Podiatrists Job Description
The Podiatrists is a person who works on a patients feet helping them with multiple problems.
Primary Objectives:
- The Podiatrists diagnoses and treats disorders, diseases and injuries of the foot and lower leg.
- The Podiatrists treats a lot of common problems such as corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, bunions, heel spurs and arch problems.
- The Podiatrists treats ankle and foot injuries.
- The Podiatrists treat complaints and problems associated with diabetics and other diseases.
- The Podiatrists must be licensed, requiring three to four years of undergraduate education, the completion of a 4-year podiatric college program, and passing scores on national and State examinations.
The Podiatrists knows that many Americans spend a great deal of time on their feet and that the need for Podiatrists is very great. The human foot is a complex structure that contains 26 bones, plus muscles, nerves, ligaments and blood vessels. The foot is designed for balance and mobility. The 52 bones in your body make up about one-fourth of all the bones in the human body. The Podiatrists is known as the doctors of podiatric medicine are responsible to diagnose and treat disorders, diseases, and injuries of the foot and lower leg areas.
The majority of common disorders that Podiatrists treat are corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, bunions, heel spurs, and arch problems; ankle and foot injuries, deformities, and infections; and foot complaints associated with diabetes and other diseases. The Podiatrists prescribe drugs and physical therapy, set fractures, and perform surgery for those who need it. The Podiatrists may fit a corrective shoe or inserts called orthotics, design plaster casts and strapping’s to correct deformities, and design custom-made shoes.
The Podiatrists will use x-rays and laboratory tests to determine some of the foot problems. The foot may be the first area to show signs of serious conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease. The Podiatrists knows that people with diabetes are prone to foot ulcers and infections because of poor circulation. The Podiatrists will refer patients to other health care professionals when they detect symptoms of these disorders. In most cases the Podiatrists usually have a solo practice but there are a few who are forming group practices with other podiatrists or health practitioners. Podiatrists specialize in surgery, orthopedics, primary care, or public health. These are all board certified practices that the Podiatrists may specialize in. There are other practices that the Podiatrists may specialize in and they are such things as:
- The Podiatrists may specialize in sports medicines.
- The Podiatrists may specialize in pediatrics.
- The Podiatrists may specialize in dermatology.
- The Podiatrists may specialize in radiology.
- The Podiatrists may specialize in geriatrics.
- The Podiatrists may specialize in diabetic foot care.
These are all specialized fields that the Podiatrists may work in and that many prefer to choose. The Podiatrists who are in private practice are responsible for running a small business. The practice is generally self sustaining and a small business so the Podiatrists must maintain it in this manner. The Podiatrists usually hires employees, keep up with the supplies, and keep records in order to maintain the business. Administrative duties are very important and the Podiatrist may do them themselves or hire an office administrator to do these things for them. The Podiatrist may work in his own small office or work in a clinic. When he works in a clinic there is usually not as much administrative work to be done.
A person who is interested in the career of Podiatrists should have scientific desires as they will need to be able to do science courses. The science courses should e those designed for premedical students. The science courses should include eight semester hours each of biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics and at least six hours of English. The podiatric students have at least a bachelor’s degree. The first year the student receives basic sciences, including anatomy, chemistry, pathology, and pharmacology. When the student of Podiatrists is in the third year and fourth students have clinical rotations in private practices and hospitals. Residents receive advanced training in podiatric medicine and surgery and serve clinical rotations in anesthesiology, internal medicine, pathology, radiology, emergency medicine and orthopedic and general surgery. After all this training then the Podiatrists must be licensed in the state in which they wish to practice.
