Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Practice Perfect Editor
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Podiatric Medicine,
Surgery & Biomechanics
College of Podiatric Medicine
Western University of
Health Sciences,
St, Pomona, CA

They’ve Returned!

Over this past week, with the new academic year now in full session, I was able to appreciate the return of the students. In actuality, I’ve been working with students just about every day since I started my job in academia just over two years ago. But this week, I had three unique experiences with several unique students.

In one case, I was the patient while during the others I was the teacher. For those of you who teach students regularly, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with the positive feelings of satisfaction with the interactions I’m going to describe, if not the specific situations.

Dentistry

Early this week, I had my regular dental appointment. One of the benefits of working for a graduate medical university is the availability of multiple and various professions when one needs medical care. Some time ago, I had an acute tooth ache, and I decided to try out the University’s College of Dentistry clinic. I was a little reticent at first to have a trainee work on me, but my tooth discomfort, coupled with the easy access, made my decision a simple one. As it turned out, my care was excellent and much less expensive than if I had gone to a private dentist. Western University’s dental clinic is state of the art, and the care is superb, whether it was the student who took care of me or the attendings who oversaw her work. It turned out I had a sprained dental ligament, and with a little caution my tooth would heal well. After the high quality care I received, I decided to become a regular patient with the clinic.

So, there I am sitting in a dental chair having my teeth cleaned with my dentist/student. I’ve had the same student take care of me since the beginning, and she does an excellent job. I’ll be sad when she graduates and moves on. Interestingly, I’ve learned more from her about dental health than I have from any private dentist I’ve ever seen. I think it is due to her being a student; being in the thick of education, living dentistry every day, makes her an excellent educator. Perhaps it’s because everything is so comparatively new. She hasn’t seen it all yet and the novelty of her chosen specialty filters down to her patient. What a wonderful gift to receive from my student dentist.

Tonight's Premier Lecture is
Fusions of the 1st TMTJ
Jason Miller, DPM

Medicine

As part of the interprofessional approach of the University, the podiatry faculty will give occasional lectures to the DO students on various topics. Yesterday, I had a discussion with a third year DO student who was rotating with our Western Diabetes Institute (an interprofessional group of physicians focusing on diabetic care). As part of their education, they spend time with the podiatric physicians, and this time it was my turn.

The student and I sat down in front of my computer for an interactive case discussion. We went over several of my cases that covered patients with diabetic lower extremity complications. Since this was a DO student, I wasn’t expecting much by way of general knowledge or interest, since it seems so many doctors lose interest in anything below the pelvis. What I found instead was an interested and engaged student who was ready and willing to learn. She had good questions, took strong notes, and came across respectful of what I had to offer as a podiatric physician. All in all it was a very positive experience for both of us.

It is at the student and resident level that our podiatric interaction with other professions is so valuable. If they “grow up” dealing with us, they will have a better understanding of our capabilities and limitations and this will translate to more effective and profitable relationships during active practice life. It’s a win win relationship for everyone, especially our patients.

Podiatry

My third major interaction this week was, of course, with my own podiatric students. What was so fun about this particular experience was that the current crop of our 3rd year students started their podiatric training at the same time I started working as podiatry teacher. I met these students when they knew virtually nothing about medicine or podiatry. Now, they are becoming ever more sophisticated in their overall knowledge and skills. For these two students in particular, I had never done a surgical case with them, so it was a fresh experience for all of us.

We had a relatively complicated pilon fracture in a young patient, but the procedure went well, and the students handled themselves admirably. I was very proud to see their budding skills, interest, and great attitudes.

For those of you who don’t currently deal with students or residents, I highly suggest it. I spent my first 4 ½ years in practice without any students or residents, and I honestly felt I was becoming a bit stale, despite my enjoyment of podiatric practice. My time thus far as an assistant professor has been most satisfying, primarily because of my students.

They have pushed me to become a much better physician than I was previously. You don’t really know something until you’ve had to explain it to someone else. One also realizes the limitations of one’s knowledge when someone asks the simple question “why?”

For me, this is what makes coming to work every day so much fun. Sometimes I look back over my day and wonder, “How do I get paid for playing?” Of course, there are days when I want to pull my hair out, but a simple conversation with an interested and motivated student makes it all worthwhile. There are so many times when I stop and wonder what some of these students will be like as physicians. Each one has unique desires and motivations, each his or her own story. I’m certain that when I’m an old doctor, and I’ve had a chance to watch these young whippersnappers doing incredible things that I didn’t even think possible, I’ll be even more proud and excited to know them than I am today.

If you don’t have a student, I highly recommend getting one!