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Monday, December 24, 2007

Podiatrist - $125,663


Podiatrist
Average pay: $125,663
(Salary.com)


High average salaries and reasonable, flexible hours make podiatry look like a pretty attractive career choice—at least for those who don’t squirm at the thought of dealing with bunions, ingrown toenails, and pus-filled foot ulcers. There’s also the (lack of) prestige factor to consider: Because podiatrists are DPMs (Doctors of Podiatric Medicine), not MDs, they face the same “not a real doctor” stigma as chiropractors and optometrists. Getting started in the field can also be difficult, especially for those without surgical training—loan default rates for podiatrists are among the highest in medicine.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Podiatry isn't all bad; you get to help people and the job itself involves a diversity tasks - surgery, biomechanics, medicine etc.

As a practicing podiatrist, I recommend it as a career choice if one wants to help people and make a reasonable living. \

If anyone is considering podiatry as a career feel free to contact me to discuss it further.

Michael Nirenberg
aka America's Podiatrist
www.AmericasPodiatrist.com

Thiruppathy Raja said...

Hey, nice site you have here! Keep up the excellent work!
Podiatry

Anonymous said...

The podiatry training remains highly variable, and there are 50 different scopes of practice in the 50 states. Exams are not as rigorous as MDS. Many health professionals can do what a podiatrist does-so their role in medicine is redundant and opportunistic. Selling nonsense orthotics to the naive, when over the counter works jsut fine. it is a profit centre for some podiatrists.

Admission to podiatric schools is low, and many are low caliber, through low tier undergrads, scores, grades, etc...

dental school exams, and gres are still accepted at podiatry schools because there are few applicants compared to other medical professions. instead of only permitting the MCAT being accepted.

Student loan default rates are second to chiropractors, and podiatrists are treated as a paraprofessional, allied health with cptometrists, and audiologists. Many states do not include podiatrists as physicians, they are allied health and have limited license (Foot only). There are few podiatrists who are true foot and ankle surgeons trained by foot and ankle orthos at ACGME residencies/fellowships.

The remaining pods are ok for detritus (toneails, callosities, hammertoes, bunions, fasciitis).

Thank you.

Dan said...

"Selling nonsense orthotics to the naive, when over the counter works jsut fine"

wrong. While im sure some podiatrists may over prescribe orthotics as they can be a money maker, but believe me there is a difference between over the counter comfort and professional support.

"Many health professionals can do what a podiatrist does-so their role in medicine is redundant and opportunistic."

somewhat wrong again. Yes a well trained ortho pod can do just as fine of a job as a podiatrist, but orthopods are a dying profession. Podiatrists are taking over as the foot and ankle specialists and are here to stay. Would you trust someone who did a 1-2 yr fellowship to do your reconstructive foot surgery (albeit after graduating traditional med school/residency) or someone who specialized in foot care/surgery from day one of professional school (7 years as all podiatric residencies are now a mandatory 3 year long program).

I hope you are not a physician with your arrogant, lopsided opinions regarding the health professions. Your patients will suffer if you do not have the maturity to refer out to a proper HCP when needed. If the best foot and ankle specialist in the area is an orthopod then great. But do not lump a profession as a whole and impose your opinions online.

I personally refer to a podiatrist in my area when needed as it is for the best interest of my patients.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a student or someone who is misinformed and/or naive.

There are no randomized control studies stating that OTC is inferior to custom orthotics--
OTC is fine, and works great. b/c some unethical people cannot make $$$ off of it, they attempt to discredit OTC. b/c super expensive must be better than cheaper right??? WRONG.

Podiatric biomechanics is akin to zealotry. The real science is lacking.


Profit centre to make money, akin to the shoe rack, hot tar talks, dangers of flip/flops, or mega-bunions, or creating diseases for their limited scope.

Rearfoot varus is NOT a medical condition, nor is overpronation. It is used to sell the dissapation of the pronation to cause the supination of the hallux vulgarities. Randomized studies in real journals? No.

There are 50 different scopes of practice. TX took back the ankle. Do not know of any dentists that cannot touch the molars in one state, yet can in another.

The podiatric residencies are NOT ACGME, ABMS, recognized. Many are at community hospitals with no other MD/DO residents with great variability of training.

The "3yr" "residency" means nothing if one cannot practice what one was taught in their state due to the huge differences in scopes across all 50 states. Residency shortage is also commonplace as was in the 1990s. 20/20 TV show even had an expose on podiatry. too few people, no real money to make real changes in the profession from a political level.

Therefore, not equal with MD/DO counterparts. USMLES are not administered, rotations in school are NOT identical, clipping nails, tagging along in the AM with MDs, and grinding orthotics in the workshop does not equate to MEDICAL SCHOOL. 12h on 12 off, 3rd, 4th year real rotations just look at the MDs/DOs. Parity is EARNED.

Yet many pods purport "physician" status. Many states do not recognize pods as physicians, they are "providers" or allied health along with audilogists, midwifes, electricians, embalmers, chiropractors, and optometrists. In some states they cannot even discuss bunions, or causation of injury b/c they are not physicians and did not attend medical school (VA/PA states).

The profession needs to:

real research in real journals with real studies, same exams as MDs/DO USMLEs, ACGMEs, ABMS, only MCATs allowed, vastly increase caliber of applicants, stop purporting 40 hr week, boomer lifestyles, no beeper enticements to the 20 somethings into earning a "doctor" title.

Until organized podiatry wakes up, get real leadership instead of infighting, same names, same faces, and same grandiose statements/proclamations--nothing will change except for increasing dues to impotent organizations/clubs who seem to enjoy being foot dentists rather than physicians.

Thank you.

Wendy said...

Agreed, the issue with podiatry schooling remains some unqualified students with low tier undergrads, low GPA, low science GPAs, and easy acceptances. Invites for interviews without MCAT scores, or there is one podiatry school that still accepts DATS, GRES--dentistry and business school rejects are being solicited to podiatry schooling. THIS IS WRONG.

Potential applicants for podiatry school should be just as rigorous as MD students. PERIOD. With same licensing exams, same clerkships, same everything. MCAT only. And doing acceptable on it >24-26 minimum.

Until that occurs, podiatry will remain a 3rd tier choice, and akin to an accordian in the symphony orchestra of medicine.

Anonymous said...

Ouch. A lot of podiatry haters here. Must have had a bad experience. I scored a 28 on MCAT's, went to all of my classes with the DO's and took the same tests and was #7 of 285, including the DO's. Are there bad podiatrists? Absolutely. Are there bad MD's and DO's? Absolutely. There are many MD's that should lose their license and have poor education as well as ethics.