Podiatry... a good alternative to Dermatology?

[confused1234]

before i begin, and i hate being so defensive (or is it offensive?), but ANYWAY, please don't give me any answers like "there is no real substitution for dermatology..." or "if you like dermatology, then be a dermatologist..." or anything like that. i'm just asking a simple question and i don't mean to start any trouble.

SO... i've wanted to be a dermatologist for a long time, but i'm afraid of not being able to go all the way because of the competitiveness. the way i understand it, podiatrists do a ton of derm, as well as ortho and surgery, among others. it's like they get to do a bit of everything. so how rational/reasonable is it for me to shoot for podiatry instead of dermatology?

not that podiatry is just so easy to get into, but i'm hoping you guys understand what i'm saying.

i would appreciate any helpful advice.

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[dpmgrad]

before i begin, and i hate being so defensive (or is it offensive?), but ANYWAY, please don't give me any answers like "there is no real substitution for dermatology..." or "if you like dermatology, then be a dermatologist..." or anything like that. i'm just asking a simple question and i don't mean to start any trouble.

SO... i've wanted to be a dermatologist for a long time, but i'm afraid of not being able to go all the way because of the competitiveness. the way i understand it, podiatrists do a ton of derm, as well as ortho and surgery, among others. it's like they get to do a bit of everything. so how rational/reasonable is it for me to shoot for podiatry instead of dermatology?

not that podiatry is just so easy to get into, but i'm hoping you guys understand what i'm saying.

i would appreciate any helpful advice.

You are right in that Podiatrists do see some dermatological conditions in their practice. However, you have to understand that being a Podiatrist also involves being interested in treating all aspects of the foot and ankle ailments, in addition to the pedal dermatological conditions. There are a few Podiatrists that do specialize in Podiatric Dermatology. Some of the more famous people include Dr. Gary Dockery in Seattle, WA, Dr. Harvey Lemont in Philadelphia, PA, and Dr. Bryan Markinson in New York, NY. In fact, TUSPM professor, Dr. Lemont is the only Podiatrist in the US to be board certified in Dermatological Pathology from the MD Dermatology board. There is also a Podiatric Dermatology Society called American Society of Podiatric Dermatology. There is also an 1 year Podiatric Dermatology Fellowship available for the Podiatric residency graduates.

I would recommend you to shadow some practicing Podiatrists to determine if the Podiatry profession is for you or not. I know that you don't want to hear it but Podiatry is NOT a substitution for Dermatology. Lastly, you are correct in that Dermatology is a very difficult specialty to get into for residency. I have a classmate from my undergrad that is a Dermatologist. She did very well in MD school and scored very high on USMLE exams. Of course, she is making tons of money as a Dermatologist. Think of all the money a Dermatologist can make from administering Botox and Collagen injections.

 

[jonwill]

You are right in that Podiatrists do see some dermatological conditions in their practice. However, you have to understand that being a Podiatrist also involves be interested in treating all aspects of the foot and ankle ailments, in addition to the pedal dermatological conditions. There are a few Podiatrists that do specialize in Podiatric Dermatology. Some of the more famous people include Dr. Gary Dockery in Seattle, WA, Dr. Harvey Lemont in Philadelphia, PA, and Dr. Bryan Markinson in New York, NY. In fact, TUSPM professor, Dr. Lemont is the only Podiatrist in the US to be board certified in Dermatological Pathology from the MD Dermatology board. There is also a Podiatric Dermatology Society called American Society of Podiatric Dermatology. There is also an 1 year Podiatric Dermatology Fellowship available for the Podiatric residency graduates.

I would recommend you to shadow some practicing Podiatrists to determine if the Podiatry profession is for you or not. I know that you don't want to hear it but Podiatry is NOT a substitution for Dermatology. Lastly, you are correct in that Dermatology is a very difficult specialty to get into for residency. I have a classmate from my undergrad that is a Dermatologist. She did very well in MD school and scored very high on USMLE exams. Of course, she is making tons of money as a Dermatologist. Think of all the money a Dermatologist can make from administering Botox and Collagen injections.

 

[Dr_Feelgood]

I agree. Pod is a lot of derm. One career possibility is working in a wound care clinic. Talk about a lot of derm.

But podiatry is no replacement for derm. There is a very limited scope of derm in podiatry and you'll have to find a podiatric practice that would allow you to be that specialized or like I said work in a wound care clinic. Either way you'll have to work hard to get what you want. To be a dermatologist you've got a big fight ahead of you. I'd suggest working to get into an MD program and then being in the top 5-10% of your class. Also look to make some connections w/in the derm world. From what I've heard it is the toughest specialty to get into.

 

[doclm]

I agree. Pod is a lot of derm. One career possibility is working in a wound care clinic. Talk about a lot of derm.

But podiatry is no replacement for derm. There is a very limited scope of derm in podiatry and you'll have to find a podiatric practice that would allow you to be that specialized or like I said work in a wound care clinic. Either way you'll have to work hard to get what you want. To be a dermatologist you've got a big fight ahead of you. I'd suggest working to get into an MD program and then being in the top 5-10% of your class. Also look to make some connections w/in the derm world. From what I've heard it is the toughest specialty to get into.

Derm is very difficult to get into.

I know an MD who got a PhD just to try to get into a Derm residency. Many people want to go into Derm for the nice hours and tons of $$$, especially if you get into the cosmetics. However, Podiatry usually allows better hours than many MD practices and a better chance to get into a subspecialty of Ortho surgery. However, you need to be ready to do comprehensive care for the entire foot/ankle as well. My opinion, it great that there are other things that Podiatrists can do besides surgery. After viewing many surgeries in a large academic medical center, I think it would be boring just to do surgery everyday, without seeing patients for other reasons as well.