The curriculum combines two years of lecture and laboratory study with two years of clinical experiences in various health care settings. Clinical years consist of hospital clerkships and general practice clinical rotations in primary care and medical specialties. The third and fourth years prepare students to enter a rotating hospital internship or residency upon graduation. Podiatric doctors make independent decisions, prescribe and administer medication and corrective devices, and perform surgery. The scope of podiatric medicine goes beyond foot care by emphasizing the importance of the foot to a person's overall health and well-being.
Podiatric doctors treat patients who have a range of foot problems.
Many patients have medical conditions such as poor circulation, gout, neurological disorders and arthritis that can adversely affect the foot. The podiatric doctor frequently cares for diabetic patients, who are especially prone to limb-threatening complications. In addition, podiatric medicine is concerned with diagnosis and treatment of structural deformities and problems affecting human locomotion. Curriculum The four-year podiatric medical curriculum provides career preparation through classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences. Basic health sciences are taught as an integrated curriculum reflecting the interrelationship of body systems.