President’s Message Feb. 2023

Next month, the delegates from the Pennsylvania Podiatric Medical Association will attend the national House of Delegates held by the American Podiatric Medical Association in Washington DC. Our Delegation, along with the delegation from the New York State Podiatric Medical Association will promote the passage of the most important Budgetary Item (previously called Resolutions) of the current century.

In recognition of the precipitous drop in the number of students applying for a position in Podiatric Medical School, we have called for the creation of a National Marketing Plan which targets the population of science students who are interested in medicine but may not be aware of podiatric medicine as a valid choice in medical specialties.

The structure of the Budgetary Item lays out the rationale behind the request. First, the submission recognizes the drop in applicants. We then recognize the impact that this diminution may have in a market which has been expanded by the addition of two more podiatric medical schools. That impact is the threat of underutilization, and subsequent loss, of recognized and funded residency positions. Finally, this diminution can cause a very real threat to the profession itself. That is, if residencies are threatened, all of the progress which we have made toward parity is threatened. Recognition of our profession has been realized by field conditions. Hospital staff participation, operating room time, integrated practice participation and community standing come from the active number of practitioners in the profession. The loss of new Doctors of Podiatric Medicine at the entry level, threatens each and every one of our practices and the future of our profession. The current “ask” of our Budget Item has been formulated through discussions with the leadership of APMA, Deans of the medical schools, and leaders in the corporate world which supports the profession. The “ask” is for a real, (and expensive) National Marketing Program involving all facets of this profession.

The "ask."

“RESOLVED, That the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), in coordination and collaboration with the Student Recruitment Task Force, direct a comprehensive plan for a national student recruitment campaign with specific costs and metrics including investigating the use of external partnerships and vendors as needed targeted at undergraduate students to complement its existing career awareness efforts through the Step into Podiatry campaign.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

Contingent upon funding from a variety of outside sources to include:

The AACPM, in conjunction with the deans of the podiatric medical schools, will reallocate funding previously directed to AACPM student recruitment efforts to APMA’s national student recruitment campaign;

The Student Recruitment Task Force will coordinate soliciting funds for the project from corporate sponsors;

State components will financially support this project;

and All other stakeholders in podiatric medicine and surgery (i.e., ABPM, ABFAS, ACFAS, ACPM, ASPS, and corporate supporters etc.) will financially support this project.”

The program called for by this Budget Item is an imperative expenditure and we will pursue it with all of the energy that our collective delegation possesses. I hope that we will report a successful result in our next newsletter.

A final item of news that relates to our Association is that our long term Executive Director, Michael Davis, has alerted us that he intends to retire. We have formed a Succession Committee to begin the search for the next director who will help to lead us through the turbulent times that we now face. Mr. Davis is participating on our Committee and will remain with us until we choose a candidate who will fill his position. We will keep you posted on this effort.