Podiatric Medicine

Schools of Podiatric Medicine found in the United States

General Information and Prerequisites for Pre-Podiatry Students

The pre-podiatry program prepares you for application for admission to a college of podiatric medicine (CPM). The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) or podiatrist, shares with the doctors of medicine, osteopathic medicine and dentistry the legal authority to make independent professional judgments and to administer medical and surgical care. Podiatric medicine provides specialized foot care. This care involves minor surgical procedures in the office, major surgical procedures in a hospital, provision of mechanical devices to correct walking patterns, balance, and overall ability to move about more efficiently and comfortably, flexible casting, or immobilization of foot and ankle fractures, sprains and other injuries, and medical treatment to cure and/or control problems of the feet. A large segment of many podiatrists' practice involves sports injuries.

At least three years of undergraduate work is required. Approximately 90 percent of those accepted have a B.A. or B.S. degree. Podiatry schools accept students with a wide range of majors, not just a science. You should major in the academic area of your interest. All other factors being the same, G.P.A., performance in required courses, outside activities, MCAT scores, etc. you have an equal chance no matter what your major area is. You will do better academically if you major in an area which interests you. The odds of being accepted without a degree, or at least 120 hours of college course work are very low. There are no colleges of podiatric medicine in Colorado.

Your academic program must satisfy, simultaneously, three sets of requirements if you do not already have a bachelors degree or higher: (1) those set by the college, (2) those set by the department in which you are majoring, and (3) those set by the podiatry schools. The remainder of this deals with the podiatry requirements. Please refer to the appropriate college or University documents for information regarding their requirements.

You must meet the requirements in effect when you enter podiatry school. The minimum requirements of 90 semester hours must include the following courses:

One year of General Chemistry with lab
One year of Organic Chemistry with lab
One year of General Biology for majors with lab
One year of Math which includes at least through Trigonometry
One year of College Physics (Trig based) with lab
One year of English Composition

In addition to these courses, the California CPM requires another 8 hours of biology and the Scholl CPM requires an additional 4 hours of biology. Both of these schools will permit the substitution of biochemistry for the second semester of organic chemistry. It is strongly recommended that you consult the individual schools in which you are interested to be sure that you are completing the individual requirements for that school. You are encouraged to explore the arts, humanities, and social sciences in order to broaden your educational experience; once in medical school you will not have the time to do such exploring. Since medicine is a mixture of science and contact with people, experiences in social and behavioral sciences as well as the arts and humanities will be of great value to you. You must, of course, demonstrate your competence in the required science courses.

Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

The MCAT is currently administered in April and August of each year, although this will most likely change in the near future. You should plan on taking it the spring of your junior year, or once you have completed all the above pre-requisite courses. The test is described in The MCAT Student Manual which is available in most book stores. The MCAT is composed of four sections: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and a Writing Sample. Applications to take the MCAT are usually available about February 1, and may be picked up from the Health Careers Advisor in NC 3405.

Application

All colleges participate in the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPMAS). Applications may be down-loaded from the web at the following address: AACPM The application deadline for most schools is April 1st of the year you are applying.

Letters of Recommendation

All medical schools require letters of recommendation from faculty members. This means you should make certain that the faculty members get to know you. If they do not know you, they will not be able to write a letter that will be of much use to you. Many, if not most, schools prefer a committee letter over individual letters. The University of Colorado Health Careers Advisory Committee will write a committee letter of recommendation. For this letter, you will need to obtain an application packet from the Health Careers Advisory Committee. For details about ithis process, please contact Dr. Ferguson at 303-556-4350 or in NC 3405 during office hours. Please note that all schools are going to strongly recommend or require a letter from a podiatrist as well.

Experience

Medical schools expect that you will have had some clinical experience. This experience can be either volunteer or paid; the medical schools are not going to care which. You should spend at least part of your experience with a podiatrist. You may be able to get academic credit while you are gaining experience; check with the Center for Internships and Cooperative Education in the Careers Center in the Tivoli Student Union for further information.

Last Updated 5/26/03