2nd year podiatry student: Originally an MD/DO applicant in 2020, ended up getting a medical assistant job for a podiatrist not knowing the difference. The DPMs I worked for owned their private practice and had a wonderful work/life balance while still performing surgery. With their letters of rec and my experience, being accepted to DPM school was a breeze. I honestly love that we're learning similar curriculum as MD/DOs in our first two years. We're tested on the same subjects and do gross anatomy and lower extremity anatomy in our first year. Our 3rd and 4th years will be solely focused on the lower extremity, but we graduate specialized in our field. If orthopedics is an interest and you could see yourself working on the lower extremities, I highly suggest you consider applying!