Podiatrist not considered physicians?

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I have recently been accepted to a DPM program, which I am very happy about. I was hoping to get feedback from all of you practicing DPM's out there. Have you ever been considered less than a physician? What have been your experiences in the political climate of DPM's in the category of allied health? How are your working relationships with other physicians?

I appreciate any time and insight you might be able to offer.

 

Podaitrists as physicians

The laws vary from state to state. Podiatrists are physicians in Washington State but not in California.
Eddie Davis, DPM
eddavisdpm@webmail.us

 

Also welcome to the profession. I am employed by the VA; while my scope of practice is equal to physicians, (complete medical and surgical care of the foot), my compensation is signicantly less than physicians doing comparable care.

 

Most Podiatrists practicing in the USA believe that they are considered Physicians;
Podiatrists are considered physicians by the Medicare Act that gave DPM's the right to bill Medicare as a covered service. However, state to state there may be certain "issues" with the term.

 

physician: a person skilled in the art of healing; specif: a doctor of medicine.
I went into podiatry school in 1975 at a time when there were many in my class who had originally tried to get into medical school. There was some disappointment at being in podiatry school. I think time has changed the opinion of many of my classmates. After having 26 years of seeing the MD "heal" the foot related disorders, I am convinced that I am truly a physician. Those coming out of school today are better trained and have a great future. Whether others consider us "physicians" doesn't matter to me. We are the best. I love seeing patients who have been to the real doctors first. I am not so arrogant to think podiatry knows everything. There are always opportunities to advance. I think some of the ongoing debate about whether we should eventually become an MD is from some insecurity from our past history. Some of my MD friends look at me and wonder if they could become a DPM. With many of our students learning side by side with the allopathic medical students it will only improve the understanding and acceptance of podiatrists as physicians. I stumbled into this profession. What luck. Just a few thoughts and my opinion.

 

I know this is an old thread, but the topic has reared up in 2 other places.

Over at StudentDoctorForums, they had this thread:
Physician title?

and in PM News there was this letter:
Inclusion of Podiatrists in America's Top Doctors from a former Dean of a Medical school and Barry Block's response.
There was then this series of responses:
http://www.podiatrym.com/letters2.cfm?id=9243&start=1

 

Podiatrists in USA

Hi Stacy,

I've been practicing for 17 years and here is my experience. All of the titles and official reconitions from various organizations and government bodies are very important.

But, the bottom line is how you interact with other physicians. If you think like a physician, other physicians will respect you. Don't just treat the foot. Do workups like all other physicians, do appropriate consults and referrals. Just do your job as a physician and all will fall into place. It takes time and perseverence.

For instance, is your patient with a wound showing signs of diabetes when you do a review of systems and exam? Then run some lab tests, fasting glucose, glucose tolerance test etc. You diagnose the problem and then send results to the PCP and refer to an Endocrinologist.

Good luck.

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
dr_mkatz@yahoo.com
http://www.thetampapodiatrist.com/
http://katzpodiatristtampa.blogspot.com/