Promoting Parity For Podiatry And Leading By Example

Like many specialized professions, podiatry is small. Since there are less than 14,000 practicing podiatrists in the United States and significantly fewer in other countries, many individuals, both healthcare and non-healthcare professionals, are uneducated about our field.

I cannot count the number of times people have asked me what I do for a living and if I respond by saying “I am a podiatrist,” they will either say “Oh, so you are a children’s doctor” or look at me with confusion. I then have to further explain that I am a foot and ankle doctor.

In addition, numerous clinicians have asked me what my course of study was to become a podiatric physician. Many are unaware that we attend four years of graduate school, including years of both didactic courses and clinical rotations. They are unaware that some of our podiatry schools are affiliated with medical schools and that we presently complete at least three years of surgical residency training, which are filled with other useful medical rotations. We also have the option of completing a subspecialty fellowship, which the general public may not know about.

It is extremely important to promote our profession positively because of its small size. We can accomplish this in many ways, whether it is by volunteering in community activities, joining local and national professional organizations, serving on hospital committees and mentoring youth. Greater exposure to our profession will be beneficial to our future survival and expansion.            

There has been ongoing controversy regarding whether podiatrists are perceived as physicians. In certain government sectors, podiatrists have been categorized as clinicians but not physicians. The distinction is subjective. For instance, the Yellow Pages phone book lists podiatrists under the “physicians” heading but the United States military classifies podiatrists as healthcare clinicians in the Medical Service Corps. Although military podiatrists have a wide scope of practice surgically, take calls and are expected to carry some of the same responsibilities as those serving in the Medical Corps, military podiatrists unfortunately lack parity when it comes to promotion opportunities, board certification pay and bonuses. As a result of there being so few podiatrists in the military, it has been difficult to establish change.     

Some proponents argue that if podiatrists earn the same type of degree as medical doctors or go to residency for the same number of years that they will have parity with their counterparts. Some feel it is not necessary to assimilate and prefer to maintain the “uniqueness” of our profession. Regardless of what letters are behind your surname, your actions will speak volumes. If you want to be called a physician, present yourself as an expert in your field. A very successful past attending of mine had a motto stating that word of mouth was the best form of advertisement. If you treat people well and do good work, you will get referrals.      

Another caveat of being a small profession is that the six degrees of separation theory really comes into play. Many of us know each other. This can be either a great thing or a tumultuous circumstance. It is important not to burn bridges and represent yourself positively because you want your peers to respect you. Podiatrists should be united and treat each other well in order to avoid dividing our already tiny profession. We should support each other politically and unite to get bills and regulations passed that can help advance our profession. We do not need to tear each other down with pettiness. There are many battles that are left to fight for better, fairer treatment, such as being recognized as physicians in the military. We can only accomplish this with the help of everyone in the profession.       

As a minority profession, our struggle for survival is unique. We have to educate others about our positive impact on the community that we serve. It is important to combat ignorance not by opposition or assimilation but by consistently demonstrating our knowledge and elevating the perception of podiatrists as the foot and ankle experts.
    
Dr. Ryans is a graduate of the SSM DePaul Residency Program in St. Louis and is now in practice.