07/23/2024    Richard Silverstein, DPM

Testing Applicants for Podiatry School

As a father of a child who is applying to dental
school the application process has been eye opening
to me. On the DAT (Dental college admission test)
there are sections that test the ability of the
applicant to convey spatial relationships with
objects and to be able to think in three dimensions
as you rotate different objects according to the
questions at hand. They also want to know what
kinds of activities the applicant participates in
to develop fine motor skills and dexterity. Some
examples include sewing, wood working, molding
clay, or playing piano/violin. This information is
added onto the application directly. Do we ask
similar questions on the podiatric applications?

They obviously are assessing the potential skill
level of working in a tight spot without being able
to always visualize the teeth and gums. If an
applicant can’t think like this then they likely
will have difficulty in mastering the skills
necessary to become a competent dentist.

When I went to podiatry school over 25 years ago,
there were residencies not all surgically-based so
we understood we needed to shine academically in
order to obtain a surgical residency and ultimately
qualify for board certification.

What are we doing today as a profession to ensure
all those that are applying to podiatry schools
have the necessary skill set to become a competent
surgeon? It requires clinical expertise for sure
but also eye-hand coordination and dexterity. Every
podiatry student being accepted into schools is
destined to be in the operating room for a 3 year
surgical residency.

I have not heard discussions about how we can go
about testing the applicants to podiatry school for
these necessary skills, we are too busy trying to
find parody with the MDs. Applicants to medical
school take the MCAT and that step is not a
determinant of who will go on to surgically-based
residencies. We have a responsibility to address
this…"

Richard Silverstein, DPM, Havre de Grace, MD

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