For A Good Podiatric Surgeon Austin Is The Way To Go

By Karina Frost


Podiatric surgeon is the professional concerned with the medical care of feet. The professionals focus on treating, preventing, and diagnosing medical conditions that affect the feet, ankles, and related areas. This medical care is also provided by another group of professionals called orthopedists. In order to get a highly trained podiatric surgeon Austin is the right place to check out. There are several practitioners who are well qualified in this field in Austin.

The board that governs podiatric practices enforce a strict academic curriculum, which must be completed before one can become a qualified podiatric surgeons. A bachelor degree is a compulsory during admission into school of podiatry for people who do not have alternative academic qualifications. The degree should put emphasis on Chemistry, English, Physics, Biology, and Organic Chemistry. Generally, laboratory based courses are required.

Even though a bachelor degree is mandatory during admission, not all students get admitted with it. Of all admissions granted, around 5 percent of them are given to students with alternative academic qualification while 95 percent have degrees. Apart from a bachelor degree and alternative qualifications, students need to take the Medical College Admission Test, MCAT. Before a student is considered for admission, they must take and pass the test first. Failing the test can deny one a chance for admission.

Recommendation letters and superior skills in co-curricular activities can earn one an advantage in the admission process. During the first year of podiatry school, the courses covered are the same as those covered students taking Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine. However, generally, the courses stress more on feet, ankles, and lower extremity. Students in podiatry schools study for four years before completing the training.

The United States has seven schools that are accredited by the governing board. Students are awarded a degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, DPM, after the four years of study. After completing the four years of podiatry school, one must proceed to undertake a surgical based residency. The residency is a post-doctoral training that is purely practical. In most cases residencies last at least three years, but the period may vary from state to state.

The residency rotates residents through core fields of surgery and medicine. Rotations are available in general surgery, behavioral medicine, podiatric surgery and medicine, dermatology, plastic surgery, and vascular surgery among many others. Residencies provide an environment for doctors of Osteopathic medicine, Medicine, Podiatry to work together. Further knowledge is available through fellowship training in limb salvage and ankle and/or foot traumatology after residency program.

Becoming a surgeon of podiatry requires further training in surgery. This further training is meant to equip trainees with knowledge in surgical practices and surgery. Surgical training encompasses all fields in treatment of lower extremity.

After one has completed training, they need to start the certification process. The US has several bodies that do certification and one can choose any of them. An exam is administered as part of the certification process. The exam determines suitability of candidates and those who fail are not given the license to practice.




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