I think that's a fair statement. It is possible to set up a part-time, low-stress podiatric practice. Some MD/DO specialties can also do the same but it depends upon the specialty into which you go. Getting the MD/DO specialty you want can be a crapshoot because you're at the mercy of the Residency to which you match. If you wanted to do cosmetic dermatology for instance but didn't match and instead became an Internist, you can look forward to long hours and lots of hard work. With podiatry you pretty much know what you're getting into before you start.
As a MD/DO you would likely have to take hospital call, which can really cramp the home life. Some DPM's do hospital call, some do not. Some places use Hospitalists, who specialize in inpatient care. If you become a staff member of a hospital that uses Hospitalists, then you would not need to go into the hospital at night to admit patients. You may just take phone calls though.
I have heard of some women MD/DO doctors setting up practice-sharing arrangements, where three doctors split two full-time practices. The patients enter the relationship understanding that they have more than one doctor. The three doctors share two doctors' worth of staff and overhead expenses, which allows more time away from work yet doesn't completely destroy one's production. I don't know how common this arrangement is.
To have a part-time podiatric practice with good income you would likely need to be a part of a small podiatry group rather than solo or a part of a large multispecialty group. The overhead expenses can be very great in solo practices or in large multi-specialty groups, which means you'd need to produce more (i.e., work longer hours).
Nat
