Podiatry

As Americans of all ages spend more and more time on their feet, the need for footcare is becoming a more vital part of a healthy lifestyle. The human foot is a complex structure--the 52 bones in a person's feet make up about a quarter of the bones in their body. Podiatrists (or doctors of podiatric medicine, DPMs) diagnose and treat disorders, diseases, and injuries of the foot and lower leg. DPMs treat corns, calluses, bunions, heel spurs, ingrown toenails, and arch problems. They also work with ankle and foot deformities, injuries, and disorders.

Working Conditions

Podiatrists usually work in their own offices. They may also spend time in nursing homes, or performing surgery in hospitals. DPMs usually have fewer after-hours emergencies than other physicians. Those working in private practice set their own hours.

Job Outlook

Employment for podiatry is expected to grow about as fast as the national average for all occupations through 2010. More people will turn to podiatrists as the elderly population grows. Even as "baby boom" podiatrists go into retirement, this is not expected to have a major impact on creating job openings because the occupation is small.

Training, Qualifications, and Advancement

All States and the District of Columbia require a license for practicing podiatric medicine. In most cases, a candidate must be a graduate of an accredited school of podiatric medicine and pass written and oral exams. Some states allow students to substitute the examination of the National Board of Podiatric Examiners, given the second and fourth years of podiatric school, for some if not all of the State exam. Most states require continuing education for licensure renewal, and many also require completion of a postdoctoral residency program.

Prerequisites for admission to a college of podiatric medicine include at least 90 semester hours of undergraduate study, an acceptable G.P.A., and suitable MCAT scores. All programs require 8 semester hours each of biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics, with 6 semester hours of English. The science courses should be those intended for pre-med students.

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 that those required for licensure.

Links for More Information

Illinois Wesleyan Contact Person

For more information on podiatry, contact Warren Kistner, Director of the IWU Career Center,  wkistner@titan.iwu.edu, 556-3071.