Is a podiatrist a doctor

Answer 1

Yes, Podiatrists are real doctors, but not exactly the same as some other medical specialties. Instead of getting an MD or DO degree (the two types of fully licensed physicians recognized in the US), they have a DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) degree. Like dentists, podiatrists are incredibly important to a person's health and they are important to the healthcare team. They specialize in treating ailments of the feet and performing foot and ankle surgery. Despite this specialization, Podiatrists have knowledge about the whole body as their training parallels that of most medical students..

The first two years of Podiatry school consists of regular medical school courses but the last two years are spent studying the lower extremities, Podiatrists have to complete a two to three year residency following graduation. Some Podiatrists complete fellowships (further training) for further specialization. In total, over 10 years are spent training to become a Podiatrist. So they are doctors, but with tons of knowledge but a slightly limited scope of practice (to the feet and lower extremity) like a dentist is a doctor but for the mouth. Podiatrists are actually trained more comprehensively than dentists.

Answer 2

Podiatrist are physician, formerly known as chiropodists in the US.

there is no such thing as chiropody in America. Podiatrists attend four years of undergraduate education to obtain a bachelors degree, specializing in a premedical curriculum. they then taket he medical college admissions test (MCAT) and if accepted, attend four years of podiatric medical education at one of the countries 9 colleges of podiatric medicine. they take the same basic science courses as MD students for the first two years (biochemistry, gross anatomy, physiology, histology, pharm etc), often sitting side by side with medical students, and for the remaining 2years emphasize the lower extremity (radiology, surgery, medicine) instead of taking courses like ob/gyn and psychiatry.

they thus aren't trained as a full physician in the sense that they take every course that medical students take, they are trained as podiatric physicians and are under a limited scope, but have full jurisdiction over the medical and surgical treatment of the foot and ankle.

after taking and passing the nation podiatric medical board exams they graduate with a D.P.M., or, Doctor of Podiatric medicine, and must complete a three year surgical residency. they learn the techniques of performing vascular surgery for diabetics etc, orthopedic techniques, ankle reconstructions, calcaneal recontstructions etc, and a multitude of other complex reconstructive surgeries of the vasculature, tendenous, and osseus tissues of the foot and ankle. they also learn the medicine required for post operative care, medical treatments to prevent or postpone surgical intervention, anesthesia (not general, but localized), and learn to be experts in the radiological interpretation of the foot and ankle. they also learn to take full physical exams and order/interpret lab tests. they also rotate through orthopedics, plastic surgery, general surgery, vascular surgery, trauma, ER, pediatrics etc. upon completion of residency, they have the option to complete fellowships in orthopedic foot and ankle surgery which is offered to both D.P.M.'s and MD/DO's.

the newely trained podiatrists in America take positions in orthopedic groups, multispecialty groups, hospitals, and private practices and are generally considered to be podiatric surgeons first and foremost--they do the majority of foot and ankle sugeries in America. the average salary of a podiatric surgeon is $176,000 according to the American podiatric medical society.

Answer 3

In short, YES. They are referred to as Doctors of Podiatry.

Originally, Doctors of Philosophy (PhD) were by definition the only "true" doctors, as the word doctor comes from the latin for teacher. Doctors of philosophy are usually scientists and instructors at universities.

However, our society has decided to use the term doctor to refer to anyone who has completed a postgraduate doctorate degree in school. Thus, there are many different types of doctors, spanning many fields. Most often we associate the term doctor with certain health care professionals who have completed a doctorate level degree. Some examples of those are:

Doctors of Medicine (MD) - use medications and surgery to treat almost anything

Doctors of Podiatry (DPM) - deal with issues involving the feet

Doctors of Dentistry (DDS) - treat problems involving teeth and gums

Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) - treat animals using medicine or surgery

Doctors of Optometry (OD) - deal with issues involving the eyes

Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) - deal with issues involving the spine and neuromusculoskeletal system

Answer 4

Well I guess he can because he's a foot doctor but I'm not 100% with it :)

Answer 5

yes they are