From: David Secord, DPM
In an arena of increasing knowledge base and technocracy, the expansion of the knowledge base expected by tomorrow’s patient also increases as does that patient’s expectation that you are not simply seeing a wallet to pick clean upon their visit. As allopathic physicians and surgeons, I believe that our destiny is to either follow the osteopathic school of medicine (adopt the allopathic standards of education and testing for licensure) or fade into oblivion.
I’m unclear as to how you trim a year off medical school and keep the same level of education in the world of expanding knowledge and expectations. As such, I believe that our future is a four-year degree, followed by a year of internal medicine internship and five years of surgical exposure to hone skills and knowledge and a...
Editor's note: Dr. Secord's extended-length letter can be read here.
From: Elliot Udell, DPM
Thank you Dr. Jacobs for bringing us highlights from an article in KevinMD. One of the important questions that you raised is why won't our national associations or local societies advertise to the public and promote podiatry. When I served on the board of trustees of our county society, that question was strongly asked by all of the board members. The answer we got is that while it seems like a good idea, effective advertising on radio and television is more costly than meets the eye. It would cost millions of dollars to do justice to it.
The next problem is where would this money be spent? Should it be in big cities and hence alienate dues-paying members in suburban and country locations? One possible solution advanced to us was to consider forming a group with local podiatrists, collect funds from each, and then promote advertising at the local geographic area. It was a good idea but in my locality, the idea never got off of the ground. Has this been successful in any other part of the country?
Elliot Udell, DPM, Hicksville, NY
From: Chris Robertozzi, DPM
At the 2022 APMA House of Delegates, the New Jersey Podiatric Medical Society submitted a Policy Proposition to form a healthcare alliance with all national organizations that deal with healthcare. It passed without a single dissenting vote. The alliance is not just for physicians, but hospitals, hospice, nursing homes, assisted living, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc. There has never been an alliance of all of healthcare. Our working alone all these years has allowed us to be taken advantage of. There is strength in numbers. It has always been that different national organizations lobby for their particular issue in DC, but healthcare has never spoken as one voice. We have more in common than we do differences.
When Obamacare was in its developmental stages, the American Public Health Association volunteered to...
Editor's note: Dr. Robertozzi's extended-length letter can be read here.
RE: Use Reality TV for Student Recruitment
From: Tyler B. Brahm, DPM
The APMA should have a message on the TLC cable TV show My Feet are Killing Me, stating that if you or anyone you know should consider podiatric medicine as a profession, contact the APMA. And APMA should send excerpts of the show to colleges' pre-med advisors for them to show their pre-med students. The above would be a game-changer.
Tyler B. Brahm, DPM, Clearwater, FL
