APMA News - March/April 2022 - 12

our profession forward along the path to parity
starting way back in 2005.
We have worked hard to establish the collaborative
relationships we needed to help us bring our
goals and objectives to fruition. Although we have
yet to obtain our ultimate goal of parity, together
we have accomplished many crucial goals and objectives
along the way, including the establishment
of a standardized three-year residency in 2013 that
took more than 10 years to accomplish.
So where do we go from here? How can we
best leverage our accomplishments to forge new
pathways to parity? And, a really tough question-
how hard are we willing to fight to push forward?
We will also need to set new goals and objectives
by engaging a broader cross-section of all
our leaders, stakeholders, and members, including
academia. Our various intraprofessional organizations
can no longer work in a bubble. We are just
too small not to pool all our various talents, skills,
and experiences together to present a unified front.
Once again, APMA is already planning to update
its strategic plan in 2022 and will request input
from members, including component leaders and
delegates. Additionally, as a direct result of stakeholders'
feedback, the APMA Board of Trustees has
proposed at this house a policy proposition supported
by the creation of workgroups to develop a
path forward based on shared goals. Who here is
willing to step up and become engaged to create a
new pathway in collaboration with the Committee
on Physician Parity?
Many questions are still unanswered: Are we
overtrained or under-licensed now? What would
a DPM with an unlimited license based on their
education and training look like? How would it vary
state by state? Could it eventually lead to a national
practice act? I know it would lighten the load for
APMA leadership and our staff not only in hours
spent fighting discrimination but also financially.
These are all questions that we could not even
think about asking without the hard work over the
last 16 years. Our profession is now in a position of
strength. But if we don't continue the journey and
its momentum now, then when?
We all know that our education and training are
second to none, but how many health-care providers
really know how much we have advanced
our profession over the last two decades? I
submit that we need to continue to educate other
health-care providers, legislators, patients, and any
other health-care entities. Many health-care media
outlets still do not reflect our latest education
and training when they mention podiatry. If any of
12
apmanews
MARCH/APRIL 2022
you see that in print, please let APMA know so we
can correct it immediately. Our podiatric medical
school graduates have more opportunities than
ever, our schools and colleges are associated
with major teaching institutions, we have standardized
three-year residency programs, and we
work side by side with MDs and DOs. But do they
really appreciate our value? How can we show
them our advancements in health-care settings,
if, for example, we are not allowed to take ER
call? Yes, in many instances hospital privileging
is much better than it was 20 years ago, but we
still have difficulty practicing to the full extent
of our education and training in many settings.
Unfortunately, I believe this will continue to occur
as hospitals continue to merge and become larger
conglomerates.
When I mentor potential podiatric medical
students, I always get the same question: Where
do you see the profession in 10 or even 20 years?
I know my answer is that I see this profession
expanding its role in this health-care environment
if we continue to drive home our education and
training to all health-care stakeholders. Our ability
to work both conservatively and surgically is key
to that mission and thus our future success. We
cannot select one or the other. We must maintain
and expand our podiatric prominence in every
health-care setting in which we are providing essential
services. Only in doing so will we continue
to be the premier foot and ankle specialists. We all
know that the health-care model is changing with
or without us. As they say, the train has already left
the station.
When I applied to podiatric medical school, I
was only slightly familiar with the profession, but
now our potential podiatric medical students are
very well informed and savvy about our profession.
Social media has been a game changer as
APMA has shared the podiatry experience with
teens and young adults. Working with our current
students, who are the face of the profession
for prospective students, we have been able
to engage tens of thousands of young people
in a profession they might not otherwise have
considered. We must work together to expand
the work APMA and these individual student influencers
have begun. The stakes and tuition are
too high to expect potential students to commit
to this profession without a clear understanding
about our profession, the value we bring to
health care, and what their career will look like.
APMA cannot do that alone. We need academia
to engage to establish a truly representative
APMA News - March/April 2022

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