Doctor of Podiatric Medicine in the context of "Teaching hospital"

Residency or postgraduate training is a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician (one who holds the degree of MD, DO, MBBS/MBChB), veterinarian (DVM/VMD, BVSc/BVMS), dentist (DDS or DMD), podiatrist (DPM), optometrist (OD),pharmacist (PharmD), or Medical Laboratory Scientist (Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science) who practices medicine or surgery, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, clinical pharmacy, or Clinical Laboratory Science, respectively, usually in a hospital or clinic, under the direct or indirect supervision of a senior medical clinician registered in that specialty such as an attending physician or consultant.

The term residency is named as such due to resident physicians (resident doctors) of the 19th century residing at the dormitories of the hospital in which they received training.

Foot and ankle surgery is a sub-specialty of orthopedics and podiatry that deals with the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of disorders of the foot and ankle. Orthopaedic surgeons are medically qualified, having been through four years of college, followed by 4 years of medical school or osteopathic medical school to obtain an M.D. or D.O. followed by specialist training as a resident in orthopaedics, and only then do they sub-specialise in foot and ankle surgery. Training for a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon consists of four years of college, four years of podiatric medical school (D.P.M.), 3–4 years of a surgical residency and an optional 1 year fellowship.

The distinction between a podiatric and orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon is: an orthopedic surgeon has a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine medical degree or osteopathic medical degree and training that encompasses both orthopedic residency and an optional 6-month to one year of fellowship training specific in techniques of foot and ankle surgery, while the training of a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine consist of a podiatric medical degree and three to four-year residency training specific to foot and ankle medicine and surgery, with an optional additional 1-year fellowship in foot and ankle trauma, reconstruction, or diabetic limb salvage.