1

Changing your Career

Not every college senior knows exactly what they want to do for the rest of their life. There are also numerous readers who may have been out of school for years now and are hesitant to invest on going back. Podiatric medicine as a career is no exception. While there are students who finish their undergraduate degree and start a professional program quickly afterwards, there are also students who will spend a gap year (or two) figuring out exactly what they want from life.

2

So Many Questions

What were the deciding factors that allow students to jump into this career? Application wise, you have to be brutally honest with yourself. Do your grade point average and MCAT score fit the criteria to apply? If not, what can you do in order to be accepted?

Do you have the necessary recommendation letters?

Did you secure multiple places to shadow?

Did you shadow enough to see the good and bad about medical careers in general?

Did you have a realistic understanding of podiatric medicine and its nuances from private practice to hospital employment?

3

What You Value

The next step was knowing exactly what you value in life. The relationships with people around you, a healthy mental state, and fiscal security that would allow yourself to raise a family and enjoy the fleeting moments life offers. Professionally you have to value intense medical training that will push you to your absolute limits, the ability to think critically and call your own shots, and the respect and humility that came with being addressed as “Doctor XYZ”.  A medical career will generally offer you respect and prestige, but as you continue to grow in this profession, you may learn that the letters behind your name matter a little less, and the people matter a little more.

4

Know Before you Commit

Podiatric medical school requires 4 years of schooling followed by 3 years of residency. It is a 7-year journey from start to finish. This does not include the years spent getting an undergraduate or graduate degree leading up to the application cycle. You will be committing 7 years of rigorous medical training that will take everything you have, then turn around and ask for more. You will grow beyond who you are now and reach heights you did not think were possible. Last but not least, you will learn to truly love and appreciate the people who believed and supported you from day one.