Podiatric medicine is a highly rewarding health career with a variety of specialty areas to serve patients with diverse needs that rely upon highly trained skills.
A professional basketball player who tore their achilles tendon during a game, a diabetic patient at risk of losing their foot, and an older woman with a painful bunion who wants to get back to her daily walks. These are all patients served by Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) who can not only get them back on their feet but also help prevent future medical issues.
By going directly into a specialty at the time they begin podiatric medical school, D.P.M.s are qualified by their education and training to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg.
“From sports medicine, to reconstruction and trauma, to diabetic limb salvage patients or geriatrics, it’s a profession that really encompasses all of the aspects of medicine in one unique profession,” said Dr. John Steinberg, system chief for the MedStar Health Division of Podiatric Surgery and the program director of the MedStar Health Georgetown University Podiatric Surgery Residency program. “It’s just such a unique profession that blends the capabilities of medicine and surgery into a skill set for a practitioner that can really make a big difference in a patient’s life.”
However, it’s not just about surgery. Steinberg says the operating room is just one of the tools podiatric physicians can use to help patients. He said one of the reasons podiatric medicine is so unique is the range of focuses that D.P.M.s can specialize in and the connection between the podiatric physician and their patients.
“You can get to know your patient. You can get to know their family. You can follow them for a lengthy course of treatment and be their go-to source,” Steinberg said. “I couldn’t ask for a more fulfilling and purposeful profession.”
Day-one specialization
Steinberg is an expert in limb salvage and diabetic wound care. With an increase in diabetic patients, podiatric physicians are filling a demand for wound care experts who are able to use their knowledge of biomechanics to prevent patients with foot ulcers from losing their limbs.
“We can get into the tendon lengthening procedures and bone remodeling procedures and the reconstructive work so that, yes, we healed the wound, but we also reconstructed the foot and the leg so they can actually walk on it,” he said.
There are nine accredited colleges and schools of podiatric medicine in the United States offering the four-year D.P.M. program. Graduates are then placed into a three-year, hospital-based, comprehensive medical and surgical residency with a nearly 100% residency match rate. Podiatric medicine is the quickest pathway to becoming a surgeon, as D.P.M.s specialize from day one.
The modern podiatrist
For Steinberg, it was an easy decision to go into podiatric medicine, as he was exposed to the field at a young age. His son is now applying to podiatric medical schools, and when he finishes school, he will be the fourth generation of podiatric physicians in the Steinberg family.
“My son sees what I do, and he sees how content I am, and he sees how much fulfillment I get from my work, and he says, ‘Why would I want to do anything different?’” Steinberg said.
Podiatric medicine offers a faster entry to start a career as a physician than traditional medical school or osteopathic medical school programs, which means earlier access to ancillary sources of income.
Podiatric medicine also offers autonomy and the ability to choose an ideal practice setting. D.P.M.s can work in hospitals, outpatient settings, athletic departments, in private practice, or in an academic or research setting.
“This is not your father’s podiatrist, this is not your grandfather’s podiatrist. In 2025, it is a whole different ballgame,” Steinberg said.