Student Recruitment! The “Feet on the Street” student recruitment initiative to increase the applicant pool to the eleven Schools/Colleges of Podiatric Medicine is underway! On September 1, 2023, the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) launched an initiative to visit 220 Colleges and Universities in the USA. Join AACPM BOD members, Dr. Jeffrey Jensen, Dr. Jonathan Labovitz, Dr. Robert Snyder, and AACPM Executive Director, Ms. Mori North, to discuss the “Feet on the Street” Student Recruitment Initiative.
The visits to 220 Colleges and Universities will highlight podiatric medicine and bring together 3 groups: advisors, students interested in health professions, and a shadowing DPM. The goal is to make the introduction to podiatric medicine a seamless experience for prospective students. AACPM is partnering with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) and others to assist in the process of developing a network of incredible DPMs to provide shadowing and mentoring opportunities to students across the country. As Dr. Stephanie Wu, Dean, William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine so aptly stated in Dean’s Chat Episode 1 – “It’s all hands on deck!” Enjoy and get involved!
In this episode of Dean’s Chat, Dr. Jeffrey Jensen discusses the “Feet on the Street” student with Dr. Jonathan Labovitz, Dr. Robert Snyder, and Ms. Mori North. They address the declining applicant pool in podiatric medicine and the challenges and opportunities it presents. Tune in to learn more about how AACPM is working to address this issue and attract more students to the field.
The episode discusses an initiative that aims to connect students with multiple doctors for shadowing opportunities in the field of podiatry. The goal is to provide students with diverse experiences and exposure to different practices, enabling them to make informed decisions about their future careers. Emphasizing the importance of shadowing multiple practitioners and witnessing various practices, the episode believes that this approach will offer students a comprehensive understanding of the profession and help them determine if podiatry is the right path for them.
The initiative relies on individual practitioners opening their offices to students, and it hopes to encourage more practitioners to participate, providing students with a range of shadowing opportunities. Furthermore, the episode highlights the need for metrics to measure the effectiveness of the initiative and ensure its success. Recognizing the significant investment of time and money required for a career in podiatry, the episode stresses the importance of ample shadowing experiences for students to make informed decisions about their future in the profession.
The episode also discusses the importance of building personal relationships and mentorship with Doctors of Podiatric Medicine at universities to drive applications. They acknowledge that pre-health advisors may not always know which DPMs to connect students with for shadowing and mentorship opportunities. Therefore, the program aims to establish connections between universities and DPMs, enabling universities to provide students with shadowing experiences and mentorship directly from designated DPMs.