I found Dr. Jacobs comments concerning our DPM
degree spot on. We really ought not to be ashamed
of our degree. Our degree today is far more
respected than it was when I completed my podiatry
training. The issue of whether our students are
medical students or not is an important question
that we wrestle with and I'm sure depending upon
when you finished podiatry school might influence
your response. I have always felt the didactic
education and clinical rotations I completed at
PCPM were on par with the medical and osteopathic
students that I encountered on my rotations. I did
feel intimidated at times on medicine rounds with
some of them but often felt pretty good about
myself and my training when compared with others.
I dug up a couple of my name badges from my
rotations at Metropolitan Hospital recently from
back in the day. After asking myself where did all
that nice bushy hair go, the wording on the badge
is medical student. I always felt that I was a
podiatry student but I can see where podiatry
students who complete their didactic courses with
osteopathic medical students and then head out on
clinical rotations would consider themselves
medical students and I believe at that point in
their medical training they should. Maybe what we
should be asking ourselves is why don't our
colleges complete the curriculum with clinical
rotation offerings that the medical and osteopaths
complete in addition to our podiatry clerkships.
Why not?
Our APMLE testing can also be tweaked to mirror
the COMLEX and USMLE exams. Then our students can
state without question I went to medical school
and yes I am studying to be a podiatrist as I move
onto my residency. This would be an easy course of
action to complete. I know the powers to be will
question this parity of training BUT maybe in
time, just maybe, we can then push harder for a
plenary license when our graduates have completed
this proposed course of medical training. Podiatry
for those out in the field right now is amazing
and is a wonderful and rewarding profession but if
we don't do something in time to expand our scope,
the profession won't be able to recruit the level
of student needed to sustain our profession and it
will be dead. I’m a DPM grad and proud of it.
James DiResta, DPM, MPH, Newburyport, MA
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