04/13/2026    Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD

Podiatric Musings

I think it’s safe to say podiatry has finally made
it into the tightly closed circle of the MD world.
An obstetrician on the TV show Chicago Med asked
for a podiatry consult. It seems a young pregnant
woman dressed in haute couture presented with a
diabetic foot that was both sickening and
gangrenous. Yes, one of the stars asked for the
consult by podiatry which has reached the
hospital’s second floor in the Emergency
Department based medical drama.

There were no other comments about the podiatry
practitioner’s non-ACGME approved residency, not
passing USMLE and professional school curricula.
No one called the attending aside to remind her
that the podiatrist had neither an MD nor DO
degree, hence with all the accumulated evidence
not a real physicians and most of all, the
consultor has no plenary license. Board
certification was not part of the attendings’
conversation. No one mentioned declining
admissions in spite of increased seats at 11
podiatry schools. I think this 20 second dramatic
bit signals the end of all the MMA infighting
between podiatrists themselves. It should also
mark the end of the perceived back biting between
podiatric and plenary licensed/ limited licensed
practitioners. Chicago Med has unraveled the
Gordian Knot and freed the Excalibur in the blink
of an eye. Zoe Chen, the author of the April 8
script has resolved the oppressive strife
podiatrists have been suffering from. It means we
can now march forward knowing all differences have
been settled.

Every now and then there is mention in PM News
about a future podiatry student visiting a
podiatrist’s office where the podiatrist tells the
potential student that the practitioner would not
choose podiatry as a profession if they had it to
do over again. The initial response by podiatrists
has always been visceral and thoughts of burning
that podiatrist next to Joan of Arc are
entertained. At least that podiatrist is still
alive to convey the message that they have not
chosen wisely when in their early 20s.

Suicide rates among physicians are slightly higher
than the general population. The male physician
suicide rate is 5% higher than the general
population but 76% higher for female physicians.
One physician a day commits suicide. Ironically,
podiatry is included in the physician group and is
not considered a stand-alone group. According to
ChatGPT, which generated this suicide data, rates
among dentists are lower than the general
population, but a 2026 study reveals suicide among
older dentists may be higher than the general
population. Perhaps watching the stock plummet for
the new external fixator based mini amalgams has
caused an economic life crisis among these older
dentists who matured and thrived with the simple
maxim of, “Drill ‘em, fill ‘em and bill em.”

Burn out is the real concern and is often
considered the “gateway drug” to suicide, a term
invented by Baby Boomer researchers referring to
marijuana. The 3-part definition of burnout
consists of 1. emotional exhaustion, 2.
depersonalization/cynicism, and 3. a reduced sense
of accomplishment. So many things contribute to
the burnout and they have all been identified, but
32% to 46% of healthcare workers have self-
identified as feeling that way.

So, back to the podiatrist who tells the potential
podiatry student that he would have chosen another
profession if he knew then what he knows now. What
should the podiatrist have answered to be
politically correct? Do we want the podiatrist to
lie to the Gen Z or Alpha young man or woman and
imply that the profession has brought daily
ecstasy to the podiatrist’s life? What are the
correct words that will allow the questioner to
infer the podiatrist falls into the category of
never working a day in his life because he loves
podiatry so much? Maybe the podiatrist should
manipulate his response in the finest Sophist
tradition to sway the student into sending in his
seat deposit as soon as he leaves the podiatry
clinic? I had a communication from a young
podiatry student who was told by a dean that his
undergrad 3.6 GPA may not make the cut for
acceptance if he waited until much later in the
admission cycle.

There is a difference between burnout and not
being ecstatic every day as one walks through the
office doors or operating room doors. If a GP or
internist is unhappy there is always the potential
to open an aesthetic practice with lasers and
creams. A pediatric neurologist who lived five
houses down the block couldn’t take telling
parents that their infant’s brain tumor was fatal.
She left the university and works for a
pharmaceutical company in research. It’s still
easy to become board certified in addiction
medicine and a lot of recovered physicians follow
that route. Some unhappy podiatrists have joined
the ranks of “podiatrists without offices” while
others have gone the cash only route with a
regenerative medicine practice. The potential for
jobs outside the classic podiatry circle is simply
scarcer than for plenary licensed physicians.

Students who formerly entered podiatry school
because they were not accepted into DO or MD
schools will decrease in number. They just won’t
have the opportunity to be exposed to podiatry
because they will be matriculated into a DO
school. All those successful and happy podiatrists
will have fewer potential buyers for their very
lucrative practices. These older podiatrists may
love podiatry, have been enormously successful,
relish the good they have done and not possibly
count the limbs they have salvaged. These new DO
physicians will know podiatry exists but it will
not be a possible residency choice for a DO
graduate because they do not see it listed among
ACGME approved residencies.

Can a DO apply to a CPME accredited podiatry
residency and become board certified by the
American Board of Physician Specialties? No, no,
and no because to become ABPS certified a
physician must have graduated from an ACGME-
approved residency. That point has been closed to
discussion by recent podiatry actions. There is
always the remote possibility that it can be
resurrected, but as of now, the door has been
shut, locked and the crossbar put in place. Guess
what side podiatry is on?

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

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