Podiatrist Job Description
A podiatrist specializes in medical and surgical treatment of diseases and disorders of the lower legs and feet. Podiatrists manage lower extremity diseases, perform minor in-office procedures and some surgeries requiring general anesthesia and hospitalization. The demand for podiatrists is expected to increase with the incidence of diabetes and the aging population. Here is an overview of a podiatrist's job duties and training requirements.
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Disease Management
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Podiatrists manage vascular, neurological and arthritic foot diseases, such as claudication, osteomyelitis, Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, Morton's neuroma, bunions and nerve compression. Podiatrists can administer injections to relieve lower-extremity pain. Podiatrists provide specialized wound care for lower-extremity ulcers and abscesses. Because diabetics have decreased lower-extremity blood circulation and healing capabilities, a small cut can have significant consequences. A podiatrist's specialized skills are necessary to provide diabetic foot care and prevent troublesome wounds and infections.
Procedures and Surgery
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Podiatrists perform procedures ranging from minor in-office procedures to major surgeries requiring general anesthesia. In the office, podiatrists remove corns, calluses, warts, ingrown toenails and damaged toenails. In a hospital under anesthesia, podiatrists perform lower-extremity amputations, reconstruction after sports or traumatic injuries, congenital or arthritic deformity correction, bunion removal and Morton's neuroma removal. Depending on their severity, lower-extremity ulcer and abscess debridement can be performed in the office or in a hospital under anesthesia.
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Training
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The United States has only eight podiatry schools, and each is a four-year program. Undergraduate coursework in English, organic chemistry, physics, biology and English is required for admission to podiatry school. Most--but not all--podiatry schools require completion of an undergraduate degree for admission. After graduating from podiatry school, a podiatrist must complete a two- or three-year podiatry residency program. These programs provide medical and surgical training in lower-extremity surgery, emergency medicine, infectious diseases and anesthesiology.
Licensing and Certification
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To practice podiatric medicine, a podiatrist must pass three parts of a board-certification examination in podiatry. The examination is administered by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. A student takes the first part after the second year of podiatry school and the second part after graduating from podiatry school. After passing the third part, during podiatry residency, the podiatrist is board-certified in podiatric medicine. The podiatrist must also be licensed by the state medical board to practice podiatry.
Employment
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Most podiatrists work in solo or group private practices, in the armed forces, for insurance companies or as teaching professionals in podiatry schools or residency programs. Some podiatric practices are associated with hospitals. Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals usually have very active podiatric departments. If a podiatrist is employed by the VA or works with another hospital, she will usually take overnight on-call shifts and work longer hours than a podiatrist in private practice.
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