10/18/2019    Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH

Time for a Single Podiatric Medical and Surgical Certifying Board (Alan Sherman, DPM)

Alan Sherman, DPM, concluded that a single
podiatric board is what is needed to “eliminate
current confusion as to what a podiatrist is”
Allopathic and osteopathic physicians, prior to
the middle of the 20th century, overwhelmingly
were general practitioners. Now, virtually all
these graduates enter residency training leading
to qualification in a specific specialty. As a
result, the numerous specialty boards have
training requirements and examinations that
assure the public as well as members of these
professions that they are qualified in their
specialty.

Podiatric medicine also evolved considerably in
the last several decades creating the
specialties of podiatric surgery and, yes,
podiatric medicine. Both are quite complex,
requiring significant graduate medical education
called residency training. Unfortunately we
still hear members of our profession refer to
podiatric surgery and then so-called “routine
care”, a term that should be retired once and
for all. The medical aspect of our profession
today is quite complex, requiring intensive
preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic knowledge
and skills, very important in confirming our
identity as physicians. The time has come or is
coming when a person who is board certified in
podiatric surgery will restrict their practice
to that aspect of the profession.

Similarly, a person board certified in podiatric
medicine also can and will restrict their
practice to podiatric medicine. Establishing the
profession in this manner and acquiring both
graduate education and training in these fields
will “eliminate current confusion as to what a
podiatrist is.” The basic or undergraduate
education of the podiatric physician (i.e.,
completion of the DPM) should be the same for
all members of the profession before completing
residency training in either podiatric surgery
or podiatric medicine. In addition, it is long
overdue for those who received the DPM to
successfully challenge all parts of the USMLE
prior to entering residency. It is puzzling that
the curricula in all podiatric medical schools
does not already provide instruction that would
qualify its graduates to pass the USMLE.

It is time that we identify ourselves and that
other health professions and the public perceive
us as physicians. Indeed that is what we are. To
paraphrase Shakespeare, “A rose by any other
name is still a rose.” I have not made these
suggestions and conclusions by pulling them out
of a hat. For the past seventeen years, I served
as Associate Dean at an osteopathic medical
school (Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran
C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine) and
sometime before that served five years as full-
time consultant to the President of a developing
allopathic medical school (University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston).

Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

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