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Podiatrist
Summary
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Diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot. |
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| Outlook |
Average job growth |
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| Median Income |
$113,600 per year in 2008 |
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| Work Context & Conditions |
Podiatrists usually work in their own offices. They may also spend time visiting patients in nursing homes or performing surgery at a hospital but usually have fewer after-hours emergencies than other doctors. Those with private practices set their own hours, but may work evenings and weekends to meet the needs of their patients. |
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| Minimum Education Requirements |
D.P.M.
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| Skills |
Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Writing, Equipment Selection, Systems Evaluation, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving |
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| Abilities |
Oral Expression, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Wrist-Finger Speed |
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Job Description
| Job Category |
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Healthcare Practitioners & Technical |
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| Job Description |
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Americans spend a great deal of time on their feet. As the Nation becomes more active across all age groups, the need for foot care will become increasingly important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The human foot is a complex structure. It contains 26 bones—plus muscles, nerves, ligaments, and blood vessels—and is designed for balance and mobility. The 52 bones in the feet make up about one-fourth of all the bones in the human body. Podiatrists, also known as doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs), diagnose and treat disorders, diseases, and injuries of the foot and lower leg.
Podiatrists treat corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, bunions, heel spurs, and arch problems; ankle and foot injuries, deformities, and infections; and foot complaints associated with diseases such as diabetes. To treat these problems, podiatrists prescribe drugs, order physical therapy, set fractures, and perform surgery. They also fit corrective inserts called orthotics, design plaster casts and strappings to correct deformities, and design custom-made shoes. Podiatrists may use a force plate or scanner to help design the orthotics: patients walk across a plate connected to a computer that “reads” their feet, picking up pressure points and weight distribution. From the computer readout, podiatrists order the correct design or recommend another kind of treatment.
To diagnose a foot problem, podiatrists also order x rays and laboratory tests. The foot may be the first area to show signs of serious conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease. For example, patients with diabetes are prone to foot ulcers and infections due to poor circulation. Podiatrists consult with and refer patients to other health practitioners when they detect symptoms of these disorders.
Most podiatrists have a solo practice, although more are forming group practices with other podiatrists or health practitioners. Some specialize in surgery, orthopedics, primary care, or public health. Besides these board-certified specialties, podiatrists may practice other specialties, such as sports medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, radiology, geriatrics, or diabetic foot care.
Podiatrists who are in private practice are responsible for running a small business. They may hire employees, order supplies, and keep records, among other tasks. In addition, some educate the community on the benefits of foot care through speaking engagements and advertising. |
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| Working Conditions |
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Podiatrists usually work in their own offices. They also may spend time visiting patients in nursing homes or performing surgery at hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers, but usually have fewer after-hours emergencies than other doctors have. Those with private practices set their own hours, but may work evenings and weekends to accommodate their patients. |
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| Salary Range |
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Median annual earnings of salaried podiatrists were $113,600 in 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $75,300 and $166,400+ a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,900 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $166,400+. |
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Education
| Education Required |
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Prerequisites for admission to a college of podiatric medicine include the completion of at least 90 semester hours of undergraduate study, an acceptable grade point average, and suitable scores on the Medical College Admission Test. All require 8 semester hours each of biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics, and 6 hours of English. The science courses should be those designed for premedical students. Potential podiatric medical students may also be evaluated on the basis of extracurricular and community activities, personal interviews, and letters of recommendation. More than 95 percent of podiatric students have at least a bachelor's degree.
In 2008, there were eight colleges of podiatric medicine accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. Colleges of podiatric medicine offer a 4-year program whose core curriculum is similar to that in other schools of medicine. During the first 2 years, students receive classroom instruction in basic sciences, including anatomy, chemistry, pathology, and pharmacology. Third- and fourth-year students have clinical rotations in private practices, hospitals, and clinics. During these rotations, they learn how to take general and podiatric histories, perform routine physical examinations, interpret tests and findings, make diagnoses, and perform therapeutic procedures. Graduates receive the doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM) degree.
Most graduates complete a hospital residency program after receiving a DPM. Residency programs last from 2 to 4 years. Residents receive advanced training in podiatric medicine and surgery and serve clinical rotations in anesthesiology, internal medicine, pathology, radiology, emergency medicine, and orthopedic and general surgery. Residencies lasting more than 1 year provide more extensive training in specialty areas.
Podiatrists may advance to become professors at colleges of podiatric medicine, department chiefs of hospitals, or general health administrators. |
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| Recommended High School Courses |
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Biology, Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Physics |
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| Postsecondary Instructional Programs |
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English Language, Therapy and Counseling, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and Dentistry |
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| Certification and Licensing |
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All States and the District of Columbia require a license for the practice of podiatric medicine. Each State defines its own licensing requirements, although many States grant reciprocity to podiatrists who are licensed in another State. Applicants for licensure must be graduates of an accredited college of podiatric medicine and must pass written and oral examinations. Some States permit applicants to substitute the examination of the National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners, given in the second and fourth years of podiatric medical college, for part or all of the written State examination. Most States also require the completion of a postdoctoral residency program of at least 2 years and continuing education for license renewal.
There are a number of certifying boards for the podiatric specialties of orthopedics, primary medicine, or surgery. Certification means that the DPM meets higher standards than those required for licensure. Each board requires advanced training, completion of written and oral examinations, and experience as a practicing podiatrist. Most managed care organizations prefer board-certified podiatrists. |
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Skills, Abilities, & Interests
| Interest Area |
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| Social |
Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people. |
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| Work Values |
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| Social Status |
Looked up to by others in their company and their community. |
| Achievement |
Get a feeling of accomplishment. |
| Social Service |
Do things for other people. |
| Creativity |
Try out your own ideas. |
| Security |
Have steady employment. |
| Ability Utilization |
Make use of individual abilities. |
| Working Conditions |
Good working conditions. |
| Activity |
Busy all the time. |
| Autonomy |
Plan work with little supervision. |
| Recognition |
Receive recognition for the work you do. |
| Compensation |
Get paid well in comparison with other workers. |
| Responsibility |
Make decisions on your own. |
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| Skills |
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| Monitoring |
Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. |
| Critical Thinking |
Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. |
| Active Listening |
Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. |
| Writing |
Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. |
| Equipment Selection |
Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. |
| Systems Evaluation |
Look at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy. |
| Active Learning |
Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. |
| Judgment and Decision Making |
Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. |
| Reading Comprehension |
Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. |
| Speaking |
Talk to others to effectively convey information. |
| Complex Problem Solving |
Solving novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings. |
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| Abilities |
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| Oral Expression |
Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. |
| Finger Dexterity |
Able to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
| Manual Dexterity |
Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. |
| Deductive Reasoning |
Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. |
| Problem Sensitivity |
Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. |
| Inductive Reasoning |
Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. |
| Wrist-Finger Speed |
Able to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. |
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More Information
| Related Jobs |
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Dentist, Orthodontist, Dentist, Physician, Anesthesiologist, Chiropractor, Optometrist, Veterinarian, Physician, Surgeon, Physician, Family and General, Dentist, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Technician, Emergency Medical, and Paramedic, Physician Assistant |
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| Job Outlook |
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Podiatrists held about 12,200 jobs in 2008. About 19 percent of podiatrists are self-employed. Most podiatrists were solo practitioners, although more are entering group practices with other podiatrists or other health practitioners. Solo practitioners primarily were unincorporated self-employed workers, although some also were incorporated wage and salary workers in offices of other health practitioners. Other podiatrists are employed in hospitals and by the Federal Government.
Employment of podiatrists is expected to grow about as fast as average for all occupations through 2018. More people will turn to podiatrists for foot care because of the rising number of injuries sustained by a more active and increasingly older population. Additional job openings will result from podiatrists who retire from the occupation, particularly members of the baby-boom generation. However, relatively few job openings from this source are expected because the occupation is small and most podiatrists remain in it until they retire.
Medicare and most private health insurance programs cover acute medical and surgical foot services, as well as diagnostic X-rays and leg braces. Details of such coverage vary among plans. However, routine foot care—including the removal of corns and calluses—is ordinarily not covered, unless the patient has a systemic condition that has resulted in severe circulatory problems or areas of desensitization in the legs or feet. Like dental services, podiatric care is more dependent on disposable income than other medical services.
Employment of podiatrists would grow even faster were it not for continued emphasis on controlling the costs of specialty health care. Insurers will balance the cost of sending patients to podiatrists against the cost and availability of substitute practitioners, such as physicians and physical therapists. Opportunities will be better for board-certified podiatrists, because many managed-care organizations require board certification. Opportunities for newly trained podiatrists will be better in group medical practices, clinics, and health networks than in traditional solo practices. Establishing a practice will be most difficult in the areas surrounding colleges of podiatric medicine, where podiatrists are concentrated. |
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| More Information |
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American Podiatric Medical Association, American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine |
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| References |
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Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Podiatrists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos075.htm
O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at
http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-1081.00 |
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