily been accepted along with a hefty scholarship. All I had left was to get a LOR from a podiatrist. I was thrilled and excited. I met with the podiatrist who was a female in her 40s. Her practice was beautiful and very aesthetically pleasing. Halfway through my shadowing she stops me and asks me about my decision to choose podiatry. I tell her my mom had polio and is paralyzed in her lower extremities and that sparked my interest in the field.

She then tells me...DONT pursue podiatry. She said at her time she completed a 1 year residency and it was difficult due to residency shortages. She also said most of her patients are medicare patients and if one day they are not allowed to be reimbursed they will be out of a job. She also stated that other medical professionals can do what she does. She knew I had been accepted to podiatry school already. She ended saying her husband is a physician and she tells her children to never pursue podiatry. She stated as a colored woman it will be difficult for me to find a niche as podiatry is dominated by elderly white men. Is this true? I felt horrible after hearing that and am not sure how to react. A part of me is starting to have second thoughts. Please tell me the world of podiatry isn't as dark as she painted it. I thought I found my calling and tried to push away the haters, essentially. But the one person I didn't expect to hate was the podiatrist herself.

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[hematosis]

Sounds like she didn't get adequate training and is limited to what she can do now. I suggest you shadow a couple other ones and get a broad sense of what you're getting yourself into. I can tell you how awesome the field is and how i'm making tons of money but thats not gonna do you any good. go find out for yourself.

 

[dtrack22]

She said at her time she completed a 1 year residency

Really I could stop right here...

most of her patients are medicare patients

red flag number two

if one day they are not allowed to be reimbursed they will be out of a job.

you'd have to have a whole lot of routine foot care in your practice for this to be the case

other medical professionals can do what she does

I have a hospital willing to give money to a small private orthopedic office to help bring me on...because nobody in the area can do what I do. Now there is plenty of overlap between podiatry and a couple of other specialties, and if you want to be able to get a job anywhere in the country you should probably go to a DO school and become a hospitalist. She's not entirely wrong but the reason more and more hospitals and MSG groups are hiring podiatrists is because other medical professionals don't want to do what she does. The fact that she even exists with the practice I imagine she has, is exhibit A as to why her statement is dumb.

as a colored woman it will be difficult for me to find a niche as podiatry is dominated by elderly white men

I'm not sure what this even means. Old podiatrists will screw you regardless of race and gender. MSGs and Hospitals don't care.

She sounds bitter. There are plenty of reasons to tell someone not to go into podiatry. IMO she doesn't touch on any of them.

 

[air bud]

The fact that you feel pressure and don't want to waste another ryear applying for DO is a recipe for disaster. Dont do podiatry, don't give in to family pressure. You won't be happy. The end.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Not everyone can get into an MD/DO school. Only 40%ish of applicants get accepted.

The fact that you feel pressure and don't want to waste another ryear applying for DO is a recipe for disaster. Dont do podiatry, don't give in to family pressure. You won't be happy. The end.

 

[air bud]

Not everyone can get into an MD/DO school. Only 40%ish of applicants get accepted.

That doesn't mean podiatry is automatically the next option

 

[GypsyHummus]

If you wanna be a doc, it’s either pod, Optometry, or Dental school. Dental school is super competitive on par with DO school, and ODs are super saturated at the moment. You don’t see podiatrists working at Walmart.....yet.

Have you been over to the pharmacy forums? It’s depressing, nobody can find full time work.

That doesn't mean podiatry is automatically the next option

 

[de Ribas]

Not everyone can get into an MD/DO school.

especially with 494 MCAT. Her GPA is fine, but she needs a better MCAT score to reapply anyways.

 

[air bud]

If you wanna be a doc, it’s either pod, Optometry, or Dental school. Dental school is super competitive on par with DO school, and ODs are super saturated at the moment. You don’t see podiatrists working at Walmart.....yet.

Have you been over to the pharmacy forums? It’s depressing, nobody can find full time work.

This is why there is such a high dropout rate with pod school. People that just want to be a doc. Trust me or anyone that has graduated.

 

[bunNfxr]

Read the comments through the older posts. I will disagree completely that the one year of residency is where you can "Stop right there". It is not a question of training. The the older pods with one year of training made more money in their careers than the younger DPMs with more training and more debt.
This is a canard, used to discredit the opinion that podiatry in particular is vulnerable, in an arena where healthcare is changing, and not the guaranteed income that it was in 1980. It is vulnerable because a DPM is less respected than an MD, our work can be done by ortho, derm and PAs. MDs and hospital administrators and politicians are in control over the destiny of podiatry and none of them are particularly concerned with its well being. Where it proves profitable it will be preserved, where it does not it will be cut. Some will thrive and others may not do well. It is not a death sentence, but it may not be the best way to wager your next 7 years and 300 thousand dollars.
As far as racial aspects, I believe hospital and multispecialty employment will be the prime targets of young DPMS seeking employment. Those groups are generally run by people of many races, genders, ages and degrees (you will likely be hired by a nurse with an MBA).

 

[SLCpod]

There are quite a few threads on this topic. Scroll through the thread and use the search function.

Hi,
I was hoping if recent residents or pods could comment on how hard it is to find a job after residency? What type of contracts are offered and for how long? Also what type of pay is expected right after?