Was Podiatry your first choice?

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feetgoforward

feetgoforward

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For all DPM's and DPM-to-be's, I am wondering if podiatry is/was your "first calling". Is this your first career choice or is this a career change for you? Share your thoughts either way.
 
feetgoforward said:
For all DPM's and DPM-to-be's, I am wondering if podiatry is/was your "first calling". Is this your first career choice or is this a career change for you? Share your thoughts either way.
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I've always wanted to do medicine. Growing up I wanted to be a vet, but then realized I wasnt too fond of the claws and teeth :scared: . Then I wanted to do maybe ER or Infectious Disease or Family Doc. I never really felt a 'calling' to any of those though. I was going to the career center at my school for medical career options, and there was something on podiatry. So I looked more into it, and felt drawn to it. Seems silly, but for the first time I never had doubts or anything about what I wanted to do.
 
Similar story.

I was accepted to MD program, and wanted to take time off between undergrad and med school. When I reapplied the next year, I was not accepted. I was going to apply again the following year, talk to a friend who's mom works for a pod. Look into the job, job shadowed and then decide to change to the DPM route.

So yes and no, it wasn't my first choice b/c I didn't know it existed. But I did chose it over applying to DO schools or reapplying to MD programs.
 
I shadowed half a dozen different docs or so and podiatry was the one that I liked the most. So yes, I only applied to podiatry programs.
 
Podiatry was my first choice for sure. I did not apply to anything else. I was introduced to the field by some friends and knew that it was what I wanted to do.
 
I was competitive for MD programs and intended on pursuing that route because I knew I wanted to be a surgical subspecialist. However, while completing my Bachelors of Biomedical Sciences and concurrent Masters of Health Professions Education degrees at Midwestern University, I started noticing the podiatric medicine program at MWU (AZPOD).

I checked out the internet, saw a bunch of negative things online (written by people who have issues, no doubt) and was dissuaded from learning more about it until some classmates started asking me questions about AZPOD. I didn't know the answers, so I began researching it for real this time. In the process, I actually went out there, interviewed docs, shadowed during surgical cases, and went to some classes, too. I was enthralled. It was a done deal when I found out how excellent today's graduates have it and because the residency is 3 years instead of 5+ (as for most surgical residencies in other fields), I would be saving at least 2 years of my life. Now THAT is 👍 in my book...🙂

AZPOD Rocks

P.S. - I am loving it!
 
My story is like the others. I wanted to do medicine and shadowed several different specialist(I knew I wanted to specialize) and even drove from Idaho to Virginia(VCU) to visit the dental school and attend class. After the summer in Virginia I knew dentistry was out and a friend of mine was just accepted to Ohio's pod school and told me to look into it-no you know the rest of the story. and as stated befor it is a great field with surgery with a 2 and 3 yr residency.
 
My story's a little different from all of yours. Coming out of high school I wanted to be a pharmacist, so I applied to pharm schools and did the 6-year direct-in Pharm.D. program at Drake U. But, my last year(6th) I was on rotations working in hospitals/clinics with pharmacists and doctors. I really was attracted to the practice of medicine. So, after I graduated in '03 I worked as a pharmacist for 1 year as I applied to MD/DO schools. I got accepted to a few, then Scholl sent me an info packet in March '04. I honestly had no idea of the podiatry profession before that info packet. But, as I viewed and researched what podiatry was and its capabilities I immediately became attracted to it. So, after being accepted to Scholl, I dropped the MD/DO programs and started at Scholl Fall '04. Now I'm a 3rd year and very happy with what my future will bring!
 
I worked for about 5 years in an ER (all through undergrad). Loved medicine from a little kid, knew I wanted to be a doctor. As I time went on I slowly began losing interest to be an MD or DO and pursued other medical careers. One of my best friends was going through pharmacy school and I knew I didn't want to do that, looked in Optometry, but didn't like the narrow (even more so than podiatry) scope of practice, wanted to do hospital care/surgery and have a practice, got a letter after taking the MCAT from the APMA, looked into podiatry, called a podiatrist, shadowed, loved it and got in. I got a lot of flack from the ER docs I worked with, but I had about 90% of them pull me aside before I left and say they wish they could have the life I was going to have and that I made a very very smart decision-I'm not a person that needs a lot of validation, but I must say I knew I made the right decision when one of my most highly valued mentors told me that.
 
It has been insightful to read all of your stories. The reason that I made the original inquiry is because I have changed my mind, oh, so many times about which career track I want to follow. For some, they knew when they were kids and stuck with it throughout school and into adulthood. Feet have always fascinated me so I am not sure why I did not go the DPM route a long time ago. Have any of you actually CHANGED careers late(r) in life?
 
feetgoforward said:
It has been insightful to read all of your stories. The reason that I made the original inquiry is because I have changed my mind, oh, so many times about which career track I want to follow. For some, they knew when they were kids and stuck with it throughout school and into adulthood. Feet have always fascinated me so I am not sure why I did not go the DPM route a long time ago. Have any of you actually CHANGED careers late(r) in life?
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I got a Masters of Nursing Acute Care NP from Vanderbilt in 02 and worked in neurosurgery for a year at VUMC. However, while doing my surgery rotation in NP school I was with an ortho and pod. Loved podiatry! The next step was to take the pre-reqs which are not required for nursing. Completed them and also got a Masters of Biomedical Science. Now 2nd yr and really enjoy podiatry.
 
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