A Young Physician’s Point of View on Increasing Applicants to Podiatric Medical Schools

As we are all aware, podiatric medical school applications have dropped consecutively over the past two application cycles.¹ I believe this is truly a crisis, because as our “baby boomer” population ages, the demand for podiatric physicians across the nation has increased in my observation. Another dilemma is that current “baby boomers” who are practicing podiatric physicians may not have the same volume of young doctors interested in buying their practices. This could also lead podiatric physicians who are retirement-eligible to continue to practice because they are reluctant to leave their patients without transition or they need a buyer to help move to their next phase of life.

I have heard a rebuttal that people in the upcoming generation are not as interested in becoming physicians. However, the released statistics for applications for both allopathic and osteopathic indicate rising numbers of candidates. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the number of students attending allopathic medical school has risen by 37.5% in the last two decades.² According to the American Osteopathic Association, the number of students attending osteopathic medical school has grown by 77% in the last decade.³ As with any statistic, it’s not always clear and concise as to why these numbers have increased. With this information, I believe that part of the increase is due to branding and brand recognition within these studies of medicine. Unlike podiatric medicine and surgery, I feel that these particular medical professions have consistently branded their education to the public, which has led to a self-sustainable marketing model with a demand in enrollment.

Increasing Public Knowledge of Podiatric Skills

Often when I am training or lecturing allopathic or osteopathic physicians, they are astonished to learn just how much our scope of practice covers and the extent of our medical knowledge. It’s even more common amongst patients or patients’ family members to witness their amazement that podiatric physicians have trained extensively in surgery and can provide a surgical solution to their ailment. Typically, the statement from either party is, “why isn’t this advertised,” or, “why didn’t my primary care doctor refer me to your practice sooner?’ Although I am actively involved in multiple podiatric organizations and institutions, I have to concede that these questions have merit. In my opinion, podiatric medicine and surgery as a specialty has not successfully informed the public as to what we are fully capable of providing to our patients. It’s our duty as podiatric physicians and advocates of our specialty to inform the public of the skill set and knowledge that we possess. Of course, I have to mention an interaction with Lawrence Harkless, DPM, in which I recall his assertion that if every practicing podiatric physician and surgeon were to have one potential student shadow in their practice every year, the pipeline issue would be resolved. Once they experience firsthand the diversity of patient care we provide, I agree that more candidates would likely apply to podiatric medical school.

Recently, I took it upon myself to gauge my own children’s level of curiosity into the specialty. I first reviewed a surgical case presentation with my daughter, who happens to be in the third grade. Initially, she was disturbed by some of the sensitive images of amputations of the lower extremity, but gradually she became curious and asked me secondary and tertiary questions such as “why was amputation the only solution,” or, “did the patient not have access to medications that could help?” This caught me off guard because I did not truly think she would become that curious, or at least not to that extent. So, after completing the presentation with my daughter, I proceeded to present the same presentation to my son. His initial reaction was the complete opposite from his sister. He did not find the images disturbing, but wanted to know how long it took to perform the surgical procedure and what “tools” I used to cut the bone. This experience with my children clarified my understanding that the solution to the podiatry pipeline will not be solved overnight.

Finding a Path Forward

However, we have to learn to engage the younger generations about our amazing specialty as early and as often as possible. I wouldn’t recommend starting with amputations such as I did with my own children, but other skills such as suturing, hand tying, taping, and bandaging could engage and spark interest in the specialty. This is the time for us to be creative in grasping future candidates to be the next generation of podiatric physicians and surgeons. Soon enough we will be the aging patients in need of a good podiatric physician to treat our ailing lower extremities, and I would prefer to have a provider who is passionate about their profession!

Dr. Johnson is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes-Podiatry (MEND) at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

References

1.    American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine. AACPMAS Historical Trends 2013-2022. https://aacpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Historical-TRENDS-of-apps-2013-2022-10-2022-for-health-professions-update.pdf Accessed February 10, 2023
2.     Boyle P. Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical School Applicants and Enrollment hits Record Highs; Underrepresented Minorities Lead the Surge. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/medical-school-applicants-and-enrollments-hit-record-highs-underrepresented-minorities-lead-surge Accessed February 10, 2023
3.     American Osteopathic Association. Osteopathic Medical Profession Report 2022   https://osteopathic.org/about/aoa-statistics/ Accessed February 10, 2023.