08/01/2013    Unmatched Podiatric Graduate

Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 86

I completely agree with the comments my colleague
who is in the same dilemma as me made about
enforcing the 3-year residency program. I joined
podiatry school to become a podiatrist, not an
MD. I did not intend to do much surgery, although
I believe I can be very good at it after having
spent much time in the OR for the last 2 years.

Why were these changes made in the field of
podiatry in order to be in par with orthopedic
surgeons? There are multiple fields in allopathic
medicine that do no require surgical options, so
why can't graduates have a choice to do what they
like. If I had known this BS would occur, and
that I would be saddled with thousands of dollars
in debt, I would have gladly accepted admission
to MD school, but I chose podiatry because I
wanted to specialize and did not want an intense
workload like some other doctors.

Who gives right to these administrators to just
play with students lives and futures. I am a very
able candidate and I deserve a residency spot,
and so do many my colleagues. I have been working
under a DPM for 8 months now. All I have done has
impressed my attendee, and even the orthopedic
surgeons, but because of this man-made residency
crisis, I fell through the cracks and am left
pondering my future. I have not got a good
night's sleep in months.

The leaders at APMA and CPME have no idea the
pain and hard-ship this MAN-MADE residency crisis
has caused me, my unmatched colleagues, and their
families. All I have to say is that I hope these
leaders can get a good night's sleep every night,
thinking that their actions have caused such
suffering for so many good people that deserve
better.

I am going to continue to find a work and accrue
clinical experience and hang tough in this time
of hardship. Even if I do get a residency, I will
never forget what these leaders did to us. Shame
on them and shame on anyone who supports them.
This is a crime, an absolute crime.

Unmatched Podiatric Graduate

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08/01/2013    Unmatched Podiatric Graduate

Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 86

I am also one of the unmatched graduates from the
class of 2013 who has been waiting since March to
see what happens with this long brewing and self
created debacle. Nearly everyday, I have been
reading the posts that have poured into PM News
to gather any bit of information that could have
helped me. Needless to say, there was a lot
of "finger pointing", "now is not the time to
blame anyone" and "we must work together."

I applaud programs who have taken an extra
resident, two, or three in the meantime. However,
this is only the tip of the iceberg. The vast
majority of those without a program are still
unmatched and waiting for answers. Here is my
take on some of the issues that have been
discussed:

CPME: Caps are not being enforced: I have seen
this firsthand in both my institution and other
colleges. The fact of the matter is that we
started with a record class size in my year, and
then lost more than 25% of those matriculants.
What does that say about my college and some
others? To me it suggests that they are so
obsessed with chasing the dollar bill, that they
would admit someone while fully well knowing that
he or she may not be able to finish the
curriculum. And let's not forget that the record
class sizes were taken when knowledge of a
possible shortage was in plain view of college
officials.

APMLE: Dr. Edwin Wolf wrote sometime ago that
part of the reason this crisis exists is "An
unusually high Boards Part II pass rate." So am I
correct in assuming that our boards were designed
for us to fail? Was there an expectation that
enough of us would fail so as to stabilize class
sizes? I agree with my co-student who wrote that
the test does not test minimal competency, and is
a poorly written hodgepodge of minutia that
serves little to no purpose in clinical
practice. How can we even compare this test as
being alike to the USMLE/COMLEX?

APMA: Dr. Gastwirth's salary is publicly known,
and I have seen him at multiple meetings. But has
he ever once taken the stage to take
responsibility and voice concern of the residency
shortage? How can we be taken seriously as a
profession when our own leaders are so myopic?
Might I add in here that podiatry is not
recognized by ACGME as a medical specialty, and
one can only wonder why...

CPME: While I understand that their role is to
monitor and enforce standards related to
residency training, the survey that they released
was a half-hearted attempt at validating their
own existence and meekly asking if they alphabet
soup of residencies should be brought back. And
as far as the release of information goes, should
the public not be allowed to know some of the
pertinent information regarding residency
development? Why is this information guarded like
gold at Fort Knox?

It is the public who will eventually apply,
matriculate, and graduate the colleges. And why
has there not been a public disclosure to
applicants that there is an ongoing shortage of
residencies is beyond me...buyer beware.

I urge all of those involved in the profession to
ask yourselves if we really have made progress by
mandating the current guidelines that have been
set. Or in the name of progress, have we labeled
some as sacrificial lambs who have been doomed to
slaughter? And my last point: If the colleges are
truly not-for-profit institutions, then give the
unmatched graduates their money back, as we paid
for a service, and it was not delivered.

Unmatched Podiatric Graduate (KSCPM1)