Podiatrist

Career as Podiatrist is very fascinating. Podiatrist works to improve the mobility of feet of a person. They also tell the preventive methods to be followed so that the patients can take care of the feet in future. Career as Podiatrist deals with the affected feet, ankles, and lower limbs.

Tasks
A professional carries out various tasks in a Career as Podiatrist. The list of work is as under:

• Tear corn, callus, ingrown toenails, bunions, heel spurs and arch problems.
• Treat for ankle and foot injuries
• Foot complaints due to diabetes and other diseases
• Prescribe the related drug and therapies.
• Often perform surgery to correct the deformities due to accidents or any other reason.
• They also design custom-made shoes. (The patients, who feel difficulty in walking, are made to walk on a plate or scanner that is connected to computer. The Podiatrist then identifies the pressure point and designs the shoes according to the patients need. )
• They also design the plaster casts to treat the leg deformity.
• The podiatrists also consult other health practitioners if they find that the deformities are due to certain disease such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease etc.
• Analyze the patient's condition and then layout the plan to cure.
• They act as visiting doctors with many hospitals
• They can act as even visiting faculties.

  Educational Qualifications:
  To pursue Career as Podiatrist, one must have a necessary set of educational qualifications. Several medical institutions provide the related degrees. The certification exams can vary on the federal level. The requirements are:

  • Graduate Degree as Doctor of Podiatric Medicines (DPM)
  • Masters in Podiatric Medicines
  • Several Post graduate Programs in Podiatric Medicines
  • Under graduation in Science
  • License to Practice (for this Podiatric need to pass the state level examinations)

  Other Necessary Skills:
  Most of the podiatrists aim to have their own clinic one day, so apart from the education one must have certain internal skills. Career as Podiatrist requires many other interpersonal skills to grow in this career. Some of the required skills are:

  • Should have good scientific approach so that they can treat the patients with ease.
  • As many are self-employed, they must have good business sense.
  • Must be soft-spoken so that patient feels comfortable.
  • Must be clear-cut in mind about the treatment to be given so that the healing starts early.
  • The person must have a lot of patience so that they can handle even the difficult person.
  • Good communication skills, so that the patients did not face any problems

  Places of Work
  Career as Podiatrist is very restricted as they generally have small offices or clinics. Still, they can select their work area according to their choice. The different places to carry out practices are:

  • Private Clinics
  • Hospitals(Government, Private)
  • Nursing Homes
  • Government Health Organization
  • Educational Institutions (as Professor)

  Job Opportunity:
  Most of the Podiatrists are self-employed. Some may work as solo-practitioners, while some do group practices. Podiatrists also work in government hospitals. To have a Career as Podiatrist, sometimes the podiatrist can work even with the health organizations. In some cases, they help the forensic departments also. Many Podiatrists work with the non-profit organizations also, just to serve the society.

  Remuneration:
  As far as the salary is concerned the Career as Podiatrist is one of the very good earning fields in medical. The Podiatrists who work in partnership earn more as compared to the salaried or the person who is a solo practitioner. The earning also varies according to the place as well as the type of patients one is having. The income of a person is usually less in the starting of the career, but it gradually grows as the practice increases in the field.

  Job progress:
  The growth rate Career as Podiatrist is quicker than the other jobs. In addition, many diabetic patients consult the Podiatrists. Due to overweight, the pressure on ankle and foot increases and hence, they need consultation of podiatrists. Apart from the diabetic patients, many other patients face the bad foot problems due to many reasons like an accident or due to the growing age. It is a profession that attracts the patients of all ages, so the progress in boundless.

  Employment Forecast:
  Despite of increase in demand for the podiatric care the openings are narrow. For new entrants; the opportunities will be good clinics, health units, or in-group medical practices. As the people are becoming more health conscious, the demand is increasing. Sometimes, a person visits a Podiatrist even if he is feeling slightest problem in walking. Career as Podiatrist offers a very rewarding career for the people looking for gentle profession with flexibility of working.

  Therefore, the Career as Podiatrist is increasing on a good pace. As the numbers of diabetic cases are increasing, the demand for Podiatrists is also increasing. Apart from this, many times a person visits a podiatrist just for the heel spurs also. Therefore, predicted a good field to practice further.