07/08/2016
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Podiatry Program Closure
From: Vorice Batts, DPM
My name is Vorice Batts and I am a podiatry resident in Houston, TX who has just completed my first year. I am sad to say that my residency program shut down last week, displacing four residents. We are seeking any help that can be offered from all podiatry sources. We understand that with such short notice our institution has given us, any kind of help is difficult; however, I have spoken with Ms. Nancy Chouinard, Assistant Director of CPME, and she has given us a list of options that a residency program may be willing to provide. The list of possibilities, as well as contact information for myself and Ms. Chouinard at CPME is listed below. We are both very open to answering any questions you may have.
The options are as follows:
1. To fill any available positions at your program including first year positions.
2. CPME offers a one-time increase in number of residents. This means that the increase will not apply continuously every year, but only once to absorb a displaced resident. The resident added can also be placed in any PGY year applicable.
3. To participate in a preceptorship program with any attendings present at your program.
Given the short notice we were given, CPME states that there is not a deadline to have any of these options done by July 1, and the additional time it would take to complete option 1-2 can be tacked onto the end of third year. We understand that not all of us can be helped at the same time at any program, but helping even just one of us is more than enough. Again, any help at all is greatly appreciated as this is a very difficult time for all of us.
Vorice Batts PGY-2 (832-868-8923), Lauren Pruner PGY-2 (337-274-5659), Pooja Nowlakha PGY-3 (832-620-3603), Raafae Hussain PGY-3 (845-325-7934)
04/17/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates
From: Jeffrey H. Katz, DPM
We are looking to hire a recent graduate from podiatry school who is currently unmatched with a residency. This is our third year of working with preceptors. Both preceptors we have worked with did match with residency programs. This is a paid position in Orange County, California.
Jeffrey H. Katz, DPM, Corona, CA
04/10/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates
From: Marco A. Vargas, DPM
I am looking to hire an unmatched graduate.
Marco A. Vargas, DPM, Sugarland, TX
04/09/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates
From: Theresa Gray
As a soon to be 2015 graduate who has yet to secure a residency position, I find it very refreshing and encouraging to read the support that has emanated from PM News. The journey through podiatry school has been an extreme stressor and financial sacrifice, and to now face the seemingly doomed uncertainty of what to do and where to go next is devastating. Above all, however, I have found joy in this process and take pride in my chosen career path. I have a sincere love for this profession and the patients we treat. I look forward to the future of podiatry. I just wanted to thank all of those who have opened and will open their offices to those in need such as myself. You are appreciated. Optimistically, this shortage will soon be a thing of the past.
Theresa Gray, KSUCPM 2015
04/08/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates
From: Stephen Chapman, DPM
I am willing to help a grad who didn't get placed. We are 3 DPMs in a large practice, and would love to have them come. I have a home they could also use for no charge - whatever I can do to help.
Stephen Chapman, DPM, Crossville, TN
04/08/2015
RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS UPDATE
AACPM Releases Latest Residency Placement Data
The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine provides periodic status reports on residency placements. The following is residency placement data as of April 6th, 2015:
|
Latest Residency Placement Data |
When taking the overall placements into consideration, 560 (91%) of the 614 residency applicants have found residency positions thus far this year. There are 54 (9%) of the applicants who have yet to find a residency position for the 2015-16 training year. One applicant is now pursuing other opportunities for personal reasons.
Source: AACPM
04/07/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates (Sloan Gordon, DPM)
From: Elliot Diamond, DPM
I have been fortunate to have amazing unmatched graduates for the past four years, and offer the opportunity again this year. Comprehensive offering with salary. Center City Philadelphia, several blocks from Temple Podiatry School.
Elliot Diamond, DPM, Philadelphia, PA
04/06/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates (Sloan Gordon, DPM)
From: Dennis Shavelson, DPM, Ivar E. Roth DPM, MPH
I have had similar success as Dr. Gordon with unmatched DPMs and currently have an opportunity in NYC for an unmatched doctor.
Dennis Shavelson, DPM, NY, NY
I would be happy to host a preceptorship program for graduates who are not matched.
Ivar E. Roth DPM, MPH, Newport Beach, CA
04/04/2015
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Graduates
From: Sloan Gordon, DPM
Each year, a number of podiatry school graduates do not obtain a residency program. I think we all can agree that this is regrettable but true. This past year, I had the opportunity to bring an unmatched student into my practice to enable him to continue to hone his skills and to learn about the workings of a private practice with a goal of helping him obtain a residency for the coming year. I am happy to report that he has just been matched and is looking forward to beginning his residency program. I think I was able to provide a valuable experience for him and it was a positive experience for me as well.
In this vein, I am contacting PM News to see if you can be of any assistance in helping me continue to work with unmatched students. I can accommodate one student per year [starting immediately] in my practice. I am able to offer them a chance to work with patients in my private office as well as observe my surgical cases and learn how to use an EMR in the practice environment.
He or she would need to relocate to Houston for the coming year. The unmatched graduate will receive a valuable learning experience, and I will do whatever I can to assist in helping him or her to obtain a residency for the following year. A small salary is provided.
Sloan Gordon, DPM, Houston, TX
03/30/2015
RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS UPDATE
AACPM Releases Match Week Results
The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine provides periodic status reports on residency placements. The following is residency placement data as of March 27th, 2015:
 |
Match Week Results |
Source: AACPM
03/26/2015
RESPONSES/ COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
From: Estelle Albright, DPM
I am both saddened and upset that the podiatry schools continue to enroll far more students than there are residency positions. The fault rests squarely on the shoulders of the podiatry colleges. This has been going on since I graduated 20+ years ago, when some of my classmates did not get a residency. CCPM, however, reported that, "all graduates who 'wanted' a residency were placed, as a way of covering up the fact that they were graduating some unmatched students into an uncertain, and limited, future. Every podiatry school should start enrolling 10% fewer than they are currently doing. But, sadly, I don't see that happening any time soon.
Estelle Albright, DPM, Indianapolis, IN
03/25/2015
RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS
Match Day Statistics Announced
Here are the statistics from this year's Match:
Positions available: 564
Contending applicants: 615
Matched applicants: 511
Positions unfilled: 53
Applicants unmatched: 104
104 unmatched eligible graduates form this year's graduating class, along with unmatched graduates from previous years, will now enter the scramble to fill the 53 unfilled residency slots.
Source: AACPM
03/24/2014
RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS
Unmatched Graduates Scramble for Remaining Unfilled Positions
The scramble is officially on. On Thursday, 117 qualified podiatric graduating students from this year and from previous classes received the news that they did not initially match with the residency programs of their choice. 46 programs also reported no match for their selected candidates. The hectic scramble began to find secondary matches. As of today, 25 of those positions have been filled, leaving 83 unmatched graduates for 22 positions. PM News will be publishing the official AACPM post-scramble statistics when they become available later this week.
01/29/2014
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Offer for Unmatched Residents
From: Richard Willner, DPM
For the last 13 years, the Center For Peer Review Justice has been fighting on the side of the underdog. One of our specialties is working with terminated medical and surgical residents. We would like to try our luck with the unmatched young podiatrists. We would like to help three (3) unmatched podiatrists work towards the enhancement of their resume so that they would be more competitive for the next match.
We certainly think that we have interesting ideas in mind. There is no fee for this service. For an application, please email your interest to us.
01/07/2014
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
From: KSUCPM Graduate
After not matching on March 20th, 2013, along with more than 100 other qualified residency applicants, I truly believed that the APMA and CPME, along with the whole of the podiatry community would come together and deal with this devastating situation. Other than publish a couple of letters asking existing programs to increase their programs by one or two spots, absolutely nothing has been done.
I have spoken to several very frustrated people who have shown interest in creating new programs, but who claim that the CPME is exceedingly difficult to deal with and have shown no...
Editor's note: This extended-length letter can be read here.
01/06/2014
RESPONSES/COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS )
RE: Unmatched Residents, One Possible Solution From: Stephen Peslar, BSc, DCh
It has been sad reading about the ongoing unmatched residents crisis. Out of sight does not mean that solutions have been found – just ask a recent podiatrist grad who does not have a residency! I am wondering if it possible for 10-20 DPMs, as a group, to provide $40,000 annual funding during the next 12 years for a teaching hospital that does not have (or has) a podiatrist resident, to create or add an additional podiatrist resident position? The donations would be tax-deductible and each podiatrist could pledge an annual contribution of $2,000 to $4,000.
I know that there are medical-legal obstacles and liability issues to overcome, but a hospital CEO might make it possible for a podiatrist resident position to be created if the funding is there from podiatrists. The podiatrist resident could also do short placements with some podiatrists in private practice. Who knows what goodwill will result from this move? The hospital may continue the funding after the 12 year period has ended.
Rather than accusing association(s) or leader(s) of profession myopia or poor understanding of the reality of podiatric economics, a grassroots proposal may help the podiatry graduates who desperately need a PSR sooner than “better luck next year.” This would certainly change the current mantra of “podiatrists eating their young.”
09/10/2013
RESPONSES /COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 80 (Robert Bijak, DPM)
From: Ron Raducanu, DPM
We ARE the foot and ankle experts. No medical profession comes close to the level of what we learn and can do within the foot and ankle - medically or surgically. Our training is far superior in the management of the lower extremity than that of any other medical professional - again, both medically and surgically. If one chooses not to be a surgical practitioner, there is plenty of pathology and plenty of feet to go around.
Questioning the above is what's wrong with podiatry. There is no question, only a failure to realize who and what we are, and what it is we can do with our training.
Ron Raducanu, DPM, Philadelphia, PA, kidsfeet@gmail.com
09/09/2013
RESPONSES / COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 80
From: Robert Bijak, DPM
The residency debacle is just a symptom of what is wrong with podiatry. Let's ignore treating the symptom (not enough residencies) and deal with the etiology, "Just what is podiatry?" This sounds like a naïve statement, but it really is the crux of our problem. When we stayed with only the foot, we were podiatrists. With our foray into the ankle and tendons of the leg that affect the foot, we are transitioning into orthopedic surgery territory. We need to ask a hard question. Is this foray redundant, and if it is, then we do not need 3 years of training to do basic foot surgery?
Is podiatric surgery really better than orthopedic surgery? After all, the majority of podiatrists do some type of surgery, and most have had from 0 - max 2 years training. For the...
Editor's comments: Dr. Bijak's extended-length letter can be read here.
09/07/2013
RESPONSES /COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: I Want to Work as a Podiatrist (Bryan Markinson, DPM)
From: Michael Forman, DPM
As usual, Dr. Bryan Markinson's analysis of our profession is right on. I have learned from my younger colleagues and my friend Michael Turlik that our medical decisions should be based on evidence rather than anecdotal stories. However, I would like to give you my anecdotal opinion which unfortunately is not evidence-based.
1. Our schools cannot train a student to be a podiatrist.
2. In my opinion, a minimally competent (accent on competent) podiatrist should at least be trained to do...
Editor's note: Dr. Forman's extended-length letter can be read here.
09/06/2013
RESPONSES /COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS) - PART 2
RE: Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 80 (Michael Metzger, DPM)
From: Ron Raducanu, DPM
Dr. Metzger, do you really believe that this situation has to do with insecurity? How interesting. I thought it had more to do with proficiency and forward motion.
Ron Raducanu, DPM, Philadelphia, PA, kidsfeet@gmail.com
09/06/2013
RESPONSES / COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS - PART 1
RE: I Want to Work as a Podiatrist (Greg Aposperis, DPM)
From: Bryan C. Markinson, DPM
The dentist-oral surgeon model certainly has worked well. Some have stated that it is illegal for an oral surgeon to fill a cavity, suggesting that this is the main obstacle for an oral surgeon to actually fill cavities. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The simple fact is that the oral surgeon knows that the first cavity he fills is the end of his referral practice. That's it.
As far as podiatrists and podiatric surgeons goes, there are way too few podiatric surgeons making a living just doing surgery. A former president of ACFAS tells me that they estimate about 600 in the entire country are doing so. There are a far greater number of podiatrist-surgeons doing barely enough surgery to pay for their liability insurance.
Therefore, the podiatrist-podiatric surgeon model will never work on an equivalent level to dentistry. It could, however, develop into that if and only if we start treating each other with respect and fairness, so that non-surgeons of the future will be comfortable stating that they are not surgeons, and every Tom, Dick, Harry, and Sally podiatrist stops referring to themselves as reconstructive foot surgeons. I am not confident.
Bryan C. Markinson, DPM, NY, NY, Bryan.Markinson@mountsinai.org
09/05/2013
RESPONSES /COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS) - PART 2B
RE: Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 80 (Ron Raducanu, DPM)
From: Amram Dahukey, DPM
Thank you Dr. Raducanu for your comment. We have come a long way from the time we had only one year of training; that is called progress. I do not know of any specialty of medicine or surgery that has one year of training. Perhaps the difference is in our perception of the specialty of podiatric medicine and surgery. I believe in more training to adequately prepare graduates for the private practice reality, though many may disagree with this notion.
Amram Dahukey, DPM, Tucson, AZ, drd@premiersurgeons.com
09/05/2013
RESPONSES / COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS) - PART 2A
RE: Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 80
From: Michael Metzger, DPM
I used to joke about the condition I called “frustrated real doctor syndrome" - the podiatrist who for whatever reason (and that’s a whole other discussion) just does not feel that he or she is not a real doctor and it just kills him/her. To many, one cure seems to be increasing the post-graduate requirements required for licensure and that will do the trick. All those MDs and DOs will now see that we are just as good as they are, their equal. Parity achieved.
We worry about what everyone else thinks rather than what is best for our graduating seniors and our future as a profession. This has nothing to do with greed as has been suggested; it is all about our own insecurities.
Michael Metzger, DPM, Houston, TX, mzmetzger@comcast.net
09/05/2013
RESPONSES / COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS) - PART 1
RE: I Want to Work as a Podiatrist (Elliot Udell, DPM)
From: Greg Aposperis, DPM
Dr. Udell asks how dentistry can have subspecialties but podiatry has only talked about it for 30 years. The answer is that, according to government statistics, there are 191,941 dentists practicing in the U.S., as of November, 2012.
Government stats also state there are approximately 16,000+ podiatrists practicing in the U.S. If this number is further divided, our impact on foot health will be diminished. Additionally, government stats note that many "baby boomer podiatrists" will be retiring just when the need for podiatrists...
Editor's note: Dr. Aposperis' extended-length can be read here.
09/04/2013
RESPONSES /COMMENTS (RESIDENCY SHORTAGE CRISIS)
RE: Unmatched Residency Placements Currently Stand at 80 (Amram Dahukey, DPM)
From: Ron Raducanu, DPM
I want to take issue with the statement Dr. Dahukey made. "We" is all of medicine. The states that require one year of training before they issue a license as a requirement do so for ALL medical professionals. We are not being singled out, which is a good thing. This is what we want, but then to not offer a single year of "internship" or enough residencies for all is the major problem here.
I don't think anyone wants to "reduce requirements for licensure" or has even suggested that at all. The goal is that...
Editor's note: Dr. Raducanu's extended-length letter can be read here.
