Pre-Podiatric Medicine

Introduction

Students interested in a career in podiatric medicine may pursue any major along with completing specific prerequisites. Podiatric medicine is particularly well-suited for students interested in surgery. Podiatric medical schools typically require a minimum of 90 credit hours be completed at the undergraduate level and many prefer the bachelor degree be completed prior to enrolling. Students must gain a thorough understanding of the profession through a range of shadowing experiences and earn a competitive score on the MCAT. Students are encouraged to learn about the profession via the podiatric medicine residency program hosted at Sisters Hospital next to the Canisius campus. Students should work with the Pre-Health advisor beginning in the first college year or upon deciding to pursue podiatric medicine to select appropriate coursework based on their schools of interest and plan appropriate co-curricular experiences including service, to build a high quality application.

Students applying to podiatry schools complete an in-house application process to receive a letter of evaluation from the Health Science Advisory and Recommendation Committee in support of their application to podiatry school. In addition to the information in this section, please check the general information at the pre-medical and pre-health section of the catalog.

JOINT AND EARLY ASSURANCE PROGRAMS

Canisius maintains a relationship with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Podiatric Medicine which allows students to gain early acceptance into podiatry school. Highly qualified students may apply while in high school and be admitted into this 4+4 program upon enrolling at Canisius as first-year students. Current students may also apply during during the first or second year at Canisius. Students wishing to apply while in high school as well as current students should contact the Program Director. Competitive SAT or ACT scores are required for early acceptance. Students in this program complete the Core Curriculum or the All College Honors Program and a science major.

Recommended Pre-Podiatric Medicine Courses

Academic admission requirements vary by school, but usually include the following courses:

English

One year of English composition or the Honors Program equivalent:

Select one of the following:
Option 1:
ENG 111Academic Writing3
ENG 112Writing about Literature3
Option 2:
HON 101Honors English3
and an Honors Literature course3

Biology

At least one year of general biology with laboratory:

BIO 111
& 111L		Introductory Biology I
and Introductory Biology Laboratory I		4
BIO 112
& 112L		Introductory Biology II
and Introductory Biology Laboratory II		4

Chemistry

One year of general chemistry and one year of organic chemistry with laboratories:

CHM 111
& 111L		General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory		4
CHM 112
& 112L		General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Laboratory		4
CHM 227
& 227L		Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory		4
CHM 228
& 228L		Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory		4

Biochemistry

One semester of biochemistry is required by most medical schools, while lab requirements vary by school. Two semesters are required as the content for the MCAT exam is spread over two classes. A student's major may dictate the option they should select:

Select one of the following:
Option 1:
BIO 211
& 211L		Biochemistry and Cell Biology I
and Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lab I		4
BIO 212
& 212L		Biochemistry and Cell Biology II
and Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lab II		4
Option 2:
BCH 301
& 301L		Introduction to Biochemistry
and Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory		4
BCH 302Cellular Biochemistry3

Physics

One year of introductory physics with laboratory. A student's major may dictate the option they should select:

Select one of the following:
Option 1:
PHY 201
& 201L		College Physics I
and College Physics I Laboratory		4
PHY 202
& 202L		College Physics II
and College Physics II Laboratory		4
Option 2:
PHY 223
& 223L		General Physics for Physical Science Majors I
and General Physics for Physical Science Majors I Laboratory		4
PHY 224
& 224L		General Physics for Physical Science Majors II
and General Physics for Physical Science Majors I Laboratory		4

Mathematics

One year of mathematics. One semester of statistics is recommended to prepare students for the MCAT and one semester of calculus is a prerequisite to prepare students for physics:

PSY 201Basic Statistics for Behavioral Sciences3 or 4
or MAT 141 Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science
MAT 111Calculus I4

Behavioral/Social Science

One semester each of psychology (either PSY 101 or PSY 102) and sociology (SOC 110). The MCAT includes content from PSY 101, PSY 102, and SOC 110. If a student does not take both PSY 101 and PSY 102, they may learn some psychology content independently.

Psychology
PSY 101Introduction to Psychology I3
or PSY 102 Introduction to Psychology II
Sociology
SOC 110Introduction to Sociology3

Additional Pre-Podiatric Medicine Courses

Students not majoring in a science are encouraged to take additional science elective courses. Students majoring in a science are encouraged to take additional coursework in the humanities and social sciences. 

Elective Courses

HRP 101 allows students to explore different health professions.

HRP 111 introduces students to medical terminology.

HRP 201 and HRP 202 allow students to explore areas of medicine in more depth.

HRP 498 is an internship in medical informatics. A medical scribe internship is also available.

HRP 498A is a medical service learning trip.