By: Cindy Duong, MS-4.

Cindy Duong is a fourth-year podiatric medical student at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. She is currently a Chief Editor for Hallux Magazine.

The undergraduate years can be a tumultuous time, because the lingering thought of how your major can decide your future is ever present. However, it is to be expected, since college is all about exploring options and seeing what is the best fit for you. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare realm, biased as I may be, I would strongly recommend one in the podiatric medical field. It involves different subspecialities, such as wound care, limb salvage, trauma, reconstruction, dermatology, biomechanics, sports medicine, and more. Most importantly, it is a necessary field, especially for the growing number of diabetics that exist in this country, so we are very much relied upon for the importance of their care. In the end, the field is quite flexible, in the sense that you can determine just how involved you can be.

For those who are interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare realm, biased as I may be, I would strongly recommend one in the podiatric medical field.

To learn more about podiatry, it would be a great start to shadow podiatrists in your area by using any online search engine. If you are able to, visit a podiatry school. Since there are only 9 schools currently (soon to be 10!), it is possible to visit them all, whether it be via a week-long internship (which are free for the schools that offer it) or observation at the school’s clinic for a day. The internships may allow you to experience mini-lectures that would be taught at that school, as well as observe podiatrists in the office or in the operating room. In addition, depending on your state, you are able to practice up to a certain level of the lower extremity, but do keep in mind that what should matter more is what the podiatrists in the area are doing, because you wouldn’t want to step on any toes – pun intended!

The field is ever-growing with many opportunities and revenues to pursue, and I find that the more I discover new ideas and topics related to podiatry, the more I fall in love with my profession. It took much career exploration during my undergraduate years to discover a career that I now feel so strongly for, so if you have the opportunity to learn more about podiatry, don’t hesitate to give it a chance, no matter what anyone says about it! What matters most is you have attempted to see for yourself firsthand what it is like to be a podiatrist, and then you can determine whether or not it suits you.

It took much career exploration during my undergraduate years to discover a career that I now feel so strongly for, so if you have the opportunity to learn more about podiatry, don’t hesitate to give it a chance, no matter what anyone says about it!

By Cindy Duong, MS-4

School: Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine

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