APMA-Bethesda, MD – Students searching for the right opportunity to launch a successful career in medicine have never had more choices than they do today. But according to a recent survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), entering the field of podiatry will guarantee graduates something many specialties cannot – one of the highest average salaries in the medical field.
The survey, which compared podiatry to five other popular professions requiring similar medical education, found that the average salary of a podiatrist is $176,000, ranking second out of six. While dentistry has the top-ranked average salary at $200,000, the dental profession also carries a substantial amount of student loan debt of $130,000 – $20,000 more than podiatry’s student loan figures.
Podiatry also sits at the top of the rankings for providing its specialists with a wide range of practice options and high quality of life both in and outside of the office. According to the APMA, the combination of a comfortable work environment, stable amount of hours worked per week and work schedule flexibility gives all podiatrists the chance for a six-figure income while still working a typical, 40-hour week.
“Podiatric medicine not only provides a comfortable salary and flexible work week, it also offers the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art medical equipment, perform life-changing surgery and help treat and manage major medical conditions such as diabetes,” said Dr. Ross Taubman, president of the APMA. “Becoming a podiatric physician in the 21st century is one of the most challenging, rewarding and technologically advanced medical careers one can choose.”
August 17, 2008 at 2:16 am
Being a private practitioner in podiatry for more than 20 years, I can probabaly speak for the rank and file Podiartists, most of whom are in private practice. While most of the comments made is accurate such as flexibility of work schedule, and making a good living, etc. However, getting started is not easy, since our profession is primarily based out of private practice, which takes enormous amount of business skills, not to mention the fact that one has to actually run a business which includes payroll taxes to insurance billing to employee management,etc. And obviously one’s skill of medical knowledge and ability to interact with the general public. On top of that Student Loans kick in, in my case I did’nt really make any money until my 5th year, although I was grossing 200,000 or more. My advise to prospective students would be to visit a Podiatrist without any agenda in your community, get his or hers perspective, before you make your decision.
Also, it is worth mentioning that our Profession made great strides within mainstream medicine, however, there are many state and federal laws that does not treat us equall to MD’s, DO’s and DDS’s.
September 19, 2008 at 12:08 am
I am looking into podiatric schooling because i think this would be a good route for my career and future. I was accepted into medical school but that is located in the caribbean and i believe it will not be a promising residency. How stable is podiatry as far as work force and demand? Is surgery required in my profession, or can i opt out on this process, i would like to stick to consulting with the patient and prescribing them meds based on their needs. Let me know your thoughts!