Michael Cornelison, DPM, FACFAS
ACFAS President
As I write this, its early October, which means that baseball’s “Boys of Summer” have just finished vying for the division pennants and “wild card” playoff spots on the pathway to the World Series. I’ve always found it interesting how often the teams that are leading the pennant chase are said to be “in control of their own destinies.” Some may argue this concept is a contradiction in itself – win or lose, the team was “destined” to do so. What reigns true is this – as long as they perform, the team in the lead of the standings will prevail, regardless of how all the others do.
There’s no doubt the podiatric profession, and within it the specialty of foot and ankle surgery, have faced challenges throughout its history. One that stands out is the dwindling pool of applicants to colleges of podiatric medicine. There’s been quite a bit of discussion on this – what’s caused it, who’s to blame, what should be done to solve it, and who’s responsible for doing so. The bottom line is that if this trend is not reversed, it stands to have a significant impact on the future of our profession.
However we as a profession respond to the applicant pool crisis, we will have played a role in determining our own fate. Much like a professional sports team looking to clinch the regular season championship, we are indeed in control of our own destiny. This is true not only from what we can do in the form of initiatives sponsored by organizations like ACFAS, but also how we act individually. It has been said on countless occasions, “if every doctor of podiatric medicine would guide just one student toward applying to podiatric medical school, there would not be an applicant pool problem.” I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, but yet, this idea in and of itself has not appeared to resonate enough to have made a difference.
Perhaps some of us feel we cannot recommend pursuing career in healthcare to anyone. A 2015 survey published in the British Medical Journal concluded that only one in ten physicians would recommend becoming a physician. . Nevertheless, applications to healthcare careers have continued to rise… with our career path being a notable exception. These folks have decided to pursue a healthcare career in spite of the admonitions from frustrated providers. Among the thousands of applicants every year, think of how many may never have learned about the possibility that a career in podiatric medicine and surgery could be just as worthwhile.
It is easy to surmise that one of the best ways to expose potential students to a career in podiatric medicine would be to have them spend time seeing us at work.. . It is time to double down on these efforts if indeed they are fruitful, and based on my own experience, I believe they are. To paraphrase one of our colleagues in a recent conversation, “we have the opportunity to hand pick our own future.” By hosting perspective students in the office, we have the opportunity to interview them as much as they are interviewing our profession. Each of us are positioned to influence not just the quantity of applicants, but the quality as well. We will be contributing not only to the recruitment of students, but also the retention, by ensuring that we have directed qualified, genuinely interested people toward a career in foot and ankle surgery.
We do indeed have a say in the fate of our profession. It’s time for each of us to step up to the plate.