Why I declined podiatry

[Shinobiz11]

Hey y'all; its been a while lol. This thread was requested by some PM's so I decided to finally make it.

To start off; I have the utmost respect for pods. I still think its an awesome career and very rewarding, but its not the career for me. I loved shadowing and everything. Its funny because I was so set on the decision and so excited to go off to pod school. I would imagine my life as a pod and everything, but after some careful soul searching, I realized I was on the wrong path.

I was always a little sketchy about my decision. As with all things, especially in my case, I can never be 100% sure. The real questioning didn't come to me until I saw the question "If you were accepted to MD/DO and DPM, which would you choose?". I was unable to say DPM without hesitating a bit. I was fine with the career choice and knew I was going to have to work hard in any of the choices, but there was always something holding me back. I answered with "unless I got in UMich's MD program, I would do a DPM." I later realized that I answered my own question; I really wanted to do an MD/DO, but had settled with a DPM for a couple of reasons.

The first being my laziness. Honestly, its not that hard to get into pod school. I could get in right now with a subpar MCAT if I wanted to. This fueled my lazy-drive and basically told me I didn't have to work too hard until I actually matriculated. I noticed that this wasn't the right attitude to ever have. Sure, I was doing well in school, but it was more a pride thing. "Hey, I'm going to pod school, but I still have a high GPA and great EC's". Once again, not my cup of tea.

The second was the career itself. I honestly wouldn't mind working with feet/LE for the rest of my life; but it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I still have no idea what I want to do. By the time I hopefully graduate med school, I could be in OB/GYN for all I know. Its not that the shadowing didn't help me make a choice, but I just feel there are so many choices out there to choose from and I don't want to regret it one day. I could always end up working with feet as an MD/DO. To me, surgery was the big highlight of a podiatry career. The residencies are primarily based upon surgical skills, amirite? Lately I have started losing interest in surgery; once again I don't know what I want to do. I thought to myself, what is this career without surgery and it just didn't seem as epic IN MY OPINION.I was basically using a DPM career as a substitute for an MD/DO. I mean they are very very similar. I just thought I was being cool, taking the road less traveled. Hipsters are in, ya know.

The third reason was that I was using podiatry as an escape. I have lived with my parents and subsequent family for my entire 20 year and 3 month life. I honestly cannot stand it anymore. I am pretty much a loner and prefer to see people from time to time, as opposed to all the time. You all know there are no pod schools in Michigan, so that meant I was pretty much able to leave home. I assumed the same would have happened if I stayed in Michigan for med school, but pod school was a guarantee. I realized though I don't enjoy being here; I take advantage of a number of things, including the generosity and charity of many friends and family. It is best to stay in Michigan and continue to receive these benefits as a poor med student. Also, I will be married by the time I graduate and I really didn't want my SO to be alone in another state with none of her family to be around, while I'm busy for 4+ years; especially if a baby decides to come along.

So that's it. I love the field of medicine and podiatry gave me insight into another aspect of it; but in the end I just keep getting pulled back to the MD/DO route. I think I was just on a Runner's High since I found out about the career until now. It all just seemed so perfect for me, but it took a lot of realization and soul searching to make the decision. Its not even a choice anymore; its med school or bust lol. I feel like Lebron James; making this entire thread just about my decision, but it was requested and I wanted to let people know that you should always keep your options open; you never know when you'll change your mind.

So thanks to everyone in this forum. I wish you all the best of luck in your studies and future. Have fun!

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[PatchAdamsFan]

I definitely feel ya. I am pursuing podiatry myself, but I understand that at 20-22 years of age, people don't know what they really want to do with their lives. In my opinion, the limited field is quite constraining, yet every medical specialty is in the same boat, and choosing a path in medical school is a crapshoot in itself, one which comes hand in hand with doubt and uncertainty. Heck, I think that every individual experiences a midlife crisis sometime in their lives, unsure of their life decisions.

I totally agree with everything, and I admire your decision. Some students choose to never turn back with doubts increasingly higher than yours. That is a very critical part of life: weighing out oranges with one hand and something entirely different in another. It doesn't take a genius to insert 'to each his own' or something of the sort, yet this falls flat when s/he doesn't know what they want.

Anyway, thank you for sharing, and good luck.

 

[ManUnderFire]

Hey y'all; its been a while lol. This thread was requested by some PM's so I decided to finally make it.

To start off; I have the utmost respect for pods. I still think its an awesome career and very rewarding, but its not the career for me. I loved shadowing and everything. Its funny because I was so set on the decision and so excited to go off to pod school. I would imagine my life as a pod and everything, but after some careful soul searching, I realized I was on the wrong path.

I was always a little sketchy about my decision. As with all things, especially in my case, I can never be 100% sure. The real questioning didn't come to me until I saw the question "If you were accepted to MD/DO and DPM, which would you choose?". I was unable to say DPM without hesitating a bit. I was fine with the career choice and knew I was going to have to work hard in any of the choices, but there was always something holding me back. I answered with "unless I got in UMich's MD program, I would do a DPM." I later realized that I answered my own question; I really wanted to do an MD/DO, but had settled with a DPM for a couple of reasons.

The first being my laziness. Honestly, its not that hard to get into pod school. I could get in right now with a subpar MCAT if I wanted to. This fueled my lazy-drive and basically told me I didn't have to work too hard until I actually matriculated. I noticed that this wasn't the right attitude to ever have. Sure, I was doing well in school, but it was more a pride thing. "Hey, I'm going to pod school, but I still have a high GPA and great EC's". Once again, not my cup of tea.

The second was the career itself. I honestly wouldn't mind working with feet/LE for the rest of my life; but it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I still have no idea what I want to do. By the time I hopefully graduate med school, I could be in OB/GYN for all I know. Its not that the shadowing didn't help me make a choice, but I just feel there are so many choices out there to choose from and I don't want to regret it one day. I could always end up working with feet as an MD/DO. To me, surgery was the big highlight of a podiatry career. The residencies are primarily based upon surgical skills, amirite? Lately I have started losing interest in surgery; once again I don't know what I want to do. I thought to myself, what is this career without surgery and it just didn't seem as epic IN MY OPINION.I was basically using a DPM career as a substitute for an MD/DO. I mean they are very very similar. I just thought I was being cool, taking the road less traveled. Hipsters are in, ya know.

The third reason was that I was using podiatry as an escape. I have lived with my parents and subsequent family for my entire 20 year and 3 month life. I honestly cannot stand it anymore. I am pretty much a loner and prefer to see people from time to time, as opposed to all the time. You all know there are no pod schools in Michigan, so that meant I was pretty much able to leave home. I assumed the same would have happened if I stayed in Michigan for med school, but pod school was a guarantee. I realized though I don't enjoy being here; I take advantage of a number of things, including the generosity and charity of many friends and family. It is best to stay in Michigan and continue to receive these benefits as a poor med student. Also, I will be married by the time I graduate and I really didn't want my SO to be alone in another state with none of her family to be around, while I'm busy for 4+ years; especially if a baby decides to come along.

So that's it. I love the field of medicine and podiatry gave me insight into another aspect of it; but in the end I just keep getting pulled back to the MD/DO route. I think I was just on a Runner's High since I found out about the career until now. It all just seemed so perfect for me, but it took a lot of realization and soul searching to make the decision. Its not even a choice anymore; its med school or bust lol. I feel like Lebron James; making this entire thread just about my decision, but it was requested and I wanted to let people know that you should always keep your options open; you never know when you'll change your mind.

So thanks to everyone in this forum. I wish you all the best of luck in your studies and future. Have fun!

Would I choose an MD over DPM? I asked myself that question regularly in the past, and while my initial reaction was always a resounding yes, after a moment of reflection, I realized that my ego, rather than my interests/talents drove this answer. While family med is fantastic, I can't imagine a career primarily based on prescription and involving few/minimal procedures. A surgery/hands-on based practice is great (ortho, emerg, gen surg, dental surg, etc), but I still enjoy taking the time in getting to know my patients, build relationships, and doing the 'little procedures' that make a big difference in my patient's lives. I also don't want to be in the OR most days of the week or 8+ hours at a time, and neither do I want to hand-out meds all day. I want neither extremes, but an equal and moderate mix of all worlds. Lastly, I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I am forced to settle in any particular field because that's what I matched into. This is one aspect that I can't leave to chance.

I have more job satisfaction and perform better when I work autonomously. I work much better with adults and particularly the elderly, than with children, although I love the little critters to death. I DON'T want the emotional and physiological stress of trying to save lives, account for death, or be obliged to prolong life without a true sense of living. In the end, I want to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease through medicinal and/or surgical intervention...that is medicine; that's all it is. A DPM, DO, MD, or a DDS will get me there. These degrees will get you there too....you just have to decide where your talents, interests, and limits lie and what/who you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.

 

[buBBa15]

Would I choose an MD over DPM? I asked myself that question regularly in the past, and while my initial reaction was always a resounding yes, after a moment of reflection, I realized that my ego, rather than my interests/talents drove this answer. While family med is fantastic, I can't imagine a career primarily based on prescription and involving few/minimal procedures. A surgery/hands-on based practice is great (ortho, emerg, gen surg, dental surg, etc), but I still enjoy taking the time in getting to know my patients, build relationships, and doing the 'little procedures' that make a big difference in my patient's lives. I also don't want to be in the OR most days of the week or 8+ hours at a time, and neither do I want to hand-out meds all day. I want neither extremes, but an equal and moderate mix of all worlds. Lastly, I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I am forced to settle in any particular field because that's what I matched into. This is one aspect that I can't leave to chance.

I have more job satisfaction and perform better when I work autonomously. I work much better with adults and particularly the elderly, than with children, although I love the little critters to death. I DON'T want the emotional and physiological stress of trying to save lives, account for death, or be obliged to prolong life without a true sense of living. In the end, I want to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease through medicinal and/or surgical intervention...that is medicine; that's all it is. A DPM, DO, MD, or a DDS will get me there. These degrees will get you there too....you just have to decide where your talents, interests, and limits lie and what/who you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.

I love this.

 

[joeclown]

Wise decision. You will not regret having an MD and all the options.

First well thought out post among this group that has not been banned.

 

[Shinobiz11]

I definitely feel ya. I am pursuing podiatry myself, but I understand that at 20-22 years of age, people don't know what they really want to do with their lives. In my opinion, the limited field is quite constraining, yet every medical specialty is in the same boat, and choosing a path in medical school is a crapshoot in itself, one which comes hand in hand with doubt and uncertainty. Heck, I think that every individual experiences a midlife crisis sometime in their lives, unsure of their life decisions.

I totally agree with everything, and I admire your decision. Some students choose to never turn back with doubts increasingly higher than yours. That is a very critical part of life: weighing out oranges with one hand and something entirely different in another. It doesn't take a genius to insert 'to each his own' or something of the sort, yet this falls flat when s/he doesn't know what they want.

Anyway, thank you for sharing, and good luck.

Haha yeah man, exactly. You just never know; I just really hope I didn't make the wrong decision, but at the moment I feel comfortable.

Would I choose an MD over DPM? I asked myself that question regularly in the past, and while my initial reaction was always a resounding yes, after a moment of reflection, I realized that my ego, rather than my interests/talents drove this answer. While family med is fantastic, I can't imagine a career primarily based on prescription and involving few/minimal procedures. A surgery/hands-on based practice is great (ortho, emerg, gen surg, dental surg, etc), but I still enjoy taking the time in getting to know my patients, build relationships, and doing the 'little procedures' that make a big difference in my patient's lives. I also don't want to be in the OR most days of the week or 8+ hours at a time, and neither do I want to hand-out meds all day. I want neither extremes, but an equal and moderate mix of all worlds. Lastly, I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I am forced to settle in any particular field because that's what I matched into. This is one aspect that I can't leave to chance.

I have more job satisfaction and perform better when I work autonomously. I work much better with adults and particularly the elderly, than with children, although I love the little critters to death. I DON'T want the emotional and physiological stress of trying to save lives, account for death, or be obliged to prolong life without a true sense of living. In the end, I want to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease through medicinal and/or surgical intervention...that is medicine; that's all it is. A DPM, DO, MD, or a DDS will get me there. These degrees will get you there too....you just have to decide where your talents, interests, and limits lie and what/who you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.

Agreed. Great post.

Those were all reasons why podiatry was so appealing to me; it just seemed so perfect. Also, as I went away from the surgery route, you can see how I lost interest. I just don't know if surgery is right for me, ya know. Like when I was shadowing, I was always interested in the x-rays and would go over them with the doctor. Is radiology the right path for me then? Or, I'm in a med-micro class right now and absolutely love it; should I lean towards pathology or infectious disease then? Its such a huge decision; the next 4+ years of blood, sweat, and tears. I'd like to do a program that gives me the most options available that I can look into and find what I want to do. Obviously, I'd be upset if podiatry was my true calling, but sometimes you have to take risks.
My ego was a big thing to come over before I made decision. It really took a lot of thought and anxiety to make sure I was doing the right thing. A doctor is a doctor; whether you're operating on feet, brains, penises, it doesn't matter, its all for the greater good. I am going into medicine for the love of it. I truly can't see myself doing anything else; but I feel the traditional med school route would be a better fit for myself and my family.
I really respect your admiration and commitment to medicine. I'm sure you'll make a great doctor one day.

 

[hughesn2]

I answered with "unless I got in UMich's MD program, I would do a DPM." I later realized that I answered my own question; I really wanted to do an MD/DO, but had settled with a DPM for a couple of reasons.

I live in MI and go to MSU and it is odd when you say that you would ONLY want to go to UM's MD school because MSU and Wayne State have two GREAT MD programs as well. And also MSU's DO school has been rated the "Best DO program" out of the 26 DO programs in the nation. Maybe you are a Wolverine and you wouldn't want to go anywhere but Michigan, but it really sounds like those people that say "Well if I don't get accepted into an Ivy League Law school then I will quit law all together." Just surprising how one would say if I don't get accepted into one of the tougher MD programs around then I am not going to MD or DO school all together

 

[Textbookversion]

Would I choose an MD over DPM? I asked myself that question regularly in the past, and while my initial reaction was always a resounding yes, after a moment of reflection, I realized that my ego, rather than my interests/talents drove this answer. While family med is fantastic, I can't imagine a career primarily based on prescription and involving few/minimal procedures. A surgery/hands-on based practice is great (ortho, emerg, gen surg, dental surg, etc), but I still enjoy taking the time in getting to know my patients, build relationships, and doing the 'little procedures' that make a big difference in my patient's lives. I also don't want to be in the OR most days of the week or 8+ hours at a time, and neither do I want to hand-out meds all day. I want neither extremes, but an equal and moderate mix of all worlds. Lastly, I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I am forced to settle in any particular field because that's what I matched into. This is one aspect that I can't leave to chance.

I have more job satisfaction and perform better when I work autonomously. I work much better with adults and particularly the elderly, than with children, although I love the little critters to death. I DON'T want the emotional and physiological stress of trying to save lives, account for death, or be obliged to prolong life without a true sense of living. In the end, I want to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease through medicinal and/or surgical intervention...that is medicine; that's all it is. A DPM, DO, MD, or a DDS will get me there. These degrees will get you there too....you just have to decide where your talents, interests, and limits lie and what/who you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.

BTW your description of podiatry is basically your typical outpatient FM doctor... but they get more respect, more pay, and get to deal with more than the feet. I know plenty of FM doc's that do a mix of procedures, and medical care.

Power to anyone that is happy in podiatry, I plan on referring anything and everything I can your way because I am not a big fan of diseased feet. Much rather manually disimpact.

 

[Ferocity]

BTW your description of podiatry is basically your typical outpatient FM doctor... but they get more respect, more pay, and get to deal with more than the feet. I know plenty of FM doc's that do a mix of procedures, and medical care.

Power to anyone that is happy in podiatry, I plan on referring anything and everything I can your way because I am not a big fan of diseased feet. Much rather manually disimpact.

 

[EK18]

Looks like Shinobiz11 got....................... cold feet.

 

[air bud]

BTW your description of podiatry is basically your typical outpatient FM doctor... but they get more respect, more pay, and get to deal with more than the feet. I know plenty of FM doc's that do a mix of procedures, and medical care.

Power to anyone that is happy in podiatry, I plan on referring anything and everything I can your way because I am not a big fan of diseased feet. Much rather manually disimpact.

Pretty sure there is a difference between a lateral ankle stabilization or ankle fracture or triple fusion....than whatever type of procedure a FM doc is doing. If you don't think so, then surgery isn't for you. And that is not a good or a bad thing. It is what it is. That is the beauty of medicine.

Really? Feet vs. disimpacting bowels? How many of each have you done? You enjoy those bowels, I will enjoy my feet. Again, thank you for taking care of this, somebody needs to. I am sure you feel the same way about me

 

[ManUnderFire]

BTW your description of podiatry is basically your typical outpatient FM doctor... but they get more respect, more pay, and get to deal with more than the feet. I know plenty of FM doc's that do a mix of procedures, and medical care.

Power to anyone that is happy in podiatry, I plan on referring anything and everything I can your way because I am not a big fan of diseased feet. Much rather manually disimpact.

My FM doc was actually the one that inspired me to even consider medicine to begin with. I really appreciated his model-always taking the time needed to answer ALL of his patient's questions and concerns. A visit never lasted less than 20 mins. Mind you, with this model of practice he wasn't billing to his maximal potential, but he still had a solid income. So, if I had to pick an MD/DO path it would probably be FM; unfortunately the least admired and least sought after branch within MD/DO. So respect will always be short to come by from my more esteemed colleagues. A hierarchy will exist no matter where we go or what we do. However, I presume that this will change in time if the Affordable Care Act sticks.

But, as any practitioner will tell you, once the initial allure of titles and degrees fades, the amount of respect I get (or lose) will depend on my competency, nothing more. And as I mentioned, I still want some complex surgical exposure (bunioectomy's, hammer toe, charcot-marie tooth correction) which can be performed as an outpatient. Sure the pay as a new podiatrist may be lower than FM according to the BoLs (at first), but the income is still very satisfactory and the potential for significant gains is there. If I were in medicine strictly for the money, I would've never taken out 200K+ in loans at 6-8% interest unless I had a solid chance to make at least that much per year. As a side note, tuition at NYCPM is half what I would've paid at many MD/DO schools, fyi...which means less debt looming over my head. If I had a choice, I'd rather make 50K/yr with no debt, than 300K/yr with 300K in debt.

Lucky for me, I'll be happy making enough to pay my loans, provide for my family, save for retirement and my children's education and live a very modest lifestyle. But all medicine offers a very comfortable lifestyle if the effort is put forth. If we can't manage to survive on the income we have now as students, an extra 30-40K on top of a new podiatry grad's wage won't keep us in the black either. My bank rep told me once that everyone, no matter how much they make, will find a way to spend their income .

The shoe fits-it may not be the flashiest or the most expensive, but it looks good to me and suits my needs just fine.

 

[PADPM]

BTW your description of podiatry is basically your typical outpatient FM doctor... but they get more respect, more pay, and get to deal with more than the feet. I know plenty of FM doc's that do a mix of procedures, and medical care.

Power to anyone that is happy in podiatry, I plan on referring anything and everything I can your way because I am not a big fan of diseased feet. Much rather manually disimpact.

As someone who has been in practice for well over 20 years, I would say that your observations of the procedures performed on feet by FM docs differ significantly from mine. Our practice receives dozens of referrals on a daily basis from FM docs. I have often wondered why they don't treat some on their own, but it simply doesn't happen often.

About the only thing I've experienced FM docs attempting is a removal of an ingrown nail, and the majority of those times that patient ends up in our office with a wicked infection. And I know of NO FM docs who are performing any invasive procedures in the foot with the possible exception of ingrown nails or warts.

But hey, my opinion is only based on well over 20 years of experience.

As far as "respect", well that's simply a matter of opinion and perception. To many in the field, the FM doc is at the bottom of the food chain, and is not well respected. Our group has a heavy hospital presence, and we regularly receive in hospital consults from internists, vascular surgeons, infectious disease docs, the ER, etc., so I assure you we receive at LEAST the same amount of respect as the FM who has no hospital privileges and punts difficult cases to a specialist or the ER.

I'm also not sure about your assessment of "better pay". Although some FM docs may start out with a higher salary, I know of many recent graduate residents who are receiving starting offers almost twice as high as the average starting salary of an FM. I also believe the earning potential of podiatry exceeds that of FM, and also believe there are studies to confirm my opinion.

And as already stated, if you would rather manually take care of a fecal impaction, either you've never done one or have some odd preferences.

 

[Textbookversion]

As someone who has been in practice for well over 20 years, I would say that your observations of the procedures performed on feet by FM docs differ significantly from mine. Our practice receives dozens of referrals on a daily basis from FM docs. I have often wondered why they don't treat some on their own, but it simply doesn't happen often.

About the only thing I've experienced FM docs attempting is a removal of an ingrown nail, and the majority of those times that patient ends up in our office with a wicked infection. And I know of NO FM docs who are performing any invasive procedures in the foot with the possible exception of ingrown nails or warts.

But hey, my opinion is only based on well over 20 years of experience.

As far as "respect", well that's simply a matter of opinion and perception. To many in the field, the FM doc is at the bottom of the food chain, and is not well respected. Our group has a heavy hospital presence, and we regularly receive in hospital consults from internists, vascular surgeons, infectious disease docs, the ER, etc., so I assure you we receive at LEAST the same amount of respect as the FM who has no hospital privileges and punts difficult cases to a specialist or the ER.

I'm also not sure about your assessment of "better pay". Although some FM docs may start out with a higher salary, I know of many recent graduate residents who are receiving starting offers almost twice as high as the average starting salary of an FM. I also believe the earning potential of podiatry exceeds that of FM, and also believe there are studies to confirm my opinion.

And as already stated, if you would rather manually take care of a fecal impaction, either you've never done one or have some odd preferences.

Oh I mean you'll always have plenty of respect from me (and I hope most providers). I just think the general public doesn't have a good grasp of the rigors of becoming a podiatrist.

I was responding specifically to his post about not wanting to do OR time, but wanting to do in office procedures. An FM doc can do tons of those like vasectomy, casting, colonoscopy, all kinds of fun stuff. Obviously if you want to do surgery a lot there are better options in medicine as well, ENT is particularly awesome (like really, really awesome) for having a mix of procedures, cool operations and medicine.

As for the pay... it's ridiculously easy to find an FM job that pays 250k+ and benefits right out of residency, and as far as I know starting podiatry jobs where you are not doing a lot of surgery run like 80k a year?

Keep in mind averages aren't very meaningful, because you are looking at people who work in academics or in community health centers as a charitable service. A lot of FM jobs are pretty much charity.

I have a really hard time believing there are podiatrists making 500k right out of residency. And those podiatrists making FM money, are doing mostly surgery, which if you were doing through a medical residency you would be making double to quadruple the salary.

 

[jellybean2020]

Oh I mean you'll always have plenty of respect from me (and I hope most providers). I just think the general public doesn't have a good grasp of the rigors of becoming a podiatrist.

I was responding specifically to his post about not wanting to do OR time, but wanting to do in office procedures. An FM doc can do tons of those like vasectomy, casting, colonoscopy, all kinds of fun stuff. Obviously if you want to do surgery a lot there are better options in medicine as well, ENT is particularly awesome (like really, really awesome) for having a mix of procedures, cool operations and medicine.

As for the pay... it's ridiculously easy to find an FM job that pays 250k+ and benefits right out of residency, and as far as I know starting podiatry jobs where you are not doing a lot of surgery run like 80k a year?

Keep in mind averages aren't very meaningful, because you are looking at people who work in academics or in community health centers as a charitable service. A lot of FM jobs are pretty much charity.

I have a really hard time believing there are podiatrists making 500k right out of residency. And those podiatrists making FM money, are doing mostly surgery, which if you were doing through a medical residency you would be making double to quadruple the salary.

Great conversation. One main thing I want to address though: NOT doing alot of surgery can often earn you a higher salary because one can bill for a bunch of in-office procedures in the time it takes to do surgery. Some podiatrists choose to spend less time in the OR on purpose for this reason. Also, starting salaries of 200k is not unusual for hospital jobs in podiatry, so I'd say it's almost on par (but a bit below) with your quoted figure for FM.

 

[Textbookversion]

Great conversation. One main thing I want to address though: NOT doing alot of surgery can often earn you a higher salary because one can bill for a bunch of in-office procedures in the time it takes to do surgery. Some podiatrists choose to spend less time in the OR on purpose for this reason. Also, starting salaries of 200k is not unusual for hospital jobs in podiatry, so I'd say it's almost on par (but a bit below) with your quoted figure for FM.

That's reassuring. The podiatry students I talked to were expecting somewhere in the 75-90k range to start which I think is pretty low for the debt levels and effort it takes to graduate. 200k is definitely more fair.

I guess it just depends where you work. My impression was that working with an ortho group and taking a bunch of trauma call off their backs was a slick way to make $$ but I guess that it makes sense that doing lots of quick procedures is lucrative.

 

[PatchAdamsFan]

From my understanding, the profession is more or less not run on salaries (with the exceptions of some ortho positions, in which case the 'podiatrist' isn't really filling that role, but instead another F/A ortho). Their reimbursements come mainly from %'s of billing over a certain amount. This, unlike salaried FM doctors, is why podiatrists are far more likely to out-earn them.

On the same note, that FM salary mentioned is strictly from private practice, which is an extreme minority to clinics and hospitals in term of FM doctors. My father and uncle are both FM doctors and they do not earn that salary, and they know VERY FEW colleagues across the states that earn close to that figure.

 

[feet2017]

Oh I mean you'll always have plenty of respect from me (and I hope most providers). I just think the general public doesn't have a good grasp of the rigors of becoming a podiatrist.

I was responding specifically to his post about not wanting to do OR time, but wanting to do in office procedures. An FM doc can do tons of those like vasectomy, casting, colonoscopy, all kinds of fun stuff. Obviously if you want to do surgery a lot there are better options in medicine as well, ENT is particularly awesome (like really, really awesome) for having a mix of procedures, cool operations and medicine.

As for the pay... it's ridiculously easy to find an FM job that pays 250k+ and benefits right out of residency, and as far as I know starting podiatry jobs where you are not doing a lot of surgery run like 80k a year?

Keep in mind averages aren't very meaningful, because you are looking at people who work in academics or in community health centers as a charitable service. A lot of FM jobs are pretty much charity.

I have a really hard time believing there are podiatrists making 500k right out of residency. And those podiatrists making FM money, are doing mostly surgery, which if you were doing through a medical residency you would be making double to quadruple the salary.

most people don't even know that podiatry is its own entity.

another thing to note is that many people don't know what podiatry even is, but I am sure you can say the same for nephrology.

 

[Podophile]

It's difficult to convince some college kid that he or she is absolutely sure to be happy working on feet the rest of their career. A MD/DO degree allows for so much more flexibility, indecision and procrastination in choosing a career path. Which is fine, because how many college seniors REALLY know which specialty they want to go into, for sure??? Very few, and that is the great thing about medicine, and a sticking point for many committing to Podiatry.

 

[CapCrunch]

It's difficult to convince some college kid that he or she is absolutely sure to be happy working on feet the rest of their career. A MD/DO degree allows for so much more flexibility, indecision and procrastination in choosing a career path. Which is fine, because how many college seniors REALLY know which specialty they want to go into, for sure??? Very few, and that is the great thing about medicine, and a sticking point for many committing to Podiatry.

I agree with this. It's one of the only things holding me back from committing to podiatry 100%. I am making sure to shadow as much as possible, but still am petrified that during my clinical rotations, I may realize that I prefer another branch of medicine even more than podiatry. I guess it's a gamble we all take, regardless of how much shadowing we do.

 

[buBBa15]

I'm just excited to kick some ass already

 

[skierbum]

Really? Feet vs. disimpacting bowels? How many of each have you done? You enjoy those bowels, I will enjoy my feet. Again, thank you for taking care of this, somebody needs to. I am sure you feel the same way about me

Lol...it took me about 6 months after I shadowed a family practice doc to figure this out. Yeah, I could remove a cyst from a guy's buttock up close and personal if I had to and not be squeamish, but would I want to? Smelly feet sound like a better option

 

[ManUnderFire]

... An FM doc can do tons of those like vasectomy, casting, colonoscopy, all kinds of fun stuff. Obviously if you want to do surgery a lot there are better options in medicine as well, ENT is particularly awesome (like really, really awesome) for having a mix of procedures, cool operations and medicine.

If that's the case, then I'm impressed... because I have never heard or seen these procedures being done by a FM. The ones I shadowed mostly treat hypertension, sore throats, some peds, diabetes, joint pain and the like. Maybe it's a geographical thing?

PADPM more eloquently stated, elaborated upon, and supported with his experience the issues of pay and respect which I merely fathomed.

 

[Podophile]

If that's the case, then I'm impressed... because I have never heard or seen these procedures being done by a FM. The ones I shadowed mostly treat hypertension, sore throats, some peds, diabetes, joint pain and the like. Maybe it's a geographical thing? .

I rotated with a rural family practice doctor who routinely did colonoscopy and endoscopy for his patients. He also occassionally would remove a cyst from a back or neck. The key here is the fact that it was a very rural area, and most of his patients didn't want to go to the "city" to get these procedures done, or didn't trust another doctor to work on them due to the long term relationship they had with that doctor. I also believe it would be much, much more difficult for him to receive these privileges in a decent sized city hospital without some kind of board certification or proof of proficiency in these areas, not to mention the other docs in the area who would likely block these attempts. MD/DO does mean unlimited scope of practice, but does NOT equate to unlimited hospital privileges.

He did refer when necessary but tried to handle as much as he could himself. That being said, the vast majority of his patients were follow up for HTN and DM, which made for very long days for me.

An interesting note is that when he would order an X-ray, he only looked at the report and didn't even glance at the film.

Also it's important to note that this man was VERY intelligent and did have a very broad spectrum of knowledge and I believe he did have the capability to be performing these procedures. He also routinely attended not only FM conferences, but stayed current by going to the GI conferences as well. The point is that I do not believe the average family doctor would be competent or confident to do these types of procedures as well as run a general practice, but that of course is my opinion.

 

[Textbookversion]

If that's the case, then I'm impressed... because I have never heard or seen these procedures being done by a FM. The ones I shadowed mostly treat hypertension, sore throats, some peds, diabetes, joint pain and the like. Maybe it's a geographical thing?

PADPM more eloquently stated, elaborated upon, and supported with his experience the issues of pay and respect which I merely fathomed.

The practice of medicine varies a LOT by geography. I wish I could find this paper I looked at before... hate when I can't find things. But basically if you look at zip codes, a huge chunk of physicians live in a small amount of area codes (we're talking like 80% of physicians living in 20% of area codes or something crazy like that, don't quote me on that).

The point is, for the 20% of the country where physicians are hyper concentrated and you have the massive tertiary care centers yeah FM can be boring.

For the rest of the country you'd be amazed. It's sketchy as &#@* sometimes to be honest. You'll have PA's running ER's, and FM doc's coming in to do an emergency caesareans. It's like a whole different world out there.

I have no desire to be a FM doc, but I think being an FM doc outside of the big doctor hyper-saturated areas is probably the toughest job in medicine to do well. You are THE doctor for these people. Refer to cardiology? Haha the nearest cardiologist is 100 miles away. They need a colonoscopy? Good luck finding a GI doc in the county that has room on the schedule. Oh that's right, the only GI doc retired this year, so his schedule doesn't even matter.

Even if you live in a big city, if you work with certain patient populations (poor, uninsured) good luck getting a specialist to see them. You put on their cast, or do the colonoscopy, or cut the abscess or whatever else they need because no one else will. It's either you, or they live with the condition.

 

[dyk343]

I dont wanna be a smack talker, but why do you keep talking about colons?

 

[Medstart108]

Pretty sure there is a difference between a lateral ankle stabilization or ankle fracture or triple fusion....than whatever type of procedure a FM doc is doing. If you don't think so, then surgery isn't for you. And that is not a good or a bad thing. It is what it is. That is the beauty of medicine.

Really? Feet vs. disimpacting bowels? How many of each have you done? You enjoy those bowels, I will enjoy my feet. Again, thank you for taking care of this, somebody needs to. I am sure you feel the same way about me

Can anyone comment on the stereotype that male podiatrists secretly have a foot fetish?

 

[ucfgrad10]

Can anyone comment on the stereotype that male podiatrists secretly have a foot fetish?

I just love sucking the toes of my girlfriend. It comes with the territory of wanting to working with the feet. Same reason all gastroenterologists love giving rj's right?

 

[feet2017]

Can anyone comment on the stereotype that male podiatrists secretly have a foot fetish?

I love feet. I have pictures of them all over my walls, computer, and cellphone.

 

[jellybean2020]

I gave mine a valentines day card.

 

[ManUnderFire]

The practice of medicine varies a LOT by geography. I wish I could find this paper I looked at before... hate when I can't find things. But basically if you look at zip codes, a huge chunk of physicians live in a small amount of area codes (we're talking like 80% of physicians living in 20% of area codes or something crazy like that, don't quote me on that).

The point is, for the 20% of the country where physicians are hyper concentrated and you have the massive tertiary care centers yeah FM can be boring.

For the rest of the country you'd be amazed. It's sketchy as &#@* sometimes to be honest. You'll have PA's running ER's, and FM doc's coming in to do an emergency caesareans. It's like a whole different world out there.

I have no desire to be a FM doc, but I think being an FM doc outside of the big doctor hyper-saturated areas is probably the toughest job in medicine to do well. You are THE doctor for these people. Refer to cardiology? Haha the nearest cardiologist is 100 miles away. They need a colonoscopy? Good luck finding a GI doc in the county that has room on the schedule. Oh that's right, the only GI doc retired this year, so his schedule doesn't even matter.

Even if you live in a big city, if you work with certain patient populations (poor, uninsured) good luck getting a specialist to see them. You put on their cast, or do the colonoscopy, or cut the abscess or whatever else they need because no one else will. It's either you, or they live with the condition.

Come to think of it, in my neck of the woods, there are docs that complete an FM-Emerg residency...so not quite the same thing. I imagine these are the guys that go out to rural areas and do the wacky stuff

 

[ManUnderFire]

Can anyone comment on the stereotype that male podiatrists secretly have a foot fetish?

Just as much as female gyno's are lesbos

Stereotypes are just that... generic, simple ideas manufactured by simple minds. The product follows the maker.

 

[g squared 23]

Can anyone comment on the stereotype that male podiatrists secretly have a foot fetish?

You've gotta be f****** kidding me.

 

[dyk343]

It's an obvious troll attempt guys....

 

[dchunts22]

Yes, everytime I get my toes sucked it reminds me how bad I want to work with feet for the rest of my life....

 

[jellybean2020]

You've gotta be f****** kidding me.

I do believe he was joking

 

[ucfgrad10]

It's an obvious troll attempt guys....

Troll is obvious a troll. It looked kind of hungry though.

 

[BrownEyedJedi]

Just thought I'd comment at how awesome this thread is.

I recently graduated as an Athletic Training major but I decided Athletic Training wasn't really my thing.
That's a whole different post though.

I've shadowed at 5 different physical therapy clinics (in and outpatient), shadowed 4 different orthos (lower extremities, just hand, all upper extremities, and spine), shadowed one podiatrist, one psychiatrist, and 2 physician assistants.

The only conclusion I came to?
I hated physical therapy (though I respect the idea and the profession, I just don't wanna do it!) and that there is sooo much more than athletic training out there!

Anyway, I like reading the process that you all decided to go either DO or MD or DPM or whatever.

I kept wondering to myself if DPM was limiting myself, but then I asked myself, "Would I prefer an MD, DO, or DPM?" I answered DPM. I hated working with patients with upper extremity issues (no clue why, I just did) and about 75% of the patients/athletes I saw as an AT were ankle injuries (anyone surprised)?

Aside from the freedom to work out of the country as an MD, or to have more options as a DO, I concluded that 1) I don't care about status, 2) even if I got an MD/DO, I'd still want to do something in orthopedics and lower extremities, 3) I'd love to specialize from the get-go.


Anyway, thanks for indirectly solidfyiny my decision. Cheers and best wishes!

 

[ManUnderFire]

Just thought I'd comment at how awesome this thread is.

I recently graduated as an Athletic Training major but I decided Athletic Training wasn't really my thing.
That's a whole different post though.

I've shadowed at 5 different physical therapy clinics (in and outpatient), shadowed 4 different orthos (lower extremities, just hand, all upper extremities, and spine), shadowed one podiatrist, one psychiatrist, and 2 physician assistants.

The only conclusion I came to?
I hated physical therapy (though I respect the idea and the profession, I just don't wanna do it!) and that there is sooo much more than athletic training out there!

Anyway, I like reading the process that you all decided to go either DO or MD or DPM or whatever.

I kept wondering to myself if DPM was limiting myself, but then I asked myself, "Would I prefer an MD, DO, or DPM?" I answered DPM. I hated working with patients with upper extremity issues (no clue why, I just did) and about 75% of the patients/athletes I saw as an AT were ankle injuries (anyone surprised)?

Aside from the freedom to work out of the country as an MD, or to have more options as a DO, I concluded that 1) I don't care about status, 2) even if I got an MD/DO, I'd still want to do something in orthopedics and lower extremities, 3) I'd love to specialize from the get-go.


Anyway, thanks for indirectly solidfyiny my decision. Cheers and best wishes!

...I was anticipating some deep, thought provoking conclusion.

I'm glad this thread has helped your (and hopefully many others') decision making process. I shadowed a physio and even volunteered as an assistant for 2 yrs-it just wasn't for me. With your experience as an AT, physio was not a far reach.

The choice of career is so difficult, and one with A LOT riding on it. Shadowing, and more importantly, volunteering is key. Of course, no one will allow us to play 'doctor' for a day, so we have to settle for shadowing in most cases. EMT comes close to the MD/DO world by dealing with patient care, transfer of care hiearchy, and such.

In the end, I think life becomes much easier when we stick to what we enjoy doing, and more often than not, we become good at it.