Podiatrists

Certification or Licensing

There are three subspecialties of podiatric medicine recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine: surgery, orthopedics, and primary care. Although any licensed podiatrist is considered qualified to address all areas of podiatric medicine, certification as a specialist in one of these three areas requires completion of specialized training. Contact national podiatric specialty boards, such as the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery, American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry, or the American Board of Podiatric Medicine, for more information on specialty board certifications.

Podiatrists must be licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A state board examination must be passed to qualify for licensing. Some states allow the exams to be taken during medical podiatric college, from the National Board of Podiatric Examiners, as a substitute for the state boards. Most states require applicants to serve an additional residency of at least two years.