03/11/2019    Joseph Borreggine, DPM

RE: Canadian Foot Doctor to be Featured in New A&E Series

I guess this new reality show on “A&E” which
premiered on March 5th is about a very popular
Canadian chiropodist, Jonathan Tomines, who claims
he is not a podiatrist (since he doesn’t do
surgery on bone). This new show has been all the
rave on social media.

This show may be the blessing in disguise that
this profession may need to actually provide the
best PR to anyone who didn’t know who or what a
podiatrist (chiropodist) is or does. Because they
thought they worked on children (hence
chiropodist) or for anyone thinking about a career
in a century old profession that provides the best
care possible to anyone with a foot problem.

My phone and social media has been “blowing up”
these past few days from friends texting me about
how much more respect they have for what I do. And
my phone at the office is ringing off the hook
since Tuesday’s airing of “The Toe-Bro”.

How refreshing these compliments and indirect
marketing results have been. I am finally, along
with the rest of the podiatric profession, getting
the recognition we finally deserve all because of
Mr. Tomines. Kudos to him and his innovative
ability to promote not only himself on YouTube
(380,000 followers), but to finally show people
what we do through this reality show.

There should not be an identity crisis in this
profession as to what we do. We are the best at
providing foot care; plain and simple. This show
is not about a foot doctor who longed to be an
orthopedic surgeon and then decided to take the
“back door” into becoming a “foot and ankle
surgeon” or some other named specialty, but rather
someone who is actually proud about being a
podiatrist.

I hope our professional membership organizations
and podiatry schools learn a lesson from Mr.
Tomines. Because he has demonstrated that the best
way to promote what we do and get more students to
apply to podiatry school is to just keep it
simple. By providing the “real world” of podiatry
and the art that we practice will speak volumes
instead of trying to convince everyone that we are
something completely different.

URL: https://www.aetv.com/shows/the-toe-
bro/articles/interview-with-jonathan-tomines

Joseph Borreggine, DPM, Charleston, IL

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