Podiatrists, Their Education Requirements, Curriculum and Training
The profession of being a doctor is not always black and white. Unless the doctor is a general physician, most likely he/she will have an area that they specialize in. There are literally hundreds of different types of specialties, if not thousands. But lets speak a minute about podiatrists.
A podiatry is a field that specializes in the study of the foot, the ankle and also the lower extremity. The physician is trained in the analysis, medical and surgical treatment of foot ailments. Typically a Podiatrists will have full knowledge of a few things. He/she will have studied for years the lower extremity anatomy, pharmacology, biochemistry, microbiology and much more. The reason for such in depth studying about things that does not directly deal with the feet is because, many other subjects are connected in one way or another. Genetics and embryology is also studied, can you see how genetics may coincide with determining certain foot or ankle ailments. So the years of studying to be a Podiatrists never consists of learning only about the foot itself, there’s of lot that goes along with it.
The medical school curriculum in podiatry in the United States include also include other subjects such as general human anatomy, women’s health, biomechanics and sports medicine. By looking at these courses, you can see how each of these subjects, will eventually work hand in hand when it comes to properly diagnosing a patient. A few more courses are pathophysiology, ethics and jurisprudence, and neurobiology.
Podiatry is a respected profession. It earns respect due tot the amount of studying that goes into it. Prior to attending a medical school, the student must first complete an undergraduate program. The result of this program will be a bachelor’s degree. Once the bachelor’s degree is completed then the student will be able to enter a graduate school, there they will complete a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine program. This process will take about 4 years. After this 7 to 8 year period the student will then participate in residency training. Normally residency training will take 2 years to complete. After the student graduates from an accredited college then, takes an examination from the Nation Board and complete the postgraduate, oral and written examinations then they can become licensed and board certified. A foot doctor pasadena md or a foot doctor in austin texas, all must complete a certain amount of education prior to being able to actually open their own offices and began working.
When choosing a Podiatrist for your family, take your time, do research and ask around. You want to learn about the doctor that will be taking care of your feet. The first piece of information you want to find out is, if the podiatrists you’re interested in is certified. The podiatrists needs to be certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery. Next find out if that particular podiatrists has the latest technology in their office. And the last two things are, does that specific podiatrists take your insurance, this is important, you do not want to find out, after everything is done, that you actually have to pay out of pocket. Next always be sure to choose a podiatrists that will take their time and explain to you your options when it comes to treatment, medicine etc.