I would be absolutely elated to debate with you anytime, ProZack.
It would be most useful for everyone involved if you wouldn't arrive at such sophomoric observations with such a paucity of evidence. Admittedly, the question does not fall along the lines of "which would you prefer, a Clark Bar or a Baby Ruth?". The question is clearly potentially volatile, but it's still just a question. If you think I'm doing this for the sake of "controversy" then it follows that perhaps you may leap to a similar conclusion with your patients (such as malingering, Munchhausen's) before doing a thorough H&P. Your patient would walk into your office and say "I think the government is tapping my thoughts". So, you would think based on only a statement that they're trying to get some workman's comp or sue the government for illegal tapping. Does that piss you off? Now you know how I might feel. You are obviously an intelligent person, but I find it offensive that you have concluded that my intentions are nothing less than true.
This statement "...but it's arrogant presumption for you to assume others share your sentiments or that your anecdotal evidence, based on the biased testimony of many fellow pod classmates and chums, is a basis to conclude that choosing pod over allo/osteo med is somehow an anomolous career decision" is a bit mystifying. When someone asks a question, is there an immediate presumption that this person assumes that everyone else holds the same opinion? Are all questions comparing one thing to another inherently based in arrogance? Hmmm, I don't think so. If I were to make an "arrogant presumption" I think it would be couched more like "I'm a podiatrist and now I'm in medical school. If you are going to podiatry school you're an idiot. When I become a DO I'm going to be better than all of you and there's nothing you can say to make it different. Please tell me what the Hell you were thinking by going to podiatry school?". That sounds arrogant.
Again, for your edification, I asked this question not for controversy, but because my podiatry experience profoundly affected me and I am always seeking insight into the reasons why someone who dreamed of becoming a doctor would willingly pursue a future in podiatry. OF COURSE my position is that DO or MD school is preferable to DPM school for those who want to be physicians! But, does that mean that I am asking the question just to twist the nipples of everyone on this forum! Am I not open to digesting the thoughts of another person who has chosen the path of podiatry?? Is there absolutely no way that I could possibly understand why someone would choose pod school?? Why do you feel the need to cast me as the anti-podiatry Beelzebub?
Podiatry was obviously the wrong choice for me, but it's obviously not the wrong choice for everyone. I simply do not know the reasons why someone would choose pod school if they are interested in becoming a doctor. This, in itself, does not imply that I believe that everyone who makes such a decision is a ***** or, otherwise, a deviant. It's just a freaking question! By your misguided logic, any question that posits a person making one choice over another is, in its root, controversial and arrogant! What you're looking for is a sensitive approach such as "would you rather join the Coast Guard or the Navy"? "If you could go to the beach or the mountains, which would you choose. I like the beach, but I'm interested to know why you would want to go to the mountains instead"? C'mon!
Your use of the word "syllogism" may excite some of the posters, but it's related to my question only tangentially. For the less erudite, it translates into something like "A=B, B=C, therefore, A=C". If your original false assumption that "The very nature of your question presupposes that allo/osteo med is the penultimate medical profession and any other health care profession, podiatry specifically, (and I used clinical psychology, pharmacy, vet med, optometry, and dentistry as other examples to illustrate my point) is somehow inferior" is correct, then perhaps you could view my logic as a syllogism. Unfortunately for your premise, I never, ever stated that podiatry is in any way inferior to anything. Show me where I said that and I'll give you a point for your sexy vocabulary. What I will say is that I find it hard to understand (but not in a pejorative sense or baiting sense) why someone who wants to be a doctor would want to be a podiatrist where your education and training will be less complete. Have I overstated this? Probably, but I want you to have it sticking to your cerebrum after you finish reading this. The cost is the same, the time invested is usually the same. But the outcome is different (of course, in my opinion). If someone spent $170,000, 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of professional school, and 3 years of post-graduate training to become a stenographer, would my question be more appropriate for you? Ah, now everyone is thinking that I'm equating a DPM with a stenographer. Only those who are reading this with their veins bulging out of their heads. I'm saying that the didactic education in podiatric medical school (when I was there) is medically inferior for becoming a doctor (deny that), the post-graduate training is inferior for a doctor (deny that) and the job prospects are tenuous at best. There are actually other points to be made, but the post would go on into tomorrow. And, please read this: I have stated on more than one occasion that PODIATRISTS ARE THE PRE-EMINENT FOOT SPECIALISTS AND ARE A VITAL PART OF THE OVERALL HEALTH CARE TEAM" That doesn't sound terribly disparaging to me.
Interestingly, I just received a personal message from someone who's in their 3rd year of podiatric surgical training and he verified the crux of my position. He was sick at his choice of podiatry and lamented the relative lack of autonomy he has (admitting patients, ordering IV's, etc) compared with DO's and MD's. He applauded my decision to jump ship and start from scratch. A rather fortuitous message to bolster my position (remember - not that pod students or podiatrists are the smegma beneath a child molester's sneaker, but that medical school affords a more comprehensive education with superior post grad training in the making of a doctor). If anyone is interested, I'll ask him if it's ok to share his post.
As far as your "top of the food chain" statement, this depends on what your interpretation of the "food chain" is. If you're talking about the world of medicine, let me ask you this. Do you deny that DO's and MD's have a broader, more comprehensive medical education than DPM's, dentists, pharmacists, etc.? Do you deny that MD's/DO's have a greater responsible for the welfare of their patients vs. PA's/NP's, etc.? Do you deny that MD's/DO's have a higher average salary than OP's/pharmD's?? Did I ever, ever insinuate or directly state that I thought MD's and DO's were superior human beings? You are totally misinterpreting me. Here is my feeling on this: MD's and DO's have more medical education and training and more overall responsibility for their patients. They have more rights and responsibilities in medicine than any other health care professional. They are compensated both financially and in the eyes of the "lay public" in a commensurate fashion. However, EVERYONE, from the scrub tech to the PA at your side is no better or worse than the MD/DO and their contributions to the overall welfare of the patient is JUST AS IMPORTANT. God, cut me some slack!
And, yes, getting a DPM or some other advanced degree before attending MD or DO skill is overkill. What does that have to do with anything? That just happens to be what my experience was. I had moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco and had already invested $20,000+ in pod school and felt trapped. My undergrad numbers and my MCAT were average and I wasn't entirely sure that earning an MS or something similar would help my situation. I thought, at least, with my DPM degree I could earn some decent scratch and possibly save some money so that I could eventually go to med school. For me, time is utterly irrelevant. If you ask me, getting an MD and a JD is incredible overkill. But, that's just my opinion.
And, as a matter of fact, I strongly believe that there are a large number of DO students who would have preferred to go to MD school. This is just ignorance and students feeling pressure from the public at large who isn't familiar with osteopathic medicine. I'm extremely excited at the prospect of being a DO and I'm chomping at the bit to educate as many people as possible on the virtues and benefits of being a DO.
I will grant you this: My question will inevitably invite feelings of anger and inadequacy. I am well aware of that. I suppose I could have asked it in a more PC way such as "why did y'all want to become podiatrists". But, since my question is more accurately stated as "why would someone want to become a podiatrist if they had the opportunity to go to DO or MD school?" I thought it more revealing and interesting if I expressed my thoughts in a precise manner.
FYI, my wife is a partner in a Beverly Hills law firm so I am well acquainted with many forms of debate both verbal and computer based.
No hard feelings.
