By: Yona Mizrahi, MS-3.

Yona Mizrahi is a third-year medical student at California School of Podiatric Medicine. He is currently a mentor for PrePodiatryLife/Hallux Magazine.

I believe shadowing a podiatrist is one of the most critical things to do when considering applying for podiatry school. For one, shadowing should help you answer the underlying question and that is, “Why podiatry?” Why do you want to enter the podiatric medical field? Podiatry is a very specific specialty, and you must remember that. You do not want to just enter this field and find yourself not liking it 2 years into podiatric medical school and realizing this is not something you are passionate about!

Podiatry is a very specific specialty, and you must remember that.

Second, shadowing is very important when it comes to providing an answer to admissions on the day of the interview. Most of the time, admissions officers love to ask the question, “Why podiatry?” You must feel comfortable enough to answer question, without it feeling like you are providing a scripted answer. Shadowing will help you formulate that honest answer, and admissions officers will recognize that!

Most of the time, admissions officers love to ask the question, “Why podiatry?”

Third, shadowing helps a lot with your personal statement. Lots of students ask about how are they supposed to connect their personal life, medicine, and podiatry all in one essay, and I usually ask students if they shadowed, because shadowing helps fill in those gaps.

Lastly, shadowing a podiatrist is crucial because most podiatry schools require prospective students to provide a letter of recommendation from a podiatrist. So, to provide that you will most likely need to shadow a podiatrist who can write you a solid recommendation.

By Yona Mizrahi, MS-3

School: California School of Podiatric Medicine

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