If you have an in biology and anatomy and want to help others who are suffering from illnesses, becoming a podiatrist could be an excellent career choice because you get to treat people’s illnesses on their joints, ankles, and so on.
However, it might also be a tough job to do due to the extensive hours you might work, the tough patients you get, and so on.
That is the reason why, if you want to become a podiatrist, you might wonder how much do podiatrists make? We will try to answer this question in this post.
Summary
Who Are Podiatrists?
A podiatrist is a specialist who specializes in diagnosing and treating problems with the lower legs and feet.
A podiatrist must have a doctor of podiatric medicine (D.P.M.) degree from a recognized institution and have a license in the state in which they practice in order to practice.
Podiatrists are also known as “foot physicians,” but they are medical professionals who can treat injuries and illnesses of the feet, ankles, and lower leg thanks to their education and license.
Podiatrists can operate, reset fractured bones, request X-rays and lab testing, and write prescriptions.
They cure ailments like arthritis, bunions, hammertoe, plantar fasciitis, and diabetic issues.
How Much Do Podiatrists Make?
In the United States, the average podiatrist income is $209,990. A podiatrist’s beginning wage isn’t always at the bottom of the pay scale.
Even when newly graduated, a podiatrist’s wages are all about criteria such as geographic location, job, and amount of hours they work.
Podiatrists’ employment prospects are supposed to remain stable or improve until 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A new graduate of podiatrists will cover jobs abandoned by retiring practitioners, despite the fact that few new posts will be available.
New York, California, Florida, Illinois, and Pennsylvania have the greatest levels of employment for podiatrists as of 2020.
1. How Much Do Podiatrists Make an Hour?
Podiatrists make a minimum of $11.30 an hour and a maximum of $119.71 an hour.
2. How Much Do Podiatrists Make a Month?
Podiatrists make a minimum of $1,958 a month and a maximum of $20,750 a month.
3. How Much Do Podiatrists Make a Year?
Podiatrists make a minimum of $23,500 a year and a maximum of $249,000 a year.
Highest Salary Of Podiatrists In 2023
Your salary goes higher as you get more experienced or become more specialized in a specific area of podiatry.
That is why you can not really put a number on how high a podiatrist can earn but on average, the highest salaries that the Bureau of Labor Statistics states are around $350,000 annually for top-earning podiatrists.
Is Being A Podiatrist Good Or Bad?
The podiatrist profession requires years of studying and then specializing in the area, which requires an additional set of studying and practicing the profession.
Even after you finish with everything and officially become a podiatrist, you need to be psychologically solid to handle your patients all the time.
If you think you can handle this, becoming a podiatrist might be a good choice for you.
How To Become A Podiatrist?
Here are steps to follow for becoming a Podiatrist:
- A bachelor’s degree is necessary for almost 97 percent of students accepted into podiatric medical schools. You need to have a minimum of 90 semester hours of college credits for admission to podiatry school, including eight hours of biology, physics, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and English.
- You must spend four years in residence to get the degree, during which time you will receive classroom teaching, laboratory work in the basic sciences, and supervised clinical practice.
- Then you need to get a postgraduate degree in the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.
- The American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) has a list of nine approved institutions where you may get your doctorate in podiatric medicine.
- Then you will have to register with AHPRA and get two years of work experience working as a Podiatrist.
- If you wish to become a surgeon, then you can obtain a Doctor of Podiatric Surgery, which is a three-year course.
Pros and Cons of Being A Podiatrists
Pros
- Fair salary
- Growth oppurtunities
- Flexible hours
- High demand
- Reputable job
Cons
- Requires networking
- Can’t specalize in another medical field
How Many Hours Do Podiatrists Work?
Podiatrists ideally work for 35-45 hours a week and have a routine 9-5 job. Sometimes they also work on weekends or afternoons to accommodate patients.
What is the Starting Pay of Podiatrists?
The starting pay of Podiatrists is $11.30 an hour or $1,958 a month. This field is very lucratuve, and by gaining experience, you can earn as much as $20,750 a month.
Podiatrists Training Programs
Becoming a podiatrist is no easy feat. You need to study and also do training.
In addition to your original three-year podiatry degree, you will also work as a medical doctor for some time and then get a residency to understand the podiatrist work while getting your training during your residency.
After that, you will do a specialization before you are ready to work as a podiatrist.
Conclusion
As you can see, being a podiatrist is definitely not easy. It requires years of studying and also a tremendous psychological skillset to be able to help your patients in the worst times when they are doing your job as hard as it can be.
This profession could be regarded as high effort, and high pay as the salaries are pretty high.
FAQ’s
How much do podiatrists make during their residency?
During your residency, you generally make the base salary of medical doctors or junior podiatrists.
How much do podiatrists make when they first officially start working?
When you first officially become a podiatrist and start working as one, you make the base salary of podiatrists.
How much do podiatrists make after becoming a senior podiatrists?
Once you become senior as a podiatrist, you will earn way above the average salary of all podiatrists; depending on your skill set, you might earn close to the highest salaries of podiatrists.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.
