05/14/2018    

RESPONSES/COMMENTS (PM NEWS QUICK POLLS))

RE: What attire do you typically wear at the office?

From: Alison Silhanek, DPM

 

Professional versus “casual” dress. I just don’t understand this argument. I have been in practice 20 years, so perhaps I can now be considered old and out of touch. I have seen the general trend in U.S. dress towards very casual. Adults wearing pajamas when buying groceries. But I was surprised at the percentage of PM News respondents who listed that they dress casually for work. The highest percentage was those respondents who wear scrubs to work.

 

As a surgeon, I suppose I understand that, though I wear professional clothes in the office. As a woman, I feel that no woman, regardless of body type, looks good in scrubs, but maybe that’s just me. Regardless, I see my primary care physician and cardiologist and they wear professional attire. Why should we as podiatrists dress less professionally?. And for those who voted that they dress “casual”? What the heck is that? Are you now working as a teller at Walmart? For all your schooling and residency, you dress casually? Shame on you. Have some dignity and pride in being a doctor. Period.

 

Alison Silhanek, DPM, Smithtown, NY

Other messages in this thread:

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10/23/2018    

RESPONSES/COMMENTS (PM NEWS QUICK POLLS))

RE: Should podiatrists be allowed to trim fingernails? 

From: Christopher A. Orlando, DPM

 

I'm reading the various opinions about fingernail trimming. Unfortunately, this is a sad testimony  to our image with the general public. We hold ourselves up to be podiatric physicians and surgeons with extensive training who provide state-of-the-art medical and surgical care that is superior to that of orthopedists. There has been talk about a DPM-MD degree. Yet the public continues to perceive us as nail trimmers. 

 

Many times, patients come in for medical and orthopedic issues, and in the course of the encounter, they say "by the way, can you trim my toenails?" It’s hard to say no. It has nothing to do with the purpose of the visit. Getting paid extra for it is irrelevant. I find it demeaning. Trimming fingernails sinks us even lower. How can we achieve parity with orthopedists when our global image is so poor? I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions? As Dr. Leonard McCoy of Star Trek would say, "I'm a doctor not a… (manicurist)!"

 

Christopher A. Orlando, DPM, Hartsdale, NY

 

Editor's note: This topic is now temporarily closed.

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06/30/2017    

RESPONSES/COMMENTS (PM NEWS QUICK POLLS))

RE: Do you use a scribe in your practice?

From: Richard M. Adams, DPM 

 

For the past three years, I have been using a company based in Little Rock, AR called MedOptim. They are a remote, electronic-based scribe service so there is no need to have another person crowding the exam room. They enter all pertinent information directly into my EHR and are literate in many, many different EHR formats. My only responsibility is to review and proofread/sign my notes. The service is fantastic!  Not only have they made my life easier, but they remind me when I forget to "dictate" certain aspects of the patient encounter, thereby adding another layer of accuracy to my notes. They are highly recommended.

 

Disclosure: I have no financial interest in MedOptim or any surgical scribe service.

 

Richard M. Adams, DPM, Granbury, TX

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11/10/2016    

RESPONSES/COMMENTS (PM NEWS QUICK POLLS))

RE:  Have you ever performed a type of procedure just to fulfill a certification requirement when you thought a different procedure might be better for the patient?

From: Neil Scheffler, DPM

 

I am astonished at the results of the current Quick Poll. When I read the question "Have you ever performed a type of procedure just to fulfill a certification requirement when you thought a different procedure might be better for the patient?", I assumed there would be virtually no 'Yes' answers. Greater than 25% answering yes is shameful.

 

Neil Scheffler, DPM (Ret), Estero, FL