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Are you wondering if a career in podiatric medicine and surgery is the right field for you? Are you interested in the foundations that make the human body complex and fascinating? If so, chances are, you’d be a great candidate for considering this rewarding area of medicine. It might be a niche area of study, but it is one that can lead to incredible opportunity. Podiatric medicine careers reward intense focus with variety in practice.

Podiatric medicine is the study of the human leg, ankle, foot, and sole area. Demand for podiatric physicians who can provide specialized treatment is high, and career advancements can be rewarding. These include opening your own practice, working for a general or surgical hospital, or even becoming a professor.

Below, we discuss the general skills of a podiatric physician, and consider how these skills can be used in a variety of podiatric medicine career paths. Additionally, we supply a section of frequently asked questions, to cover everything you might need to know.

The Specialized Skills of a Podiatric Physician

Discovering exactly what a podiatric physician can do is one of the best ways to understand what a future career might look like with this as your educational background.

For example, podiatric physicians are required to learn several different skills that can assist them in a variety of situations and roles in the health care field; some of these include being trained in performing surgery, a knowledge of anesthesiology, and the practice of orthopedics and communication.

Thanks to this skill set and education, podiatric physicians can take what they already know from training and residency experiences to focus more solely on one specific specialty within podiatric medicine and surgery, such as sports medicine, surgery, diabetic foot care, radiology, pediatrics, dermatology, and geriatrics.

With so many tools in their proverbial tool belt, podiatric physicians should have no trouble finding a career that puts their training to good use, provides them with a lifestyle that suits their needs, and manages to be more than worthwhile in terms of salary.

Overview of Podiatric Medicine Career Paths

• There are a wide variety of routes to take within a career as a podiatric physician. Some include:
• Opening or joining a private practice – Many podiatrists consider the entrepreneurial route when choosing to open their own private practices. Here, podiatrists can offer a wide range of services, including surgery, orthotics, sports medicine and rehabilitation. Another perk to owning your own practice is that you decide the schedule and operating hours. This can come with its challenges as well, such as hiring adequate staff and obtaining a following.
• Hospital or Clinic – Podiatrists may also choose to work in a hospital or clinic setting, providing foot and ankle care to patients who have suffered injuries, have medical conditions such as diabetes or arthritis, or require surgery.
• Academic or research positions – Podiatrists can also pursue careers in academia or research, teaching a new generation of DPMs. They may also participate in conducting research on foot and ankle health, developing new treatments and technologies.

On top of these, DPMs can work with sports teams, in government facilities such as the Veterans Administration, and in community health centers assisting those in underserved communities.

Overall, the career path of a podiatric physician offers a wide range of opportunities and specializations, allowing for a rewarding and fulfilling career.

Private Practice

Launching your own private practice can be something of a gamble, depending on the foot traffic (no pun intended) the community your practice is in sees. However, it is also one of the most rewarding ways to put your expertise as a podiatric medical professional to good use.

After all, those who open their own private practice are beholden to no one and can have a much more personal relationship with their clients, given a level of control over how many they give their time and assistance to at any given season.

If you are practicing with a team of other providers, the general salary is between $120,000 and $500,000 excluding additional income from teaching, bonuses, allowance for expenses, etc.

Hospital or Clinic Setting

A hospital employed podiatrist works closely with other licensed physicians and professionals who work in a general care or surgical care unit. They can be employed as the head of an entire department or as an healthcare provider specializing in the lower body, depending on their level of expertise.

It should be noted that a podiatrist who is employed at a hospital often makes some of the most money, annually, of any podiatrist position in the United States, currently. In fact according the bureau of labor statistics, general care podiatrist employees were paid over $140,000 in the year 2021.

It is important to have excellent communication skills no matter what branch of podiatric medicine and surgery you go into, but when working with hospital employees who have various levels of expertise and focus, this becomes particularly useful.

Professor

Additionally, it may be beneficial to share your knowledge and expertise as a Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. Passing on one’s skill set to a class of excited students is not only a rewarding way to prepare the next generation of the field of study you love, but it is a great way to make a steady income, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wondering more about the opportunities that can arise from becoming a podiatrist? We will hopefully have enough information to satisfy your curiosity in the section below, which provides information on the questions that are most frequently asked on this topic.

Podiatric medicine specializes in such an important and foundational area of the body. Demand for podiatric physicians who can provide specialized treatment is high, and career advancements can be rewarding.

Is Podiatric Medicine and Surgery a Good Career Choice?

The path of podiatric medicine and surgery can be very rewarding, provided that you are looking for a general salary somewhere between $150-and $360,000. In terms of other considerations, such as long hours and lifestyle, this generally depends on which niche area you choose.

For example, if you’d rather make your own hours, opening or joining a private practice, as is mentioned above, is one career route that is open highly desirable to many DPMs. On the other hand, if a salary paid regularly is best for your lifestyle, then working as a professor of podiatric medicine and surgery or the head of the podiatric medicine and surgery department in a hospital are other great options.

Podiatric medicine and surgery is a good career choice if you love to help people, solve problems, and are intrigued by the complexities of diseases affecting the human body.

Does a DPM Compare with an MD?

Medical doctors, who achieve an MD or DO degree, tend to gain a less focused education and a broader scope of medical interest. However, podiatrists or DPMs have a much narrower application for their field of study, though they may learn much of what a medical doctor would during their education.

It is not necessarily a question of which degree is better to earn: it may be more fair to ask which is better for you, specifically, as a prospective health care provider.

Is There a High Demand for Podiatrists?

When it comes to pursuing a career that may take up to six years to qualify for through education, the question of whether or not there is an actual demand for fillers of that position is wise to consider.

Luckily, the answer is, yes, there is a high demand for podiatrists, and that demand is only expected to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 200 jobs for podiatrists should open up before we reach the year 2031. And this may underestimate the need considering the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the number of podiatric physicians who have retired in the past five years.

Podiatric medicine and surgery is a specialized field, but it is such an important and foundational area of the body that it is no wonder job opportunities are abundant for podiatrists. In general, people will always have a risk of injury to their feet and ankles, and the need for those qualified to treat those injuries or ailments will stay high.

In Conclusion

Becoming a podiatrist can offer a multitude of benefits, including the ability to help patients maintain and improve their foot and ankle health, stability, and take control of their conditions, such as diabetes, or rehabilitate after an injury.

Podiatric medicine and surgery provide vast career opportunities in a variety of settings, providing both advancement and growth. As a rewarding yet challenging field, need for skilled podiatrists will only increase with time. If you have an interest in health care, enjoy working with people, and want to make a positive impact on the lives of others, then a career in podiatric medicine may be the right path for you.