08/09/2021    Alan Sherman, DPM

We Have Met the Enemy and It Is Us (Jon Hultman, DPM)

I agree with Jon Hultman on this issue and believe
we as a profession should pursue nationally what
the California Podiatric Medical Association
successfully started in California. Allen Jacobs
raises some valid practical issues that must be
addressed but are not reasons to abandon the
pursuit.

There are times in the evolution of a profession
where bold action is needed, and I believe this is
one of those times. In general medicine, this
occurred in 1910 with the release of the Flexner
Report, calling for the standardization of hospital
based medical education. For podiatry, it was the
Selden Commission Report in 1961. We find ourselves
at a crossroads in 2021.

Reading the comments from our esteemed colleagues
on the issue of the equivalence of our education to
that of MD/DOs, we seem to fall into 3 camps: 1)
The righteously indignant, who feel we deserve to
be recognized already as equivalent, 2) the proud
and entrenched, who feel we should protect the
unique and separate identity of podiatry as a
profession and 3) the progressive realists, who
recognize that equivalence recognition by the
medical hierarchy is only possible by cooperation
with and following the standards set by the MD/DO
hierarchy. I fall into that third camp. They are
not coming to us for recognition. We are coming to
them. If we want our education to be considered
standard, I believe we must follow their rules to
make it standard, and that mean making some
modification to the curriculum of our schools,
culminating with taking the USMLE and its
predecessor exam.

The Joint Task Forces have admirably and capably
gotten this ball rolling, but there have been calls
for greater transparency and inclusion in the
effort. I think what we really need is the 21st
century version of the Selden Commission to oversee
the effort on behalf of the entire profession. It
won’t be easy, as we are not a homogenous group. My
personal feeling is that our diversity contributes
to our richness as a profession and what we have to
offer to serve the foot and ankle health care needs
of the public. But whomever wishes to be heard
should be heard and we need to choose leadership
for this new commission carefully and have
representation from all camps. Personally, I would
like to see the esteemed Leonard Levy join with the
current Task Force, as I don’t think there is a
podiatrist alive who has the experience and the
vision that he has, or is better suited for this
challenge ahead.

Podiatric medical education and practice. 1960s to
the 21st century by Leonard Levy, DPM, MPH
Levy LA: Podiatric medical education and practice.
1960s to the 21st century. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc
1996, 86(8):370-375.

History of podiatric medical education. An update
by C W Gibley Jr. Gibley CW: A history of podiatric
medical education: an update. J Am Podiatr Med
Assoc 1987, 77(8):404-418.

Alan Sherman, DPM, Boca Raton, FL

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