04/06/2026    Samuel Makanjuola, DPM

Burnout and Staffing Strain Hit Podiatry: NCHWA Projection

I find some things interesting after seeing the
projected shortages for podiatrists by the
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.
First and foremost their projection for 2026 right
now, is that there is a 2000+ podiatrist shortage.
Surprising seeing how many grads are having
trouble finding jobs where they are located.

Secondly, and more importantly, did anyone notice
it said "as part of "wider allied health
shortages?" I did. So I double-checked the source.
The MSN "article" if it can be called that, was
AI-generated and has no link to the actual NCHWA
information. No issue, I can just go directly to
them. Upon doing so I found that while they
specify many different types of "physicians" in
their analysis, they do not include podiatry in
their Physician category but rather as allied
health professionals. Interesting.

There's been a lot of talk about what the future
of podiatry looks like. Some good ideas, some bad
ideas. What I've noticed is that there's almost no
comment from any of the young podiatric
physicians. How many of the "leaders" in podiatry
have actually looked at and assessed what the
outlook is from the young physicians viewpoint?

There's a lot more I, and many other young
"physicians" (quotations because per the NCHW
we're not that), could say; but at the end of the
day I believe that the problems podiatry faces
almost all have one root cause: We are not seen as
physicians nationally by everyone. This is what
you should all be aiming for.

Pay isn't good enough? "Physicians," as seen by
the payors, get paid better. Not seen as a viable
option for undergrad students who want to be a
physician? Perhaps a national bill or AMA joint
statement or something with some weight behind it
might change that.

Many of the young podiatrists that came in were
promised the moon; a parity bill passed (didn't
mention it only affected the VA), we're accepted
in hospitals, you can choose what you'd like to
'specialize' in, etc etc. Many of those statements
turned out to be recruiting BS. Luckily for me I
quite like the job as I knew I would, but liking
something doesn't mean you can ignore the
downsides. Many young podiatrists are learning
that now.

Do you guys want a future for podiatry? If so,
it's simple: national standardized minimum scope,
better than what we have now. Recognition of
physician status nationally. That's what the PACs
and Orgs should be fighting for instead of
fighting each other. Every other problem becomes
significantly easier to manage if you do these two
things. I know what I said, but I'm very aware
it's not actually easy. But that's why all of you
old heads need to be of one accord and push from
every single state; put pressure on every single
legislator, and get it done. You can argue over
board certs and non-surgical tracks and
recruitment efforts afterwards.

Samuel Makanjuola, DPM, Columbus, OH

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