06/21/2022    James DiResta, DPM, MPH

RE: “Who wants to be a podiatrist?” (Bryan Markinson, DPM)

In reading some of these comments you might wonder
why any potential applicant would want to be a
podiatrist. Really? Why do some of our most
esteemed colleagues belittle podiatry school
training and perpetuate the myth that there is no
resemblance of parity with our MD/DO colleagues?
Why? When podiatrists post medical treatments in
this blog that some perceive as beyond their scope
they immediately call foul! Why? And knowing our
residency programs today how can they comment that
somehow our residencies would never be acknowledged
by ACGME? If you don't want parity you won't ever
get it.

I love being a podiatrist and I am forever
advocating for our profession and for parity
especially with hospital privileges and third party
reimbursement. Knowing the large variation in
educational training programs between different
medical schools, between different osteopathic
schools and knowing the present educational format
for our students of podiatric medicine, I have no
issue with our graduates stating they went to
medical school. I only wish our schools would
complete the process and fill in for the remaining
deficiencies.

When the heck were all doctors ever created
equally? Perhaps we are on the lower end but we
have been ready to make that fit and we shouldn't
delay. Why? While I appreciate the comments made by
Dr. Markinson that the AMA is rapidly mobilizing
against increased scope of practice for ANPs and
PAs, I must say that train has already left the
station. There are now 25 states that provide full
autonomy for NP and that surprisingly now includes
my state of Massachusetts, one of the few states
not providing ankle privileges for podiatrists. The
bylaws committee at my community hospital that I
sit on has provided a change in Medical Staff
membership which will allow NPs and PAs to move out
of an associate position with supervision to actual
unsupervised independent practice and full medical
staff membership including Active, Courtesy, etc...
in full parity with MD/DO and DPMs.

I am the only member on the bylaws committee to
oppose this move. I was absolutely stunned. What
ever happened to the 4-4-3 model? My advice to our
leadership is to get bolder and stronger and do
whatever it takes to get the DPM on par with our MD
and DO colleagues before it's too late. It's time
for a "win or lose approach" as we must prevail or
this will be the beginning of the end. I have faith
in our leaders that they recognize this new
paradigm and will move us forward!
--
James DiResta, DPM, MPH, Newburyport, MA

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