title: Surgical referrals as evidence of a de facto podiatric medical specialization.
abstract: The authors present evidence on the patterns and correlates of surgical referrals to podiatric physicians that suggests a surgical specialty now exists in podiatric medicine. The primary factors on which surgical specialization appears to be based are residency training, hospital medical staff membership, and increased hospital podiatric practice activity. Surgically specialized podiatric physicians tend to be younger, but such specialization is not related to either the gender or race of podiatric physicians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green 42101, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Chumbler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011032:Podiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013038:Specialization