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Hi everyone,

Does anyone know anyone that has made the transition from Podiatry to Medicine? Or has anyone made the change themselves?

Thanks

I know a couple here in Australia that have done it. But, I doubt you will get any posting here as they probably off on their medical careers and not bothering about posting on Podiatry websites! It would be great if they did.

Yep, a very bright spark my wife used to work with realised that she had the potential to make it in medicine so left Podiatry approx 3 years ago, last I heard she was shining in her cohort.

__________________
“Body: A thing of shreds and patches, borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors and a misfit from the start”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks Peter, do you know if she found it a relatively easy transition? I know medicine will be hard but did she find it better having some previous medical knowledge?

Paul,

She found it relatively easy, but she had great science "A" Levels, and was extremely motivated.
I wouldn't compare Podiatry degree training anywhere near medicine training ( In the UK before our American friends shout me down!)

__________________
“Body: A thing of shreds and patches, borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors and a misfit from the start”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Judith Barbaro-Brown teaches at Durham University Medical School. I understand that she is the only pod in the U.K. with this distinction.

Cheers

Bill Liggins

Hi Bill,

Teaching medicine surely isn't the same as holding a Medicine degree, unless JBB has a Medicine degree, in which case she would be suitably qualified to teach medicine. Thats does not infer that NOT holding a medicine degree does not mean one cannot teach Medicine!

__________________
“Body: A thing of shreds and patches, borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors and a misfit from the start”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hi Paul

A POD I once worked with in the NHS left the profession to pursue a meical degree.....dont know how he's finding it though.Also,when I was a student POD there was a qualified POD studying medicine and he graduated and apparently enjoys Medicine more than he did POD...whether he found it easy whilst studying, I have not a clue! this is purely my opinion.....I cant imagine taht with the current POD degrees a transition into Medicine will be very easy...it would depend on your years of experience and your scope of practice and what you are exposed to.However having a previous medical background must surely be an advantage

Hmmm...

I know a Pod here in Australia who started a Medical degree and passed all 1st year subjects, then for reasons not fully explained went into 'emotional meltdown' for a year - withdrew from medicine and enrolled in a Podiatry degree. His view was that the Australian 1st year medicine was 'similar' in both scope and difficulty with 1st year Podiatry.

I know that at a minimum 1st year Anatomy is similar between medicine and Podiatry - and that Pod's if anything squeezed more into year 1 than med students.

I have multiple medical practitioners as friends (Pathologist, Dermatologist, Anesthetist, Cardiologist, GP, Psychiatrist etc.) and ALL of them put their pants on one leg at a time - just like us! They all defer to my knowledge of Foot pathology - acknowledging that their medical education spent only a few lectures on the foot!

My view: a medical degree is not a 'vast' change from a Podiatry degree (at least in my experience in Australia) more broad in scope, more in-depth (comparing undergrad length of time) but not a quantum change...

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A bientot...

Julian
Podiatrist-at-large

Peter, Im not in anyway saying medicine and podiatry are similar, medicine will be a lot harder than a UK podiatry degree. However, podiatry is a "medical" degree and things such as writing a medical essay, patient interaction and history taking will all be similar if not the same as podiatry so there will be some advantages.

I completely agree and expect that medicine would be very hard but its nice to know there are a few people out there that have gone from podiatry into it. It's just an idea at the moment but it does seem to be possible.

Hi Paul

If you are thinking along those lines Good luck.Sometimes its worth trying....you may decide to stick with POD after all but if you dont try you wont know.I contemplated it a few years ago,but instaed opted to try teh surgical route

HI Paul,
I am aware of at least 4 podiatrists who have been accepted into a graduate entry medical program conducted at Notre Dame univeristy here in Western Australia. One is currently working as an intern at my place of employment ,Fremantle Hospital. Her view was that it was very tough ( and she had a child during her training !) but her previous anatomy/bio science ,clinical/experience held her in good stead. Our current First year undergrad pod training program (University of WA) shares common units with Medical and Dental students.

Laurie Foley
Chief Podiatrist

i know of two podiatrists from my year at uni who successfully made the transition.

Why do you ask?

Steve

In Australia, medicine is mainly a post-graduate degree, so there are people who enroll in podiatry with NO intention of practicing podiatry...just to get into medicine. The country wonders why it doesn't have enough podiatrists (and pathologists, and dental hygienists, and nurses...nursing is a degree here too.) Yeah! That's stealing somebody else's career opportunity. Carole

thats a bold statement to make Carole, perhaps it is a retention issue that the podiatry profession needs to address also.
I can think of many fellow pod's who have moved (not stolen) to other professions other then medicine i.e engineering, paramedic, physio, mangement