We are thrilled to be highlighting students from the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine’s Class of 2025. In this blog, Zachery Goguen highlights the 4th-year experience leading up to residency interviews and National Boards Part 2.
Zachery Goguen, PMS-4, Class of 2025
Fourth year was a whirlwind of experiences. It begins pre-fourth year when we start out first clinical externships, typically 1-2 before fourth year officially begins. These clerkships continue for nine months throughout the rest of the year. Along the way I traveled to many different cities and hospitals including Seattle, Denver, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and San Antonio. At each of these locations I was stationed for 4-5 weeks and would essentially work everyday with the residents to learn about the program, get a glimpse into the life of a resident, and participate in daily activities including rounding on inpatients, fully assist in surgery, and perform clinical duties as needed. Depending on the program, and how they perceive your skills, they may allow you to do further procedures such as hammertoes, I&D, toe amputation, and suture closure.
The information I learned in the first 3 years of didactics did a lot to prepare me for my rotations, but I quickly found out how much learning comes on your own. Each night was reviewing information on any questions I got wrong throughout the day, and actively preparing for any surgical cases by reading up on anatomy, surgical techniques and instruments, potential outcomes, and the end goal of that procedure. Along the way I was also constantly learning about peri-operative management of a patient, what they may need before, during, and after surgery, and anticipating possible complications.
Finally, don’t forget to have fun! My favorite thing to do in my spare time was to explore the area. I went disc golfing, golfing, hiking, and visited nearby national parks as much as possible. I saw concerts of some of my favorite bands around the country and saw some amazingly beautiful works of art in history in world famous museums. I was able to have social events with the residents and my co-externships that were all very low-key and low-pressure and felt friendly all around.
There is so much more in the past 9 months that build upon a solid foundation of clinical knowledge I gained in the first 3 years of didactic education at school. By the time I took my APMLE Part II exam and attended interviews shortly after, I felt completely prepared and really only had to brush up on case reviews for interviews. I left all of my interviews feeling confident in my answers, and confident that when I said “I don’t know” that everyone moved along without a second thought. I received multiple calls from several residency directors that wanted to express their interest in having me attend their program as a resident. I can only say that the preparation that the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine absolutely prepared me well to be a stand-out student and allowed me to have my pick of residencies to match. Midwestern has been absolutely vital to my success and I see myself working with the school in some capacity when I am an attending myself.
Interest in becoming a podiatric physician? Apply now!