Relevancy of PM News

[Adam Smasher]

Agree 100% with the above, but--trying to re-rail this thread--there's a generational disconnect here.

The pods of half a century past made a good living with their potions and lotions and plastic garbage. They paid $5k tuition for a 4 year doctorate and did 0-year residencies. Then they're befuddled today's graduates find their chosen career leaves much to be desired. They think our problems stem from underrepresentation which can only be solved with more and more DPMs every year.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[icebreaker32]

Agree 100% with the above, but--trying to re-rail this thread--there's a generational disconnect here.

The pods of half a century past made a good living with their potions and lotions and plastic garbage. They paid $5k tuition for a 4 year doctorate and did 0-year residencies. Then they're befuddled today's graduates find their chosen career leaves much to be desired. They think our problems stem from underrepresentation which can only be solved with more and more DPMs every year.

Yes every generation has it's own problems. No generation can fully understand the problems and perspective of another. Was there a honeymoon period for podiatry with preceptorships and short residencies.....yes. Many pharmacists even changed careers and went to podiatry school.

The ones who could do surgery in the office or at an osteopathic hospital and get on insurance plans did very well. Insurance plans paid much more for surgery and covered orthotics more often. Doing a matrixectomy probably paid more than bunioneictomies do now. Plenty of podiatrists got rich, if they had a steady stream of commercial insurance and did frequent surgery, even small procedures like hammertoes. Of course, hospital privileges and getting on commercial plans were harder and the podiatrists on staff did everything they could to block others. The ones who did 2 year residencies often tried to make them required when hardly any existed.

Then residencies became more common and more necessary, but most still did not get surgical residencies. Many schools actually took large first year classes planning to flunk out a good portion as they ddi not have enough slots for clinical rotations in the later years, let alone residencies. Loan amounts were lower, but interest rates were high on them....they could still discharge in bankruptcy if needed.

Many of the older podiatrists see more of us employed at hospitals and ortho and think everything must be great. Overhead is higher, insurance reimbursement is less and healthcare in general has changed.....we can do not do well by having a podiatrist on every corner. Chiropody is not very profitable for most and it is actually audited frequently.

History is important, to an extent. Podiatry's current problem is a risky ROI/weak job market IMO. I will never deny that previous generations also had their own problems.....but potential students are obviously not choosing podiatry for a reason. Either podiatry has something lacking like a risky ROI, weak job market, they don't want to be small business owners or be in school/training that long etc that pushed them away or another career had something more desirable to them.

 

[DPMGuy]

Podiatry tried to become too surgical with way too many pods for the actual demand (as evidenced by the garbage job market).

HOT TAKE: Shut down the dozens of garbage Doctor of Pedicure Medicine programs where residents quadruple scrub a 2 hour toe amp. Obviously the greedy schools will never change their laughably low admissions standards. Allow pods to practice non surgical without a residency… they should probably just be called chiropodists but whatever. The gatekeeping can happen at the residency level, since the bottom tier students will get left without a residency, which is appropriate.

This is a good post. With the low admission standards it’s not appropriate for everyone to get a surgical residency. Aside from that not everyone wants to perform surgery. The 3 year residency should not be a requirement for everyone to practice. Leave only a handful of high quality residencies that are competitive to get into. Not every podiatrist should be doing surgery.

 

[deleted1138023]

This is a good post. With the low admission standards it’s not appropriate for everyone to get a surgical residency. Aside from that not everyone wants to perform surgery. The 3 year residency should not be a requirement for everyone to practice. Leave only a handful of high quality residencies that are competitive to get into. Not every podiatrist should be doing surgery.

Well too late no one is going to change this or admit this

 

[DPMGuy]

Well too late no one is going to change this or admit this

Unfortunately true, the stupid leadership is incapable of admitting they screwed up.

 

[Hybrocure]

Bucee’s….mustache private practice owners hate him!

 

[Boba Foot]

Bucee’s….mustache private practice owners hate him!

We mentioned months ago that Buc-ee's pays a GM more than old mustache pods pay associates. BM News is finally catching on.

 

[Adam Smasher]

The profession is in disarray. Meanwhile, in PM News...

My bunionectomy post op instructions are not even this complicated!

 

[Pronation]

This is definitely the type of sports medicine that a highly trained total toenail replacement surgeon will encounter.

 

[Hybrocure]

PM News coming in hot today with the misspelling of the doc in the first article and an unsure if prank or real name for the runner in the fourth article

 

[air bud]

ABPMS Public Member Elected to the Board

Gary Stein has been elected to the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry (ABPMS) as a Public Member (one-year term beginning June 1, 2023). Gary was the former CEO of American Health Corporation that owned, operated, and managed 20 plus skilled nursing home facilities in several states such as New Jersey, Alabama, Illinois, and Kansas.


He will bring to ABPMS operational experience with a wealth of knowledge of all walks of service providers that podiatrists work with on healthcare teams. He will replace Mickey Salter, DPM,


Excellent, hopefully they will be able to help those seeking nursing home work get board certified faster in all aspects of callus and nail care. I assume that is what is mean by multiple specialties.

 

[Adam Smasher]

ABPMS Public Member Elected to the Board

Gary Stein has been elected to the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry (ABPMS) as a Public Member (one-year term beginning June 1, 2023). Gary was the former CEO of American Health Corporation that owned, operated, and managed 20 plus skilled nursing home facilities in several states such as New Jersey, Alabama, Illinois, and Kansas.


He will bring to ABPMS operational experience with a wealth of knowledge of all walks of service providers that podiatrists work with on healthcare teams. He will replace Mickey Salter, DPM,


Excellent, hopefully they will be able to help those seeking nursing home work get board certified faster in all aspects of callus and nail care. I assume that is what is mean by multiple specialties.

Not that I care this much about their organization, but why did they jumble the letters (ABMSP vs ABPMS) in their own press release?

 

[Pronation]

Not that I care this much about their organization, but why did they jumble the letters (ABMSP vs ABPMS) in their own press release?

Would you expect anything less?

 

[Adam Smasher]

When even Barry Block thinks you're asking a stupid question:

 

[Utvolsdpm]

I think we’ve all been sleeping on this gem from PMNews 2005:

12/29/2005 Rich Davis, The Courier Press

IN DPM to Vie for World Mustache Title

IN DPM to Vie for World Mustache Title

I admire guys like DAVID POWELL, an Evansville
podiatrist whose handlebar mustache (camouflaged
by a salt and pepper beard) is long enough to
hold Christmas ornaments. Actually, they're a
pair of his wife Melanie's dangly earrings, but
why nitpick when a world title might hang in the
balance?

I wouldn't say Powell, in his early 50s, has the
best handlebar 'stache I've ever seen (I'm
thinking reliever Rollie Fingers of the Oakland
A's or Snidely Whiplash), but he has time to
groom a winner. That's because every two years
there's the World Beard and Moustache
Championships. Think of it as the Olympics of
facial hair, from full beards to freestyle, from
natural mustaches to ones with character,
including triple-deckers. Some categories outlaw
styling aids such as wax or hair spray, others
don't.

The most recent contest Oct. 1 in Berlin drew
nearly 250 entries from 20 countries to what
must have resembled a ZZ Top convention. The
Germans whisked 14 of 17 trophies. It's safe to
say a grudge match is growing. Powell wants a
shot at the Germans in Brighton, England, in
2007, or Anchorage, Alaska, in 2009.

Source: Rich Davis, The Courier Press [12/28/05]​

 

[Boba Foot]

Just saw one of those latest scammy “Balance of Nature” supplement ads on TV. Of course they found a low rent DPM to sing the praises of their $50 per bottle supplements.

 

[Utvolsdpm]

 

[Hybrocure]

View attachment 372671

Me answering 80% of questions on a board exam

 

[footie24]

It's been interesting to me browsing this forum and comparing it to PM News. Just in terms of the tone, the topics that are discussed, and the contributors. PM News is a good source for gossip but it feels like it's targeted towards the oldschool docs. A recent survey of 871 PM News readers found that half of them had 1 year of residency training or less.

PM News is unrealistically positive when discussing podiatry. They sweep scandal and controversy under the rug. There is another podiatry website out there that refers to PM News as "Pravda," which is apt. In the past few years since I was active in these forums, I have noticed the tone of SDN (and some users) to be more critical of our profession. I find it refreshingly honest to come here and see many of us frustrated with where we are professionally and can talk about this openly.

As for the topics of articles, I find them to be bland puff pieces. Local podiatrist appears on morning News show to talk about running, well good for them, isn't that nice.

What really baffles me is the small-D energy coming from the contributors. People write in talking about flexor tenotomies like it's a stressful high risk procedure. People still get into tense discussions about ordering LFTs before prescribing lamisil. And when the biomechanics guys write in you can tell they are lapsing into dementia. Allen Jacobs is a frequent and insightful commentator, but he has his crotchety moments. I recall a debate about trimming patient's fingernails, and people discussed with all seriousness the potential liability of practicing outside of scope (the correct answer to any patients asking this by the way is GTFO my office).

So I guess I'm still reading PM News, and yes I'm aware that if PM News readers are nuts, and I'm a PM News reader, what does that make me? But it doesn't feel like it's for anyone who's been in practice < 5-10 years. They debate things that don't matter but ignore big controversies.

It’s a great place for 90 year old pods to talk about gout

 

[icebreaker32]

It’s a great place for 90 year old pods to talk about gout

Pretty much....but that fact many younger than 90 at least casually pay attention to it speaks volumes about this profession on so many levels.

 

[heybrother]

Near 50% of PM News survey responders appropriately indicated the greatest threat facing the profession is decreasing reimbursement. No margin, no mission.

 

[Adam Smasher]

Podiatry Management Online

Podiatry Management is the national practice management and business magazine, reaching over 22,051 subscribers.

podiatrym.com

There's a survey up "what is the biggest existential threat to podiatry?" 25% of respondents miss the point.

 

[Pronation]

Podiatry Management Online

Podiatry Management is the national practice management and business magazine, reaching over 22,051 subscribers.

podiatrym.com

There's a survey up "what is the biggest existential threat to podiatry?" 25% of respondents miss the point.

Next poll: Why is student enrollment down?

Spoiler alert: they’ll never make this poll because they already know the answer

 

[HardRoadPaved]

1) new generation doesnt want to be in the OR at 2am saving lives
2) new generation wants to be able to afford their DEA fees
3) new generation is lazy and doesnt want to work for pennies on the dollar
4) new generation doesnt know this is the best kept secret in medicine
5) SDN

 

[DMEpod]

The disconnect throughout the profession is crazy. In my experience, the general message here on SDN holds pretty true. Apparently for many other pods the over saturation and disgusting job market is not reality at all and this is the holy grail of medicine. Is it really just a generational thing or more of a blissful ignorance?

 

[HardRoadPaved]

Most in prior generation didnt face the debt loads and low reimbursement. This allowed opportunity before oversaturation to lay your roots. Also you have 11 years of undergrad/dpm/residency schooling to face as a standard when many before could do 1 year of training.

so in short... generational

 

[dtrack22]

The disconnect throughout the profession is crazy. In my experience, the general message here on SDN holds pretty true. Apparently for many other pods the over saturation and disgusting job market is not reality at all and this is the holy grail of medicine. Is it really just a generational thing or more of a blissful ignorance?

You also have people who work in MSGs, make good money, have PAs to see all of their post-ops so they can spend their day seeing nothing but revenue generating patients, and doing zero routine foot care. Podiatry would be great if that was the norm and not the exception. However, it’s the type of situation schools and professional organizations will use as an example of how great podiatry is. Yet there isn’t a single job post on any job board, or through any professional organization that resembles this practice situation. Virtually every other medical specialty can find this type of job in every region of the country with minimal effort. It doesn’t require “word of mouth” or “cold calling” every hospital/MSG in a state just to maybe find a similar job opportunity.

So on top of it being potentially generational, it’s also a case of individuals using personal and anecdotal experience. It’s not replicable for a majority of DPMs. Especially not for new grads.

 

[HardRoadPaved]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

 

[Hybrocure]

View attachment 373223



🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Someone get this man an account here

 

[bloxxeeey]

Most in prior generation didnt face the debt loads and low reimbursement. This allowed opportunity before oversaturation to lay your roots. Also you have 11 years of undergrad/dpm/residency schooling to face as a standard when many before could do 1 year of training.

so in short... generational

You'd do a bunion and pay your kids through college with the reimbursement for that. Now one year of podiatry school tuition alone = 80 bunions (not including living expenses or interest).

 

[Boba Foot]

View attachment 373223



🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Siqq burn by Cosmo

 

[DMEpod]

Just the other day I ran into one of my good podiatry colleagues that works at the large university hospital in town. They tell me that the hospital is hiring a podiatrist. They got 100 applicants... It's not even a huge metro area.

 

[icebreaker32]

Just the other day I ran into one of my good podiatry colleagues that works at the large university hospital in town. They tell me that the hospital is hiring a podiatrist. They got 100 applicants... It's not even a huge metro area.

Because Podiatry

 

[air bud]

Lol. This hospital program has been shut down multiple times. The Lepows um have a reputation. And doing 4 residents a year to start...not 1.

Because.....

 

[Adam Smasher]

This one caught my attention. I've never heard "podiatry" and "beloved" used in the same sentence before. "Podiatry and "peril" make sense together, however.

 

[Boba Foot]

Lol. This hospital program has been shut down multiple times. The Lepows um have a reputation. And doing 4 residents a year to start...not 1.

Because.....

Biggest jerk I met as a student. Even moreso than Brancheau-- that's saying alot.

 

[Shiyuan]

Biggest jerk I met as a student. Even moreso than Brancheau-- that's saying alot.

I knew Brancheau’s son... seemed OK guy but nvr knew the dad.

 

[Hybrocure]

Biggest jerk I met as a student. Even moreso than Brancheau-- that's saying alot.

Here’s a useful Pearl for students on rotations:

If a podiatrist is mean to you as a full grown adult spending 300k on an education tell just tell them to calm down and go clip some nails

 

[HardRoadPaved]

Anyone have a CPT for this? Maybe reimbursable with an 18G needle?

 

[Pronation]

View attachment 373634

Anyone have a CPT for this? Maybe reimbursable with an 18G needle?

Incredible

 

[wakaflocka88]

Incredible

More incredible the TFP poster on PM news believes in it.

 

[HardRoadPaved]

More incredible the TFP poster on PM news believes in it.

or that heel spurs are the cause of pain.... and located where those instrument strikes are placed on the skin

 

[Hybrocure]

or that heel spurs are the cause of pain....

Jesus Christ this absolutely. It’s the worst when you spend time telling a patient why the spur isn’t the cause of their pain and they just go “huh, how do I get rid of the spur?”

Decades of boomer podiatry shaving off heel spurs really effed us up

 

[Retrograde_Nail]

Jesus Christ this absolutely. It’s the worst when you spend time telling a patient why the spur isn’t the cause of their pain and they just go “huh, how do I get rid of the spur?”

Decades of boomer podiatry shaving off heel spurs really effed us up

There are a lot of podiatrists out there that flat out lie to patients as to why their surgery or treatment failed etc etc etc that I find myself constantly educating patients on. Nine times out of ten it’s an old mustache pod.

 

[Adam Smasher]

Gone

 

[snapturtle123]

I knew Erick from podiatry school, and although I didn’t know him well, I have nothing but good things to say about him. He was friendly, thoughtful, smart, a supportive husband, and a wonderful friend to many. Rest in peace Erick.

 

[JustAPedicurist]

Agree don't slander his name. you have no idea what was going on. RIP.

 

[heybrother]

@snapturtle123
I'm sorry about your friend. Delete the quote so perhaps adamsmasher can do the same and the whole thing can be removed.

 

[Adam Smasher]

I smell a new podiatry school...

 

[shadesofgrey]

View attachment 374746

I smell a new podiatry school...

Maybe or this may be an example of the somewhat rare species of Camouflaged Lobster. These creatures use their masterful skill of mimicry and deception into fooling those in other professions into believing they are not even a lobster at all, this allows almost normal social interactions between species. Their success also relies on their complete willingness to forsake and reject interactions with other lobsters as they move off the sea floor. See the tie? It's a dead giveaway.