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Full Description

The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree prepares students for the podiatric medicine field. The podiatric physician is a health professional who is involved with examination, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of foot disorders by physical, medical and surgical means. A podiatric medicine doctor is trained to detect the signs of systemic disease which may appear first in the lower extremity, such as diabetes or circulatory disorders. When such diagnoses are made, the podiatric physician consults with the patient's family doctor concerning the systemic disease.

A career in podiatric medicine can include the areas of primary care, surgery, orthopedics, sports medicine, geriatrics and pediatrics.

Podiatric Medicine students have the opportunity to combine the D.P.M. degree with either the or degree and double count courses toward both degrees.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹'s website for professional licensure disclosure.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹'s College of Podiatric Medicine participates in the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service (AACPMAS). Candidates to Á½ÐÔÉ«ÎçÒ¹'s D.P.M. degree apply and submit materials to AACPMAS.

• Minimum 90 semester credit hours (or minimum 135 quarter hours) of undergraduate coursework, including the following prerequisites:
  • 6 semester credit hours (or 9 quarter credit hours) of English
  • 8 semester credit hours (or 12 quarter credit hours) each of biology, physics, organic chemistry and general/inorganic chemistry¹
• Official transcript(s)
• Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)² or Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores
• Two letters of recommendation:
  • one letter from a faculty member, advisor or composite letter from a pre-medical advisory committee
  • one a letter from a doctor of podiatric medicine or other medical professional
• Interview
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:³
  • Minimum 94 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
  • Minimum 65 PTE score
  • Minimum 120 DET score

Nearly all of entering D.P.M. students will have earned a bachelor’s or advanced degree prior to matriculation; however, students may be granted admission with the required undergraduate coursework (90 semester credit hours or 135 quarter credit hours) and prerequisites completed.

See the on Technical Standards and Essential Requirements for Student Education in the College of Podiatric Medicine.

¹

All science coursework must include labs, when applicable. In addition, the following classes are recommended: biochemistry, histology, anatomy and physiology, neurobiology and microbiology.

²

Scores must be within three years of the application date. Candidates may apply to the D.P.M. degree before taking the MCAT; however, the college will not be able to take final admissions action until official MCAT scores are received by the application service (AACPMAS). Candidates should plan on taking the MCAT no later than May of the year they plan to matriculate.

³

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadline

• Fall Semester
  • Final deadline: June 30
    Applications will not be accepted after this deadline.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to recall and apply current and emerging knowledge of human structure, function, development, pathology, pathophysiology and psychosocial development to patient care.
2. Provide effective patient-centered care that is compassionate and appropriate for prevention and treatment of medical conditions, which promotes overall health with special emphasis on the lower extremity.
3. Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families and health professionals.
4. Demonstrate professionalism in medicine.
5. Apply scientific methods and utilize clinical and translational research to further the understanding of contemporary podiatric medicine and its application to patient care.
6. Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call on other resources to provide optimal and cost-effective health care.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of common societal problems (e.g., issues of addiction or abuse) and their impact on patients.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students take 1 credit hour of CLI 80200 in either fall or spring semester.

²

Students take 36 credit hours of third-year clinical in either fall or spring semester and follow a class rotation.

³

Students are separated into groups with a different rotation each month. Students are permitted to take one clerkship month off as an elective month. CLI 80486 and CLI 80487 are elective clerkship rotations available to students who wish to gain further clinical experience on top of the required six clerkship rotations. Please note, once a student registers for these electives, the required minimum total credit hours for the student will increase by 4 credit hours for each elective. PMD 80495 may be available for students to take as an elective on top of the program requirements.

⁴

For the fourth-year clinical, students take courses not taken during their third-year summer term.

Program Notes

• Students placed in Pathway I (due to one failure on the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination, APMLE Part I) are required to take PCS 80001, increasing the minimum total credit hours by 5 credit hours. Students not taking APMLE Part I on the first attempt are also required to take this course.
• Students placed in Pathway II (due to two failures on the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination, APMLE Part I) are required to take PCS 80002, increasing the minimum total credit hours by 5 credit hours. Students not taking APMLE Part I on the second attempt are also required to take this course.
• GMD 80205 is an elective open to all second-year students. Please note, once students register for this course, the required minimum number of credit hours increases by one credit hour.

Progression Requirements

Students whose first semester of coursework in the D.P.M. degree is fall 2016 or later are required to meet the following minimum overall GPA during the first and second year:

• 2.500 overall GPA at the end of first year, fall semester
• 2.500 overall GPA at the end of first year, spring semester
• 2.500 overall GPA at the end of first year, summer term
• 2.500 overall GPA at the end of second year, fall semester
• 2.400 overall GPA at the end of second year, spring semester

Students falling below the minimum overall GPA following their first year (fall, spring and summer) or their second year (fall semester) are required to participate in mandatory academic counseling. Students below the minimum 2.400 overall GPA at the end of their second year (spring semester) will be academically dismissed with the right to appeal for reinstatement, provided that the student has not previously been dismissed (academic or otherwise) from the College of Podiatric Medicine.

Graduation Requirements

A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine must have:

• Maintained satisfactory academic performance with no grade below a C or S (satisfactory)
• Demonstrated clinical competence through completion of the performance objectives
• Been verified as being in good disciplinary standing
• Satisfactorily completed all academic requirements, including all courses, clinical rotations and externship/clerkship program requirements, and the required Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) 
• Fulfilled all responsibilities and financial obligations to the college and university
• Demonstrated moral and mental competency to practice podiatric medicine
• Taken and passed the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination (APMLE) Part I, and have taken (APMLE) Part II and released the score reports to the college

Attendance at the graduation ceremony is required for the degree. To be eligible for graduation in May, candidates must have met all of the above requirements by the conclusion of their fourth-year summer term.

All students must successfully complete the graduation requirements within six academic years of their initial matriculation. Exceptions for students with extenuating circumstances must have the approval of the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME).

There is no contract stated or implied, between the college and the students that a degree will be conferred at any stated time, or at all.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Independence, Ohio

The D.P.M. degree in Podiatric Medicine is accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).