02/15/2021    Matthew J. Connolly, DPM

It’s Time for Parity with MDs and Dos (Bryan Markinson, DPM)

As an older practitioner, I can tell you that the
profession has indeed made strides toward
equality. However, I haven't seen my situation
addressed, and in that spirit I'll put in my two
cents. I'm an employed podiatrist in a large
orthopaedic group. The group has allowed me to
practice my specialty -- they have been very
specific in empowering me to practice as I wish
(even when orthopaedic and podiatric training
differs) if I can back up my actions with good
researched data. It's a good group. The problem
comes with our after-hours clinic, our walk-in
availability, our presence on sports event
sidelines, and more. In each case, my limited
license does not allow me to be a representative
of our practice. Our nurse practitioners and
physicians assistants can perform each of those
duties.

I respect the training and abilities of our NPs
and our PAs. My training is certainly good enough
to match and outpace theirs. If our orthopaedists
are presented with an eye injury at a high school
football game, I would think their response and
mine would be quite similar, not to treat the
problem as much as stabilize the situation and
send the patient away quickly and to the right
facility. With my limited license, I can't perform
what MD's and PAs and NPs are ready to do. When
the after-hours clinic needs staffing, The MDs and
DOs and NPs and PAs can all step in. I cannot. I
can refer back patients to our back specialists
when their foot pain is radiculopathic, but I
can't provide that basic support legally for any
other patient.

Bluntly, this is a poor economic position for me
as a podiatrist. Versatility is offered by the
cheaper and more abundant PAs and NPs. Are our
specialized skills as podiatrists so good that we
will command a doctor's salary with a limited
skill set? I worry that the answer is no, that
this good profession will fall to economic
pressures outside our control. The plenary license
does not lead to podiatrists wanting to see
cardiology patients. It leads to appropriate care
of the body, in league with other specialists,
specialized to the lower extremity, and
commensurate with our training.

Matthew J. Connolly, DPM, Edgewood, KY

There are no more messages in this thread.