08/30/2013    Brian Kiel, DPM

RE: I Want to Work as a Podiatrist

In response to all those who have excoriated me
for my take on the residency shortage I say you
misunderstood my ultimate point. I, in fact,
agree with all those who disagree with me. I was
making the point that there are some individuals,
and I cast no aspersions upon any individual,
named or unnamed, who just are not a good fit for
a surgical residency or even to practice
podiatric medicine. The reasons for this are
numerous and I have already stated some of them.
Therefore, I place the ultimate blame on the
situation on the powers to be of our profession
for forcing through a condition for licensure
that precludes a large percentage of our
graduates and for not doing their due diligence
in screening applicants so that fewer of these
individuals are admitted. Limited licenses
should be available by one year programs or
certified preceptorships. Limited licenses should
not be a problem. In Tennessee only those with
accredited training can perform ankle surgery,
and this is appropriate and can be instituted in
regards to other levels of surgery and practice.



I have been cast by others as unfeeling, uncaring
and several other descriptions but none are true.
I have been in contact with several unaccepted
applicants trying to help them get programs,
unfortunately unsuccessfully. In 1972, when I
graduated, there were very few residencies and I
was fortunate to be selected by Bernie Hersh for
his preceptorship program in Dallas. From there I
was able to participate in the residency program
at Oak Cliff Community Hospital. I will forever
be grateful to him for that. I have full empathy
for all of our students, for they are the future
of our profession. Licensure rules that stiffle
the new blood to podiatry hurts us all, now and
in the future. We need to reinstitute licensure
regulations that allow more flexibility for us to
increase the number of podiatrists not reduce
them. In our state meeting in September I plan to
bring this problem to our membership in order to
try to ameliorate an unacceptable situation.

Brian Kiel, DPM, Memphis, TN, Footdok4@gmail.com

There are no more messages in this thread.