Just wanted to update the opm crew. I last posted sometime back in May after starting a journey toward med school. A quick background is that I am practicing chiro that decided it was time to throw my hat in the ring and shoot for med school. I have been out of school for about ten years (chiro) and almost 14 since i have sat for any undergrad classes. I bought both the Kaplan books and the examkrackers books and started studying. I took the mcat in July after a rough four months of studying. during the interim between applying and hearing anything back I had a small epiphany after doing more research and talking to a few other family members. it was during this time that I decided to apply for Podiatry school. it wasn’t something I had considered before and it was like a lightbulb going off after I started looking at it closer. So after another giant application and transcript requests, i interviewed and was accepted to Scholl school of Podiatry, which is a part of the Rosalind Franklin school of medicine. I decided on this for a couple of reasons, namely the school is close enough to allow me to be home on the weekends (important for me as i have two small children) but just as importantly, podiatry residencies are all three year surgical residencies as of june 2011. For someone who is now 40, being able to attain a surgical career through a traditional md/do route is very iffy at best. Many people unfortunately find themselves in a position that they didn’t want going into med school. I spent many hours shadowing a podiatrist during the interim and basically fell in love with the profession. My podiatrist sees patients 2-3 days a week in clinic and has 2 days of dedicated surgical days per week. It is a small community compared with the md/do’s but i believe that it is a gem in the professional sense. for any of the members who really want to have a surgical career I would suggest you look into this profession. I want to thank the members of this forum (especially Jaysun) who have helped me immensely during this time. If any of you have questions about this route or the steps you need to take, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at drdriddle@aol.com
Thank you all again and good luck to all on your journeys
drdriddle, congrats on your decision and your acceptance. I recently worked with a podiatrist on consult for one of our patients and she was awesome!
Best wishes.
- drdriddle Said:
Thank you all again and good luck to all on your journeys
Congratulations but don't think you are getting off so easy by simply wishing us all well on the journey. This is the National Society of Premedical and Medical Students. As the brother of a podiatrist who has been in practice for some 25 years, I have been a long proponent of podiatry as a pathway for old premeds. In fact, at the 2007 National Conference in Chicago, 8 of the 9 podiatry schools exhibited, including the Scholl at Rosalind Franklin. Yet, podiatry seems to the Rodney Dangerfield of medical specialties here on OPM, getting no respect, no respect at all. Ironically, just a generation or so ago, Osteopaths were considered somehow second class doctors by the MDs. Now Osteopathic school is considered an excellent path by a large percentage of members.
We need your help in getting the same vibe for podiatry. It is medical school, with all the work the stress, with 3 year residencies about to become the standard, as with all other medical specialties. So I hope that your will continue to keep posting, letting us know how your journey goes, perhaps even starting one of our online diaries (hint, hint, nudge nudge). I am sure that the OPM National Conference will be back in Chicago sometime in the next couple of years. I would love have our members hear about your experience in medical school.
I’m with Rich, please don’t disappear. Podiatrists are doctors who start their specialization at the start, allowing them to be extremely knowledgeable in their field. As a neurologist, I have referred patients to podiatry and they have referred patients to me. I have a lot of respect for them.
I would of course be more than happy to continue posting as the journey continues. I agree that podiatry is not a common topic on this board and I was a little unsure how receptive people would be to the news of one of the members going there. It was a relief to have such nice posts when I logged on tonight…thank you. I truly believe that Podiatry is a fantastic route for an oldpremed. Yes you still have to take the mcat, you will sit side by side with the med students (at a majority of the pod schools) and graded with them on the same curve. You still have a brutal three year surgical residency right alongside the md/do’s, and you have to pass boards. But the money can be just as good, and depending on location/employer, better that a primary care route. Plus there will be few to no on calls (as a podiatrist you can’t take general call) Respect for the profession, much as the DO’s before, continues to grow. I also hear working hours are generally better.
There was one bit of advice that I did want to share that I found out by talking to one of the podiatry school recruiters. I think it made a big difference during the interview. For those of us with advanced healthcare degrees (DC,RN,PA…etc…)…especially a doctorate, the adcoms (for this one school anyway) are very interested in how you answer the following; are you going to try to test out of some of basic science courses? they are looking for whether or not you are still teachable. I think for some of us with advanced degrees its easy to want to use that gained knowledge to impress the committee or single interviewer during an interview. Ironically it seems this is the last thing they want. I also think this is an age issue, as in the old dog/new tricks question. They want to know that you will not be in a class (especially in clinicals) up there saying " I already know this". When my interview started, after the pleasantries, it was one of the first questions…was i going to try to get advance placement? I told them that since I had never been god’s gift to the didactic community, and since all of it was going to be on the boards, as well as needed for dealing with every patient, I thought it best that I redid all four years. I honestly felt the room soften and the mood lighten. After that they were very interested in my background, but I feel it was no longer looked at like a hindrance (whats he going to try to teach us) but rather, what can he use from his background to help himself excel at school.
So for what it is worth, regardless of your background, you may be an old premed, but the desire to learn and the ability to put your ego aside, especially the older you get, may be the determining factor during an interview.
All my best to everyone, and I will look into the diary route. For those interested, if you search the rosalind franklin website, there are a couple of excellent blogs from current students. It is a great glimpse into the schedule and life of a student at Scholl.
One final thing. Podiatry schools give out merit scholarships. Scholl gave out over 600,000 dollars in scholarships last year. I know that Temple also gives out quite a bit in scholarships. Individual scholarships at Scholl range from 3,000 to 15,000 per year. (the 15 grand will cover one half of tuition 
) These are based on background and mcat/gpa scores.
I did receive one, and it truly was a great feeling as I had never recieved one before as an undergrad.
The Vice President for Medical Education and Program Development at the Bradenton Campus Administration of LECOM is a podatrist: Chet Evans, MS, DPM, FACFAS
a few other general facts
there are nine podiatry schools in the country, using a centralized application service. Most are part of universities that have either a med school, osteopathic school, PA, NP, or similar programs. Ironically, one of the last independent schools, the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine have been long associated with the Cleveland Clinic and has been the most aggressive in pushing three year residencies for podiatrists, which are done in conjunction at the orthopedic residents at the Cleveland Clinic.
From speaking to over the podiatrists years, one thread I have noticed in the ability to have a varied practice. Yes there are the corns, bunions, etc. But there is much “general medicine” aspect, especially with diabetic patients. A physical medicine aspect, especially with athletic injuries. And a surgical aspect.
I am glad someone has put their best foot forward and has taken this route (sorry I couldn’t resist)
Perhaps a forum or discussion just for podiatry would help expand OPM from being just perceived as a MD/DO site.
And, what about Optometry, Clinical Lab Sciences, PA, etc.