Customer services

Podiatrist

Podiatrists diagnose and treat foot and ankle problems, improving people's mobility and quality of life.

Annual Salary

£25,655 to £39,027

Working hours

38 to 40 a week

You could work: weekends;

3.8%
Future employment

There will be 3.8% more Podiatrist jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As part of your day-to-day tasks, you could:

  • assess patients feet and lower limbs and diagnose conditions
  • discuss treatment options with patients
  • diagnose and treat sports or dance injuries
  • talk to individual patients about foot health, or give talks to groups
  • share information with other health professionals like GPs
  • carry out treatments and minor surgery using scalpels, chemicals and local anaesthetics
  • screen children for foot problems
  • do admin like keeping patient records, managing appointments and ordering supplies
  • supervise assistants

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a GP practice, at a client's home, at a health centre or in an NHS or private hospital.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
University

You'll need to complete a degree in podiatry approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

If you already have a degree in a healthcare or science related subject, you can apply for an accelerated degree in podiatry.

You may be able to get additional student financial support through the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology for a degree
For more information
Apprenticeship

You can get into this role through a podiatrist degree apprenticeship.

This typically takes 4 years to complete as a mix of workplace learning and academic study at an approved university.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, preferably including biology, for a degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could work as a podiatry assistant and study part-time for a degree to qualify as a podiatrist.

Volunteering and work experience

You'll find it helpful to get some paid or voluntary experience in the health or care sector before you apply for a course.

You could contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for further advice.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You may find it useful to join organisations for professional development and networking opportunities, like:The Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists; British Chiropody and Podiatry Association; College of Podiatry

Further information

You can find out more about careers in this area from Careers in Podiatry.

You could focus on a specialist area like sports injuries or working with children.

You could join a professional body to get access to training in areas like nail surgery, diabetes and wound care.

You could set up your own practice. Some people combine this with part-time working in the NHS.

You could study for a Master's (MSc) or PhD and move into research or teaching.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • knowledge of medicine and how the body works
  • customer service skills
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to learn through your work
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • active listening skills
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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