Isn't this funny

[foot2foot]

People sometimes tend to look at you sideways when you say
"I want to be a Podiatrist", or how I have to explain it; a foot doctor.
Saying things like, "you like feet?" But those same people will shake the next
person's hand and pat them on the back when they say, "I want to become a nurse!"
Isn't that quite hilarious?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[heybrother]

Never tell anyone you want to be a podiatrist if there's broken glass or nails lying around.

 

[foot2foot]

Ha

 

[EK18]

I wouldn't worry about it. Nursing is a MUCH larger and MUCH more accessible profession than Podiatry. Most people have at least some experience interacting with or around nurses, but I would wager that most people have never interacted with or around a Podiatrist. I've noticed that when I tell people that I want to be a Podiatrist, it's almost always inevitably comes down to me explaining what exactly a Podiatrist is, what the training entails, and what they do.

Remember, they are probably hearing about Podiatry for the very first time, and they are curious what made you chose this path, since they know nothing about it.

 

[foot2foot]

Very true, well put. It just seems Podiatry is still on a small market. It's such a great profession with plenty of opportunities, and I wish more undergrads knew about such a medical gem.

 

[hughesn2]

I always have to explain what a podiatrist is b/c most people think you are saying a Pediatrician. Sometimes I say I am planning on applying to medical school for podiatry because when I said "Podiatry School" someone thought it was like Chiropractor school.

Most people my age don't really know what a podiatrist is b/c they have never been to one and most don't have much knowledge of medicine

 

[Moose A Moose]

Every MD/DO medical student or resident that I've come across knows nothing about podiatry.

I don't know what kind of students/residents you're rounding with, but everyone around here knows of podiatry. Maybe it's more prevalent in the northeast. Docs don't shy away from pod referrals around here at all- whether it be for GP or surgery.

 

[Moose A Moose]

Sometimes I say I am planning on applying to medical school for podiatry because when I said "Podiatry School" someone thought it was like Chiropractor school.

Don't do that. You're losing an opportunity to educate these people and explain to them that unlike chiropractors with their "subluxations", podiatry is highly specialized evidence based medicine.

 

[Moose A Moose]

I've been coast to coast and have to explain myself wherever I go. What magical land do you hail from that knows everything about podiatry?

Philly.. Where unicorns roam free and podiatrists garner an appropriate level of parity with all the other docs in the meadow.

 

[GoldensteinVK]

Philly.. Where unicorns roam free and podiatrists garner an appropriate level of parity with all the other docs in the meadow.

 

[jonod1107]

I've been coast to coast and have to explain myself wherever I go. What magical land do you hail from that knows everything about podiatry?

You would be surprised. I was down south at a hospital visiting my cousin who is doing an MD rotation there. I went with him to eat lunch at the physicians lounge (free food and free stocked fridge of energy drinks!) and had several doctors/ other med students/etc ask me what I was doing. When I mentioned Podiatry, they all knew what it was and who they were. They even have 2 Pods who uses the hospital surgery center. This is a small town of probably 20k people.

 

[hughesn2]

You would be surprised. I was down south at a hospital visiting my cousin who is doing an MD rotation there. I went with him to eat lunch at the physicians lounge (free food and free stocked fridge of energy drinks!) and had several doctors/ other med students/etc ask me what I was doing. When I mentioned Podiatry, they all knew what it was and who they were. They even have 2 Pods who uses the hospital surgery center. This is a small town of probably 20k people.

And who you are mentioning includes pre med students. From my instances of whenever I am explaining what a podiatrist is I am talking to a NON-medical student. Finding someone in the medical field to not know what a podiatrist is would be like a mechanical engineering student having no clue that chemical engineering is a major.

I think what the original poster meant was that when he was on the coast he was talking to just regular people with no real medical knowledge.

I do completely agree with AnkleBreaker on the fact that Podiatry is poorly promoted/advertised. Up until mid September I had no clue that Podiatry School had it's own requirements or acceptance. My advisers told me during my Freshmen year that Podiatry was a specialization you entered after you got accepted to M.D. school. Then the second I found out that there was a separate program just for Podiatry students I was automatically hooked back b/c I always wanted to be a podiatrist, but I just had no knowledge at all on the schooling. I just told myself that I knew there was no way I could get accepted into an M.D. school by the end of my Sophomore year that I just gave up that expectation for the want to become a podiatrist.

I truly feel as if Podiatry will soon get more