Level of general medical knowlegde/skill of podiatrists?
March 14, 2010 8:28 PM
How much internal medicine do podiatrists learn? How much internal medicine knowledge do they use in their everyday practice?
I'm in school for an allied health profession. Our pathophysiology prof is a podiatrist. He recently taught us thyroid gland palpation and tests for jugular venous distension. This made me curious as my understanding is that podiatrists only deal with feet/ankles. So, how much general medicine (cardiology, ophthalmology, etc.) do podiatry students learn? How much general medicine-type activities do podiatrists actually do? Meaning, do podiatrists actually screen their patients for anemia, an enlarged thyroid, or heart failure? Podiatry students, podiatrists, and patients thereof are all welcome to comment. Please, satisfy my curiosity!
I'm in school for an allied health profession. Our pathophysiology prof is a podiatrist. He recently taught us thyroid gland palpation and tests for jugular venous distension. This made me curious as my understanding is that podiatrists only deal with feet/ankles. So, how much general medicine (cardiology, ophthalmology, etc.) do podiatry students learn? How much general medicine-type activities do podiatrists actually do? Meaning, do podiatrists actually screen their patients for anemia, an enlarged thyroid, or heart failure? Podiatry students, podiatrists, and patients thereof are all welcome to comment. Please, satisfy my curiosity!
I think my college friend told me that podiatrists also performed surgery, so I would guess they do a lot of training.
posted by anniecat at 9:18 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by anniecat at 9:18 PM on March 14, 2010
lots of things that go wrong in the body have effects on feet and ankles
I actually asked my podiatrist about this the first time I saw him. He told me that a large percentage of his practice is dealing with diabetics. People with that disease tend to lose nerve function in their extremities. This can eventually lead to major surgery and amputation, but also the patient will often get cuts in their feet that they can't feel, and thus they get terrible infections.
posted by gabrielsamoza at 5:19 AM on March 15, 2010
I actually asked my podiatrist about this the first time I saw him. He told me that a large percentage of his practice is dealing with diabetics. People with that disease tend to lose nerve function in their extremities. This can eventually lead to major surgery and amputation, but also the patient will often get cuts in their feet that they can't feel, and thus they get terrible infections.
posted by gabrielsamoza at 5:19 AM on March 15, 2010
In NY, a podiatrist is not allowed to do the pre-operative History and Physical required before surgery. He/She must refer to a licensed practitioner who has these privileges. That said, they do have a lot of general knowledge of medicine, as they have to deal with the consequences of many illnesses. They spend time in their training being exposed to a variety of medical specialties and disciplines.
I wouldn't expect them to be skilled in screening for a variety of non-podiatric illness. Your pathophysiology professor is likely an exception.
posted by cameradv at 9:58 AM on March 15, 2010
I wouldn't expect them to be skilled in screening for a variety of non-podiatric illness. Your pathophysiology professor is likely an exception.
posted by cameradv at 9:58 AM on March 15, 2010
Thanks, cameradv. I know podiatrists do surgery and prescribe medicines. I was wondering more about their role is screening for/treating diseases more properly in the domain of internal medicine docs - like congestive heart failure. Thanks again, your answer was quite helpful.
posted by ticketmaster10 at 10:21 PM on March 15, 2010
posted by ticketmaster10 at 10:21 PM on March 15, 2010
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posted by honeybee413 at 8:39 PM on March 14, 2010