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05/29/2025
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (STUDENT RECRUITMENT) - PART 1B
From: Patrick, DeHeer, DPM
I hesitate to dignify your comments with a response, but I am offended. You asked a direct question, so I’ll give you a direct answer: No, I don’t feel guilt. What I do feel is a deep responsibility to the profession and to the next generation considering it. I know this field isn’t perfect—far from it. But I’ve also experienced firsthand how meaningful and rewarding a career in podiatry can be. That’s what I try to share. Not myths. Not self-congratulation. Just the truth as I’ve lived it, flaws and all.
You’re right that prospective students deserve honesty. But honesty doesn’t have to be drenched in cynicism. I believe it’s better to light a candle in the dark than to curse the darkness.
We may differ in tone and approach, but I know we both care about this profession. I’ll keep doing what I believe helps move it forward.
Patrick, DeHeer, DPM, Indianapolis, IN
Other messages in this thread:
06/03/2025
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (STUDENT RECRUITMENT) - PART 1B
From: Mark Jones, DPM
I have served as a medical director for a large physician group as well as the podiatry directory in the hospital's Orthopedic & Spine center. I assisted in group development and physician recruitment and contracting. When contracting, we reviewed MGMA data which is designed around group model compensation. Their data does not reflect accurate private practice model salaries. In other words, MGMA tabulates for compensation taking into account downstream revenues. The MGMA compensated podiatrist would be at a higher tier (300k+) vs the independent podiatrist range of 150-200K. MGMA assumes an estimated average of 100k loss per provider on the professional component service, given high cost of overhead in a system practice.
Therefore, in all truth, the group model compensates on downstream revenue (i.e., OR revenue, MRI revenue, Admission revenue, etc.). Unless a private physician has access to investment in a surgical center or the like, compensation for private practice physicians cannot keep pace. As far as recruiting, one need only look at our...
Editor's note: Dr. Jones' extended-length letter can be read here.
06/02/2025
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (STUDENT RECRUITMENT) - PART 1B
From: Burton Katzen, DPM
I applaud the new student recruitment program, and I wish everyone involved much success. However, my question is, how do you overcome certain facts when talking to prospective students, such as the fact that many government workers are making more than the average podiatrist with benefits and retirement, the fact that the average CRNA salary is $180-220 thousand dollars, and the fact that many physician assistants have starting salaries at around $150-175 thousand dollars per year, and all of the above with less years of education and debt, less responsibility, and less hours.
My love for podiatry began as a summer job in 1967 while working in Dr. Charlie Turchin’s office. What attracted me enough to forgo my last two years in college was the variety of a podiatric practice (surgery, routine care affording immediate pain relief, sports medicine, pediatrics, wound care, etc.), plus the fact that I could begin practicing a medical profession before I was in my 30s. When the 3-year surgical residency became mandatory, my first thought...
Editor's note: Dr. Katzen's extended-length letter can be read here.
05/30/2025
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (STUDENT RECRUITMENT) - PART 1B
From: Marlene Reid, DPM
I am shocked, well maybe not, to see the negative comments regarding the new APMA marketing campaign that will serve as both a student recruitment tool and public education about the profession. I know many of us are under the impression that our profession is a dying field and some even feel that APMA bears the full responsibility of turning the profession around. However, as a past chair of the APMA Public Education and Information Committee and my many years of time and commitment to both PR and student recruitment efforts as well as speaking on behalf of the profession in the media and to other professions; I can tell you that this is one of the best things APMA could have produced.
While at the House of Delegates this past March, the marketing firm gave a presentation that blew me away (and I am a critical person). The thought that went into each and every component of this campaign could not have been more complete! I felt tremendous pride in APMA and hope for our profession despite all the issues that surround us. Kudos to APMA!
Marlene Reid, DPM, Naperville, IL
05/28/2025
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (STUDENT RECRUITMENT) - PART 1B
From: Allen M. Jacobs, DPM
I completed by residency under the direction of Earl Kaplan and Irving Kanat. At the time, residencies were not yet widely available. When we graduated, both Dr. Kaplan and Kanat made it clear that we were expected to go into the podiatry community and lead as educators, advancing the profession. We were told to go forward and establish residency programs and grow this profession. Nothing less was expected. At that time, Kern Hospital had a plethora of dedicated educators giving their personal time to lecture and consult and instruct in the OR. We had a faculty providing a willing example of what was needed to grow the profession. E. Dalton McGlamry was doing the same in Georgia. James Ganley in Philadelphia. Many others throughout the 1970s whose names I know or do not know were growing this profession. The residency experience grew from one to two to three years. The profession grew.
Do we require a 3-year residency +/- a fellowship? Some argue no. I disagree. Those of us who actually instruct residents know that...
Editor's note: Dr. Jacobs' extended-length letter can be read here.
05/26/2025
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (STUDENT RECRUITMENT) - PART 1B
From: Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD
So here we go again. The same old song of bait and switch. Gen Z students are going to look at the bottom line, income, when it comes to deciding on a career and hopefully they will research more than the resource offered in The New Student Recruitment Campaign website. I don’t really trust… what employment authority is it you used? Aha, Zip Recruiter. Average salary according to the new recruitment campaign is approximately '$273,000. Of course, JPA a medical marketing firm which represents Kroger Health, my "go-to" cardiac resource, and is the Foundation for Podiatric Education partner in this "going down for the third time" adventure.
Podiatry Management quotes a median net income of $131,000 for solo and $167,250 for those in partnerships/group practice. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the mean annual income of podiatrists as $162,520. Expenses over 50% of gross? Who would have thought? Hopefully, not the 20 or 21 year old who has yet to see the monthly payment on a $300,000 loan used to pay tuition, stay out of the cold and rain, eat, and take public transportation to school. I trust the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Podiatry Management more than Zip Recruiter. Pinocchio’s nose grew when he lied and Geppetto, the podiatrist/cobbler in this story.
I assume in the spirit of opaque podiatric transparency AACPM will release tomorrow the number of applicants to podiatry schools as of today and again when The New Student Recruitment Campaign ends. I hear the whispering, “Back door between 11:55 PM and midnight, the window is tight.” Moral relativism at its finest.
Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD, Columbus, OH
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