04/10/2026    Bryan C. Markinson, DPM

AI and Podiatry (Robert Scott Steinberg, DPM)

Dr. Steinberg asks: "Then, as far as you are
concerned, are striving for a plenary license and
practicing podiatry mutually exclusive? Can't you
see any value? What about the general public not
seeing any value in attending podiatry college?"

My response is: Of course, I think a plenary
license backed by the education to support it is
of extreme value and as many have asserted, may be
the only option soon enough. However, if anyone
applying to whatever program in the future would
offer this opportunity, they will find themselves
sitting side-by-side with classmates taking the
exact same exams, same labs, subject to the same
performance measures, same board requirements
prior to graduation from the "program." But the
door that opens after that is the wide world of
medical specialties that offer residency and
fellowship tracks. The hope that enough of those
students will stay in the podiatry space is, in my
opinion, folly.

Some undoubtedly will, but not nearly enough to
sustain the DPM specialty. It will also eventually
decimate the need for our current 11 schools. The
other illusion floating is that the existing DPM
residency format will be accepted and offered up
into the aforementioned wide world of specialties.
However, dermatology, orthopedics, neurology,
oncology, general surgery and vascular residencies
also exist and the way the DO/MD world works, the
DPM medical and surgical option would be
duplicating/overlapping and may very well likely
require extended years to actually make sure the
new "lower extremity physician" or whatever it
would be called to be considered sufficiently
trained.

For certain, it means the end of podiatric
medicine as practiced today.

As far as the question about the public
perception, I ran a private practice for 14 years
prior to joining an academic medical center
practice full-time in 1998. In all that time, up
to the present day, I can't remember any patient
ever who expressed interest in my degree
designation or where I went to school.

Bryan C. Markinson, DPM, NY, NY

There are no more messages in this thread.