Tonight I would like to share some thoughts on our chosen
profession. Much of the following stems from a recent visit to
Barry University
in which I was asked to be a guest lecturer to the incoming 1st Year
Podiatric Medicine Class of 2009. Before my formal lecture, I took
15 minutes to answer questions they had about the profession,
practice, residency, future outlook, etc. They had many of the same
questions that we probably did in that time frame, but I was very
pleased that I could provide them with very upbeat answers to most
if not all the questions…
I graduated with my DPM degree in 1995 and following residency and a
fellowship, I have been practicing in academic medicine for 6 years.
I believe with great confidence that there has never been a better
time to be graduating into this profession than NOW. Thanks to the
work of many before us and many current leaders, the profession is
in a position now to cultivate the rewards of truly being key
members of the health care team. From diabetes to trauma, and from
pediatrics to geriatrics, DPM’s are an integral part of healthcare
delivery, education, and research. Graduates today can direct their
careers to full time research labs, or they care choose to work in a
practice setting ranging from private practice to partnership in
large multi-specialty groups. Graduates can seek out hospital based
practices or venture into academic medicine at numerous
institutions.
No, everyone will not get their top choice for residency, and no,
everyone will not make millions. However, if you are willing to work
hard and you are an ethical practitioner, you stand to do very well
in today’s podiatric profession.
Over the next several weeks I will be running guest columns by DPM’s
in a variety of job types. I think you will enjoy hearing what their
daily work is like and perhaps it will give you some thought into
areas of podiatry you had not previously considered…
