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04/09/2019 Paul Kesselman, DPM
Using DPM Degree Outside of Podiatry (Tilden Solokoff, DPM, MD)
Over the last 35 years, I have seen many DPMs who left the profession and did quite well with the DPM degree as part of their resume. Several have gone into teaching at the HS or university level and have excelled receiving numerous awards, grants for research, etc.
Others may have started in the "cellar" of pharmaceutical sales and go onto become national directors, national physician education liaisons, far surpassing the average incomes of most MD/DO/DPMs. These gifted individuals no doubt would have excelled at anything they chose to do, but the fact was their DPM degree and educational background did get them in that first door which started them on their paths to success. I have used the DPM degree and knowledge of public policy to work with physicians and manufacturers on a whole host of regulatory and compliance issues.
As for the issue of cutting back on certain core academic work so as to allow adequate time to rotate through other core areas required in MD/DO training, that I see is very problematic. Knowledge in biomechanics is what sets us apart from the MD/DO and this is one area which not only should not be cut back, but needs to be expanded upon both at the undergraduate podiatric educational level but also in the residency programs.
50 exams in 3 years is simply insufficient to improve on the basic skills which should have been mastered in podiatric schools. Reducing the emphasis on bio-mechanics in podiatry school will only result in poorer surgical outcomes. As one of my mentors back in my days at ICPM said: It's only after you have mastered bio-mechanics will you be able to master foot/ankle surgery, as surgery is often about understanding the patient's mechanics and not simply about how to insert a screw, plate or pin.
Fast forward to current day, robots may be soon be placing screws, plates, pins, etc, but who will program the robots to perform such functions and who will choose which surgery to perform? The person making those decisions needs to have a firm background in bio-mechanics and reducing exposure to this essential science in podiatric education will have a profound negative impact on our profession!
The issue of resolving the above with increasing the numbers of podiatric students passing the USMLE boards is no doubt interesting and challenging. The question is how can one achieve this objective, without sacrificing training in other essential areas? How can podiatry train the next generation of bio-mechanical masters of the lower extremity while still providing them with the tools to pass the USMLE, is no doubt challenging. This will require a broad based effort from schools and residency programs alike.
Paul Kesselman, DPM, Woodside, NY
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