Foot expert unpacks profession during Podiatry Week
CQUniversity is celebrating Podiatry Week, formerly Foot Health Week, (9 – 15 October) by raising awareness of the full scope of the podiatry profession.
Unpacking this year’s theme Podiatry, more than you think, CQUniversity’s Head of Course for Podiatry Dr Ben Peterson walks us through what a podiatrist is, what their scope of practice is, and where they work.
What do podiatrists do? What is their scope?
Podiatrists are experts in the management and prevention of lower extremity conditions. Podiatrists assess and manage conditions that affect the feet and lower limbs, including musculoskeletal injuries, vascular (circulatory) and neurological (nerve-related) complications, and dermatological (skin and nail) problems.
Whilst there is some overlap in the scope of practice of podiatrists and other allied health professions, podiatry is unique in that podiatrists are also trained in pharmacological and surgical interventions.
On any given day in the clinic, a podiatrist might perform vascular screening on a person at risk of circulatory problems, perform a biomechanical assessment on an injured athlete, help a child who is in pain, perform minor surgery under local anaesthetic, and manufacture a pair of orthoses using bench-top machinery.
Transcript
It's National Podiatry Week and I want to know do you know what Podiatry is. Yes. What is podiatry. They look at feet - orthotics, orthotics yeah. Where do they work? Clinics, hospitals, private practice. Hhello my name is Dr Ben Peterson and I'm a podiatrist and the head of Course for Podiatry at CQUniversity. Podiatrists are experts in the assessment and management of conditions which affect the lower limb that includes those problems which affect the muscular skeletal system like sporting injuries, the neurological symptoms like different types of nerve problems and neuropathies circulatory problems which affect the vascular system and also dermatological problems which affect our skin and nails. We work with really young children as they're taking their first steps right through to people that are taking their last steps and just trying to remain on their feet. We work with elite athletes particularly when it comes to managing muscular skeletal and sporting conditions right through to people who are quite unwell who might be at risk of you know limb threatening amputations. Podiatrists have some overlap in their scope of practice with some other health professions such as others that manage muscular skeletal injuries but we also have quite a unique scope of practice in that we're able to apply pharmacological interventions like use local anesthetic and also perform minor surgeries under local anesthetic. Podiatrists can work in a variety of settings including public hospitals and also private clinics. Podiatrists can open their own clinics and also have the opportunity to become credentials in sports and pediatrics and there are also research pathways that podiatrists can undertake.
What sorts of places do podiatrists work?
Like other allied health professions, podiatrists can work in both public settings (such as large hospitals) and private settings. Podiatrists are able to be self-employed (i.e. start their own businesses) or work for others.
Some clinical settings are focused on specific areas of practice, for example, sports injuries or paediatric settings. There are credentialling pathways podiatrists can undertake for special certification in sports and in paediatrics, and there are also research pathways available.
People who graduate with podiatry degrees also tend to have other transferrable skills which can enable them to work in other health-related areas (such as in government and non-government organisations).
Who uses podiatrists? And what are the main reasons a patient sees a podiatrist?
Podiatrists can be helpful to a really broad range of people, including athletes, children, older people, those with chronic diseases (such as diabetes mellitus), and essentially anybody who has concerns about the health of their feet or lower limbs.
People commonly present with musculoskeletal injuries, skin and nail problems, or with concerns about their circulatory and neurological systems.
Likewise, people often just attend for a check-up – this is particularly the case with parents bringing their children for checks of their development, walking pattern, and foot posture.
