Alternative Career with DPM?

[Athroisi]

Hello Everyone!

I am currently a podiatry student. After doing a week of rotation at a long-term care/assisted living/nursing home doing routine nail care, I am starting to consider alternative careers after graduating with a DPM. Particularly, I am considering a career as a lower extremity anatomy professor at med school/PA school/etc.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Michael (Athroisi)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Podstar]

Drop out before you take on more loans.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

You can teach with a DPM degree but I don't see you completing it with your issues listed above.
If those issues are bothering you this much now then maybe consider dropping out and doing something else.
Disrespect? In medicine, you will have patients that will say thank you and some that will spit on you.
This is the reality.

 

[Weirdy]

You went in completely misguided with false expectations.

If you can't even make it through routine foot care patients giving you sass, how are you going to survive 4th year or residency and some of the mudslinging that comes with it?

I highly recommend you do not waste your time accumulating more loans and find another route of employment. Consider an accelerated PhD if you want to teach at a university level.

You will not make it in any health profession if you are having problems right now.

 

[Athroisi]

How difficult would it be to find employment in acadamia without publications? Would 2 years (3rd and 4th year) of clinical experience compensate for lack of publications?

 

[DexterMorganSK]

How difficult would it be to find employment in acadamia without publications? Would 2 years (3rd and 4th year) of clinical experience compensate for lack of publications?

Your current professors are the best people to answer this question.

 

[Weirdy]

How difficult would it be to find employment in acadamia without publications? Would 2 years (3rd and 4th year) of clinical experience compensate for lack of publications?

Doubt it.

Ask your professors as well as professors from undergrad.

Another thought: why would any medical school pick you as faculty over someone else who is more qualified? Be it PhD or fellowship completed? Maybe with undergraduate institutions you'll have some luck, and even then there's usually a line out the door for tenured positions or tons of people stuck in post-doc trying to get an associate position.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

My school doesn't have a "lower anatomy professor." Id actually be surprised if any medical schools or PA schools did. Most usually have a PhD in anatomy with different specializations

 

[DPMStudent159]

Yeah I would highly doubt any school (besides pod school of course) would hire an LEA professor. That is what general anatomy professors are. Medical schools don't have a highly in depth and separate LEA course like pod schools do.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

Medical schools don't have a highly in depth and separate LEA course like pod schools do.

The above is program dependent. At Scholl, we take General Anatomy for the entire year and that includes lower anatomy (no additional course in LEA; at least this was when I took it) and this is all taken with the MD (same lectures/same exams).
Whereas at NYCPM, they have General Anatomy during 1st year and Lower Anatomy in 2nd year.

But, point well taken, there isn't a specific professor that teaches just lower anatomy, they have a Ph.D. so teach everything from head to toe. If OP wants to teach only then they should drop out of the DPM program and pursue a Ph.D. program but should know that this process can easily take 10 years before they become an adjunct professor at a University.

 

[DPMStudent159]

The above is program dependent. At Scholl, we take General Anatomy for the entire year and that includes lower anatomy (no additional course in LEA; at least this was when I took it) and this is all taken with the MD (same lectures/same exams).
Whereas at NYCPM, they have General Anatomy during 1st year and Lower Anatomy in 2nd year.

But, point well taken, there isn't a specific professor that teaches just lower anatomy, they have a Ph.D. so teach everything from head to toe. If OP wants to teach only then they should drop out of the DPM program and pursue a Ph.D. program but should know that this process can easily take 10 years before they become an adjunct professor at a University.

Yeah, Scholl did change though. I am a first year there and we now take general anatomy with the MD students first and then we take a separate LEA in the spring with just pod students. And I agree, if OP wants to teach, definitely don't do it the DPM route. Most pod professors aren't DPMs for a reason. MD and PhD professors are much more common than DPM professors. And yeah, it can take many many years before getting tenured into a teaching position at a university.