The Podiatrist

In the USA today, there are medical and surgical specialists called podiatrists. These are doctors and surgeons who possess a diploma called Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). In all 50 states of the USA, DPM doctors provide medical and/or surgical treatment of the leg (below the knee), the ankle, and the entire foot. Training to become a podiatrist takes between 6 to 8 years.

First, completion of 4 years of podiatry school is required. There are now nine podiatry schools in the USA in the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Florida, California, Iowa, and Arizona. The first two years are classroom and labs for basic sciences (gross anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, neuroscience, pharmacology, pathology, immunology and microbiology) and for podiatry (i.e. podiatric biomechanics, pathomechanics, radiology, podiatric surgery, podiatric medicine, and operating room principles). Then podiatry students attend a white coat ceremony at the end of their second year and then prepare for Part 1 of their licensing computer exam (called the NBPME Step 1) in July of that year, which is a 3 hour multiple choice exam that covers only the basic sciences in the first two years of podiatry school.  Then the last 2 years are podiatry clinical rotations, medicine clinical rotations, podiatry specialized courses, and medicine specialized courses. In the fourth year, students complete an online form for residency programs and also study for Part 2 (taken in March) and Part 3 (taken in June) of the licensing exam (NBPME). The fourth year podiatry students then recieve notice of where they are matched to a residency program, which is either 2 years, 3 years, or 4 years long. The designation for podiatry residency programs is called either PMS (Podiatric Medicine and Surgery), with either PMS-24 (24 months or 2 years), PMS-36 (36 months or 3 years), or PMS-36+ (48 months or 4 years) duration.

During podiatry residency in certain American teaching hospitals nationwide, podiatry residents train to treat foot, ankle, and lower leg injuries and diseases, especially with diabetic patients in the clinic, hospital floors, emergency room, nursing homes,  and in the operating room. At the end of residency, residents then take a board exam to be board qualified. There are two types, either with the American Board of Podiatric Surgery (ABPS), or with the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and Primary Podiatric Orthopedics (ABPMPPO). Some podiatric residents take both board certification exams! To be board certified with either ABPS and/or ABPMPPO, licensed residency-trained DPM physicians must present a certain number of patient cases to a special panel of podiatrists for an oral defense exam (akin to a PhD doctoral defense!). Once the oral defense exam is passed, the licensed residency-trained DPM physician is given a diploma stating board-certified. To even go a step further, some DPM residency-trained physicians apply for nomination as a Fellow for scholar organizations such as the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). Thus, DPM, residency trained board certified physicians, if accepted, can become FACFAS. So you will see on some long white clinic coats of certain podiatrists the title, DPM, FACFAS. If you see this, this is the best of the best podiatrist in the USA! You can certainly trust this podiatrist. He or she is just as good as a Foot and Ankle orthopedic MD or DO licensed, residency trained, board certified physician! Yes, there are foot and ankle doctors who bear either the prestigious title, MD, FACFAS, or DO, FACFAS as well! So whether DPM, FACFAS, or MD FACFAS, or DO, FACFAS,  written on the long white clinic coat of a man or woman physician, they are all the same!

There are also podiatrists who are Fellow with American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics & Medicine honor society or Wound Care honor societies, with the title FACFAOM.

So if you see a podiatrist with this title in their long white clinic coat: DPM, FACFAS, FACFAOM, this means this is a genius podiatrist taking care of you! Next time you see a podiatrist, try to choose the podiatrist with the title “DPM, FACFAS, FACFAOM” to make sure you have the best podiatrist you could ever have! Very important.

These podiatrists, along with the MD and the DO Foot&Ankle/Lower Leg orthopedic doctors/surgeons are members of the elite specialist doctors of America who can take care of your feet, ankle and lower leg problems.