06/10/2022    Tilden H Sokoloff, MD, DPM

"Wko Wants to be a Podiatrist?" (Eddie Davis, DPM)

Dr. Block asks, “Who wants to be a podiatrist?” Dr.
Fellner discusses how non-professionals appear to
charge more for routine foot care than podiatrists.
Dr. Davis shows how logic plays into this ongoing
scenario for DPM’s, if we just take action toward
parity at all levels including plenary licensure.
Past APMA President Jeff DeSantis DPM, communicated
well the need to have our profession at the level
of core competencies that could entitle equivalent
licensure opportunities to entering classes to
podiatric medical schools.

The osteopathic profession can’t open schools fast
enough with entering classes of around 150 students
in each. There are currently 38 accredited colleges
of osteopathic medicine in the United States. These
colleges are accredited to deliver instruction at
60 TEACHING LOCATIONS in 34 states (as of May 9,
2022) and growing rapidly.

Why would someone in today’s world; where even
nurse practitioners-have a non-restricted license
to practice general medicine in 28 States, even
think of podiatric medicine? It will take so much
more than a PowerPoint presentation to high school
counselors and students.

This has been debated in this online vehicle and in
a hard copy edition of PM News, edited by me years
ago. It time to stop the chatter and take action or
just accept the sky is falling mentality.


We think we are bigger in our minds than we are.
The same old voices that tell you no it shouldn’t
be a goal of our profession are the ones who this
change will never effect or even give them the
opportunity that we are talking about. This is all
about the future generations of matriculating
students and our profession.

The schools are immersed in fiefdoms that can’t see
the future. If our graduates could enter the
residency match program that MD, DO students do,
the same opportunities then become equivalent.
Think about becoming vertically integrated into a
system that is screaming for a larger physician
population over the next 10-20 years. New vehicles
of PGY training will be occurring, the AMA and AOA
recognize the model has to change.

It is now or never to reap the rewards of
opportunity or read the tea leaves and perish. The
void in foot and ankle care will be filled by a new
scholarly specialty that will gain traction within
the MD, DO specialty Boards, voids are always
filled.

Tilden H Sokoloff, MD, DPM, Ketchum, ID

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