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Podiatry career - good option?

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Pod-BD, Sep 22, 2015.

  1. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member


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    Hello all Pods,

    I have been reading through this forum for quite some time.

    Recently I too (like many) have become disillusioned with my current career and have seriously thought about training to become a Podiatrist and starting the degree in Northampton 2016. I am 25 years old and have a previous degree in a completely unrelated field. I decided I wanted to have a career that helped others and could specialise in something, which is how I came across Podiatry! :cool:

    My initial thoughts when I came across this small healthcare degree was very positive. From a funded degree, high employment rate (90% + advertised on University websites), working in the NHS, Privately or self-employed, and salaries quoted on the internet are appealing. Plus i'd get to work within a field that seems really satisfying and fulfilling in many ways.

    It all seems to be pretty great.

    I then began trying to research more about Podiatry. There is really not a lot I could find on the internet from people within the profession, except for this excellent forum and a few 'students to be' on The Student Room.

    However, I have read quite a few people on here (albeit from as far back as 04) who are very negative towards the profession and indeed new prospective students from entering Podiatry.

    - Is it really that difficult to gain employment after graduating? Either within the NHS or privately? If all went well i'd be a graduate at 29 and would really need a stable job.

    - What salary can i expect to make in the private sector?

    - Is self-employment a no go? Again what income do people create (on average). Is it really that difficult to match the salary of an NHS Podiatrist band 6? I understand it's the work you put in and other factors have to be taken into consideration so I can't get a definitive answer here.

    - It appears working within the NHS there is a ceiling of roughly ?40k (apart from consultants etc). A good salary, but do most pods leave the NHS after a few years and go private because the earning potential is significantly more?

    One poster on this forum wrote that most people who embark on a Podiatrist degree 'do not understand the real life of the profession and will be hugely shocked once they graduate'. Is this actually true?

    Sorry for quite a depressing post. I'm not considering the profession for the money, but it would be nice to know that I can make a good income, as well as provide an excellent standard of care.

    I am shadowing a Podiatrist in Oakham, Rutland (my nearest town) soon and I can't wait! I'll try and gain more info from him too.

    It's annoying how much reading negatives things can muddle with your head!

    I really appreciate your replies. Thanks in advance.


    P.s. I know a thread like this exists but it was created some years ago and perhaps outdated.
     
  2. plevanszx1

    plevanszx1 Active Member

    Hi
    I have retired after 39 years NHS work . LIke all jobs there are plus and minus. i found plenty to interest me. There is a down side to working in a very narrow field in that promotion prospects can be more limited. recently my daughter graduated in the same profession and found a NHS job after one month, because she is single and there was no problem in moving 90 miles away. previous to that she did an unrelated degree (2.1) and could not even get an interview during 18 months of job applications.
    Worth pointing out that the first degree university fees were student loan funded and need to be paid back ,but the podiatry degree was a welsh assembly bursary so the uni fees do not need to be repaid . i presume it same in England

    best of luck
    Peter
     
  3. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member

    Hi Peter,
    Thanks for your reply! Great to hear your daughter got a job with the NHS so quickly are graduating! You're right, fees are funded by the NHS in England too!

    I'm definitely leaning towards going for it! Great to hear about yourself and your daughter!
     
  4. plevanszx1

    plevanszx1 Active Member

    also now remembered that for first 2years of her degree there was no additional financial support for her (other than fees) due to total household income. When her third yeaer started,however i had retired and she was given ? 1000 for other expenses
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2015
  5. gerardevans

    gerardevans Welcome New Poster

    Hi,

    Podiatry can be a very solid and interesting job, like most most things it has good days and bad days etc.

    You should think about the large percentage of Podiatrists who change careers at about 5 years after graduating. Tells an interesting story!
     
  6. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    Hi pod bd. the job is like all others a pyramid some make alot of wonga some in middle some at the bottom. It will take a whole nhs career to earn 40 grand a year most pods never get beyond a band 7 . The NHS is steady but getting a job is difficult . look at nhs jobs website not many jobs on offer for the whole of uk. private practice is a whole other ball game lots of hours lots of dnas and cancellations some great days some bad days but the overheads still have to be met and the suppliers paid. I suspect the main reason mature students do podiatry is that they do not have to pay fees and they see this as appealing. however if you did a good course at a good university like my friends children i have none of my own they have both got graduate jobs starting at 40 grand[ [per annum that is the end salary of an nhs podiatrist. so getting a free course is not necessarily the best option. All the best with your decision. ps your chances of making a band 6 salary in the private sector on your own 1st year slim to nil if you work for another pod no problem but thats not working for yourself.
     
  7. sdrpod

    sdrpod Member

    Hello Pod BD

    I'll try answer some of your points from someone who is 28 graduated in 2009 from the points you put from my view.

    In terms of employment there is a greater range of posts now then say 2 years ago in the Nhs. You can get a job in the Nhs but you must be prepared to relocate but that's the same as any other job. In terms of money a new grad would earn on the Nhs around 22k at band 5. In terms of private work you have shurpody but from personal experience I do not advise this. When I worked for shurpody the starting pay was 19.5k (2010) then you got a 2k loyalty bonus at the end of the year if you stayed.

    For private work such as fee sharing it all depends on what you do. A typical split is 50/50 but as a new grad it would take time to build up a client base but it's not impossible. A typical podiatry consultation is 35-45pounds. Fee sharing is technically being self employed but if you put in the effort you can do well.

    You will find many Nhs pods do some private work as extra to earn a bit more. Being in the Nhs is good as you will have a stable wage each month and anything extra you can earn privately is good. Myself I do a 37.5 hour week for the Nhs and do up to extra 9hours on private as well. In terms of the salary ceiling being 40k in the Nhs that's not far off for a band 7 pod but it will take a good few years to work up to that and you will need to do masters levels stuff to get there now.

    The pod that said new grads don't know what to expect when they leave uni I would agree with that. Units paint a picture that you will be doing nail surgery, hospital ulcers and mask all the time and very little routine work. What you will do in the Nhs as a band 5 will be lots of routine cut and come again. You should get rotations I to other areas with supervision of a more senior pod but this will not be more like once a month not every single week like university will tell you. You will also find uni will have you believe only a 1st class is a dead current of a job and without this you will never pass band 6 as you can't do masters. This is bs I got a 3rd and now half way through my masters in msk the simple thing is don't blindly believe what uni tells you.

    Overall it's not a bad profession there are days you will think to hell with it and other days the total opposite. Podiatry has done good by me I'm earning good money with it. Simple fact is don't expect things to be handed to you go out make your own opportunities yes some won't go as planned but if you put the effort it does pay off.
     
  8. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member

    Thank you fishpod - may i ask how your Podiatry career has developed?
    And sdrpod - that's some really great info you've provided - really appreciate taking your time to tell me about your career thus far. If you work an exrta 9 house per week, charging ?40 per appointment, that must be a nice extra bit of income! Do you do mostly home visits ? Assuming you don't have enough time with a full time NHS job to rent a room to have private consultations there.

    I think ideally I would want to go into the NHS also. During this time I can progress through training (postgrads). (part of me is really interested in the Surgical route, but lets not start on that, one thing at a time and all that).
     
  9. sdrpod

    sdrpod Member

    I work up to 9 hours extra a week most of the time its not even close to that. Predominantly most of my work is msk I don't do any home visits at all and I work on a fee sharing basis (50/50) for the private work.

    The Nhs is a good place to develop your skills but don't be under an illusion they will always pay for any post graduate training. Funding for post grad courses dependent on your Job role and the contracts a trust holds. For example a trust whos patient case load is diabetes dominant would be very unlikely to fund any podiatry surgical modules but they are more likely to fund wound care based modules as the knowledge can be applied to the daily workload.

    If you do chose to start a podiatry degree good luck. There is plenty of opportunities out there to do well but you have to work for them don't expect them to be handed to you.
     
  10. Brandon Maggen

    Brandon Maggen Active Member

    Hi Pod-BD

    I cannot imagine there any professions that don't come with issues/ concerns/ problems. Ask enough people enough of the right questions and you're bound to leave feeling more confused than before you began.

    Reading through this post, and of course understanding you're asking from a UK point-of-view, I thought it prudent to give you a little measure of perspective.

    I am a South African trained podiatrist. Unless you are gifted enough to earn a bursary or other full funding (little to zero options) university is expensive and self funded (loans, parents, 4 student jobs, etc.). Going into the course, you already know the employment options before you start.

    1. private practice
    2. private practice
    3. private practice
    4. short term locum postion
    5. extremely rare public-sector hospital position
    6. private practice
    7. extremely rare academic post

    So, with this is mind, you set out, spend 4 years studying, seeing 100's of patients in all sorts of clinic settings in some of the biggest (and worst resourced) training hospitals in the Southern hemisphere and qualify.

    Now 'free' and equipped with all vigour in the world, you set out to attain one of the 7 options to earn an income available to you.

    After due diligence and a lot more money (loans, parents, 4 student jobs, etc.) you set up a private practice.

    It ain't easy and it doesn't just happen.

    But this I can tell you - if you do choose to embark on this journey, you'll be entering a small but vibrant profession. You will get sufficient reward in the many patients who entrust their care in your hands and for many whom you can offer that care immediately.

    Retrospectively, if I had the opportunity to enter a work force (NHS) and earn up to 40k/ yr, I would up-skill to band 7 (and beyond) level as soon as I can (leave the post grad stuff for some time and it becomes harder to go back to) and start caring, earning and making a difference.

    Then with enough experience and when you know its right, you can go private, travel and work in other countries or continue in steady employ.

    Whatever you choose to do, good luck. Have fun. And remember it may be gloomy from where you sit, but it is perfectly clear and sunny from where I sit.

    Brandon
     
  11. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member

    Thanks for everyone's advice so far. It's been great to hear about people's experience within Podiatry so far.
     
  12. soha

    soha Welcome New Poster

    I am qualified just over 2 years, it took me 6 months to get NHS work (temporary) and another 12 months to get a permanent post. However this is in Ireland and I think there are more opportunities in England. I do some private work but I could do more if I focused on it. II would aim to get into the NHS for the wider variety of patients you will see. In my private work I am generally just cutting toenails and hard skin. Easy money but notvery exciting. Of course I do a lot of this as a band 5 pod too in nhs, some weeks I wish I had of chose a different degree, other weeks I'm really happy that I have a permanent job with the great option of additional private work. NHS is good for your pension and you will learn loads and have colleagues etc, but the constant emphasis on budget cuts and litigation threat gets annoying.
    I started the degree when I was about 23/24, I'm 28 now.
     
  13. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member

    Could someone give me a reason why lots of people are leaving the profession after 5 years? This seems to happen in lots of careers i.e. teaching, but it would be good to know the reasons. And where would most people move to, medicine?

    Thanks :)
     
  14. blumley

    blumley Active Member

    Hi saw this post and went through the same questions myself before applying and during my time as a student.

    I have been qualified about 2 and a half years now and love my career, about half the people who qualified in my year work in the nhs and the rest in private practice. 1 or 2 work abroad.

    I went straight in to the nhs and now work as a band 6 part time and part time private practice. They have been really supportive with my development but that may be trust dependant, when you first qualify some people struggle with the volume of nail care/callous and corns, but stick with it because these are crucial skills and just important as the msk, nail surgery and wound care.

    Like any profession you get what you put in to it, the ones who have done really well from my year are those that sought out extra placements during their holidays and studied as much as possible.

    regards

    Ben
     
  15. horseman

    horseman Active Member

    Hi I've been away from the forum for a while and have just come by this thread...

    Now that I look back on thirty something years in the profession both NHS (5 years) and private ( 27 years) the question I could ask is would I change anything if I could. I'm quite supprised to find that on the whole the answer is "no". It is true that the case load sometimes has less glamour than say being the hero in an acute trauma as depicted by those wonderful people on TV. But I get regular appreciation from those I treat.
    A word of caution:empathy: in the NHS other people deal with much of the background work, in private practice it is very different: RTI for HMRC, sickness benefit for PAYE staff, general emloyment law, the rules governing fire safety, electrical safety and inspection, mininum professional standards, CPD... The list does rather go on. The point being a work life balance must be maitained or you will either be sick or broke!
    So I've enjoyed my career and really wouldn't have changed anything significant, I plan to keep going while I'm still having fun.:D
     
  16. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member

    Thank you Ben and Horseman for your comments.

    Ben - i've noticed a lot of people work between the NHS and privately, or even University lecturing/private/nhs etc. Is this because the NHS offers mainly part-time work, or that it is more financially viable to do this? Could you tell me more about your private work (there seems to be very limited info on this on the internet) - do you do home visits, work from a practice that you own or are you a associate of a practice.

    I've seen a lot of shuropody placements - podiatrists here seem to earn ?20 p/h on average, surely this is really undercutting their work? Are we recommended to stay away from this company? (hopefully this is an okay Q to ask) :)

    Horseman - Great to hear about your work and how much you've enjoyed it. A work-life balance is definitely a good thing so i'm glad you've found the right balance. Do you run your own practice? Is it financially rewarding?

    From speaking to my parents and other professionals, the idea i've had would be to try and gain NHS employment once graduated and supplement this with creating a patient list by doing private work in the evenings. Hopefully with the aim of increasing a patient list whichi will then enable me to work a few days a week privately, so a bit similar to what Ben is doing (i think?). Would this be a solid way to go about it? I will be loooking at doing a postgrad but I have no idea which way to go down, i'm sure that'll be figured about once i'm on the course or in employment.

    Thank you for your replies once again - the more i hear the more i want to get started now!
     
  17. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    Pod BD. the people who leave podiatry go i know where not but they do not become medics on mass most are not acedmic enough in the first place.some i know became solicitors dole wallers medical reps sales people teachers mums social workers nhs managers commited suicide. People work privately for flexibility/bigger earnings dont want bosses. work life balance etc etc. Podiatry is simple the more people you treat the more nail ops you do the more orthotics you prescribe the more you network = the more money you earn the more choices you have the easier your life gets.
     
  18. blumley

    blumley Active Member

    hi I work nhs and private because the nhs post was part time however this suites me anyway and results in my overall income being higher. I am clinic based and pay a percentage of my earnings to the owner of the practice (another pod), in return they provide everything I will need. the private work is mainly routine, with some biomechanics and nail surgery, it's a nice change from the nhs.

    I would strongly recommend spending time with a few pods in both nhs and private practice to gain a better understanding of the job as it's a big commitment, but a wonderful career.

    ben
     
  19. Pod-BD

    Pod-BD Member

    Thanks for your replies guys.

    If anyone else has anything to offer regarding their experiences, please feel free to post. :D
     
  20. horseman

    horseman Active Member

    Financially rewarding? Well I pay more in taxes than I would earn in the nhs, so yes PP has workd for me. However remember that PP is a business: I'm too often appalled by the lack of business acumen shown in some of the posts on this site (and others).::eek:
    Good Luck !
     
  21. horseman

    horseman Active Member

    I'll second that advice:D
     
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