Podiatrist
What the work is
Prevents, diagnoses and treats disorders that affect feet, ankles and lower limbs.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Conducts podiatric assessments, including neurovascular assessments, gait analyses and biomechanical assessments, to diagnose foot and lower limb conditions
- Develops treatment plans and provides interventions for foot and lower limb disorders
- Prescribes and fits orthotic devices to correct foot and lower limb abnormalities
- Provides advice and education to patients on foot care and prevention of foot problems
- Performs surgical procedures on the foot and lower limb
- Prescribes and administers medications and local anaesthetics as required
- Refers patients for diagnostic imaging and pathology investigations
- Collaborates with other Health Professionals to provide comprehensive care to patients
- Documents treatment plans, including patients' responses to treatment and modifications to treatment
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a podiatry clinic in a regional town, and monthly visits to a local aged care home. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A farmer who has limped for years walks across the paddock without a wince
- A young runner finally finds out why their shins hurt, and fixes it
- A resident at the aged care home tells you it is the best part of their month
Hard days
- A patient who has put off coming in for months and now needs a firm conversation
- Leaning over a treatment chair all day, then writing notes at night
- Explaining that fashionable shoes may be the problem to someone who loves them
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 262531, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.