Finding the Future, Being a Mentor, and Parity

Our profession is poised for an explosion. The recently completed Workforce Study on Podiatric Medicine by the State University of New York at Albany provides challenges to our profession over the next three decades. The study revealed several interesting facts: 1) Podiatric physicians currently provide approximately 40 percent of foot and ankle care in the United States; 2) because of an aging population, obesity rates, and the epidemic of diabetes, our profession will need to triple its number of graduates in the next three decades just to maintain its current market share; 3) failure to meet that need means that less-qualified practitioners will be relied upon to provide foot and ankle services.

While this study presents an enormous challenge for our profession, it provides us with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to grow our profession, increase our sphere of influence in health care, and, ultimately, be recognized as the physicians we are. Any alternative to success should be unacceptable to every podiatric physician in this country. Central to the success of Vision 2015 is the need to increase our applicant pool to meet this opportunity. Acting collectively to educate and excite prospective students to an incredibly rewarding career in podiatric medicine will move our profession to the next level.

Recruitment of students to podiatric medical schools generally has been thought of as the responsibility of our schools. In reality, based upon our new opportunities, it is clear that it must be the responsibility of each and every podiatric physician. APMA became involved with our schools and the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) five years ago when our applicant pool had dwindled to unsustainable levels. Through partnerships between these groups, the applicant pool has risen every year since and is now 100 percent higher than it was five years ago. Nevertheless, our desire for parity with allopathic and osteopathic medicine, coupled with the competition created by these disciplines due to their own need to increase student numbers, means that we must redouble our efforts to ensure our future successes.

Vision 2015 has created the goal of attracting 2,500 qualified applicants to our schools of podiatric medicine. Based upon the current numbers of annual matriculating students, that will provide our schools with a 4:1 ratio of applicant to matriculant. This will ensure that podiatric medicine is highly competitive with allopathic and osteopathic medicine. To achieve this goal, APMA has created programs to involve our members at the grassroots level.

The “Find the Future” campaign asks every APMA member to recruit one qualified applicant per year to apply to podiatric medical school.

Accomplishing this goal will give our schools an applicant pool of nearly 12,000 and will enable our schools to take only the most highly qualified applicants. Each of us comes into contact with college-age students in our practices and our social lives who are contemplating careers in medicine. Speak to them about a career in podiatric medicine. Speak to them honestly about what we already know: Podiatric medicine is an exciting, academically challenging, and financially rewarding career choice! The easiest way to show prospective students what they are missing is to invite them to shadow you in your office. Once they do, many will see for themselves that they have limitless opportunities before them in podiatric medicine.

Another way to secure parity for the profession is to participate in the APMA/AACPM Mentor Program. This program pairs individual podiatrists with prospective students who have expressed an interest in a career in podiatric medicine. This program, unique to podiatric medicine, is one of the most highly effective ways to recruit students for the profession. In addition, this program provides opportunities for you to speak to pre-medical students and advisors at nearby colleges and universities. APMA has put together a customizable PowerPoint program and handouts to assist you in your presentations. APMA will even arrange these presentations for you! This opportunity allows each of us to reach larger numbers of prospective students and educate them to the best-kept secret in medicine.

Do these programs work? Let me answer by relating my own experiences. I became involved in the APMA Mentor Program at its inception five years ago. I have visited approximately 10 colleges and universities during that time. As a result, 14 students have visited my office during those five years, and I am proud to report that all 14 have enrolled in podiatric medical school! Additionally, my patients see me in the role of a teacher—a new dimension for our practice.

Our profession is poised on the edge of a great expansion that will bring the rightful recognition of podiatric physicians. A necessary step along this journey is the need to expand the qualified applicant pool to our schools. Achieving parity is dependent upon the efforts of each of us within the profession to contribute toward this goal. So what will you do to answer the question: Why is it that pharmacy schools attract more than 15,000 applicants to their schools annually, yet podiatric medical schools languish with fewer than 1,000 applicants?