A podiatrist is a medical practitioner who can help in assessing, diagnosing and providing treatment for issues related to ankles, feet and lower legs. They can also tend to injuries and perform surgery of those parts if required. They look into the patient’s medical history and do a physical check before outlining a therapy process. They may carry out a number of laboratory tests, x-rays, and other clinical tests to diagnose your issue.
They can be useful for handling many types of lower extremity problems like fracture repairs, ankle deformities or removal of bone spurs, etc. They can also help with balance issues, in-growth of toenails, arch or heel pain, sprains, and even skin related problems. Some podiatrists can also be helpful for leg problems associated with diseases like arthritis and diabetes. Some of them may even select a specialty like diabetic foot care, pediatrics, etc. If you want to become a specialist in this medical area, we will give you complete information about this lucrative career option.
A Podiatrist's Workplace
You can easily find a podiatrist in a public health clinic or a private practice facility. There are some of them who work in group practices and align themselves closely with other physicians and registered nurses. It is not rare to find one in the office of other healthcare providers as well. Therefore, the work time for each of them may be different, depending on the place of work. General practitioners often send patients with problems in their legs to podiatrists in the form of referrals. Some patients covered under government schemes also visit specialists for proper treatment.
Steps to Become A Trained Podiatrist
1) For becoming a trained podiatrist, a person must undertake a four-year degree course in Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). Make sure that the course is offered by a recognized college recognized by your country’s parent accreditation authority.
2) For taking admission to a college, an interested candidate must clear a medical entrance test. Prior to it, the candidate should have three years of undergraduate education with subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and general English. These subjects can form the base of advanced studies in the subject. The courses are similar to other medical programs and may include physiology, pathology, anatomy and many other subjects. The last two years of the course involves performing clinical rotations under the supervision of experts in the subject.
3) After getting a DPM degree, it is important to undergo a real-life training program in an accredited hospital. With this kind of hands-on training, you gain experience in handling different types of pediatric cases. This experience is helpful in carrying out diagnosis and treatment later on in your career.
Career Prospects and Growth
Considering that there are only a few colleges that offer this course, there are many podiatrists in the field. If you manage to get a seat, you will have minimum competition and have good career prospects in the future. Moreover, many practicing podiatrists are supposed to retire very soon, that opens up more job avenues for newer candidates in this field. You can either choose to work in a hospital setting, in a private clinic or even open your own clinic after sufficient training and experience. Hence, there is ample scope of growth in this area.
Conclusion
If you are thinking of taking up the subject, it is a very wise decision, but you need to do some careful planning so that you can clear the phase-wise exams that line up one after the other. It is important to stay sincere and prepare accordingly for it so that the goals can be attained for becoming a successful podiatrist.
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