Here’s my rhetorical question for the week:

How much self-sabotage can podiatry as a profession do?

I heard recently that the national applicant pool for podiatry is currently down around 20-22% this year at the start of the application cycle. I also heard that last year the applicant pool was down about 25%. Remember, the applicant pool for podiatry has never been particularly high. Don’t quote me on the numbers; they’re second hand. But feel free to ask the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM).

This is not a good situation for our profession, and, yes, I consider this self-sabotage by the entire profession.

Now, I know what some of you are going to say. “Why aren’t the nine colleges doing something about this?” I’ll admit my obvious bias as an assistant professor of one of those nine colleges as I say that’s a cop out attitude. Yes, my podiatric colleagues, you can quote me on that one.

It’s a cop out because as a small profession, ALL of us are responsible for supporting the profession. I can tell you that each of the colleges work very hard to recruit new and highly qualified applicants. However, there’s only so much one isolated college can do, and there’s absolutely no way one college will affect the national pool. Each of us needs to do more.

For those of you in practice, let me explain what’s at stake as our pool drops.

Second, the quality of our residents will drop as the colleges have less and less students. This will diminish our relationship with the rest of the medical community.

Third, there will be an ever-decreasing number of quality potential associates going into practice, which will hurt those of you looking for your next associate or partner. This will, of course, occur at the very time we need more podiatrists to care for the baby boomer generation. For some of you, this will seem like a good thing at first, as your practice volumes increase from the lack of providers. However, there’s a physical limit to the number of patients each of us can see. And, no, you won’t be able to hire an associate to expand your practice, because there will be less qualified candidates.

Fourth, as our numbers of practicing providers decrease, and our patients wait longer and longer for you to see them, they will eventually go to someone else, such as other providers who treat similar pathologies. Let’s take diabetic foot ulcers as an example. Physical therapists also do wound care, and our patients will go to them. I love physical therapists, but I still feel podiatrists have the market on this patient population both by experience and by services offered (we can do surgery where they cannot). But…patients will have to go somewhere, and if there isn’t a foot expert around to see to their painful plantar fasciitis, then they’ll have their orthoses made by physical therapists or have their surgery done by orthopedists.

See where I’m going with this? Do I need to keep going to the obvious end point of this downward slide?

Say it’s a temporary trend. Say you’re too busy or Shapiro’s full of BS. Say what you want. Then when you’re done arguing with me, start actually thinking about the profession that has given you so much. I make well over a six figure salary. I’m well respected in my community for the services I provide. I love watching our students and residents become practicing foot and ankle specialists. My soul is enriched daily by seeing the faces of those patients I’ve made better. None of these things would have been possible without the opportunities podiatry and all its special practitioners have provided to me. And I know it’s the same for many, if not most, of you.

The American Podiatric Medical Association has put in an effort to increase recruitment, but it’s not enough – that’s profoundly clear. We all need to be part of this. Here’s what you should do:

To the APMA, my one best piece of advice is to hire a high quality marketing firm and sink a pile of money into a major national campaign. We need more than a couple of interviews with podiatrists online. We need TV and radio commercials. We need our national speakers to get on the radio. We need professional help maintaining a social media presence. We must let everyone who can see or hear know about this profession. We need to stop being the best kept secret in medicine.

It’s not someone else’s problem. It’s yours. We need our entire profession to get off your collective ass and help. Or don’t. It’s up to you. Good luck.

*Approved for 16 CME/CECH Credit Hours

PODIATRISTS: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards and requirements for approval of providers of continuing education in podiatric medicine through a joint provider agreement between the New York College of Podiatric Medicine and PRESENT e-Learning Systems.

The New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM) is approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education as a provider of continuing education in podiatric medicine. The NYCPM has approved this activity for a maximum of 16 continuing education contact hours.

PHYSICIANS: Professional Education Services Group (PESG) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Professional Education Services Group (PESG) designates this live educational activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. A maximum of 16 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM will be awarded.

NURSES: Professional Education Services Group (PESG) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. PESG is awarding a maximum of 16 contact hours for this activity.