From ‘Why Feet?’ to ‘Why Not?’: My Pre-Podiatry Pivot
So let me take you back to my junior year of undergrad. During the summer, I worked as a medical assistant in a dermatology clinic. I enjoyed working with the doctors on operation days, but I recognized that medical school wasn’t the best fit for me. In addition to doctors in the clinic, physician assistants (PAs) had their own patient load and could perform minor surgery. It looked like a wonderful fit, so I enrolled in Des Moines University’s Health Professional Advanced Summer Scholars program with the hopes of engaging with some PA students. Even though I was still waiting to hear back from another program and had already applied to the physician assistant route, I stepped into this one with curiosity and an open mind, ready to see where it could lead. A simple talk about wounds and tissues from a podiatrist who taught at Des Moines University set the course for the rest of my career. I was amazed by the wide range of wounds that could affect the lower limb and the diverse methods used to treat them. Podiatry had put a tiny seed in my mind, and it wasn’t until two years later that I realized the importance of this talk.
After graduating from undergrad and being rejected by every physician assistant school I applied to, I decided to take a short detour and pursue public health. You might be wondering how public health relates to podiatry. It does! Public health focuses on addressing communities as a whole. As a podiatrist, I work with different demographics, each with a set of difficulties. I kept thinking—if I’m going to care for a population, shouldn’t I strive to understand every part of who they are? Too often, medical schools, even podiatry programs, push the humanistic side of medicine aside in the rush to cover clinical material. But to me, that human connection is just as vital as any diagnosis or treatment.
Remember that tiny seed from two years ago? It’s back! I was watching My Feet Are Killing Me during my lunch break when I started to wonder how amazing it would be to become a podiatrist. A simple Google search later, I was researching what I needed and started mapping out my pathway to becoming a podiatrist. During my breaks, I would shadow a podiatrist to see what I was getting myself into. Shadowing only made me fall more in love with the field! In a single day, I witnessed numerous in-office procedures, orthotic casts, and even toenail clippings. My clinic, where I worked, would always put me with patients who had toe complaints, and I loved it. Nail starting to fall off, toenail fungus, and post-op foot surgeries were a few of the things I got to see.
As you can see, my journey wasn’t straightforward, and it took me two gap years to really figure out that I wanted to become a podiatrist. My goal with this blog is to help guide you on your journey. When I started on this journey, the first thing I did was go to YouTube to see what podiatry student videos I could find. I was excited to find a few channels but disappointed that none had videos to guide me through the process. I hope that this blog will help you in whatever stage you are at in the podiatry journey.
