10/03/2015    Sheldon Nadal, DPM

The ABFAS Shark Tank

I am very sorry to hear about the travails that
young practitioners experience in order to get
board certified to perform foot surgery in
hospitals. I am Canadian and have been practicing
in Toronto, Ontario, Canada since completing my
residency in foot surgery in Philadelphia in
1980.

When I came back home it was made very clear to
me by the orthopedic powers that be that
hospitals were for orthopedic surgeons to do foot
surgery, not podiatrists. Consequently, I, like
other Ontario podiatrists before me who were
trained in foot surgery, set up my office so that
I could perform surgery on an outpatient basis in
my own clinic.

At about the same time, I was extremely
fortunate to discover the Academy of Ambulatory
Foot and Ankle Surgery whose members mentored me
in the techniques of minimally invasive foot
surgery, which were perfectly suited for an
office-based surgical practice.

Consequently, I was able to build a thriving foot
surgery practice, where patients pay cash for my
services and I am able to schedule the procedures
at my convenience without having to travel back
and forth from the office to a hospital.

It took some time to get the word out, but once
patients realized that they could have foot
surgery performed in an office with local
anesthetic, immediate ambulation, small scars and
very little pain, my practice took off and I have
been able to make a very comfortable living while
helping a large number of patients.

Sheldon Nadal, DPM, Toronto, Canada

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