Podiatry - A Step in the Right Direction
If you are considering a career within the field of medicine, you may already have looked at medicine, nursing, dentistry, and physiotherapy as possible options. Look as well, at Chiropody/Podiatry. Feet may not, at first glance, be very appetising, but most podiatrists* see their profession much more as a way of life than as just a way of earning a living.
Podiatry may be described as the maintenance of the feet in healthy condition. A podiatrist is a specialist in the medical team who is responsible for the care of the feet of all ages of the population. The foot is a highly complex structure which, if care is not taken of it, can develop problems. It can be affected by many general medical and surgical conditions. Conversely, some foot disorders can have serious consequences on general health and well-being.
Podiatry is one of the professions allied to medicine, and members of the profession are taught to liase with work alongside other specialists. They will have a good working knowledge of the whole body, in order to assess the causes and general health implications of the foot problems facing them. Some podiatrists go on , after obtaining their first degree in podiatry, to specialise in such subjects as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, geriatrics or paediatrics. Podiatrists are able to diagnose and offer treatment and advice on all sorts of foot disorders without the need for referral from medical practitioners, and are expected to manage conditions affecting the foot from birth to old age. The emphasis, though, is always on teamwork, so that the best overall health care may be offered to patients.
Many practitioners pursue postgraduate study to increase their capabilities beyond the level taught to them on the undergraduate course, not only for the specialities already mentioned, but also for surgical procedures such as the straightening of hammer toes and bunions.
The screening of schoolchildren for established and potential foot problems is an important aspect of the work of podiatrists, providing the opportunity to undertake foot health education and promotion. Many foot deformities develop early in life, and podiatrists are able to develop health promotion strategies and to treat and prevent problems that can occur later in life.
Many conditions are treated under local anaesthesia, such as ingrowing toenails, benign soft tissue tumours and corns. Post-registration training can lead to qualifications in surgery within the foot, Other treatment regimes include the prescription of orthoses, topical chemotherapy, cryotherapy, electrosurgery, ultrasonics, specialised dressings and exercise therapies.
There are fourteen recognised schools of chiropody to which school-leavers and others may apply. As the scope of practice has increased over the eighty years of recognised practice, so the educational content has improved immensely. In the early part of the century courses offered were part-time, being mostly evening sessions with established chiropodists, By the commencement of the Second World War the recognised schools had developed two-year full-time courses; and in the middle 1950s this became a three year full-time course, following the academic year structure of other educational establishments. Success in the final examinations allows qualifying students to be admitted to membership of the Society of
Chiropodists and Podiatrists.
Nowadays, the recognised schools are all departments of universities, or colleges of higher education, and issue BSc degrees in podiatry, as well as teaching to state-registration level. To enter one of the schools straight from school or sixth form college you will need to have five GCSE passes at A, B or C level which should include English Language and, preferably, two sciences. Normally, two of these will be at A level. Mature students should not be deterred if they do not have the GCSE passes necessary for school leavers, but should not be deterred if they do not have the GCSE passes necessary for school leavers, but should seek the advice of the school. Some will be immediately acceptable, others may be recommended to obtain suitable A levels before being offered a place in the student body. Several schools run access courses, which, part-time over a year, offer highly intensive science-based to bring access students to the required level of education.
After graduation you will find there are almost limitless opportunities for postgraduate study and advancement. Several polytechnics have been running post-registration BSc degrees in chiropody for some years; there is a Fellowship examination and a Teachers Certificate that are obtainable; and many people take Open University degrees towards which the three year course currently allows two general credit exemptions. Others are taking Masters degrees, while several are taking, or have already completed, PhDs.
NHS Employment
On successful completion of the degree course, most people seek employment, in the first instance, in the National Health Service. This gives them immediate income and the chance to build their experience, and to undertake post-registration education to enlarge their skills. Many graduates may visualise themselves becoming self-employed, in private practice, after an initial period with the NHS.
NHS employment, working mostly in clinics and hospitals, has a moderately good career structure, with new employees likely to start earning about £13,420 pa (as at 1.4.98). promotion can take one up to several levels of chief chiropodist; and some of these have progressed further, into managerial posts.
Private Practice
Not everyone wishes to work full time with the NHS, and some people combine pro rata or sessional NHS work within private surgery or domiciliary practice. Some practise entirely privately, with no NHS commitment, and the private sector provides a career as rewarding and fulfilling as that offered in the NHS. Some people, having built up their expertise, return to the college to become lecturers. They may then specialise in some particular modality; and there are now plenty of opportunities for them to undertake research , using the facilities of their own and other departments of the colleges or universities in which they teach.
In private practice, one needs not only chiropodial skills, but also business and managerial skills, as being self-employed means that one is running a business, with responsibilities to tax and other governmental departments.
If you are interested in podiatry as a career, it is worth getting to know more about the profession. If you haven't yet visited a chiropodist's surgery or clinic, try to do so.
Contributed by:
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists,
1 Fellmonger's Path
Tower Bridge Road
London
SE1 3LY
Tel: 020 7234 8620
Fax: 0845 450 3721
Web: www.feetforlife.org/
*The profession is in the process of changing its title from Chiropody to Podiatry, to indicate the advances that have been made, and are still being made, in the professional scope of practice, and to use the title that is recognised in most other countries with similar level of education.
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