The Letter To Minh To
Minh To is a high school student at Central Gwinnett High School. (Does
anybody know where Central Gwinnett is located?)
Minh To send me the a series of questions about podiatry care.
Below is a list of the questions she gave to me and the answers I gave to her
Dear Dr. Zapf,
I'm a student from Central Gwinnett High School. I'm
doing an interview.
I was hoping that you answer my questions in an e-mail form.
You will be one of my resources. IF you can please sent be what I ask in
your
next letter. The questions are below. Thank You.
1.What do you do in general and what a typical day is like??
I work in an office most days from 9 am to 6 pm and I see
from 25 to 35 patients. They range from adolescents with ingrown nails to adults
with bunions and heel pain to senior citizens with thick nails, ulcerations and
diabetic foot infections. Occasionally I see a kid younger than 6 for intoed
gait and tripping and falling when walking.
2.Can you describe what you do in general or your main responsibilities?
I take care of the various ailments of my patients with
heel pain, ingrown nails, wart removal and the like. On Thursday morning I do
surgery at the local hospital where I will do two bunion surgeries and one other
surgery, perhaps removal of a bunion or a hammertoe deformity.
3. What educational background or experience is required?
To be a podiatrist in California, like most states, you
need to finish college and complete a 4-year program in podiatric medicine
and surgery. There are 7 Podiatric Medical Colleges in the US (from San
Francisco to Florida) and several in Canada. Following podiatry college you need
to complete a podiatric postgraduate residence: either in straight surgery or
rotating in all aspects of the hospital from the anesthesia department to
radiology, internal medicine, emergency medicine and the like. During the
training years there are no limitations on the kinds of medicine you can learn
and experience. I even helped to deliver babies during a rotation in Seattle.
4.Are there advantages and disadvantages and what the future holds for
someone?
The advantages are that after six or seven years of
education you can hang out your shingle and practice in a surgical sub
specialty. Equivalent MD and DO students need 4 years of school and 4 years of
residency to do what we do in just 6 oftentimes. The disadvantages are the
struggle that comes with being the "new kid on the block". Some MD and
Do practitioner regard you as "not a doctor' but many, many more appreciate
and applaud your talents. I get referrals from all medical specialties, even
orthopedists. Your income is not in the same ballpark as your orthopedic surgeon colleagues
(whose is?) but it is more than many pediatricians and family
practitioners.
5. If you can please tell me if you had any interesting things happened.
Three cases;
First I saw a 25-year-old supermarket cashier with heel
pain. She has seen two family practice doctors, one internist, one
orthopedic surgeon, one acupuncturist, received physical therapy three times a
week for three months and consulted an eastern medicine specialist. She still
had heel pain. In just one visit to my office I saw the problem and suggested we
try applying just a few pieces of tape in a manner to keep her feet from flattening.
Would you believe it worked and she called the taping a "Miracle” Later
she received orthotics and is doing spectacularly well. No pain when she walks
and she is working full time without problems. She is delighted,
Case 2: Carol is a 70-year-old lady with a huge callus on
the bottom of her right foot behind her second toe. It has been present for
several years now and has caused an ulceration, sometimes called a break in the
skin, several times. On one of those past occasions a very
talented orthopedist at the hospital recommended she get a below the knee
amputation. Her infectious doctor suggested she see me instead. Using tricks and
talents readily available she has now kept her foot for almost three years. She
is delighted to keep her feet as are her children and grand children. She and I say "Thanks,
Dr. S., for this referral."
Case 3. Ashley is an 11-year-old girl with a bunion
deformity. It is unusual, of course, to see a girl this young with a bunion, but
it happens. It is called a Juvenile Bunion. She was treated with a surgical
procedure designed to "staple" one side of the growth plate in her
foot. This stapling procedure, called epiphysiodesis, will cause her bunion to, in essence, melt away over the next few
years. In a one hour surgery her bunion was stapled and now, over the last 3
years, I have watched it get smaller and smaller. With this success she will never need the big "bone cutting"
procedures adults often require to get rid of their bunions.
Minh To, I hope this helps. If you want more information,
please let me know.
