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Hi all,

I am in the 2nd year at the moment and whenever I tell people I am studying podiatry people often respond with 'What is podiatry?' 'What does that do?' etc.

So I am just wondering if many people have found this response to podiatry? is podiatry a very well known profession?

and...

do many people view podiatry as an actual profession?

Apollus

 

Hi Apollus & :welcome: to Podiatry Arena.

I would suspect much would depend on an individuals location, their past experience of foot health & if they have need of our services.

My own experience is that it is our obligation to educate & inform people about our profession.

Good luck in your studies ;)

Kind regards,

Mandy

 

Tell them it's like a chiropodist only better and we charge more...

and is it a real profession? tell them no, but you need to keep your ferrari in petrol ;D

 

:D :D

twirly, yes I see your point if someone has had no need of our services they aren't likely to value the profession very highly.

but here's another thought...there must be some out there who would say 'no, podiatry is not a profession', i just cannot imagine what their argument would be :wacko:

any ideas?

 

Chambers Dictionary has :

profession - 'an employment not mechanical and requiring some degree of learning; calling or known employment'

So by that definition, yes you are in a profession. However, it goes on to state 'Professor, a teacher of the highest grade in a university or college - assumed often by mountebanks, quacks, dancing masters etc.' If you care to look at some of the previous postings you will, alas, find some of the latter noted on these pages - but not dancing masters!

In the final analysis it depends on you and your colleagues. Do we behave professionally? Do we appear to be professional? Are our practices, facilities and fees those of a professional? If you answer 'Yes', then you are in a profession.

Bill Liggins

 

In Aus the profession has evolved rapidly over the last 20-30 years so you can't expect the public to underdstand the diff between a certificate 6 months training, 1 yr, 2yr diploma, 3 yr degree and now 4 yr degree all these changes in only 40-50 yrs from chiropody to podiatrist. The profession can barely keep up? what hope have the public got? I am the first 4 yr trained pod in my country region, the local nurses, GP's and physio's had a pretty small view of what a pod is trained to do, which has now improved quite a bit. They actually refer to me now instead of send people off to Mlebourne. It's really our job to create and maintain the reputation as experts of everything to do with feet, which we can only do by actually being that. Which is why I hate the loss off actual making of orthoses from the workforce so much.....we are giving it away to the prosthetists. It's all very well to say that labs work as well, but it does not really matter what we think, it is the perception of the public that counts, we change it or cater to it, and for now at least when you tell them that you actually make them rather than send it off mostly they prefer that.
regards Phill Carter

 

Hi Apollus,

Welcome to Podiatry Arena!

Yes, you will still get a lot of people including patients who think you studied at a tech college (like TAFE in Qld.)

We do have an obligation to inform the public about our education and our competencies. I have had a Dermatologist who teaches part time to pod students that they get more dermatology education than med students (I don't know if that is true though.)

Also get used to being asked why on earth you have chosen to work with feet, I tell my students to practice their response to this one.

Regards,
Matt