First things first, even though “Podiatry” may kinda sound like “Pediatrician” they are definitely not the same thing (even though podiatrists do treat children). Also, someone doesn’t become a podiatrist because they have a foot fetish.

A Podiatrist is a doctor that treats the foot. All aspects of the foot – from nails and calluses to surgery. They can treat children, the elderly, and everyone in between.

Podiatry school is another kind of medical school – like there are dental schools, optometry schools, etc. It is more similar to MD/DO schooling – 4 years of graduate school along with residency/fellowship afterwards. There are only 9 podiatry schools in the US.

The first 2 years of podiatry school are similar to traditional medical school curriculum – taking everything from biochemistry, histology, general anatomy, immunology, etc. The only difference is that medical school has some specialty classes for psychology and women’s health whereas podiatry school has some specialized classes for lower extremity anatomy.

The 3rd and 4th years vary per school but they are more dedicated to learning in a clinical setting and doing externships at programs you are interested in going for your residency.

It is important for pre-medical students to be informed about podiatry school. Medical schools are getting more and more competitive to get into and so some students think the only viable option is to go to Caribbean medical school in order to become a doctor. While that is certainly a choice I think it would be wise to perhaps shadow a podiatrist or look into the field to see if it’s something you’re possibly interested in.

I didn’t even know about the field until my aunt suggested I shadow one of her neighbors – a podiatrist who owns his own office. What drew me into the field was the variety of choice – if you’re really in surgeries you can do more of that while working in a hospital. If you enjoy a more laidback in office style there is certainly plenty of that too. I loved the connection he had with his patients. As a podiatrist you will have a lot of patients that come back for services on a routine basis – which gives you the opportunity to connect with them a be a part of their life. I think it’s amazing that you can work with all age groups, granted most of your patients will be older but it’s still quite diverse.

I am currently in my 3rd year and I truly know this is the profession for me. My father inspired me to go this route when I experienced him going through foot/leg complications of his own by being a diabetic. I love that everyday I get to learn something new from my patients and that I can only get better from here.

Do you have any questions about podiatry? Are you interested about learning more?