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Podiatrists under paid

Discussion in 'General Issues and Discussion Forum' started by ajs604, Apr 17, 2013.

  1. ajs604

    ajs604 Active Member


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    I have been a qualified podiatrist for almost 5 years now and despite gaining promotion and working for both a health organisation and owning a small practice I still feel I am underpaid and that my skills are not held in high regard. Who else agrees?

    I am getting to the point where I am considering leaving the profession and going into something else and further promotion opportunities are slack and far between.

    The positives about podiatry is that it is a reliable job and it improves the lifes of many who require it. In my opinion thats where the rewards end. This is not an attack on the profession just an observation. After all we are looking at feet every day - would a higher wage be unreasonable. Please discuss.
     
  2. carol

    carol Active Member

    You don't say how much your income is ( roughly would do) so we can compare. I would suggest before you throw in the towel, which we all want to do from time time, that you look into expanding your private practice. I have been doing this for twenty odd years. Joe Public can be irritating at times but nothing like 'managers' Just a word of caution though, if you have a too inflated opinion of your worth you will price yourself out of the market. A lot depends on your location and client dynamic, if mainly elderly they will have a different perception of costings. The main thing with private practice is, if you are good at what you do and are nice to folk, they will come back and tell all thier friends.
     
  3. antipodean

    antipodean Active Member

    Look if its all about the dollar then working for a health org is unlikely to be a road to riches but can be highly satisfying and provide reasonable remuneration.
    Whilst it may pay better the thing I find most beneficial about private podiatry is Automomy, chosing when and where you work.
     
  4. W J Liggins

    W J Liggins Well-Known Member

    I go along with the above replies. However, my experience in Pommieland may help. When I qualified I went to work in a private practice which gave a half decent reward but only because a 10-12 hour day was worked. When the principal died, I was left with an invidious choice. No colleague would work such long hours for so low an income so I had to close the business or 'discharge' a considerable number of patients. I allocated each patient to one of 3 groups i) impossible to keep, ii) raise fees, iii) already paying a reasonable fee. I'm proud that my wife and I worked an 18 hour day writing to each and every patient explaining the difficulty and we found National Health provision for all those we were forced to discharge. What was remarkable was the reaction of those in group ii) who were asked to pay an extra fee. Without exception they accepted and many remarked that they did not understand how the fees had been kept low for so long.

    I suggest that you bite the bullet, raise fees and offer 'specialist' treatment whether that be 'biomechanics', surgery or whatever. I'm sure that this will sort the problem out after a year or so and you will obtain a decent remuneration and continue in the profession.

    All the best

    Bill Liggins
     
  5. Pauline burrell-saward

    Pauline burrell-saward Active Member

    have worked half my working life for the NHS and half in PP,and I know what I would rather do .

    NHS can be exciting, challenging, safe, always employed but oh, the agro from the higher up, the constant changes for changes sake, the working under constant worry that you may do something wrong. the back biting. my friends worked in NHS and were miserable most of the time complaning about this and that, they are all retired now as they couldnt wait to leave, I'm still working as I enjoy my work so much.

    PP may well be basic work much of the time, but you set your own standard,times,holidays etc, you really get to kknow your pts, your staff.

    Most pods are never going to make a fortune but surly you knew that before you did your training???
     
  6. Snowstorm

    Snowstorm Active Member

    I have been a podiatrist for 28 years. The short answer to your question is that you are going to waste your time continuing in the profession.
    Just look at the figures. There were 22,000 registered chiropodists/podiatrists in 1985 and now about 12500 registered with the HCPC. The profession deserves itself, it has no sense of direction, it is not proactive and in my opinion is a complete waste of time. Unfortunately it has been let down in my opinion by the Society of Chiropodists/Podiatrists over many years. The schools of podiatry have also failed to take an active role in lobbying government for tighter control over the unprecedented numbers of foot care specialists, foot doctors,foot care practitioners,
    foot consultants............ on and on. I recently gave up when a local podiatrist started charging twelve pounds for a domiciliary visit. You would do better taking up hairdressing or delivering newspapers. Don't waste your life hoping things will get better, they simply will not! You have 2 options. Use your degree towards another more viable alternative or start a home grown internet business. Start a new future.
    I wish you all the very best http://www.podiatry-arena.com/images/smilies/wacko.gif
     
  7. Suzannethefoot

    Suzannethefoot Active Member

    This is the age old dilemma in podiatry. Are we being valued and paid enough? There is no standardisation in charges, partly because no-one seems to be prepared to say what they charge. Here in Dorset in the UK, I know people who charge £18 to £24 for home visits, and those who charge £28 for a surgery based treatment and £32 for a home visit. Nursing homes also seem to expect us to charge £12 to £15 per patient! With those sorts of differences, how are the public to know who to go to? Also, do you charge the same price for each patient? or does the charge change for the amount of work required? It is difficult to decide, but you must decide how much you reasonably want to earn, how many days you want to work, and how many patients you expect to do on average, then work out the charges from there.
     
  8. carolethecatlover

    carolethecatlover Active Member

    Well, some people expect a lot!
    I am willing to work for the minimum wage. All my other jobs in life have been below any kind of minimum wage. But I have to get a place in a course first!
    In fact, working as a FHP is very satisfying. The advantage of going to uni is being able to get at the research via databases.
     
  9. Suzannethefoot

    Suzannethefoot Active Member

    If you work for the minimum wage, you are undervaluing yourself and others around you. Also, you have to remember that you are charging for all the time you are working and studying and cleaning etc, when you are not actually with a patient. That can almost double your working hours.
     
  10. Orthican

    Orthican Active Member

    Hmmm...underpaid? I suppose it depends on your point of view. I had a client in the other day who had seen a podiatrist who comes to my city to do a clinic once a month. This podiatrist made the gentleman an AFO. He charged the man 500 dollars cash to take a cast of his lower leg then charged him 1800 dollars cash for the AFO. All the podiatrist had to do was send the cast away to have the AFO (Richie) made and then fit it on the man and told him that was it. Two visits. One for the assessment and casting and one to fit it on him. Do you feel this podiatrist was underpaid for his work?
     
  11. bob

    bob Active Member

    How much is 'too much' to charge? And how do you put a price on pain?

    Who are the good guys? And who are the bad guys? Is the bad guy te guy that charges more than I do? Why is he the bad guy? What makes him so bad? What is a rip off?

    Are podiatrists underpaid? Well since I am one and I do not have enough money for everything I want, the answer is yes.
     
  12. Orthican

    Orthican Active Member

    I'm probably going to get flack but .....

    How much is too much? More than whatever the person or their insurance is willing to pay ...right? Lets not mince words here. Putting a price on pain?...that is something best left to insurance companies. Why would you as someone who cares about the person in pain charge them something you know they can not afford in order to present a solution for them? Would that not present some sort of cruel irony to them?

    Who are the good guys?...the guys that care more about what they do and why they are doing it more so than the reward for same. And those same guys usually are the ones complaining about remuneration. Sad but true.

    Who are the bad guys? The guys and gals that do not care about the above but are more concerned about making sure they see people less and charge more for for the service or lack of and feel as though the patient's issues are more of an aggravation and inconvenience than they are something to take heed of. Sadly they are also the ones complaining about remuneration.

    Is it the bad guy that charged more than you? The bad guy sometimes does not charge more than you and sometimes does. It entirely depends on their motivation. And whether or not they are one who prefers to fly above or below the public opinion radar. And whether or not they care. And whether or not they need the money.

    Why is he/she the bad guy? Because he/she is someone who simply is in it for the wrong reasons. Money is secondary to the main reward. Achieving the main reward will undoubtedly lead to more money. This is not something the bad guy knows. The bad guy thinks it is all about the money and the patient is just the inconvenience presenting and work done in order to achieve it.

    A rip off is something you do knowing that you have profited off of someone else's trust knowing full well you should have presented a different option because they were skeptical at the start and so were you and you knew better but you made more profit as a result of the deception.
     
  13. ajs604

    ajs604 Active Member

    Hi, I suppose I ear about $75,000 a year for my job in the health service and about another $10,000 doing HV. I charge $70 per HV which is about 35 GBP. I still feel that money is a struggle though lol!! I just see other profesionals earning a lot more money such as Dentist whereas Podiatrist seem to miss out.
     
  14. ajs604

    ajs604 Active Member

    Your right most pods are never going to make a fourtune. My first choice was to study medicine but I didnt get in and I really dont want to go back to uni now!!

    I think you can make a lot of money in podiatry, you just have to channel yourself in the right way. Its all about marketing! Maybe im too lazy :)
     
  15. Ros Kidd

    Ros Kidd Active Member

    Usually after 5 years experience I would be expecting someone to be looking for a senior position within the organisation. If there is no opening available then I would suggest going for a positional regrading, your HR can give you the information regarding the procedure used by your AHA. Do not be put off if you are told there is no money in the budget to do it, strangely when I have regraded myself or one of my staff money gets into the next years budget projection. A personal regrading may apply to you as well.
    Best of luck,
    Ros
     
  16. ajs604

    ajs604 Active Member

    Hi Ros Kidd,

    What country are you working in. I am a grade 2 pod in Melbourne. I asked my manager but she stated there was no funding for a more senior role. Other pods here before me left as there is no progression. How do I ask for 'positional regarding', and I have never heard of this before?

    Thanks for the heads up btw!
     
  17. Tuckersm

    Tuckersm Well-Known Member

    AJS,

    Trouble is a Grade 3 in Victoria requires 7 yrs Service, which can limit internal promotions, but doesn't stop you applying for vacant senior positions at other health services. Look at locum positions, eg Maternity leave, which although time limited will provide options for expansion, with often less competition.

    And most senior pods now have some level of post grad qualification (and a number of health services require it)

    Unfortunately community health centres funding is based on a grade 2 level, but can offset senior positions with graduate positions, hospitals are funded differently, based on activity targets etc.

    The last Allied Health EBA included $ to review the career structure for allied health, unfortunately this stalled a fair bit with the problems incurred by the HSUA last year, but should again begin to move forward, which will hopefully provide more options.

    BTW Ros is now happily retired, having been the Pod HoD at Liverpool Hospital
     
  18. Ros Kidd

    Ros Kidd Active Member

    Steve, am I right in thinking that if the work being performed is Grade 3 then the person doing it can be regraded?
    Steve, I was Area Director SSWAHS and HoD Liverpool, an impossible job, which is why I am so happily retired now!
    Ros
     
  19. Tuckersm

    Tuckersm Well-Known Member

    With the Victorian EBA, at grade 2, and for all Chief positions, it is about the work, but for Grade 3 and 4 it is about the person.
     
  20. Ros Kidd

    Ros Kidd Active Member

    Thanks Steve.
    Ros
     
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