Studying Podiatry IN Australia HELP?

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I Accidentally Started this thread in the Genral sectiction, i have recently decided that i am going to study podiatry, i have a couple of questions regarding the University courses and it would be great to here form some podiatrists with experience.
I plan on doing a few days work experience with my Podiatrist just to get a feel for the profession but i really already have my heart set on studying.
as a massage therapist and personal trainer that focuses on Corrective exercise i already have a love for helping people(Cliche ) i have recently sustained a couple of injuries that have made me aware that my career at the moment is not as sustainable as i had hoped anyway this is why i am branching out towards podiatry as from my own personal experiences and my clients experiences with podiatrists have realised the importance and effectiveness of a good podiatrist.
My questions are as follows but if you have any info or comment please leave a post as any info will be much appreciated.

1. what are the pro's and cons of each University course and why (Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Podiatric Practice) VS (Bachelor of podiatry)
2.Do both University Courses Let you Treat the same conditions, Eg Bio mechanical, Surgery, Dermatological, etc
3.What are the most enjoyable things about Podiatry?
4.Are there any Universities that are Known to be better than others?

Thanks in Advance for any help you can give

 

Hello Bluefish,
As a qualified massage therapist who is now in final year Uni doing podiatry, I'd steer clear of the massage/ personal trainer pathway unless you are young, have no injuries that are going to haunt you & like working in a physically demanding job for not great pay or consistent clients. It may look like a great career, but there are any number of people out there thinking the same thing, so lots of competition! Also, if you end up with RSI/ back problems etc, how are you going to make an income? You do have the advantage of living in Sydney, where there is a big population to draw on, but in difficult financial times people cut back on non essentials. However, if it's really what you want to do, ask around about rates of pay, setup costs & how much demand there is in your area.
I chose podiatry because I needed to get out of a physically demanding job due to injuries, needed something interesting that didn't involve heavy lifting or working outdoors in extreme temperatures. It also needed to be in demand ( I live in a rural area with high unemployment), preferably the demand would increase in the future ( statistics indicate it will). It also needed to be financially viable so I can pay off my HECS fees & hopefully buy a home one day before I'm too old to pay it off!
Looking at unis, I chose one closest to home for personal reasons, plus it was a year shorter than the other courses offered ( some others look down upon this, but as a UK pod pointed out to me, their courses are 3 years too, and they are well regarded).
I'd ask any Pods you do work experience with where they trained, what they thought of it & what they recommend.
A lot of the universities have websites with details about their courses which you can look up to see the subjects taught, facilities available, costs & location.
To treat patients you need to complete a Bachelor degree ( 3 or 4 years). Masters will provide a stepping stone to becoming a Podiatric Surgeon ( should you desire).
The best thing is definitely treating patients - if you don't enjoy talking to people & getting hands on experience, then I wouldn't recommend it.
You will be trained in biomechanics, treating sports injuries, diabetes assessments, wound care, assessing kids and general foot treatments.
You can then choose what area interests you when you graduate & concentrate on that.
There is a huge demand for podiatrists in rural areas - so don't be afraid to look outside the city for ideas.
Cheers,
Kara

 

@ Kara47
Thanks so much for your reply Kara it was very informative and interesting to hear your ideas.
did you study at Newcastle UNI? Im leaning towards UWS have you heard anything about their course?

Thanks again

 

Hi Bluefish,
I would study podiatry and later on you can add massage therapy/personal training. If you want to have an income before you study podiaty, than get your certifcate 3 to work as a fitness leader in a gym or cert iv or diploma in PT to work as a personal trainer - that would take around 12 months study to get you going. Massage therapy courses can take 12-24mths to get qualified. If studying podiatry stick to a close university as they are all very similar. Courses are often updated to meet national standards. Whether your qualification says Bachelor of Health Sciences (Podiatry) or Bachelor of Podiatry all universities know its the same. You can then go on to studying your masters in podiatry, masters in health science podiatry, masters in podiatric medicine depending on what the uni labels it! (in the end its all the same). Masters in podiatry "coursework" may lead toward being a podiatric surgeon or prepare you for research which you can then go on to doing a PHD.
Bachelor takes 3-4 years full time. Masters 2 years full time and up to 4 years full time. A PHD will take up to 4 years full time and 4-8 years part time. Talk to the podiatric surgeons re-all the extra hard work on top of a masters to become a surgeon! As a general podiatrist you will all treat the same. You may find you have an interest in a particular topic that you specialise in more. You need to like working with the public which sounds like you have an interest in health. Contact all the uni's you are interested in and look at the course oultine. Another note is that you can choose to study your masters in podiatric research or coursework OR as a qualified podiatrist with a health science background you can also choose to do your masters in any health science course acrosss the board (not just podiatry) and this would cover your interest in fitness. eg, exercise science and physiology, physiotherapy, etc. (And visa versa these health professionals can do a masters in podiatry if they want). I am a podiatrist , massage therapist, naturopath and have completed a personal training course. I love them all and i continue to always study and research. They all work in nicely together. I did my masters in podiatry at the university of south australia. I am next deciding between doing a 2nd masters of interest or a PHD. Your bachelor degree is a a stepping stone into a huge variety of continuning education to better yourself. ONE step at a time. Its great to have the flexibility to work the hours you want. The harder you work the more income you can earn. I prefer part time work and continued study. hopefully this post helps you. If you have any more questions let me know! good luck with whatever you choose to study.

 

Sorry i think i worded my first post incorectly i am already a qualified massage therapist and Personal trainer but am looking to change careers into the Podiatry industry, Thanks for the info so far it has all been helpfull.

 

Hi bluefish.
I worked in both massage and naturopathy first and continue to do both along side podiatry. As you know there are thousands of massage therapists and personal trainers out there, and it is harder to collect a high volume of regular clients as it is very competitive. I needed to make a good living and had an interest in the lower limb so I studied Podiatry. Podiatry is very stable and there are not many in the industry compared to other health science courses. You can make a very good living out of Podiatry (podiatrists are in high demand expecially in general treatment which is your bread and butter). The fact that you have the other qualifications is a huge bonus and you may find the sports podiatry/biomechanics area alot of fun for you. If you do your masters you can choose to do it in exercise science/rehabiltiation etc, as I mentioned earlier. The uni course at UWS started first and then moved to newcastle and has recently started back up at UWS also. Phone both podiatry departments at these uni's and i am sure you will find no difference. You will also get alot out of talking to them. Feel free to ask me any other questions that may help with your decision.

 

Hello bluefish,
Yes, I'm in my final year at Newcastle. I don't know a great deal about the UWS course, I think it is a Masters that you can enrol in as an undergraduate, so may be longer than the standard degree. Best to contact them direct to find out.
Cheers,
Kara.

 

@kara and gillylynch you have both been really helpfull and your posts have helped me in my descion process i will do as you have advised and call both Uni's and have a talk with them, thanks again.

 

http://future.uws.edu.au/ug/health_sci_nursing_sport/podiatric_medicine

Above is the address for the UWS Podiatry information page.

 

@ Paul,
Thanks Paul i have had a look at most of the UNI's sites and there does not seem to be much difference between them from what i can see except that Newcastle UNI is 3 years and CSU,UWS,Latrobe are all 4 years and UWS you come away with a masters, i think im going to go with UWS as i have heard that you studying among physios,doctors, Physical therapists etc so will be good for future networking and bouncing ideas around the different fields of health.

if anyone knows someone who has completed their Degree at UWS i would love to hear their experiences.

thanks :good:

 

bluefish that is a "new" degree format at UWS and the first cohort of graduates are not due to complete their degree until the end of 2011. Maybe best to give Verona DuToit (Program Head) an email and possibly discuss it with her if you have any further questions. Verona is extremely approachable and I am sure would be able to assist and/or guide you in the right direction.

http://www.uws.edu.au/biomedical_health_sciences/sbmhs/academic_staff_directory/verona_du_toit

Good luck!

 

@ Paul
Thanks again paul you have been really helpfull.
i will contact Verona as i have a few specific questions.

 

Hey,

It's great that you have an interest in the podiatry area of health sciences. I'm a first year student at UWS and I'm doing the bachelor of health science/master of podiatric medicine program. I like podiatry as a career, and I also have physiotherapy in mind later when I graduate from this degree.

I just want to give you some of the insights that Dr Verona gave us in the orientation lecture. First two years, we have anatomy subjects to cover from (intro to anatomy and physiology 1 and 2, appendicular skeleton and functional anatomy included), introduction to biomechanics, pharmacology and pathophysiology. These subjects are great but you have to prepared from the beginning as there is a lot of work involved. We also have health science subjects to cover (population health, professional health, culture, health and diversity, psychology, health communication) which are pretty good units as well some podiatry based units that cover the foundational basics of foot biomechanics, footwear and dermatology, neurology and vascular supply of the foot. In our first year podiatry class, we had practicals on the feet (looking at foot disorders and posture), we got taught by podiatric surgeons coming in as guest lecturers every few months and we also had group presentations in practicals/tutorials for case studies involving foot disorders.

I would say first year physiotherapy and occupational therapy would be similar in terms of studying anatomy/physiology/health science subjects since friends of mine are doing physiotherapy and OT and we are in the same classes. It's great that we get a chance to talk about the different sides of our programs and how it relates to our future goal working together as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Podiatry, Physiotherapy and OT students all have to complete a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical placements (hospitals and university clinic) before they graduate. Most of our clinical placements are mostly in third year and fourth year but we do have one clinical placement in second year.

Anyways, I can't give you deeper insights because I have only done one semester of podiatry so far, but I do hope that everything goes well for you next year. See how it works out with podiatry and if your around at uni next year, I could help you with podiatry first year subjects. Best of luck in the coming year!!!!

 

@Ads54
"and if your around at uni next year, I could help you with podiatry first year subjects."

I might take you up on that offer next year

thanks for sharing Verona and your insights into the course they have really helped especially with my planning for next year.

also do you live on campus at campletown? as i am most probably going to live on campus( couldn face driving 1hour and a bit each way for 4 years :wacko i am interested in what campus life is like?

 

I don't live on campus but I live close to Campbelltown (10-15 minute drive to uni). About the on campus accomodation and facilities, yeah, I have some friends living on campus in the new (apartment style) and old (town house style) residential houses.I been there a few times and I remember at the beginning of the semester, they had an orientation night for new students living on campus.

On campus, there are a range of activities like active social clubs (life skills programs-fitness activities), you have hall rooms and common rooms (with pool tables-movie nights, foxtel, 24 hour internet access from air uws). The residential houses aren't that far from the Macarthur train station (10 min walk) and you have Macarthur square which is a big shopping centre near the university (near the train station). Also the uni gym is close to the residential homes (5 min walk) and you have access to the tennis and basketball courts at uni.

I would say campus life from my insights is pretty good. There is a link to the university residential houses (prices, reservations etc).

http://residences.uws.edu.au/campbelltown_feescosts.html

 

Since I'm new member to the site, I made a mistake of posting twice lol but anyways, best of luck for next year and hope everything works out.