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As a practicing podiatrist in Brisbane, Australia, I am regularly asked by clients if podiatry would be a good career for a school leaver to contemplate . There are many things to recommend a career in podiatry including:

• You can be self employed: This is a choice that is increasingly being denied to other health care providers such as optometrists and even General Practitioners . Big Business controls a lot of health practices. Consider how often you see an independent optometrist these days – can they compete on price with the multinational chains?
• Legal Issues: In Australia (unlike the USA where things are very different), podiatrists very, very rarely get sued . The nature of podiatry practice does not lend itself to accidentally harming one’s patients. Also, you never have to give your customers the bad news that their condition will be terminal.
• Working Hours: Emergency call outs are very unlikely. This is great news for those among us who like their sleep uninterrupted.
• Financial Reward: Whilst it is true that podiatry doesn’t pay as well as being a dentist or doctor , the pay is generally commensurate with other allied health providers.
• Instant Gratification: One of the most fulfilling facets of being a podiatrist is the instant gratification! People come in with pain and leave happy. You will experience a plethora of bite-sized jobs each day, many with a cure you can provide immediately. From someone that has worked with unanimously grumpy customers in a past career, believe me when I tell you, it makes the day much more pleasant when people leave you smiling.
• Philanthropy: Podiatry will give you a great deal of opportunity to help resolve the suffering of your fellow human beings.
• Self – Determination: Podiatry provides a clinician the power to determine their own course of action for the benefit of their patients. This is unlike a career in nursing for example where one works under the direction of a doctor.
• Clear Job roles: The only people who can hold themselves out to be a podiatrist are those with a podiatry degree . The clear roles that this delineates relieves the requirement to find your ‘niche’ after university - as someone with a more generic Bachelor of Science degree might need to do.
• Do you like to travel? There are many places in the world that do not qualify their own podiatrists including Tasmania, the Northern Territory, all of Asia and all of the Middle East. If you want to travel the world, Australian podiatrists can gain employment in any Commonwealth country and are especially in demand in Singapore, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and other far flung fields.
• Variety: In any given day, a podiatrist will see a large range of complaints. There might be an ingrown toenail or two, a painful corn, a sports injury, some back pain and at least a couple of painful arches . The key to being a good podiatrist is to bea good problem solver. Each patient is an individual with a unique problem requiring a well considered solution.

How do you train as a podiatrist ?

To qualify as a podiatrist provided by six Australian Universities:

• Curtin University
• La Trobe University
• Charles Sturt University
• Queensland University of Technology
• University of South Australia
• University of Western Sydney.

Last year, the entry score for the QUT was OP 8.

Stephanie Cosgrove graduated as a podiatrist from QUT in 1990 and with a Master’s degree in Applied Science (Podiatry) in 1996. Since 1991, she has worked in private practice as a Podiatrist Brisbane. She received three university prizes during her studies, including the award for excellence in design and manufacture of orthotics. Brisbane has been the site of her private practice since 1991 which has grown to four locations and eleven staff. If you want to Walk Without Pain consider a visit to Brisbane’s most innovative podiatry practice today. Call for an appointment now on 1300 A1 Feet.