Another armchair theorist...

"Those who are students or young practitioners are mostly naive, or are up to their ears
in debt that they are in denial about their real job prospects."

I don't even know where to begin...

"For the record, I am a former PSR-36 trained doc who taught, and was fully entrenched in podiatric medicine and am 34yo. Due to the low caliber training, scope, and lack of real research in podiatry I left to pursue investing."

There is no such thing as a PSR-36. Your training is what you make of it. Consider many of the most respected DPM's out there in their 40's + received none or very little formal residency training let alone the complex surgical training that they are teaching students today. I know people in terrible residencies that rose to the occasion and trained themselves. Conversely, I know people in great residencies that did the bare minimum.

"With 120-150K in student loan debt, you as the pod, need to start up a practice. What US bank is going to blindly give you another 6 figs. to start up a small business?"

A few friends of mine got money real easy and bought out a very successful practice and grew the practice from 1 original DPM who retired to 3 or 4 DPM's and 1 MD.

"Also, you need a house or an apt (you will mostly likely be late 20-early 30s, perhaps a used car to go to clinic/hospital, bills,hygiene etc..). Pretty tough on 45-90K before taxes."

I'm not sure where you live but you can own a home ($1500), new car ($500), pay your consolidated student loans ($800) on as little as 70k gross and still save money.

"There was a former CCPM pres who stated that the reason for high student loans was that pod students were using the money for hi-fi stereos, high-rise living, and having families. That is unbelievable, and just the TIP of the iceberg of the mentality of this 'profession.'"

You're blaming students for the mentality of the profession? Were you one of them? Are you living out of your means?

"So to practice podiatry, don't have family, don't own a car to go to work (bus, subway), and live in an apt at 30 something for the privelge of working on feet."

It is a privelege to work on "feet". With that attitude I'm not surprised you still don't.

"That is analgous to stating that all actors live in Bel Air and have loads of money when REALITY is the majority of actors are waiting tables and living in a 1BR apt with 3 other people."

I fail to comprehend your analogy. There is no path for a "reality tv dpm" to legally do surgery. Anyone can call themselves an actor/actress. You don't need any special training or advanced degree to legally act.

"If you want to invest 150K in education, then a MD, DDS, or DO degree would be infinitely more desirable."

Its easy to romanticise what we don't know. Why didn't you go back and get a MD degree (you're pretty young) if it's the panacea?

"Those who disagree are respectively defensive or part of the political podiatric contigency."

There are a few DPM's that I've been priveleged to meet and be trained under that are truly interested in advancing the profession. If they all had your attitude then there would be no podiatric profession. They tirelessly give themselves, consider family 2nd, mentor, energize residents, teach, consult practicing podiatrists, get involved in podiatry at the state and national level, and give in ways to the profession I cannot comprehend at this stage in my career.

You cannot and will not deny the respect these physicians have earned thru their hard work and selflessness.

Thanks.