Megan Mitchell, a local Vermonter, graduated from UVM in 2016 and is currently in her second year of podiatry school. At UVM, Megan studied Biological Sciences and had a minor in Biochemistry. She worked in the Blood Lab at the UVM Medical Center and participated in Undergraduate Research within the Van Houten lab. During her time at UVM, she also was involved in MedVida and the Pre-Vet club, as she was considering a career in veterinary medicine at the time.
After graduation, Megan spent 6 months traveling. She lived in Fiji for 3 months where she taught first grade to local children, and then moved to Argentina where she worked in the pediatric oncology unit in a local hospital. After returning home to Vermont, she worked as a surgical technician in the operating room at the UVM Medical Center for three years, where she specialized in vascular surgeries. It was in this position where she found her passion for surgery and realized she wanted to pursue a career in medicine.
During her application process, she was conflicted between applying to medical school or podiatry school. She ultimately chose podiatry school because of the surgical focus within residency. Graduates of podiatry programs are required to go through a three-year surgical residency, followed by a fellowship. By choosing podiatry, she would be guaranteed a surgical residency after graduation, where in an MD program, she would have to compete to receive a spot in a general surgery residency program.
Megan chose to matriculate at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, which has recently been acquired by Touro College in New York City. She chose this program because it had a vascular specialty within their podiatric program, which was of interest to her because of her vascular focus as a surgical technician. During the first two years of podiatry school at Touro College, the courses are very science heavy, reinforcing the knowledge necessary to go into patient care. The third year involves internships around the city and the fourth year involves one-month long externships anywhere around the country, typically in locations you may consider completing your residency. After the four years of podiatry school, new D.P.M.s will complete a three-year surgical residency, followed by a one-year fellowship. For Megan, she finds that the most challenging part of podiatry school is the day to day studying. However, she finds it rewarding when she is learning something that reminds her of her motivation and excitement for the field. She loves learning new information that will be applicable to her career as a podiatrist. After graduation, Megan is considering specializing in cosmetics or reconstruction.
Advice to UVM students?
Megan advises that UVM students who are interested in podiatry shadow podiatrists to learn more about the profession. She also recommends talking to lots of people about the field. However, she knows firsthand that it is okay to not know exactly what you want to do as a profession after your undergraduate degree. She recommends if you are unsure, to not get discouraged and to also not pick a graduate program just to pick something. It is acceptable to get some more life experience before finding your passion. She says, “Everything will fall into place.”