Podiatry+school

=Introduction= toc Podiatric Medicine is a highly specialized branch of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and disorders affecting the foot, ankle and lower extremities. Podiatrists have completely independent and unlimited surgical, pharmaceutical and medical authority when acting within their scope of practice as described by each individual state. Podiatrists are formally recognized as physicians by federal programs such as Medicare and at the state level with 24 state legislatures having taken special initiatives in this regard. In 1911, the first college of podiatric medicine was operating in New York City (the New York College of Podiatric Medicine), and licensure was integrated under the State Board of Regents by the Board of Medical Examiners.

=What They Do= Today, podiatric doctors are providing specialized foot care to more patients than ever before. Because the foot has a complex interrelation with the rest of the body, it may be the first area to show signs of serious systemic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The podiatric doctor is often the first to detect symptoms of these disorders and becomes a vital and sometimes lifesaving link in the health care team.

As the societal trend continues towards physical fitness, with greater emphasis placed on sports medicine, the importance of podiatric medicine is becoming more and more apparent in many of the nation's leading hospitals and treatment centers. Currently, in order to qualify for obtaining a license to practice podiatry, one must graduate from an accredited college of Podiatric Medicine, completed at least a three year residency program, and passed the applicable licensing examination and requirements of the state in which the Podiatrist plans to practice, and/or the National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners Basic Science and Clinical Examinations. A career in podiatric medicine offers you the opportunity to plan your own work schedule, decide on your own type of practice, and attain professional status within the health care community.

Now a quick a word concerning NYCPM, New York’s only Podiatry school. It is the oldest school in the country and has more graduates than any other school. Nearly a quarter of all Podiatrists in this country hail from NYCPM. It is conveniently located on 124th and Park, a 15 minute bus ride from Washington Heights. The school’s preparation in pre-clinical sciences is second to none and the professors are some of the best in the world.

=Getting Into Podiatry School= The New York College of Podiatric Medicine selects highly motivated students who are qualified to enter into the study of podiatric medicine by virtue of prior academic achievement, and evidence of aptitude to pursue a health profession and more specifically of the desire to study podiatric medicine. In addition to appropriate general education, candidates for admission must also have completed specific prerequisite course work. All candidates for admission must have completed one academic year of the following: Biology (lecture & lab), General Chemistry (lecture & lab), Organic Chemistry (lecture & lab), Physics (lecture & lab), and, English. To be most competitive, you should possess a science and overall GPA over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. All candidates must have taken the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) during the year that they are applying or within the prior three years. DAT scores may be accepted in select cases. All candidates must obtain three letters of recommendation or pre-health committee evaluations.

The New York College of Podiatric Medicine offers a four-year program of study, the ultimate goal of which is to prepare the entry level Doctor of Podiatric Medicine to enter graduate podiatric medical training programs.

=What To Expect in Podiatry School= The podiatric medical curriculum is designed for pre-medical students who have completed prerequisite education in chemistry, physics and biology. The curriculum of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine parallels that of allopathic/osteopathic medicine in that it is founded in traditional western medical principles and consists of two years of pre-clinical and two years of clinical sciences. NYCPM shares faculty with many MD, DO, and DDS schools including Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, NY Medical College, SUNY Downstate, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and NYU School of Medicine.

At present, the courses are arranged such that the student begins study with basic knowledge of normal structure and function of the human body. This is followed by combined basic and general clinical science courses in the second year, where fundamentals of pathologic diseases are introduced and clinical correlations are presented. Full body diagnostic skills commence in the first year and progressively increase throughout the course of study.

Study in the third year revolves, predominately, around a combination of didactic lectures and clinical clerkships in areas pertaining to the lower extremity.

The fourth year is devoted to diagnostic skills through problem solving in clinical settings. Students rotate through hospital-based clerkships in General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics and General Radiology, and also spend five months in elective externships at a variety of National and International sites.

For more information you can visit the American Podiatric Medical Association at []