04/21/2026    Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD

What Podiatry Can’t Afford to Do

While waiting impatiently for something else, I
was cruising through Facebook. I came upon the
section with an album of pictures of infants and
dogs, sometimes puppies that make the reels even
cuter. I was in a hurry which is ironic since I
can’t go anywhere, Suddenly it hit me, the puppies
and the infants have a quality in common that I
have tried to learn a million times. Both of these
characters are living in the moment, focused on
each other and not worrying about anything else.
They’re not worried about their next meal, where
they are going to sleep, being house or diaper
broken. Nothing else.

Living in the moment is often envied as a large
part of a spiritual life. I’m not talking about
praying or going to church but keeping our minds
uncluttered and open to the moment. Like the dog
and the infant discovering each other and
instantly bonding and enjoying the moment. If we
are worried about getting to Jiffy Lube before
they close so we can get the oil changed, we’re
going to miss our puppy or infant.

At this time in the history of podiatry, we cannot
afford to do that. I have used the ostrich phrase
about keeping our heads in the sand but that’s
been in reference to the sky falling around us.
What’s happening now to podiatry enrollment and
unfilled residencies can’t be neglected. We may
have to miss puppies and babies to keep the
profession strong. Those of us who finished
training in the 20th century can’t afford to to
become complacent in our apathy because it’s all
been good.

There is more to this profession than just knocking off a few bunions and checking bank accounts as we near the finish line. Podiatrists who are superficial think of the truly trivial aspects. If I ask you what the most important thing outside your job is, most people would say their kids. Our podiatry kids are the up-and-coming generation, the kids trying to differentiate a third metatarsal from a fourth
while wearing a blindfold, wondering if they will be operating with a blindfold and if not, what good is this.

I read an article about Gen Z choosing to have
pets instead of kids. Less investment of their
time to housebreak a dog and feed it once a day.
Our potential podiatry kids will walk away if they
get the impression all we have to do is train them
to operate. One of my trainers in Philadelphia
once told me, “I can train a monkey to perform
surgery.” That’s true but we have to inspire them
to become podiatrists and learn the global
requirements of everything else involved in
patient care.

We have to start worrying about the future
podiatrists we don’t know and who may not know it
themselves just like we would a planned child by
lifestyle changes, a child in utero and for the
rest of their lives without being a drone parent.
We have to do the same with the podiatry offspring
to make sure there will be future podiatrists.
Just like you would do anything for your kids, we
have to do the same if there is going to be
podiatry when we’re looking at the dark side of
the sod.

The puppy and the infant live in the moment and
are not condemned to choose. The puppy is
appealing to the infant and vice versa. We have to
figure out why we can’t be appealing and change
the landscape to suit them. This generation is not
interested in our CVs. It’s time to figure out
what it will take.

Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD

There are no more messages in this thread.