03/02/2026    Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD

ACGME Podiatric Residency Accreditation and Parity (Barry H. Block, DPM, JD)

As Dr. Barry Block stated in his editorial in this
February's Podiatry Management, the House of
Delegates will soon be voicing its opinion on
allowing ACGME to visit podiatric residencies. The
purpose of the visits is to let the podiatry
profession show ACGME our residencies measure up
to MD/DO residencies. The visits are not to have
ACGME accredit any podiatry residency program, but
merely to tell us if we are training our residents
to the same level as MDs and DOs. The visits can’t
focus on scope or content, but rather the process
and maybe sequence. Remember, podiatry adopted an
across the board three=year residency requirement
for all DPM graduates so we can become more like
the MDs and DOs.

Dr. Block reminds us that in the very first issue
of Podiatry Management, some 44 years ago, the
idea of a degree change was brought up to allow us
a plenary license. We are on the horizon of
starting the process that will make us equal to
the MDs and DOs. Presently, the AMA does not
consider us physicians. They lump us into the same
category as NPs, and PAs, calling us
“professionals” but not physicians because we do
not have the same education, pass the same
licensing exams, or have the same quality post
graduate training.

Enrollment in the podiatry colleges is dwindling,
ostensibly because the number of osteopathic
schools is increasing. We can preserve the
podiatric profession by becoming DOs who complete
a podiatric residency approved by ACGME and
receive a plenary license after a one year general
internship followed by three years of a podiatric
residency. The residency would be staffed by
current DPMs. DPM degreed individuals must play an
intrinsic role in the residency training until
there are enough DO podiatrists to fill the roles,
most likely some years from now. In the meantime,
there will still be DPM colleges and DPM three-
year residencies.

The real tragedy would be for a few politically
influential podiatrists to obstruct the evolution
of podiatry to a plenary license for no good
reason. No podiatrist has put forth a valid reason
why ACGME should not visit a few podiatry
residencies and voice their opinions, not to
approve or pull the accreditation of any residency
program.

As a professional, we should not be defined by
what we do, but by how and why we do it. We have
skills that no one else in the medical field has,
and that gives us power. The altruistic and
excellent service we provide gives us meaning. We
emphasize our duty to provide that service
stressing our newfound responsibility to prevent
amputations. We try to be authentic, we try not to
act in bad faith and strive to remain uncorrupted.

All these goals and missions are best achieved as
physicians with plenary licenses, a seat at the
grown-ups table, a full vote on all matters large
and small, the ability to shape policy, and the
respect of other health care providers.

It was not long ago that osteopaths were
considered second-class citizens. It was only by
proving their education was equal by sitting for
USMLE and completing training approved by ACGME
that DOs became equal in the eyes of the
allopathic profession which can no longer say the
DO degree is inferior. It’s time we begin the path
trudged by the DOs. It starts with the House of
Delegates voting to allow ACGME access to see what
we have accomplished with our residencies. For the
HOD to choose otherwise would stymie the next
generations of podiatrists. More importantly,
rejecting ACGME’s invitation would send the
message that we have something to hide.

Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD, Columbus, OH

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