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Technical Standards

The holder of a D.P.M. degree must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. In order to carry out the activities described below, candidates for the D.P.M. degree must be able to consistently, quickly and accurately integrate all information received, and must have the ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data.

A candidate for the D.P.M. degree must have the abilities and skills of eight varieties, as outline below. Technological compensation can be made for handicaps in some of these areas, but a candidate must be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.

Technical Standards

  1. Observation : Candidates and students must have sufficient vision to be able to observe demonstrations, experiments and laboratory exercises in the basic sciences. They must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand.
  2. Communication: Candidates and students should be able to speak, hear and observe patients in order to elicit information, examine patients, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. They must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing. They must also be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the health care team.
  3. Motor: Candidates and students should have sufficient motor function to execute movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of physicians are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administration of intravenous medication, the application of pressure to stop bleeding, the opening of obstructed airways, and the suturing of simple wounds. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.
  4. Sensory: Since podiatric medical candidates and students need enhanced ability in their sensory skills, it would be necessary to thoroughly evaluate for candidacy individuals who are otherwise qualified but who have significant tactile, sensory or proprioceptive disabilities. This would include individuals with significant previous burns, sensory motor deficits, cicatrix formation and many malformations of the upper extremities.
  5. Strength and Mobility: Podiatric medical treatment often requires sufficient upper extremity and body strength; therefore, individuals with significant limitations in these areas would be unlikely to succeed. Mobility to attend to emergency codes and to perform such maneuvers as CPR is also required.
  6. Visual Integration: Consistent with the ability to assess asymmetry, range of motion and tissue texture changes, it is necessary to have adequate visual capabilities for proper evaluation and treatment integration.
  7. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities: Candidates and students must be able to concentrate, analyze and interpret data, and make decisions within areas in which there is a reasonable amount of visual and auditory distraction. They must also perform these functions in a timely manner and under a reasonable amount of stress since podiatric doctors are expected to be able to perform such duties in diverse clinical settings where others may be present and where there is a certain degree of noise. Candidates and students must be able to accurately write prescriptions, accurately perform basic mathematical functions, and accurately and quickly read charts with minimal error in areas where there may be distractions. The practice of medicine demands the ability to integrate and process information promptly and accurately in a time-sensitive environment. Candidates must be able to draw on their store of knowledge in emergency situations and under time limitations.
  8. Behavioral and Social Attributes: Candidates and students must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Candidates and students must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, and interest and motivation are all personal qualities that will be assessed during the admission and educational processes.

The College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery will attempt to develop creative ways of opening the medical school curriculum to competitive, qualified disabled individuals. In doing so, however, the College must maintain the integrity of its curriculum and preserve those elements deemed essential to educating a podiatric physician.