Podiatry or DO?

[PodOrDO]

I know this is a naive question and one that only I can answer, but this is a question that came on and off my mind for the past 2 years. I feel like it's best that I learn more about these two fields from this post to make it easier for myself to make up a decision that will have a lower probability for regrets.

As an anecdote, I was initially attracted to podiatry as a career because I didn't have a strong preference for any particular field as long as it's in the medical field involved with treating patients through diagnosis/surgery. Another reason is that I had stats similar to the matriculants of podiatry schools so I didn't even think about becoming a doctor; that's until I found that if I work a little harder, I could get into a DO school. This was when I changed my mind simply because of prestiege that's associated with being the kind of doctor people normally think of, along with the income. Now that I'm almost a year into my gap year, retaking classes to repair my gpa and preparing for the mcat which I just took 2 weeks ago, I found out that the life in a residency program for DOs seems almost repulsive to me and it shook my mind once again. I was turned off by the 80hr+ work week for the four years after medical school, and I'm a bit concerned to whether I'd regret it again since I've always been so close to my family (they sacraficed a lot when we immigrated to the US working for minimum wage) that I don't want to essentially disappear for 8 years(4 years of 24/7 studying and 4 years of 80hr work week during residency) being busy all the time and not knowing how they're doing.

Now I'm again indecisive to which field I truly should go into before I apply in June this year. Here are my concerns and major factors which will influence my decision and I really need some help and I hope you guys could provide some facts for these factors:

- INCOME: I did a random google search and found that the average annual salary for podiatrists is ~115k from California. The fact that I found some new grads from podiatry residencies make <100k a year concerns me considering the amount of training they had to go through. But I also found that it can be a lucrative field in private practice on one thread here in the podiatry forum of sdn. So I'm confused to which one of these are closer to reality in a state like California, and those in the east coast in general.

-EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: especially in California. I want to end up practicing in California if possible but I'm open minded for Washington state and the east coast.

-WORK LOAD:specifically the work load and hours during residency and as an attending.

-JOB SECURITY: I heard from a post that unless I go into private practice and partner with a group, I won't really have job security. I'm wondering how exactly unstable would not being able to find partners to go into private practice be?

Any insight to podiatry as a career in general would also be greatly appreciated.

THANKS!

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[Mad Jack]

Just to clarify some misconceptions you seem to have- 80 hours is the maximum a resident can work, not the minimum. After intern year, depending on specialty, 60-65 hours is more normal. Also keep in mind that podiatrists are now required to complete residencies, and there are more podiatry students than training positions.

 

[Zaiko]

Go DO. Your concerns for not going the DO route outweigh the pro POD reasons. As far as the work hour...either way between school and residency the hours will be roughly the same.

 

[bobtheweazel]

Small forum, no need to double post.

 

[greenteaness]

My guess is that you walked out of that MCAT feeling uncertain and less than happy about your peformance. Now, instead of gearing up for a retake, which would require additional time and effort, you want someone to tell you it's okay to settle for the easier route.

1. Be real with yourself.
2. You already know the answer to the question you asked. You just don't like the answer.
3. Make adjustments, not excuses.

 

[ldsrmdude]

Small forum, no need to double post.

Merged the threads

 

[NatCh]

I don't get the impression that you're really inspired to be a doctor of any sort. If you're not really certain you're into it, I suggest you don't go into medicine at all. It's a really hard path to take and getting harder every year. It'd be miserable if you don't enjoy it.

 

[FootAndAnkle]

[...] As an anecdote, I was initially attracted to podiatry as a career because I didn't have a strong preference for any particular field as long as it's in the medical field involved with treating patients through diagnosis/surgery. Another reason is that I had stats similar to the matriculants of podiatry schools so I didn't even think about becoming a doctor; that's until I found that if I work a little harder, I could get into a DO school. This was when I changed my mind simply because of prestiege that's associated with being the kind of doctor people normally think of, along with the income. Now that I'm almost a year into my gap year, retaking classes to repair my gpa and preparing for the mcat which I just took 2 weeks ago, I found out that the life in a residency program for DOs seems almost repulsive to me and it shook my mind once again. I was turned off by the 80hr+ work week for the four years after medical school, and I'm a bit concerned to whether I'd regret it again since I've always been so close to my family (they sacraficed a lot when we immigrated to the US working for minimum wage) that I don't want to essentially disappear for 8 years(4 years of 24/7 studying and 4 years of 80hr work week during residency) being busy all the time and not knowing how they're doing.

Now I'm again indecisive to which field I truly should go into before I apply in June this year. [...]

I think that what you've mentioned about your parents may help guide you in your decision-making process. If they sacrificed to establish a life for you in the United States, likely for increased stability and the open doors of possibility this country would provide you, I would have trouble thinking they'd be anything but proud of you for availing yourself of whatever opportunities you can secure for yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I'm sure your family would completely understand that higher responsibility, higher return professions require significant investment of time and effort in return (hopefully) for both tangible and intangible benefits down the line. With medicine of any sort, I think the intangible benefits have to be a driving force behind your decision to pursue this career path.

You should be warned, however, that you would be essentially "disappearing" for a number of years with either degree, and the extent to which this occurs can be a fairly negligible difference between podiatric and osteopathic experiences (depending on the specialty and residency chosen). If you think you might want to do something other than podiatry, you'd probably be better suited going D.O. If you want your degree to confer upon you the highest level of presumptive prestige, go M.D.

 

[PodOrDO]

I do want to be in the medical field, but it doesn't play a role in my decision making process in choosing between DO and Podiatry because they both allow me to practice as a physician in diagnosis, treating patients, and even perform surgery. I only talk differences, although less important, because they're what's going to decide what I choose.

As for the MCAT, it played no role in my decision because I felt confident enough to say that it's at least a 30(508 in the new score), but I don't let it decide where I go because the highest prestiege is not what I want now, all that matters are the points I listed above

 

[PodOrDO]

Just to clarify some misconceptions you seem to have- 80 hours is the maximum a resident can work, not the minimum. After intern year, depending on specialty, 60-65 hours is more normal. Also keep in mind that podiatrists are now required to complete residencies, and there are more podiatry students than training positions.

This is new information to me. I immediately made up the decision simply because of this. I guess what ever I just said above were the unfamiliarities that I'm afraid of if I do decide to go into podiatry.

 

[PodOrDO]

Thank you all for your comments and critiques. They're very valuable to me. Now to think of it, what shook my mind was simply because of the residency hours of DOs and reaffirmed it was also that.

 

[PodOrDO]

Merged the threads

Sorry

 

[NatCh]

One thing I've noticed is that "the grass is always greener" adage applies to medicine. Every doc I know regardless of specialty thinks someone else has it better for some reason or another. You should like what you do -- it reduces the pain of the bull****.

Good luck whichever route you pick.

 

[SteakandPODtatoez]

I know this is a naive question and one that only I can answer, but this is a question that came on and off my mind for the past 2 years. I feel like it's best that I learn more about these two fields from this post to make it easier for myself to make up a decision that will have a lower probability for regrets.

As an anecdote, I was initially attracted to podiatry as a career because I didn't have a strong preference for any particular field as long as it's in the medical field involved with treating patients through diagnosis/surgery. Another reason is that I had stats similar to the matriculants of podiatry schools so I didn't even think about becoming a doctor; that's until I found that if I work a little harder, I could get into a DO school. This was when I changed my mind simply because of prestiege that's associated with being the kind of doctor people normally think of, along with the income. Now that I'm almost a year into my gap year, retaking classes to repair my gpa and preparing for the mcat which I just took 2 weeks ago, I found out that the life in a residency program for DOs seems almost repulsive to me and it shook my mind once again. I was turned off by the 80hr+ work week for the four years after medical school, and I'm a bit concerned to whether I'd regret it again since I've always been so close to my family (they sacraficed a lot when we immigrated to the US working for minimum wage) that I don't want to essentially disappear for 8 years(4 years of 24/7 studying and 4 years of 80hr work week during residency) being busy all the time and not knowing how they're doing.

Now I'm again indecisive to which field I truly should go into before I apply in June this year. Here are my concerns and major factors which will influence my decision and I really need some help and I hope you guys could provide some facts for these factors:

- INCOME: I did a random google search and found that the average annual salary for podiatrists is ~115k from California. The fact that I found some new grads from podiatry residencies make <100k a year concerns me considering the amount of training they had to go through. But I also found that it can be a lucrative field in private practice on one thread here in the podiatry forum of sdn. So I'm confused to which one of these are closer to reality in a state like California, and those in the east coast in general.

-EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: especially in California. I want to end up practicing in California if possible but I'm open minded for Washington state and the east coast.

-WORK LOAD:specifically the work load and hours during residency and as an attending.

-JOB SECURITY: I heard from a post that unless I go into private practice and partner with a group, I won't really have job security. I'm wondering how exactly unstable would not being able to find partners to go into private practice be?

Any insight to podiatry as a career in general would also be greatly appreciated.

THANKS!

I'm sure this is a question that has hit more than a few students on the big toe while going through the application process. It's natural to be interested in medicine, but then you start to learn about even more options that you didn't realize existed and then you begin to imagine yourself in that role and weigh the pros and cons. I have a similar story of moving to the United states with my parents and they bent over backwards to make ends meet for a better opportunity for my siblings and I. But just like the previous poster mentioned, they will be happy to see you thriving in any given field. The fact that you have already completed or are almost done with your bachelor's degree is a big deal in itself. When considering the length of residencies, there really isn't that much difference with the hours invested for DO or podiatry. But I would agree that you have valid concerns when taking a look at some of the salary comparisons. Though being a doctor is not about making money, we still want to make sure that we are fairly compensated for the 7 years that we invested during our studying and training period, so it's only right that we consider the financial return as well. If you're very successful at what you are doing, Podiatry can be a very rewarding career. Many people will say just make sure you love it and can do it for the rest of your life before you go down the path. But honestly, there are many other questions that a person will need to consider to make sure it's the right path for them.

 

[TrueWolverine]

[QUOTE="SteakandPODtatoez, post: 17410704, member: 745058"When considering the length of residencies, there really isn't that much difference with the hours invested for DO or podiatry. [/QUOTE]

I would say this definitely depends on the specialty you choose as a DO. My wife works in the OR and often asks the surgeons about their medical school careers. She likes to find out what would be a good fit and where we would be happy. The plastic surgeon she just scrubbed in with said at one point he was putting in 120 weeks during residency....when she asked if he would do it all over again he said no. That, to me, is a huge sign of what to look for in a career. Both pods I shadowed told me, without my asking, that they would absolutely go the pod route again. When she mentioned to the plastic surgeon that I was going the pod route he told her I should definitely do it and that it's a fantastic career. Just some food for thought....

Note: Of course there are doctors in all fields who would do it over again but I still found it interesting....