03/15/2024    Philip Radovic, DPM

APMA Proposition 2-24 (Meghan M. Arnold, DPM)

While the call for unity within our profession is
understandable. When it comes to a single board
certification, it's important to consider the
perspectives and needs of all stakeholders
involved. When it comes to consolidating foot
surgery and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery,
here are some points to consider:

1. Protecting the Public: Board certification
serves as an important measure to ensure that we
have met specific standards of competence and
expertise in our specialty. It provides reassurance
to patients that their podiatrist has undergone
rigorous training and assessment, thus safeguarding
their health and well-being.

2. Credentialing for Medical/Surgery Centers and
Hospitals: Most hospitals and medical centers rely
on board certification to evaluate the
qualifications of all healthcare providers. By
delineating specialized areas such as foot and
ankle surgery, it enables these institutions to
help ensure quality care.

3. Evaluating Competencies and Skills: Disparities
in training among podiatric residents and fellows
are a legitimate concern and can impact patient
outcomes. Despite all programs now being
standardized, there is a broad variation of
competencies coming out of them. Board
certification helps to standardize the assessment
of competencies and skills, providing a benchmark
for proficiency across different areas of practice.
We should take pride in that we separate
competencies in Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle
surgeries from Foot Surgery certification. It’s
what separates us from general bone doctors. We
don’t need to emulate orthopedic standards. We can
do better.

4. Addressing Disparity in Training: Recognizing
the variations in training experiences among
podiatric residents/fellows, and the focused sub-
specializations of many seasoned podiatrists, there
could be merit in exploring the implementation of
additional certificates of competence from A Single
Board. These certificates could reflect specialized
training/competence in areas such as podiatric
sports medicine, podiatric surgery, and
biomechanics, allowing practitioners to demonstrate
proficiency in their skill set while the gateway
certification can be reasonably obtained.

5. Promoting Cohesion and Collaboration: While
advocating for reform within the profession, it's
crucial to foster collaboration and unity among our
colleagues. By engaging in constructive dialogue
and working towards common goals, we can
collectively advance the profession as a whole.
“Limiting someone's possible privileges based on
the fact they haven't yet reached a board
certification” (assuming they are qualified), is
not a board issue as much as it is the facility
that allows this restraint.

I think it's important to balance the need for
standards of competence with the imperative of
promoting inclusivity within the profession
(however, unlike children’s sports, not everyone
deserves a trophy). Exploring avenues for enhancing
training, addressing disparities, and adapting a
single pathway certification process to reflect
specialized competencies can contribute to the
overall advancement of podiatric care and better
serve the needs of both podiatrists and patients.

Philip Radovic, DPM, San Clemente, CA

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