As I reflect on the first year of my podiatric medical education, I am grateful to have grown as an individual while also being relieved the year is behind me.

The rigors of our academic year culminated in final exams, followed by the summer break, incidentally the last prolonged “off-period” our class will have in our education before beginning our professional careers. Although for most of us, the summer feels much needed, to me, it almost feels as if it is the calm before the storm.

When I was younger, the school year and the summer seemingly lasted forever. As an adult, time flies so quickly that it still feels like I just moved to Philadelphia to begin school. Time is going to pass by - we’ll be back in the routine of school, and eventually, my classmates and I will find ourselves in the same position as the students a year ahead of us: preparing for our first round of board exams.

With everything the future holds in mind, here are some things I’m doing to enjoy the last summer break from my education while still preparing for the challenging year ahead of me. Through the challenges of the first year of medical school, I had to put school first in a way I never had before. Two of my favorite hobbies are playing golf on the weekends or playing video games online to stay in touch with my friends from home. My hobbies had to take a back seat with a complex and time-consuming course load. With the summer break, I have the time to enjoy these things again, in some capacity. I haven’t been able to pick up a golf club for nearly a year, and the product certainly doesn’t look pretty. Some leisure activities are excellent for occupying downtime and boosting your mental health.

Everyone always says, “the last thing you want to think about while on vacation is work.” While that is true, keeping your mind sharp also doesn’t hurt.

One of the biggest tips I’ve gotten from upper-level students is to use these few months to review and prepare. Since it’s not final exam season, I don’t expect myself to be spending the majority of my waking hours studying, but spending some time here and there to reinforce concepts from the first year or to familiarize myself with concepts for the coming year will pay off when it comes time to prepare for my first board exams.

By the time this piece is printed, my final summer will have ended, the school will be back in session, and the next phase of my life and career will seemingly begin. Although my first year was challenging, I am grateful for its lessons. And as the summer ends, I am glad I was able to use my time to both enjoy the hobbies of my past and prepare for my future.

Daniel Ruggiero TUSPM Class of 2025 PPMA Delegate

Navigating the first year of residency 

Nick Cronin

The beginning of residency is full of excitement. There are many highs and even more lows. School is finally over, and I am looking forward to starting professional life. The first year is when there is a feeling of imposter syndrome initially. Nobody tells you how to find a balance in your life—becoming efficient needs to be figured out many times. The first year is not easy, but plenty of strategies will make it manageable. After initially learning your responsibilities and managing the whirlwind of changes that come with it, the first step is finding stability in your work life. Getting paid a salary for the first time takes some getting used to after years of being a student. Buying that cafeteria lunch or going out to eat may seem more tempting than ever after getting paid. Packing a lunch can provide stability to your intern year in both a financial and routine sense, as attractive as buying or even skipping lunch, maybe.

Returning to previous routines or creating new practices help provide that stability. Finding some small recreational activity outside of the hospital is a great way to maintain mental health during a stressful filled intern year. Sometimes it will seem like there is no time for anything but work. Getting to the gym, playing a pick-up game of basketball or whatever sport you like, picking up an old hobby or new are all great ways to break up the pressure of a busy week. Relationships are a crucial part of the first year. Depending on your program, you may get to know internal medicine residents that start with you. Those connections are things not to take for granted, as those people can blossom into friends and people you have in your corner. It certainly helps when you have patients in common with those residents with who you’ve formed relationships. Having a support system is integral in dealing with the inevitable stress of the first year, and it can be easy to feel isolated. It’s essential to have a more senior resident to talk to. They can often help you deal with that stress and specific situations at work, teaching you some tricks to become more efficient. The first year of residency teaches you an abundance of lessons about becoming a podiatric surgeon, but it also grows you as a working professional. New experiences, people, and responsibilities tend to initially upset the balance in life. The important thing is to focus and get that balance back through a good routine, support system, and work ethic.

As I wrap up my first year at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, I had several preconceived notions about my academic career expectations. Many people talked to me about the challenges and difficulties that podiatry school may bring. I would hear from family members experienced in the medical realm, from peers in my undergraduate program, and from my mentors within the field itself. While preparing for the academic challenges ahead, everyone I spoke to described this time as challenging, scary, fast-paced, overwhelming, and competitive. I certainly knew that I was nervous to start podiatry school but was unsure of the specific challenges that it may bring. 

           As I wrap up my first semester at TU,  I would say that many of my expectations came true—but there were lots of pleasant surprises along the way. Personally, the most significant adjustment that I had to make was the time commitment. The change in my daily schedule from my undergraduate studies was drastic. For most of this first semester, my program consisted of 8 AM-5 PM classes filled with brand new information and studying through the pertinent information until approximately 10 PM daily (if I was lucky enough to end so early). The weekends became a great time to play catch up or study for an upcoming exam. It most definitely felt very overwhelming at times and was very fast-paced. Although this schedule change was daunting at first, this was something that I just had to get used to. It has ultimately made me a much more efficient person, but unfortunately, there was not much free time other than rare occasions with more significant breaks between exams.  

           When my class did have free time, it was nice to socialize and have fun with my peers. To my surprise and liking, the cut-throat competition aspect of my expectations did not hold. I felt that no one tried to hold anyone else back. We all try to help each other the best that we can. Whether in the anatomy lab discussing our dissections together or sharing Anki flashcard decks, I found that everyone was very humble and generous. The upperclassmen have also been extremely helpful on things to look out for, and so many outstanding tutors are willing to help you in any way possible.

Overall, it was a very challenging semester, but I have been feeling very privileged that I have gotten this opportunity to advance my education. There were times when coursework was piling up so high that it felt impossible for me to complete the assignments. However, it felt gratifying knowing that the hard work I put in was worth it and that I could triumph over these difficulties. Moving forward, I can’t wait to get the chance to work hands-on with patients and get more immersed and involved within the field of podiatry!

Written by By Emily Cziraky, PPMA TUSPM [Class of 2023] Student Rep

My name is Emily Cziraky, and I am a second-year student at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM). I started my journey with the vision of a career in medicine, but was undecided on the exact route I would take post-graduation. Even though I grew up in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, I traveled down to North Carolina to pursue my undergraduate degree at UNC-Chapel Hill.

To increase my exposure and understanding of the healthcare system, I studied Health Policy and Management at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. The program was selective and small, and we collaborated on a multitude of projects from health behavior change program planning to a significant audit of a hospital’s financial reports. Through this program, I volunteered at local health centers and viewed patient encounters. I knew that while I enjoyed the business side of medicine, my future would focus on the clinical side of medicine.

While I was in school and studying for the MCAT, I suffered from an ingrown toenail during my marathon training. I visited Chapel Hill Foot and Ankle Associates for my treatment, and I had the most wonderful experience there as a patient. That prompted me to ask my podiatrist if I could return to shadow her and her colleagues, and that encounter is what sparked my interest in podiatry.

Once I finished at UNC-Chapel Hill, I wanted to gain more shadowing experiences before pursuing my podiatric education. I continued my public health training by completing an accelerated Masters in Public Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. I believe having my MPH gives me a good background in population-based medicine and identifying risk factors in vulnerable populations, which can help improve my treatment plan for future patients.

This program in Philadelphia was extremely advantageous to my interest in podiatry because I could visit TUSPM to shadow third-year students in clinic. I also developed a great relationship with a local TUSPM alumnus that practices at an orthopedic practice I visited for a past running injury, Delaware Orthopedic Specialists.

At her practice, I saw the direct impact she had on patients, the plethora of cases she saw daily, and her happiness as a provider. When pursuing a career option, I think it is critical to gain perspective from current practitioners. Seeing her enthusiasm for the profession truly solidified my decision to apply to podiatry school. I knew that TUSPM was where I wanted to study, so as soon as I was admitted into the program, I accepted my position in the class of 2023. When I first informed my family and friends that I would be attending podiatry school, they had a few misconceptions I had to “stomp” out right away. The first was a snicker followed by the comment, “You want to work with feet?!” Most individuals, my family included, hear the word podiatry and think immediately of nail care and cosmetic foot care procedures.

When I shared with them the broad spectrum of care that falls under podiatry, including surgery, they were astonished! They also did not realize the long journey ahead to becoming a podiatrist, and that podiatry school is four years alone plus an additional three to four years of residency. Despite the cloudiness surrounding the profession, my family and friends were incredibly supportive, which helped me excel during my first year at TUSPM.

At TUSPM, I was fortunate enough to live within walking distance to class (I kept the apartment that I had while at Jefferson, which was so lucky!), and spent many fall afternoons in the cadaver lab on campus. It took a week or two to transition to the course load, but adhering to a strict schedule helped me manage my time and balance my studies with exercise, social events, and extracurricular activities at TUSPM.

• For the Congenital Vertical Talus and Neglected Clubfoot, treatments included talectomies and soft-tissue releases to hindfoot fusions, depending on the age of the patient and degree of deformity.
• Streeter’s Dysplasia (the first time Dr. Strus encountered or heard of it). 
• Advanced Acral Letiginous Melanoma: A severely mangled foot from a motorcycle accident, left neglected for a month before the team was able to treat it. 
• Advanced Hindfoot Arthritis; Severe Varus deformities; Flatfoot; Hallux Valgus; Tibial Non-Unions/Malunions from prior trauma.