Podiatrist

A Podiatrist is an Allied Health Professional who works with service users whose legs and feet have been affected by illness or injury.

Podiatrists also support service users deal with a range of mobility issues including:

  • Children with lower limb pain or problems walking.
  • Diabetes sufferers with circulation problems may be at risk of amputation.
  • People with sports injuries and dancers whose long hours of rehearsing and performing put stress on their feet causing injury.

Working life

Working as a Podiatrist will mean that you’ll take part in a variety of different tasks during your working day. These can include:

  • Provide general advice about things that can affect service users’ daily lives
  • Assessing service users and checking for abnormalities of their feet and legs such as discolouration and temperature changes. You may also assess blood circulation and feeling in the feet
  • Diagnosing conditions such as corns, bunions, ingrowing toenails and flat feet.
  • Treating conditions using a variety of methods including minor surgery, prescribing medications and recommending footwear
  • Assisting with toenail care such as cutting toenails
  • Managing appointments

Podiatrists work in a variety of settings including:

  • Acute hospitals
  • Community settings
  • GP Surgeries
  • For a sports team or club
  • At a charity
  • Private Practice

Podiatrists usually work with service users on a one-to-one basis and can offer home visits where this is required and depending on the service users needs.

Podiatrists work alongside other Allied Health Professionals, medical staff and healthcare staff to support the wellbeing of a service user and help them overcome the barriers they are experiencing.

Requirements

Becoming a Physiotherapist requires an undergraduate degree or Masters degree in podiatry.

A full-time degree can take three years and a part-time course will take six years. A two-year Masters course is also an option if you already have a relevant degree. Once you achieve your degree, you will be able to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and practice as a qualified Podiatrist.

Entry requirements for an undergraduate course are usually:

  • Two or three A levels, including a biological science
  • five GCSEs (grades A-C), including English language, maths and at least one science

 Or equivalent qualifications:

  • A BTEC, HND or HNC, including biological science
  • A relevant T-level
  • A relevant NVQ
  • A science-based access course
  • Equivalent Scottish or Irish qualifications

Each university sets its own entry requirements, so it’s important to check with them directly which qualifications they will accept for entry. In most cases, the results of an interview and other selection processes are considered as well as academic qualifications. It’s also a good idea to spend some time with a registered podiatrist to get some firsthand experience of what the role’s really like before you apply.

Working as a Podiatrist will provide further opportunities to develop your career through apprenticeships and internal training in the future.

Degree apprenticeship route

For those interested in becoming a Podiatrist through an apprenticeship route, there are degree apprenticeship routes available.

Opportunities to access these apprenticeships are currently limited and you would need to apply for an apprentice post at a healthcare employer willing to support the programme initially.

Other routes to becoming a registered Podiatrist include working in an assistant role for an employer before stepping onto the apprenticeship pathway to podiatry as an internal candidate.

Personal characteristics

To work successfully as a Podiatrist, you need to consider your own personal characteristics. You would need to have the following attributes or similar:

  • Be supportive of service users who have experienced trauma or difficulties
  • Have a non-judgemental and supportive attitude
  • Be able to work with a variety of different people from differing backgrounds and experiences
  • Be able to work as part of a team but also be able to use your own initiative
  • Be reassuring and supportive when dealing with service users or their families
  • Be compassionate and caring
  • Be keen to help and interested in treatments and new ways of working

Skills required

To work successfully as a Podiatrist, you need to consider the skills that you have.  You would need to demonstrate the following:

  • Be well organised and able to plan your time
  • Be able to communicate with a variety of people using different methods
  • Be able to put service users at ease quickly
  • Be patient
  • Be enthusiastic
  • Be able to explain complex treatment plans and advice in a way that is understood

Training and development opportunities

Once qualified and registered as an Allied Health Professional Podiatrist, you can continue to develop your career over time. You’ll have access to a yearly continuing professional development (CPD) check-in where you can discuss any additional training needs or qualifications you would like to achieve.

You will also be encouraged to join The Royal College of Podiatry who offer further development opportunities, email updates and networking opportunities so that you are able to continue to learn from others who work in the same role as you.

You could specialise in working with a particular client group such as the elderly, children or diabetes patients. You could also specialise in a particular area such as sports injuries.

Other development opportunities within Podiatry include becoming a senior or consultant Podiatrist who manages the work of a team of Podiatrists. Or you could become the head of a Podiatry department who would be coordinating the work of Podiatrists in a larger team. Other development opportunities include teaching and research positions or further developing your skills and becoming a Podiatry Surgeon.

Pay and benefits

Podiatrists in the NHS usually work 37.5 hours a week and you would be required to work flexibly over 7 days, you could be required to work shifts, evenings and weekends as part of your rota.

Podiatrists are paid using the Agenda for Change (AfC) system and will typically start their career on AfC band 5 but with experience, further training and additional qualifications, can progress further up the pay scale.

Podiatrists working for Social Care settings will be paid according to the employer they work for and the renumeration for the role should always be shown on their job advert. Other benefits of working as a Podiatrist include access to a pension scheme, health service discounts such as a Blue Light Card and 27 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.