It was nearly a year ago that I stood before the House of Delegates as APMA’s newly elected president and spoke about my vision for the APMA “TEAM”: Tenacity, Endurance, Accountability, and Momentum. Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege to work with many members of the APMA team, across the country and around the world. I assure you that, as I said in that speech, our team has momentum. We are moving toward the goals of Vision 2015 with unstoppable energy, and as I leave office, I’m more confident than ever that we will achieve our mission.
In my final President’s Message, I’d like to give you an update on what we have accomplished and also ask for your help in continuing our momentum on these important goals of Vision 2015:
Ensuring that Podiatric Medical Education is Comparable to Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Education: The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) and CPME collaborated to create standard competencies for accreditation of the colleges of podiatric medicine. CPME has developed a 3-year podiatric medicine and surgery residency (PMSR) that will become mandatory for all graduating podiatrists as of July 2013. We have achieved full graduate medical education funding from CMS for the PMSR.
Educating Health-care Professionals: We have formed mutually beneficial relationships with other medical specialty societies. I am working closely with AMA as the vice chair of the Health Professional Awareness Education and Training Committee for the AMA Commission to End Health Care Disparities. The Society for Vascular Surgery continues to actively recruit podiatrists as physician members. We continue to enjoy a close working relationship with the American Osteopathic Association and even occupy space in its Washington, DC-based advocacy center.
Obtaining State and Federal Recognition of Podiatrists as Physicians: Thirty-five states define podiatrists as physicians. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia include the ankle in their podiatric scope of practice. APMA continues to work closely with state components to assist in their advocacy efforts, just as it continues to strive for recognition by all areas of the federal government for podiatrists as physicians.
Promoting Podiatrists as Physicians: APMA’s ongoing Today’s Podiatrist campaign has been a great success, with more than 80 percent of state components regularly using APMA’s public education materials. In 2012, we relaunched our website based on robust feedback from members and the public. We have already begun to see increases in visitors and visit lengths, and the Find a Podiatrist tool continues to be wildly popular. We grew our social media following to more than 30,000 Twitter followers, more than 3,000 Facebook “likes,” and nearly 192,000 views of our YouTube videos.
Attracting High-quality Applicants to Podiatric Medical Schools: APMA’s 12 years leading the charge on student recruitment came to an end in 2012. The association continues to be integrally involved by supporting AACPM as it spearheads recruitment. APMA also continues to market podiatric medicine as a profession. In our last 2 years at the helm of student recruitment, student applications increased by 14 percent.
How You Can Help: Each of our members must help us to maintain our momentum as we push to meet our ultimate goals. You can help by working closely with other health-care professionals in your community. Encourage your state society to form relationships with state medical and osteopathic organizations. Take advantage of contacts you may have within these societies. Continue to make use of our marketing and educational materials to promote your practice and educate the public at the same time. Visit our eAdvocacy site (www.apma.org/eadvocacy) to quickly send messages to both state and federal legislators, and participate in events like our annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, March 18–20. Invite students to shadow you in your practice and take advantage of opportunities to visit local colleges and high schools.
I leave our team and its momentum in the capable hands of Matthew Garoufalis, DPM, president-elect. Dr. Garoufalis’ passion for podiatric medicine will serve the association well in the year to come. It has been my great honor to serve you, the members of APMA, as president. Thank you for your support, your time, and your commitment to this great profession. I’m so proud to be a part of your team.
© 2023 American Podiatric Medical Association