APMA News - July/August 2023 - 13

The Foundation for
PODIATRIC
EDUCATION
by Patrick DeHeer, DPM, APMA Trustee.
The APMA House of Delegates in March approved
Budgetary Action Item 2-23: Podiatric Medical
School Student Recruitment. This action established
a nonprofi t independent foundation to provide
oversight for student recruitment in podiatry
and unite eff orts across the profession.
The fi eld of podiatry is experiencing a dire shortage
of students, putting the future of some schools
at risk. The Foundation for Podiatric Education will
address this issue by providing fi nancial support
to student recruitment eff orts, developing and implementing
innovative recruitment strategies, and
raising awareness of the podiatric profession.
To understand the situation, look at the ratio of
applicants to spots. For the 2022−2023 academic
year, allopathic medical schools had a ratio of 2.42
applicants to every one spot, while osteopathic
medical schools had a ratio of 3.20 applicants to every
spot in the 2021−2022 academic year. Podiatric
medical schools had an average ratio of 1.42 applicants
to spots from 2005 to 2022. The current class
ratio for podiatric medical schools is 1.05.
Student recruitment plays a crucial role in podiatric
medicine and surgery, infl uencing various
aspects of the fi eld, from meeting the increasing demand
for patient care to ensuring signifi cant membership
numbers in key stakeholder organizations. It
also aff ects our corporate partners. Although the impact
of the diminishing pool of qualifi ed applicants
on the profession may not be immediate, colleges
are currently facing a crisis. Moreover, there is a risk
of residency positions closing due to this issue.
A working group quickly established the foundation
to address the House of Delegates' charge.
The working group began raising funds, forming
a board of directors, and soliciting proposals from
data analytics and marketing companies.
Here are some additional details about
the foundation:
* A board of directors will govern the foundation;
the board will be made up of representatives
from APMA, podiatric medical schools, and other
stakeholders in the podiatric profession.
* The foundation will have an endowment to support
its activities.
* The foundation will work closely with APMA and
other organizations to develop and implement
its recruitment strategies.
Research by APMA, the New York College of
Podiatric Medicine, and the Arizona College
of Podiatric Medicine at Midwestern University
demonstrated the student recruitment crisis is
a marketing problem. Lack of career awareness
among college students continues to plague
the profession.
Moving forward, it will be crucial to leverage
data analytics, artifi cial intelligence, and machine
learning to optimize the development of marketing
and branding. We also know that once potential
undergraduate students become familiar with
podiatry and visit a podiatric physician, there is a
high likelihood that they will choose to enter the
profession. A boots-on-the-ground approach,
combined with powerful data analytics, will help us
reach our goals.
The foundation is a welcome step toward ensuring
the future of podiatric medical education. By
working together, we can address the shortage of
students and ensure that the podiatric profession
continues to thrive. The podiatric profession is an
integral part of the health-care system, and we
must have a strong pool of qualifi ed podiatrists to
meet the needs of patients.
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APMA News - July/August 2023

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