To be a podiatrist is the one of the best rewarding professions to consider in the 21st century. Why?
Podiatry will be valuable, indispensable, and vital because of the aging baby boomer population (a huge huge elderly population!). And this population has increased risk of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cancer, and trauma primarily in the feet and ankles. With only 9 podiatry schools and a small number of young podiatrists in the US and Canada to perform medicine and surgery on the feet and ankles of the baby boomer population, these new generation of podiatrists will be busy. Podiatry will be a very very busy profession mainly among the aging baby boomers until the year 2111 (yes, for the next 100 years).
Wound care, biomechanical care, and foot and ankle surgeries will be the main arenas that will keep podiatrists really busy. With diabetics alone among the baby boomers, podiatrists are an integral member of the medical team along with ophthalmologists, endocrinologists, vascular surgeons, infectious disease specialists, primary care (internist or family practitioner), and nephrologists.
Regardless of petty politics that put down podiatry, the profession is here to stay for the next 100 years. No other medical/surgical specialist is an expert on the foot and ankle like the podiatrist. And it will be a fact that a huge portion of the elderly baby boomer population will have foot and ankle problems caused by diabetes (i.e. peripheral neuropathy and infections).
Natural, Integrative Primary Care practices are starting to give wellness and health before disease the proper attention, the proper place in the importance of medical practitioners; The Doctors' Insurance Agency in Novato California specializes in finding the right insurance product for concierge wellness practice: whether that practitioner is seeing patients at home, in a business suite, occupational or conventional medical office, the right malpractice insurance product is essential.
Many of these medical practices are working on the first year start up capital, so the right protection from inevitable risk at the right price is so important. Podiatrists are working hard to provide care to our aging senior population. Podiatrists lately are working to save the lives of thousands of elderly baby boomers from deadly infections or metastases that started in the foot and ankle, which even includes the feet and ankles of those people behind the petty politics!
Before the lifestyle, wellness physicians get a chance to change the overall health, to connect lifestyle choices with health, many people love to eat the delicious burgers, steaks, sweets, martinis, champagne, wine, and...TIME catches up with unhealthy lifestyle choices..and, then, subsequently, endocrinologists, aesthetic physicians, nephrologists and podiatrists join the care team. It looks like Podiatry will be a growing specialty and important for overall health for MANY MANY years. Hence, on that note....
CARRY ON WITH PODIATRY UNTIL 2111!
Most podiatrists fall into the higher rated category. For purposes of analyzing your category, consider that podiatrists who perform the following procedures are rated accordingly.
POD01 = no surgery of any kind.
They can perform:
- Incision, and or drainage of sebaceous cysts, abscesses or hematoma
- Curettage of verrucae
- Incision and removal of foreign body from the superficial or subcutaneous tissue
- Debridement, excision or avulsion of nail plate, excluding permanent removal except those procedures which involve the use of electrical or chemical cautery
- Needle penetration of the skin and blood vessels
- Treatment of burns except the local treatment of third degree burns
- Closed manipulative reductions of fractures or metatarsals and phalanges
POD02 – Intermediate Surgery.
All surgery with the exception of:
- The treatment or reduction of compound fractures of the calcaneus or talus
- Triple arthrodesis
- Surgical procedures at or above the level of the ankle joint, which includes, but is not limited to, those parts of the tibia, fibula, their malleoli and their related structures
- Surgical procedures at or above the level of the ankle joint involving arthroplasty, osteotomy, grafts, implants, and arthrodesis
- Surgical treatment of the muscles and tendons at or above the level of the ankle joint
- The administration of general anesthesia
POD03 – Major Surgery
All surgery with the exception of:
- Any involving the administration of general anesthesia
- Surgical procedures above the level of the ankle joint.
The Doctors' Insurance Agency is happy to work hard for you to obtain the best premium for yoru Podiatric Practice, Foot clinic, or even part time policy.