What
Exactly is Podiatry?
The
profession of podiatry has developed from its origins
in chiropody to become a medical speciality dealing
with assessment, diagnosis and treatment of the lower
limb. Podiatry has developed a broad scope of practice
focusing on the use of scientific principals for the
diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of a wide range
of lower limb disorders.
Podiatrists
are autonomous professionals who may also work as
part of a multi-disciplinary team within healthcare.
They are enthusiastic, independent professionals who
are able to adapt to working in a variety of clinical
environments both within the National Health Service
and the private sector. Podiatry continues to be a
developing progressive profession enhancing patient
mobility and quality of life.
Training
In order to become a State Registered practitioner
you have to undertake and pass a full time honours
degree in Podiatry. This degree is offered at only
13 schools of podiatry within the UK, so each year
the number of places is very limited.
The
structure of the degree programme awarding a BSc(Hons)
in Podiatry is modular. This means you are required
to study each area of the course in small sections
(modules) which are all assessed separately. Each
year of the programme comprises of both theoretical
and clinical modules. Clinical work begins in year
one of most courses.
Though
the content of the course is more or less the same
in all of the 13 schools of podiatry, the actual delivery
of the material can vary considerably. Some sessions
will be classroom based others may be clinic or laboratory
based. Some sessions will be lecturer led others may
be student led. Some will be theoretical teaching
sessions, others will be practical. You may well be
spending some time away from college on work or observational
placements.
Fees
for overseas students (those from non EEU countries)
vary between institutions. The total cost including
maintenance per year should be ascertained from the
individual institutions.
Applications
to all of the schools of podiatry in the UK may be
made directly through each individual university.
Enquiries should be directed to the admissions tutor
for BSc(Hons) Podiatry
Contact
details for the 13 schools can be found on our web
site www.feetforlife.org.
Graduate
employment rates vary but are generally excellent.
Currently of those who want a job about 75% of students
are employed within 4 months of graduation and 100%
by 8 to 9 months. This is excellent compared with
many other graduate employment rates.
The
podiatry undergraduate programme is very intensive
and requires considerable dedication on the part of
the student. As an intrical part of undergraduate
study, podiatry students also have to undertake 1,000
clinical hours before they can graduate. This makes
for long days at college and many evenings studying
like most medically based degrees such as dentistry
or physiotherapy.
Working as a Podiatrst
Working as a podiatrist can be exiting and rewarding
because it involves working in a variety of environments
with a number of other health care professionals and
many different groups of patients who have a wide
range of podiatric problems. The scope of practice
of a podiatrist is often much wider than many people
realise. The work falls in to five key categories:
general clinics, biomechanics, high risk patient management,
surgery, and private practice. As State Registered
practitioners many podiatrists work in the National
Health Service, in private practice or both. There
are though, many other places podiatrists can work
for example:
You
may well end up working in more than one of the above
areas. The profession of podiatry can offer the ultimate
in flexible working. Both your career path and the
hours you work can be flexible. This is particularly
attractive to those with family commitments, for example.
The degree of flexibility though does depend on the
areas you choose to work in.
Continuing
Professional Development
As practitioners we never stop learning, it is an
important part of our professional development and
our commitment to providing patients with the best
care possible.
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists has a
programme of continuing professional development (CPD)
which can be accessed through its Virtual Learning
Centre. The centre covers all areas of professional
development. It uses state of the art Internet technology
to allow practitioners to continue their professional
development wherever in the world they are based.
It also contains a reading room, discussion forums
and an events search facility.
It will soon be a requirement of State Registration
that practitioners will have to undertake a number
of CPD activities each year.
Some
podiatrists go on to develop an interest in surgery
and train as podiatric surgeons. Podiatric surgeons
surgically manage bone and joint disorders within
the foot. The Society also has a surgical training
programme which podiatrists can only do after graduation
and have to undergo rigorous training taking a number
of years.
The
Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists
1 Fellmongers Path
Tower Bridge Road
London
SE1 3LY
www.feetforlife.org
