Podiatry Satisfaction Poll

[icebreaker32]

It would have been better if the pod was a newly fresh fellowship trained grad. But someone with about 15 years of experience finally getting his dream job at a ortho group in a major medical center is really disheartening. To rub salt on the ulcer, only to paid the same as a family medicine new grad. Just let that sink in.

Shows you just how many are applying for those good jobs also If anyone needed even more proof it is true.

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[newfeet]

54.7% satisfied… 😒. Nice.

 

[Feli]

Shows you just how many are applying for those good jobs also If anyone needed even more proof it is true.

For sure. It is absolutely crazy to see how many apps for DPMs come in on even mediocre MSG jobs or good PP group jobs. Insanity.
For hospital DPM jobs in any but the most wretched locations, apps are nearly always closed within a week or less due to overflow of CVs sent in (if they didn't already know who they were taking all along).

Then, on the other side of the coin, you see the hospitals repeatedly offer airport pickup, tours of the city, wine and dine, candidate visit parties, six figure sign bonus, etc for colorectal, ortho, urology, and various other non-saturated specialties... who will likely decline and pick an even better job. I love it.

 

[619]

Shows you just how many are applying for those good jobs also If anyone needed even more proof it is true.

I guess it also shows that experience and connections beats top residency or fellowship programs. I am sure a lots of new grads and fellowship trained grads would have also applied to the same position especially if it's at a major medical city however they went with the candidate with 2 years residency trained and over 15 years experience.

Pre-pods, Pod students and those currently in residency should pay attention to this. You will have to start at the crappy $100k base salary with no benefits then after getting many years of experience, you will be lucky to get an ortho job with a starting pay of a family medicine practitioner.

 

[icebreaker32]

I guess it also shows that experience and connections beats top residency or fellowship programs. I am sure a lots of new grads and fellowship trained grads would have also applied to the same position especially if it's at a major medical city however they went with the candidate with 2 years residency trained and over 15 years experience.

Pre-pods, Pod students and those currently in residency should pay attention to this. You will have to start at the crappy $100k base salary with no benefits then after getting many years of experience, you will be lucky to get an ortho job with a starting pay of a family medicine practitioner.

Sums up podiatry……or have SERIOUS connections, go to bear country or open your own office.

 

[619]

I answered the poll question as being satisfied with podiatry. I started out as an associate and after a year, went solo and opened my practice. I am doing great with practice and income wise. I mentioned in an earlier post that the amount I paid in personal taxes last year is what an associate makes a year. Gives you an idea of my take home income after taking out all the deduction under the sun.

I finished residency about 4 years ago. I enjoy clinic, I enjoy the surgery aspect, I enjoy podiatry in general but then I am not naive or oblivious that what I have ( in terms of income and practice type) is not the norm and more of a blessing. Lots of new grad (more than 70%) will start out with a horrible associate job. Flipping a coin is 50/50. Going into podiatry and expecting to finish 11 years of schooling and getting a honorable job is less than 50% chance.

 

[HardRoadPaved]

Going into podiatry and expecting to finish 11 years of schooling and getting a honorable job is less than 50% chance.

This.

Going into so much time and debt to basically flip a coin in the end?

Planning on HCOL area, i say chances are less.

Say hello from Montana (but not using TikTok)

 

[newfeet]

Whoever this is trying to turn Reddit into the anti SDN podiatry section.

 

[Pronation]

Cracks me up that this forum is being infiltrated by a pod subreddit. Does anyone know the mods who run that sub?

Also I love how this guy is ignoring the main glaring issue which is massive over saturation and a terrible job market.

 

[newfeet]

Cracks me up that this forum is being infiltrated by a pod subreddit. Does anyone know the mods who run that sub?

Also I love how this guy is ignoring the main glaring issue which is massive over saturation and a terrible job market.

Stop focusing on yourself.

 

[Pronation]

Stop focusing on yourself.

True true. Need to focus more on total toenail replacement surgery.

 

[Feli]

We should start a social media discussion to discuss other social media forums. Hmm.

 

[Hybrocure]

We should start a social media discussion to discuss other social media forums. Hmm.

To be fair Reddit is a far superior platform and forums are basically relics of the old days of the internet.

Unfortunately, nobody uses the Reddit apparently. It looks like there is about 1 post a month

 

[dtrack22]

Not to mention, that’s not what was said on here re: residency surplus and the APME. The claim is that CPME should have strict standards in residency training and they should adhere to the standards they do have at the very minimum. That alone would reduce the number of seats by 100+.

And CMS funding isn’t stopping anyone from adding an orthopedic residency program. There are thousands of residency seats all over the country for MD/DOs that are not subsidized by CMS. There’s an entire Derm residency and fellowship program funded by a Derm supergroup. CMS funding isn’t the sole deterrent to residency genesis in the MD/DO world. So come quote exactly what I just said and tell me why I’m wrong instead of lying on Reddit.

Ron might have a legitimate mental health disorder though, so the Reddit stuff isn’t surprising.

 

[Adam Smasher]

To be fair Reddit is a far superior platform and forums are basically relics of the old days of the internet

This concerns me. How will kids these days with their tiktoks and YouTube shorts and tinders learn to appreciate a good meme?

 

[wakaflocka88]

His reddit handle is OldPod73 - I'm going to just assume he has zero clue on what has been discussed on SDN because neither him or these newcomers read the entire content before speaking up

 

[dtrack22]

His reddit handle is OldPod73 - I'm going to just assume he has zero clue on what has been discussed on SDN because neither him or these newcomers read the entire content before speaking up

I’m sure he reads the forums. He has had several accounts/usernames here in the past and has managed to get himself banned every time. Not for being “rah rah” either. His schtick on Reddit is no different than the one here. He always talks about how he got screwed and was broke and struggled for so long, etc. You could argue he’s still not very successful. But there aren’t any issues with podiatry in his mind and everyone should go into podiatry and SDN is toxic, etc.

He has Stockholm Syndrome. Well, I’m just a foot doctor so that’s not an official diagnosis. But it would be on their differential

 

[Adam Smasher]

His reddit handle is OldPod73 - I'm going to just assume he has zero clue on what has been discussed on SDN because neither him or these newcomers read the entire content before speaking up

OldPod73 posted that he's Canadian born father of 3.

Yaron Raducanu is also a Canadian born father of 3, graduated from temple in 1999 so possibly was born in 1973.

Time to find a new handle, Dr Ron! You mess with SDN, you mess with the best!

 

[newfeet]

OldPod73 posted that he's Canadian born father of 3.

Yaron Raducanu is also a Canadian born father of 3, graduated from temple in 1999 so possibly was born in 1973.

Time to find a new handle, Dr Ron! You mess with SDN, you mess with the best!

Hmm. Being born in 73 isn’t old. 👀. He’s only 7 older than me. Am I old?

 

[Boba Foot]

Whoever this is trying to turn Reddit into the anti SDN podiatry section.
View attachment 371862

Dude is still wounded from a Reddit argument days ago so he’s taking what I’ve said over here to Reddit. V bizarre.

OldPod73 posted that he's Canadian born father of 3.

Yaron Raducanu is also a Canadian born father of 3, graduated from temple in 1999 so possibly was born in 1973.

Time to find a new handle, Dr Ron! You mess with SDN, you mess with the best!

Not to mention he’s so obvious that I rarely posted on SDN back when he got booted as NobodyDPM and I could still figure out who he was.

 

[dtrack22]

Am I old?

 

[Adam Smasher]

Hmm. Being born in 73 isn’t old. 👀. He’s only 7 older than me. Am I old?

Don't be like him. Don't post your age. Don't post about your kids or where you were born. Don't leave a trail of breadcrumbs.

As for me, I'm just a lobster in American Samoa...

 

[msuDPM]

Dude is still wounded from a Reddit argument days ago so he’s taking what I’ve said over here to Reddit. V bizarre.

Not to mention he’s so obvious that I rarely posted on SDN back when he got booted as NobodyDPM and I could still figure out who he was.

I don't always agree with everything said here, but he's the only person I've ever used the ignore function on.

 

[PeaJay]

I agree with all the frustrations voiced, but the biggest problem plaguing our profession is getting the Alcantara in our cars clean. Really it is a major struggle for me.

 

[iridocyclitiss]

My favorite post from podit. No MD is making less than 150 sorry dude. I feel like i'm pretty neutral on this site, but even i can agree this is delusion.

I have a buddy who is a pgy-1 in FM who just signed a contract with a signing bonus of 200k, the hospital is building him an office, and he gets a pretty great salary as well (ballpark 250-300k).

 

[Jarrod.Shapiro]

I'm a dumb osteopath. Now that I'm a PGY2, we talk money more freely. None of my seniors signed for <250k whether it's PCP or hospitalist work and jobs are plentiful. The job itself might not be for everyone, but opportunity and pay is there

"Potential" is a hard thing to sell with 300k debts and 100k starting salaries. If you took out all the surgery potentials and replaced it with guaranteed 200-250k DPM base salaries, this board would've been a happier place

Hi again,
Too many comments to respond to all, so I'll focus on what I saw as the primary themes.
1. Insinuation that I'm of a different generation so don't have the same perspective. I'm in practice 17 years. Not "old' and not "young." I started practice after the so called "good old days" of high reimbursement that others have commented on. We don't get paid tons of money for a bunionectomy. So what? No use crying over spilled milk. I never benefited from that prior system so I live in the one I'm in. I don't cry to have the past back. Regarding my perspective, I CAN speak to people considering going into podiatry as a career, which, I think, is the purpose of this forum.
2. The original question was NOT about the ability to find a job but about satisfaction, so I'll stay focused on that except to say for those of you who had a hard time finding a job there are a number of reasons that might have occurred. I was willing to move to improve my situation. I took 3 different jobs in 3 different locations in the country. Maximize your training and your skills. Network. Be flexible. Show how you are different and you'll likely find a good job. Yes, there are some bad apples that might rip you off. If you work for one, leave the job for another.
3. I had almost $300,000 in debt after school. Yes debt stinks. You'll make enough to pay it off over the 25 year life of the loan.
4. Yes, we don't always make as much money from surgery as we should. Yes, insurance companies and medical malpractice are often difficult to deal with. The stoics advise to focus on yourself and not others. I don't waste my time thinking about how much others make or what they're doing. BTW there's so much more to podiatry than surgery.
5. I didn't state my income to brag about how great I am. I'm an average podiatrist. I work very hard to earn everything I have. I'm not ripping off younger podiatrists. The people I know who own practices are not ripping anyone off. No one has ever given me a handout. I state it only to show people considering podiatry what is possible. BTW others make so much more money than I do. Leverage your strengths and skills in creative ways and you'll make a reasonable income.
6. I run a residency and we graduate 3 residents/year. All of them can get jobs, and they're all doing well. How well, you'll have to find out by speaking with them.

Finally, to all of you considering podiatry as a career, educate yourselves. Talk to as many podiatrists as you can. Don't just listen to all of us on any forum (myself included). Ask detailed questions so you can make an informed decision. Consider that podiatry IS a legitimate career with a lot to offer. Like every medical profession podiatry is not perfect; it has its challenges. If I had to do it again, yes I would. If the career fits you, then go for it and the best of wishes to you.

 

[Shiyuan]

Finally, to all of you considering podiatry as a career, educate yourselves. Talk to as many podiatrists as you can. Don't just listen to all of us on any forum (myself included). Ask detailed questions so you can make an informed decision. Consider that podiatry IS a legitimate career with a lot to offer. Like every medical profession podiatry is not perfect; it has its challenges. If I had to do it again, yes I would. If the career fits you, then go for it and the best of wishes to you.

Good synopsis. Nothing beats shadowing and talking face-to-face with practicing DPMs.

 

[Adam Smasher]

I took 3 different jobs in 3 different locations in the country.

I think this is the crux of our disagreement. Many of us contend you shouldn't need to make a nationwide job hunt (let alone 3x) to see a payoff on your time and tuition.

 

[newfeet]

Hi again,
Too many comments to respond to all, so I'll focus on what I saw as the primary themes.
1. Insinuation that I'm of a different generation so don't have the same perspective. I'm in practice 17 years. Not "old' and not "young." I started practice after the so called "good old days" of high reimbursement that others have commented on. We don't get paid tons of money for a bunionectomy. So what? No use crying over spilled milk. I never benefited from that prior system so I live in the one I'm in. I don't cry to have the past back. Regarding my perspective, I CAN speak to people considering going into podiatry as a career, which, I think, is the purpose of this forum.
2. The original question was NOT about the ability to find a job but about satisfaction, so I'll stay focused on that except to say for those of you who had a hard time finding a job there are a number of reasons that might have occurred. I was willing to move to improve my situation. I took 3 different jobs in 3 different locations in the country. Maximize your training and your skills. Network. Be flexible. Show how you are different and you'll likely find a good job. Yes, there are some bad apples that might rip you off. If you work for one, leave the job for another.
3. I had almost $300,000 in debt after school. Yes debt stinks. You'll make enough to pay it off over the 25 year life of the loan.
4. Yes, we don't always make as much money from surgery as we should. Yes, insurance companies and medical malpractice are often difficult to deal with. The stoics advise to focus on yourself and not others. I don't waste my time thinking about how much others make or what they're doing. BTW there's so much more to podiatry than surgery.
5. I didn't state my income to brag about how great I am. I'm an average podiatrist. I work very hard to earn everything I have. I'm not ripping off younger podiatrists. The people I know who own practices are not ripping anyone off. No one has ever given me a handout. I state it only to show people considering podiatry what is possible. BTW others make so much more money than I do. Leverage your strengths and skills in creative ways and you'll make a reasonable income.
6. I run a residency and we graduate 3 residents/year. All of them can get jobs, and they're all doing well. How well, you'll have to find out by speaking with them.

Finally, to all of you considering podiatry as a career, educate yourselves. Talk to as many podiatrists as you can. Don't just listen to all of us on any forum (myself included). Ask detailed questions so you can make an informed decision. Consider that podiatry IS a legitimate career with a lot to offer. Like every medical profession podiatry is not perfect; it has its challenges. If I had to do it again, yes I would. If the career fits you, then go for it and the best of wishes to you.

I would agree shadow a lot of podiatrists. I was open to moving and I did. It’s what was needed after I graduated because I would never work in a private practice. End of the day a major part of my dissatisfaction is having to move. I’ve done it 3 times. That’s bs. But that’s just me.

 

[newfeet]

I think this is the crux of our disagreement. Many of us contend you shouldn't need to make a nationwide job hunt (let alone 3x) to see a payoff on your time and tuition.

I’ve done it 3 times. I don’t have a 4th in me. I will make this one work because I can’t switch again.

 

[Pronation]

Hi again,
Too many comments to respond to all, so I'll focus on what I saw as the primary themes.
1. Insinuation that I'm of a different generation so don't have the same perspective. I'm in practice 17 years. Not "old' and not "young." I started practice after the so called "good old days" of high reimbursement that others have commented on. We don't get paid tons of money for a bunionectomy. So what? No use crying over spilled milk. I never benefited from that prior system so I live in the one I'm in. I don't cry to have the past back. Regarding my perspective, I CAN speak to people considering going into podiatry as a career, which, I think, is the purpose of this forum.
2. The original question was NOT about the ability to find a job but about satisfaction, so I'll stay focused on that except to say for those of you who had a hard time finding a job there are a number of reasons that might have occurred. I was willing to move to improve my situation. I took 3 different jobs in 3 different locations in the country. Maximize your training and your skills. Network. Be flexible. Show how you are different and you'll likely find a good job. Yes, there are some bad apples that might rip you off. If you work for one, leave the job for another.
3. I had almost $300,000 in debt after school. Yes debt stinks. You'll make enough to pay it off over the 25 year life of the loan.
4. Yes, we don't always make as much money from surgery as we should. Yes, insurance companies and medical malpractice are often difficult to deal with. The stoics advise to focus on yourself and not others. I don't waste my time thinking about how much others make or what they're doing. BTW there's so much more to podiatry than surgery.
5. I didn't state my income to brag about how great I am. I'm an average podiatrist. I work very hard to earn everything I have. I'm not ripping off younger podiatrists. The people I know who own practices are not ripping anyone off. No one has ever given me a handout. I state it only to show people considering podiatry what is possible. BTW others make so much more money than I do. Leverage your strengths and skills in creative ways and you'll make a reasonable income.
6. I run a residency and we graduate 3 residents/year. All of them can get jobs, and they're all doing well. How well, you'll have to find out by speaking with them.

Finally, to all of you considering podiatry as a career, educate yourselves. Talk to as many podiatrists as you can. Don't just listen to all of us on any forum (myself included). Ask detailed questions so you can make an informed decision. Consider that podiatry IS a legitimate career with a lot to offer. Like every medical profession podiatry is not perfect; it has its challenges. If I had to do it again, yes I would. If the career fits you, then go for it and the best of wishes to you.

Without dissecting your long post entirely, you run a residency program and benefit from the continued glut of unneeded students. Your opinions are absolutely not neutral nor are they unbiased. Good day.

 

[podiatryresident]

View attachment 371891My favorite post from podit. No MD is making less than 150 sorry dude. I feel like i'm pretty neutral on this site, but even i can agree this is delusion.

I have a buddy who is a pgy-1 in FM who just signed a contract with a signing bonus of 200k, the hospital is building him an office, and he gets a pretty great salary as well (ballpark 250-300k).

I know few MDs who're making less than 150k, but all of them are part time

 

[Utvolsdpm]

View attachment 371891My favorite post from podit. No MD is making less than 150 sorry dude. I feel like i'm pretty neutral on this site, but even i can agree this is delusion.

I have a buddy who is a pgy-1 in FM who just signed a contract with a signing bonus of 200k, the hospital is building him an office, and he gets a pretty great salary as well (ballpark 250-300k).

Yea pcps at the VA tend to make at least 200k

 

[DMEpod]

The argument that there will be enough residency spots because there is no cap for podiatry programs is very flawed. Sure we can make more spots and say there is enough surgical volume at said program but most of the surgical volume will be toe amps and someone spending an hour trying to stuff a smart toe into the 4th digit. If that is what it takes to support all these extra students so be it

 

[Boba Foot]

Companies are switching to it because the montly premium for a BCBS PPO vs a BCBS BAV saves them about $200+ a month in premiums per employee at the rates I was given.

I realized today that my insurance is BCBS BAV and my employer just switched to it this year. It all makes sense why now….

 

[ExperiencedDPM]

I agree with all the frustrations voiced, but the biggest problem plaguing our profession is getting the Alcantara in our cars clean. Really it is a major struggle for me.

So you have Alcantara in your Lambo also?

 

[halluxander.the.great]

Hi again,
Too many comments to respond to all, so I'll focus on what I saw as the primary themes.
1. Insinuation that I'm of a different generation so don't have the same perspective. I'm in practice 17 years. Not "old' and not "young." I started practice after the so called "good old days" of high reimbursement that others have commented on. We don't get paid tons of money for a bunionectomy. So what? No use crying over spilled milk. I never benefited from that prior system so I live in the one I'm in. I don't cry to have the past back. Regarding my perspective, I CAN speak to people considering going into podiatry as a career, which, I think, is the purpose of this forum.
2. The original question was NOT about the ability to find a job but about satisfaction, so I'll stay focused on that except to say for those of you who had a hard time finding a job there are a number of reasons that might have occurred. I was willing to move to improve my situation. I took 3 different jobs in 3 different locations in the country. Maximize your training and your skills. Network. Be flexible. Show how you are different and you'll likely find a good job. Yes, there are some bad apples that might rip you off. If you work for one, leave the job for another.
3. I had almost $300,000 in debt after school. Yes debt stinks. You'll make enough to pay it off over the 25 year life of the loan.
4. Yes, we don't always make as much money from surgery as we should. Yes, insurance companies and medical malpractice are often difficult to deal with. The stoics advise to focus on yourself and not others. I don't waste my time thinking about how much others make or what they're doing. BTW there's so much more to podiatry than surgery.
5. I didn't state my income to brag about how great I am. I'm an average podiatrist. I work very hard to earn everything I have. I'm not ripping off younger podiatrists. The people I know who own practices are not ripping anyone off. No one has ever given me a handout. I state it only to show people considering podiatry what is possible. BTW others make so much more money than I do. Leverage your strengths and skills in creative ways and you'll make a reasonable income.
6. I run a residency and we graduate 3 residents/year. All of them can get jobs, and they're all doing well. How well, you'll have to find out by speaking with them.

Finally, to all of you considering podiatry as a career, educate yourselves. Talk to as many podiatrists as you can. Don't just listen to all of us on any forum (myself included). Ask detailed questions so you can make an informed decision. Consider that podiatry IS a legitimate career with a lot to offer. Like every medical profession podiatry is not perfect; it has its challenges. If I had to do it again, yes I would. If the career fits you, then go for it and the best of wishes to you.

You said on reddit that your family owned a medical company in Montreal and when u sold it the dividends paid off your pod school loans and also gave you a down-payment for your 1st house.....

Seems easy to argue with everyone here when you haven't spent the last 17 years under a mountain of debt ...

 

[heybrother]

You said on reddit that your family owned a medical company in Montreal and when u sold it the dividends paid off your pod school loans and also gave you a down-payment for your 1st house.....

Seems easy to argue with everyone here when you haven't spent the last 17 years under a mountain of debt ...

That's not Jarrod Shapiro, its Dr. Ron / oldpod73.

 

[air bud]

Great name btw

 

[halluxander.the.great]

Cracks me up that this forum is being infiltrated by a pod subreddit. Does anyone know the mods who run that sub?

Also I love how this guy is ignoring the main glaring issue which is massive over saturation and a terrible job market.

I wish I did. They banned me from that sub when I posted a ****ty job offer I got. I don't understand why it's such a taboo subject. I think a lot of pods are embarrassed about current or past situations they've been in, but what's wrong with shining light on the cockroaches? My personal feeling about it is that maybe that will help our situation improve in some way.... Probably not, but maybe.

 

[Pronation]

I wish I did. They banned me from that sub when I posted a ****ty job offer I got. I don't understand why it's such a taboo subject. I think a lot of pods are embarrassed about current or past situations they've been in, but what's wrong with shining light on the cockroaches? My personal feeling about it is that maybe that will help our situation improve in some way.... Probably not, but maybe.

Because those same scumbags are the ones offering those garbage jobs.

 

[Shiyuan]

I wish I did. They banned me from that sub when I posted a ****ty job offer I got. I don't understand why it's such a taboo subject. I think a lot of pods are embarrassed about current or past situations they've been in, but what's wrong with shining light on the cockroaches? My personal feeling about it is that maybe that will help our situation improve in some way.... Probably not, but maybe.

Halluxander!!!

Hawoo!

 

[DYK343]

Halluxander!!!

Hawoo!

View attachment 372975

I think we just adopted ourselves a new leader.

 

[dtrack22]

I think we just adopted ourselves a new leader.

 

[halluxander.the.great]

Because those same scumbags are the ones offering those garbage jobs.

I truly don't understand how some of these people sleep at night. My first job was a bad situation, abusive in many ways, but I've heard so much worse....people who were in literal indentured-servitude positions...

 

[air bud]

Been trying to thing of other names...googled "ancient kings"....Xerxes=Xerosis? Fungus Kahn? Spent a lot of time on this morning since of course I have no patients but getting paid.

 

[Feeter]

Been trying to thing of other names...googled "ancient kings"....Xerxes=Xerosis? Fungus Kahn? Spent a lot of time on this morning since of course I have no patients but getting paid.

My vote is Fungus Khan.

 

[Hybrocure]

Been trying to thing of other names...googled "ancient kings"....Xerxes=Xerosis? Fungus Kahn? Spent a lot of time on this morning since of course I have no patients but getting paid.

Yo what about Achilles

 

[Hybrocure]

My vote is Fungus Khan.

Sepsis Khan

 

[air bud]

Sepsis Khan

Sir we are podiatrists. Leave sepsis to the kings of medicine ie MDs.