Podiatry

Overview:

Podiatric medicine is a branch of the medical sciences devoted to the study of human movement, with the medical care of the foot and ankle as its primary focus. A doctor of podiatric medicine is to the foot what a dentist is to the mouth or an ophthalmologist to the eye - a specialist who has undergone lengthy, thorough study to become uniquely well-qualified to treat a specific part of the body.

A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of foot disorders, diseases and injuries. A DPM makes independent judgments and performs or orders all necessary diagnostic tests. They perform surgery; administer medications, including DEA-restricted medications; and prescribe physical therapy regimens.

DPMs often detect serious health problems that may otherwise go unnoticed, because a number of diseases manifest first through symptoms of the lower extremities (i.e., diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, or kidney disease). Podiatric physicians are educated in state-of-the-art techniques involving surgery, orthopedics, dermatology, physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Resources:

Professional Organization

• Name: The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine(AACPM)
• Website: http://www.aacpm.org/

Common Application Service

• Name: The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM)
• Website: https://portal.aacpmas.org/

Entrance Exam

Requirements vary by school. Some schools may accept scores from any of these exams:

• Name: Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Website: http://www.ets.org/gre
• Name: Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
• Website: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/
• Name: Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• Website: http://www.ada.org/dat.aspx

Financial Aid Programs

• Application Service: https://aacpmas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login
• Entrance Exam
  • GRE: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/fees/reductions/
  • MCAT: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/

GPA:

• Minimum: 2.9
• Average: 3.3
• Average GPA: Varies by School
• Average Job Shadow Hours: 35+

PRE-REQUISITE COURSES FOR PODIATRY

• Principles of Biology w/labs 2 semesters
• General Chemistry w/labs 2 semesters
• Organic Chemistry w/labs 2 semesters
• Physics w/labs 2 semesters
• English 2 semesters

 

BS BIOLOGY PRE-PODIATRY