Practitioners of podiatric medicine focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of foot disorders resulting from injury or disease. They also aid other health professionals in the diagnosis and management of systemic diseases and disorders that produce symptoms that manifest in the foot.
Following the completion of their Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D. P. M.) degree, podiatrists complete a 36-month podiatric medicine residency, which includes a combination of medical and surgical training.
Many podiatrists ultimately focus their practice on a particular area of podiatric medicine, such as surgery, sports medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, orthopedics, etc., but others practice more generally.
You can learn more about this health profession at the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) and ExploreHealthCareers.org
Additional Resources
Professional associations, professional education associations, and affinity groups provide news, professional development, and community. This list is not exhaustive but instead provides some examples of organizations that may be of interest to pre-professional students. UMBC does not guarantee, approve, or endorse the information or products available on these sites.
The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM): https://aacpm.org/
American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA): https://www.apma.org/
Maryland Podiatric Medical Association (MPMA): https://www.marylandpodiatry.org/
American College of Podiatric Medicine professional organizations links and resources: https://acfap.org/links/
Pre-Health Dreamers (organization for DACA-status students): https://www.phdreamers.org/