Foot health practitioner courses

Unregulated foot care persons.

You make some good points, Sportstherapy, which I would endorse but some others I would take issue with.

"just because someone ............ works in a statutorily regulated profession does not make them perfect, nor does it always make someone a better therapist"
This is a bit of a blanket statement and I can't comment about your particular sphere of expertise, however, I would say that in the case of chiropody/podiatry it does make them a better practitioner.

Those footcare persons who are not regulated are outside regulation for a reason, which is that the training is not deemed adequate to allow them to be on the HPC register.
I would think that a great many of these non-regulated practitioners start off intending to follow the standards they were taught during their minimal training. However, without the underlying scrutiny of the HPC with the requirement to engage in CPD in preparation for an external audit and portfolio submission, there is not much encouragement to continue to comply. Add to this the ever increasing cost of running a business,the fact that their title is not recognised and the sheer frustration of being on the bottom rung of the footcare ladder and eventually their idealism will run out of steam.

Regulated practitioners have to be better than non-regulated otherwise they risk being struck off and ending up joining them.

"State Registration" no longer exists, although some chiropodists hang on to this defunct title to show they completed the 3-year F/T course.

I agree that going outside one's remit is what can cause problems for a practitioner. However, many of these unregulated footcare providers have poorly defined scopes of practice and because of a lack of underpinning knowledge cross the line without realising it. In addition, private trainers raise the expectations of the students, in order to sell the training package, by telling them that they "can do the same as chiropodists" which causes overconfidence leading to clinical errors.

That there is no "shortage of chiropodists/podiatrists" - is the biased nonsense being promulgated by the private trainers as an aid to marketing their products.

Chiropody is available from the NHS free at the point of delivery to anyone who has a medical need. The NHS, which is need driven, not demand lead, does not provide "social chiropody". The fact that toe-nails grow is not a pathogenic phenonemum, any more than the fact that one's hair grows.
No-one expects haircuts for free, so why should (non-pathogenic) toenail cutting be free?
When I worked for the NHS some years ago (1990's) the cost (to the taxpayer) of a chiropody appointment was about £15.00 and a domicilary visit £20.00 and it was a service that was often abused. So Joe Public has only itself to blame if the services are now not so readily available.

Running a chiropody/podiatry practice is expensive and time consuming as it is heavily legislated by the HPC to protect the public. The public are often not prepared to pay the real cost of chiropody treatment, as the perception of chiropody is poor, no doubt because of the low standards of the unregistered in the past.

We are still suffering from the same devaluation of the profession by the unregulated - the only difference is that there are a plethera of new titles springing up.
Those who continue to train in the knowldege that they will never be independently registered and externally regulated, only serve to confuse the public perception of the profession of Chiropody/Podiatry.
IMO they are either naiive and have been over-influenced by the private training bodies or care nothing about the status of the profession because they just want to work for "pin-money".

You state that your treatments from both FHP and chiropodist were similar, but then I would suggest that you are not a high risk patient who has diabetes, peripheral vascular disease and a history of ischaemic ulcers and needs modified footwear. I am assuming you are a healthy individual with no lower limb pathologies?

There are many chiropodists on the register who do not have a degree but they are not mainly "SMAE trained". The practitioners you refer to are those who completed the 3 year F/T course to gain State Registration before chiropody became a degree course. There are only about 2,000 "grandparented" (ie; not having the old SRCh title) on the register, which is a very small proportion. I do not know how many of these are SMAE trained.

I hope that clears things up.

thanks Realpod, i stand by my comments, and yes, I am a healthy individual with no lower limb pathologies. I am a firm believer that the public choose their healthcare providers carefully, and will seek out those whom they believe to be the best person for them. If they feel there is something seriously wrong, their first step would be their GP and from there, they would either be treated or referred.

I wholeheartedly agree that if someone has a serious problem then they should see their GP who would refer them to a podiatrist/chiropodist. But if someone cannot 'trim their own toenails etc', then why not go and visit someone that is trained to do that? If a FHP is trained to do that, why should we bar them from treating minor problems?
Why burden an NHS service that is already struggling?

I wholeheartedly agree that a podiatrist is trained to deal with a whole host of problems that a FHP is not.

FHP courses

I think we both agree, Sportstherapy, that the potential service user deserves informed choice. Unfortunately this is not happening, as many unregulated footcare persons intimate, with the use of clever rhetoric on their websites, that they are pods. Therefore what Joe Public often sees is two practitioners offering what looks like a comparable service, with price being the only difference.

I don't have a problem with nail cutting. i don't have a problem with beauty salons and pedicurists. If someone is trained to cut and file non-pathogenic nails on healthy persons, and that person is reviewed regularly by a pod, that's fine IMO. What I have a problem with is minimally-trained unregulated persons taking a scalpel to someone's feet to remove corns etc. In addition, as the scope of practice of the unregulated is unclear then how do they know when boundaries have been crossed?

Pods are trained to spot a host of conditions that manifest in the feet, before other parts of the body, and because of their underpinning knowledge know exactly where to refer on to.

Pods are not unlike 747 pilots, being paid for what they know rather than what they do.

I have lost count of the number of malignant melanomas I have seen during my career. All have been speedily referred on for excision before they reached the invasive stage. Could a person with 3 weeks practical training spot one? I doubt it.

I am like most pods in that I feel our image in the eyes of the public is being devalued and our clinical skills diluted by these unregulated uncontrolled practitioners with their anti-competative prices.
More importantly I feel that the public does not get the protection it should in this area.

We did do scalpel work

Wendywoo

As previously posted I did the FHP course at West Midlands and yes we were what you can call 'trained' to use the scalpel on callus and corns, so I think you may be misled. I know SMAE do and so do another well known one which I cant remember, but I don't know was the others do.

We actually practiced on potatoes!!! and I believe it cost another £50 to buy the DVD and get a certificate on safe scalpel technique. Again as a 2nd year degree student at the end of my 3 years I would have done 1000 hours clinical practice, so skill and technique are not an issue.

Foot health practitioner courses

That's interesting, kazziem. Although I am not sure how you think I have been misled? I do not know how anyone can learn scalpel technique from a DVD!. How many clinical hours practice did you do with scalpels before you qualified as an FHP?
I have noticed, looking back through the posts that there were quite a few from potential students who were embarking on an FHP course. It would be interesting to hear from themand find out how they got on and what they are doing with their qualification now?
You, Kazziem, seem to be the only one who has come back with any feed back.

Smae

I am also going to do the Foot Health Practitioner Course and have decided against doing it with the SMAE institute. I live in Scotland so whichever course I do I have to travel. My sister studied with the SMAE and was quite happy with them although found them quite inflexible. I have contacted a few colleges and what I am looking for is flexibility as I am about to have a baby in August. I want to change careers because of this and an ideal time to study for me is when I have no distractions and I am not working. I had planned to give up work a little early and spend the last 3 months of my pregnancy studying, hoping to pick up the study again when things have settled down with the baby. Having studied to Masters Level in Computing I thought that I might be able to motor through a number of modules in 3 months as they are the equivalent of just above A level.

The SMAE institute would not allow me to complete modules any quicker than one per month and all modules had to be completed within one year. This didnt make sense to me, if I can study full time and spend e.g. 30-40 hours per week per module, technically I could get through 4 per month, maybe ambitious but having a baby to provide for is a great motivator!

I found the person answering my questions at the SMAE (receptionist?), unhelpful and she consulted the course director while I was on the phone. Their advice to me was 'we feel that you should not enrol on the course until your baby has been born and you can fully commit to the course'. At this point I decided that I would never attend the SMAE, as it is up to me what I can and can't acheive in a given timeline.

The other colleges (Stonebridge being one) I contacted could not be more helpful, allowing me to complete as many modules as I wanted in my own timelines, if the course extended for me over one year they were ok with that. I havent yet made up my mind on which course to go for but it certainly won't be the SMAE institute.

Incidentally for those who don't study at the SMAE for the diploma, they still take people who qualified at other schools for post grad study.

Good luck with the course hunting. If anyone has studied elsewhere than the SMAE please let me know, as any advice would be gratefully received.

Foot health practitioner courses

Hello Scottish Feet,
I am interested in what you say about wanting to retrain and I am not sure why you would want to be a Foot Health Practitioner?
If you have a masters level in Computing could you not set up your own IT business from home and work that way and fit it in with the new baby? Also if you are educated to Masters level why would you want to drop your standards and study something that was only the equivalent of A-level, that did not have the finacial rewards that you would get as an It consultant?
Just curious?

Reply to Realpod

Hi Realpod

The IT industry is not really people focussed and that is what I would like to do, have a people focussed job. I am also an ex-secondary teacher which I guess I could also pursue, but I just don't want to. If you have ever been a teacher you would understand why after 10 years service I will pass that buck to the younger teachers.

I live in the countryside and currently do a 3 hour round trip to work. I could start up my own IT company but would still be required to travel to my clients who would inevitably be in the city requiring commuting. There is no real industry where I am and a raft of people in the IT game who would like to work from home. That is why I would like to study the FHP course, I can practise from my home. Given that there are no chiropodists within a 40 mile radius (no private ones) I would be providing a service that currently doesn't exist, albeit a limited service. Living where I do also excludes me from doing a university degree in podiatry, which I would do, as the nearest university that offers the course is over 350 miles away, a no way situation. There is no flexibility e.g. study theory and do block lab/clinic attendance so just not possible for me.

I can see from your posts that you are really aggreiived that the FHP course exists and people are practising as Foot Health Practitioners and you see it bringing down standards as the general public do not know the difference between a qualified chiropodist and an FHP. I can totally understand this. My sister is a qualified FHP (and a state registered nurse), she does limited treatments (which I can't list for now) but rrom what she tells me she does have limitations e.g. I know that she does not treat verrucaes. She also attends the HPC meetings in Scotland as an associate to keep up to date. I think it does help that she has a nursing background.

I should point out that my sister did a previous incarnation of the FHP course which was much more indepth than the course is now. It took her 3 years to complete and she was the last wave of students to do the more indepth course. The indepth course previously allowed FHPs to join the HPC register after completing a number of qualifying hours (may have been 120 hours but not sure) as well as the course. Therefore you will find that there are many Chiropodists out there who are FHPs (my sister is not one) on the HPC register, these FHPs should have more indepth knowledge due to the length and detail in the previous course.

The government (whichever body) decreed that FHPs could no longer join the HPC register (my sister being one who is not on HPC register) and that is when the FHP training providers dropped the course to one year. Incidentally an FHP cannot advertise themselves as chiropodists or podiatrists it is illegal for them do to so, this includes newspaper adverts, yellow pages etc.

I will check with my sister about regulation as I am sure it exists otherwise there would be no insurance available for FHPs, and I know that insurance is very definetely available.

I hope that kind of answers your question. I guess FHPs could undermine your professional status but their training is limited and the service they offer. This will annoy you but if I am honest if I can do this course and make a living providing a service because there are customers, why shouldn't I? Given that I am a person with integrity there is no way that I will be treating patients in an area that I don't feel qualified in and if I come across a foot issue that is severe or if I have concerns I will simply refer them to a doctor.

I am sure that you will want to comment on this so will look forward to your reply.

Scottish fee

Not sure if it's rude to step in to this serious discussion but...may I make a side-tracking comment...just to share my thoughts with all of you. .

I come from China and from what I know, we don't even have podiatry and therefore it was a surprise to me a few weeks ago when I heard about this profession for the first time.

Many people (and old people) in our country have had foot problems (leading to knee and other pains) for all their lives (including my own grandma), and they don't have the luxury of being looking after by specialists who know what the problems are and how to treat them.

I sincerely feel that the general public in the UK is quite lucky because they have so many specialists who are properly trained to look after their specific health problems.

For Scottishfeet

Hi

Where do you stay that the only place doing podiatry is 350 miles away?

I know that Queen Margaret and Glasgow Caley do them. Sometimes they do part time over 4-5 years.

I have just completed a nutrition course (which lets face it, is not even recognised by Govt bodies) which was down in London.

If you want something enough, you will find a way.

Also, as a secondary teacher and with IT qualifications I would have thought you would get a buy through many of the modules.

Patchouli

Foot Health Practitioner Courses

Scottish Feet,
If you have made your mind up to embark on this training course then far be it for me to dissuade you.
However, I would ask you to consider the some of the points I make.

I would suggest you plenty of research.

I would advise caution about paying up front for the opportunity to provide a somewhat limited service. The course providers are in the business of making money. I would contact them and ask how many of their recent graduates are working in the field F/T, P/T or enough hours to make a living? If they can't give you that information, then ask yourself, why not?
Remember that when you qualify you will be a independent practitioner standing on the lowest rung of the financial ladder. Within the free market it is the patient (not you) who decides what level or service they wish to receive, treatment alone, or asessment treatment and recovery. To be in a market where everyone claims to offer the same service at painfully diffferent standards is where issues arise between the regulated and non-regulated.
If you plan to offer a high level of service at a premium rate as an unregulated practitioner, the wise will not purchase and the market you aim at will not be able to afford you.

You say that there are no chiropodists within a 40 mile radius. Have you ever wondered why?

I would suggest you formulate a business plan and work out a costing and pricing structure before you start.
Have you any idea how much equipment is required or what the legisalation is for this type of activity?
You will need an autoclave to sterilise your instruments at a cost of £2000+. the legislation for these is changing so you will need to be sure that you purchase one that complies. This will need a maintainace contract and regular servicing that could cost you up to £350 a year. You also need Pressure Vessel Insurance which is over and above the insurance you will need to practice, that could cost another £150. a year.
You will need an area to decontaminate, sterilise and store your equipment to avoid cross-contamination. You'll need an ultrasonic cleaner to remove debris from your instruments (unless you want to spend about an hour each day scrubbing them all) cost = £500/600.
For a purely domiciliary practice you will need at least 10 sets of instruments. The cost will vary from £100-150 a set. you will need to buy the best as, with everything, you get what you pay for and the cheaper versions of nail nippers will go rusty and suffer from broken springs.
You'll also need a visiting case at the coat of about £200.
You will need a contract with a Registered Operator to remove your clinical waste and sharps and provide you with a Waste Transfer Note to comply with existing legislation,and area to store the waste. That will cost anything from £100-200 a year, if you live in a rural area you could be charged more.
Stonebridge does not provide any CPD. (Continuing Professional Development) so if you identify any gaps in your knowldge when you start practicising you will have to fund that yourself. You will need to build the cost of this into your business plan.
In order to be an ethical and responisible practitioner you will need to have in place referral pathways for those patients that fall outside your remit, which will mean building relationships with the GPs, Physios and other Allied Health Professionals in the area. You must be prepared to spend time writing introduction and referral letters.
As you will be taking patient's details you will fall under the Data Protection Act so you will need to be familar with this in order to comply. You will need to register with them. I don't know what the cost of that is, off hand. You will also need a secure area to store all these notes. As records such as these need by law, to be keep for up to 7 years, the amount of space required could eventally be quite voluminous.
In these days of litigation, you must be sure that your notes are sufficiently detailed to protect you in the event of a claim, so you must practise Defensible Documentation.
The price of paddings & strappings, creams and other diposables, uniforms and other sundries that will have to be costed out. The minimum order from most suppliers of these goods is £100 if you want to avoid postage and packing charges, so you need space to store these.

I am sure I have given you enough information for you to chew over!

hi Realpod,
thanks for that posting, and the information, hopefully everyone will do this type of investigation and research before embarking on any type of therapy training course.

Proper Pod, I understand exactly the message you are trying so hard to get across. I admit I was also looking into the SMAE FHP courses. I am not however interested in setting up my own business but would like to work with/assist a podiatrist. What would your recommendations be for someone like me. Who would you hire and what qualifications in an assistant would you look for.

DSF

Foot Health Practitioner Courses

Dear fieldsinuk,
Glad you got the message that while self employment can be rewarding, it is also very hard work.
I hate to burst your bubble, but you have asked for an opinion, so you shall have it.
The type of employment you are talking about rarely exists as very few podiatrists would take you on as an assistant with FHP qualifications. Those of us chiropodists/podiatrists who are members of the Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists (largest professional body for both independent and NHS chiropodists/podiatrists) would not employ or work with an FHP because;-
1.We do not want to encourage the growth of the unregulated sector.
2.The scope of practice of FHPs is an unknown quantity and varies from training school to training school, therefore the area of professional accountability, responsibility, delegation and referral would be a legalistic nightmare.
3.It would not be any advantage, as I certainly would not be happy to go on holiday and leave an FHP in charge of my practice in case a chiropodial emergency arose which the FHP could not deal with. On the other hand I would be quite happy to use a locum chiropodist. Some chiropodists make quite good money working as locums for agencies.

There are only about 2,000 chiropodists who are not Members of the SCP who might be willing to take you on, but they are spread all over the country, so you would have to re-locate. Then they would need a large practice to be able to afford you.

If you are really serious about working in the area of footcare then why not do the BSc Podiatry course? You would then have a recognised qualificiation, a recognised scope of practice, opportunity for career progression and far more job satisfaction from dealing with a wider caseload. You would also have the opportunity to specialise in one of several areas.
Check out for more info.
Also consider where you would like to be 10 years from now. Would you really still want to be a dogsbody on the minimum wage, spending your days doing mainly nailcuts, cleaning the surgery, scrubbing dirty instruments and loading/unloading autoclaves (sterilisers) fetching the podiatrists lunch from the local sandwich bar, or would you aspire to something higher?
Your choice - I personally wouldn't want to be an assistant anything!
PS. Don't forget that in a recession, like the one we have at present, the assistants are the first to get fired!

Would you really still want to be a dogsbody on the minimum wage, spending your days doing mainly nailcuts, cleaning the surgery, scrubbing dirty instruments and loading/unloading autoclaves (sterilisers) fetching the podiatrists lunch from the local sandwich bar, or would you aspire to something higher?
Your choice - I personally wouldn't want to be an assistant anything!
PS. Don't forget that in a recession, like the one we have at present, the assistants are the first to get fired!

Sage words Realpod. My best friend of 35 years has been an assistant to a podiatrist for 19 years, and has done all of the above, plus, 2 weeks ago, was 'laid off'. Her place will be filled by a part-time chiropodist. (They have had a coffee machine installed and sandwiches are delivered from the bakers next door!!!)

Foot Health Practitioner Courses

As an addition to that last post I am still wondering why no other Foot Health Practitioners have come forward to add to this thread?
So far, we have only had a response from one who did the course and then opted to train further by taking BSc Podiatry course.
I wonder what happened to all the others?
Surely if they were sucessful they would want to come back and tell us all about it?

You might want to check out thatfootsite.com's forum to understand why there is a reluctance.......

Looking at this particular pod forum recently, I was horrified at the amount of personal abuse to posters suspected of being FHPs. Should FHP's be identified from a trawl on google, they seem to be being reported to whatever body these particular pods think will give them some harrassment.

So I'm saddened, but not surprised,that no-one will put their heads above the parapet here for a discussion with a podiatrist, however well intentioned.

i think the personal name calling and derision on the other forum mentioned above is pretty pathetic, and im glad HP doesnt allow such pettiness to go on in this forum.

I so agree Sportstherapy. But I fear that complementary therapy as a whole is being dragged into it .....

A general example from the same site...

in case the link doesn't work it says

"Has anyone seen this forum, maybe someone should tell these aspiring pseudo-pods what it's really like to be a bottom feeder in the world of foot-care.

https://www.healthypages.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=39706&highlight=Foot+healt h"

the second post: "I see some pods have done just that. Well done whoever you are"

What will this sort of comment do to the perception of even genuinely helpful pods.....

Foot Health Practitioner Courses

The site referred to by previous posters is unmoderated which is why some posters tend to say what they think. If anyone would like to view a moderated forum for pods have a look at Podiatry Arena.

IMO some FHPs only have themselves to blame if they encounter bad feeling from pods. For those of you that have read posts on the "other site" mentioned you will see that some are breaking the law (and their own Code of Practice) by advertising themselves as Chiropodists. "Outing" these individuals is perfectly reasonable in the circumstances and it is the FHP that should be censured and not the pod. I find it hard to believe that some posters on this site would support practitioners (FHPs) who are actually committing both a criminal offence and a Trading Standards Offence. I think that says a lot about their own ethics.

"Chiropody/Podiatry" are Protected Titles by Statute and those of us who are allowed to use those Titles have to sign an agreement to meet very stringent standards. Complying with these regulation can expensive and time-consuming, which is why some of us take a very dim view of those that use the Titles we have worked so hard to maintain. In addition every 2 years 5% of all Chiropodists/Podiatrists are asked to submit a portfolio to the Health Professions Council, of several thousand words, summarising what we have done in the past 2 years as CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and how it has enhanced our practice.(Reflective practice)

The Standards set by the HPC can be found at

Those that do not meet the standards could be struck off the Register and have the Titles taken from them.

In addition, for some reason, there is a reluctance for FHPs to refer on to pods. Instead they seem to refer to the GP for modalities that fall within a pod's remit, such as nail surgery. This creates the impression amongst GPs that pods (they sometimes don't know the difference between a pod and an FHP) are lacking skills in that area. This creates a poor impression of the skill bank we have.

I could quote other reasons why FHPs are not popular with pods but if you keep reading posts on that other site, they will become apparent.

As I don't understand much about FHPs and what they do and don't do ( in common with a lot of pods) I was hoping one or two would post here, but that doesn't look like it will happen.

hi realpod, you do have some valid points re breaking the law, and if someone advertises as a chiropodist and they are not HPC registered, then yes, I fully agree that they should be reported. Unmoderated forums like the one mentioned, does nothing for the professionalism of either pods or fhps.

It is a shame that there arent more fhps on here giving us an insight into what they do, as im sure, as i said previously, most of them do a very good job, and are an important part of our healthcare system.

Realpod

I'm sure it’s just an unfortunate coincidence that the thread I referred to on the thatfootsite forum was started on 26th April 09, and this thread (which died in 2007) was resurrected on 28th April 09.

“The site referred to by previous posters is unmoderated which is why some posters tend to say what they think”.

"I find it hard to believe that some posters on this site would support practitioners (FHPs) who are actually committing both a criminal offence and a Trading Standards Offence. I think that says a lot about their own ethics."

Racist comments are also a criminal offence, and personal abuse is considered unethical by everyone I know, and I don't think an exemption applies to podiatrists just because it’s an unmoderated forum that not many people look at ........

Professional podiatrists shouldn't need moderating to the extent they obviously do - the thread "anonymous posts" is a real eye opener. Have you read it? Perhaps you should before commenting further on my ethics. In fact, I recommend a good look round that site, if you aren’t already familiar with it.

Online bullying is rampant on there - with the excuse "Truth is, it is a very very small percentage of professionals that use the forums- and an even smaller percentage of outsiders, so you do not need to lose any sleep over it my dear."

So it’s OK then ... hardly anyone is looking ....! Remarks that I reckon would get a podiatrist sacked in an NHS hospital, and that they certainly wouldn't say in front of a patient (or nurses!) are considered fair game because the members think they are talking to an FHP. (a bottom feeder!) Thanks for the link to the HPC – do they deal with complaints about unmoderated podiatry forums?

As for reporting to TS or the HPC - Your profession aren't checking their facts first before dobbing people in. They are just trawling the internet and causing trouble, and it’s not just FHP’s – clinics of complementary therapists are getting caught in the crossfire.

And then members of your profession have the nerve to post urls so that any podiatrist who wants to take a pop at FHP’s can use the complementary therapy forums (US!!!) to do so.

As I’m sure you don’t condone either this or the comments on the thatfootsiteforum, perhaps you would do podiatry a favour and register your concern at the damage being done to your own profession?

For the record, at least one member of this forum (me!) thinks that the podiatry profession needs to clean up its own back yard before dragging the rest of complementary therapy into a petty and vindictive vendetta against FHP’s.

Rustic

well said rustic!!
xx

Foot Health Practitioner Training Courses

Rustic,

"I'm sure it’s just an unfortunate coincidence that the thread I referred to on the thatfootsite forum was started on 26th April 09, and this thread (which died in 2007) was resurrected on 28th April 09."

I entered this thread on 1st May 2009, so what exactly is your point?

“The site referred to by previous posters is unmoderated which is why some posters tend to say what they think”.

That is true.

"I find it hard to believe that some posters on this site would support practitioners (FHPs) who are actually committing both a criminal offence and a Trading Standards Offence. I think that says a lot about their own ethics."

I stand by that statement.

"Racist comments are also a criminal offence, and personal abuse is considered unethical by everyone I know, and I don't think an exemption applies to podiatrists just because it’s an unmoderated forum that not many people look at ........ "

I'm not arguing with you! - but I am unsure what racist comments you refer to. If any poster takes exception to another post on That Other Site, then they can ask to have it removed.

"Professional podiatrists shouldn't need moderating to the extent they obviously do - the thread "anonymous posts" is a real eye opener. Have you read it? Perhaps you should before commenting further on my ethics. In fact, I recommend a good look round that site, if you aren’t already familiar with it. "

That is your opinion, which you are entitled to have.
However, are you sure all posters on That Other Site are Podiatrists, because I'm not! The problem with forums that are unmoderated is that no-one knows who is who, and that can be a double-edged sword. This is something to bear in mind when posting there.

"Online bullying is rampant on there - with the excuse "Truth is, it is a very very small percentage of professionals that use the forums- and an even smaller percentage of outsiders, so you do not need to lose any sleep over it my dear.""

Again, see my comment about having posts removed.

"So it’s OK then ... hardly anyone is looking ....! Remarks that I reckon would get a podiatrist sacked in an NHS hospital, and that they certainly wouldn't say in front of a patient (or nurses!) are considered fair game because the members think they are talking to an FHP. (a bottom feeder!)"

Again, that is entirely your opinion.

" Thanks for the link to the HPC – do they deal with complaints about unmoderated podiatry forums? "

I have no idea, maybe you could ask them and find out?

"As for reporting to TS or the HPC - Your profession aren't checking their facts first before dobbing people in. They are just trawling the internet and causing trouble, and it’s not just FHP’s – clinics of complementary therapists are getting caught in the crossfire."

What facts need to be checked? If an FHP is advertising themselves (using any medium) as a 'Chiropodist/Podiatrist' or saying that they provide "Chiropody Services" they are committing an offence under the Health Professions Act 2001.
I don't know what you mean about 'clinics of complementary therapists being caught in the crossfire'?

"And then members of your profession have the nerve to post urls so that any podiatrist who wants to take a pop at FHP’s can use the complementary therapy forums (US!!!) to do so. "

I haven't seen anyone here "taking a pop at FHPs", which post(s) do you refer to?

"As I’m sure you don’t condone either this or the comments on the thatfootsiteforum, perhaps you would do podiatry a favour and register your concern at the damage being done to your own profession? "

Again I am not sure what you think I should not condone? If someone wants to post an url from an "open" site then I have no control over that.

"For the record, at least one member of this forum (me!) thinks that the podiatry profession needs to clean up its own back yard before dragging the rest of complementary therapy into a petty and vindictive vendetta against FHP’s. "

That, again, is your opinion.

hi yes i did the The C.H.E.K Institute is the foremost organization committed to excellence in education and innovation in the fields of corrective exercise and high-performance conditioning. They achieve this through revolutionary philosophies and methods in professional development i did there
CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coaches specialize in wellness, stress management and lifestyle coaching. A C.H.E.K. Holistic & Lifestyle Coach (HLC) will help identify your individual needs and teach you how to address issues that may be preventing you from looking and feeling your best.
Through Holistic & Lifestyle Coaching our modern lifestyle, pollution, high stress levels, poor diet, antibiotics, poor quality water, processed food, agricultural chemicals and lack of rest are a few of the factors which are responsible for a wide range of common symptoms and illnesses including:
• Abdominal bloating
• Diarrhoea and/or constipation
• Parasites and fungal infections
• Bad breath and body odour
• Chronic fatigue
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Skin problems
• High cholesterol levels
• Food cravings and intolerances

Moderators hat on

This thread is getting a little heated and off topic, and therefore it's time to cool the passions.

I'd like to remind everyone of the forum guidelines, found here:

<a class="go2wpf-bbcode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href=" https://www.healthypages.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1795 "> https://www.healthypages.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1795

Failure to comply with posting guidelines will result in this thread being locked.

On behalf of the moderating team

Myarka.

hi guys, this reminds me of the problems that have been encountered between BSc sports therapists, and diploma sports therapists.

if this were BSc Sports Therapists v Diploma STs then Im afraid i have to side with the diploma ST's as ive given work experience to many BSc ST's and have found them to be not fit to work in my clinics.

As I previously mentioned, just because one has a BSc doesnt make someone a better therapist. Maybe this is different in Podiatry/FHP, who knows, because there isnt a balance of views from Pods and FHPs. If you are a FHP please comment, it is your profession and if it need defending then you should.

Realpod

A forum being unmoderated being why some posters tend to say what they think may be true as you say, but I hope you agree that doesn’t make it right.

The podiatrists on that forum seem to know who they are. If not, I am left wondering why none of the podiatrists themselves has informed the administrator of what is going on if only to protect their industry’s reputation. If podiatrists are aware that the forum is viewed from outside the podiatry profession – by however few – it would seem sensible to initiate some self moderation to protect their own reputation.

You are unsure of what other remarks I am referring to. In the thread “anonymous posts”

“You really should have more self respect- please do not take words like golly out of context, it just shows your ignorance-oops theres another insult!”

Maybe English isn’t the first language ..........
.
“When we have someone like you posting, who can't spell or who hasn't even the basic grasp of syntax.........”

In answer to another query, last time I looked there were 2 clinics used by a variety of therapists URL’d and discussed for dobbing in by what looks like at least a double act of podiatrists.

There is a thread with a URL linking to this site, apparently gloating about “some pods” telling aspiring pseudo-pods on this forum about being a “bottom feeder” in the world of foot care.

I am simply suggesting to you that the public – and particularly FHP’s - are being left to draw their own conclusions based on their perception of what is being reflected in the posts on what is a podiatrist forum. If you agree that a problem has been highlighted, then you may wish to take it up with the forum in question. If you don't, then you won't, and the FHP's and the public will presumably be left to continue to draw their own conclusions..

Peace. :1kis:

Rustic

FHP courses etc

Rustic,
It doesn't look like there will be a 'meeting of minds' here, but :-

"A forum being unmoderated being why some posters tend to say what they think may be true as you say, but I hope you agree that doesn’t make it right. :)"

I never said it did.

"The podiatrists on that forum seem to know who they are...... .....initiate some self moderation to protect their own reputation."

The administrator is aware of the discussions and can pull a thread anytime they want. This has happened in the past.

"You are unsure of what other remarks I am referring to. In the thread “anonymous posts”

“You really should have more self respect- please do not take words like golly out of context, it just shows your ignorance-oops theres another insult!”"

I agree, it's not very polite, but where is the racism?

"“When we have someone like you posting, who can't spell or who hasn't even the basic grasp of syntax.........” "

That could be true - I can't remember the content of the post referred to.

"In answer to another query, last time I looked there were 2 clinics used by a variety of therapists URL’d and discussed for dobbing in by what looks like at least a double act of podiatrists."

I believe these were examples of FHPs advertising themselves either as "Chiropodists" or offering "Chiropody services" on internet websites. These practitioners chose to put themselves on a public website and flout the law, so they have no defence. Anyone who puts themselves 'out there' is inviting comment both positive and negative.

"There is a thread with a URL linking to this site, apparently gloating about “some pods” telling aspiring pseudo-pods on this forum about being a “bottom feeder” in the world of foot care. "

An unfortunate turn of phrase, I agree, but not without a grain of truth. FHPs are stand-alone unregulated practitioners on the lowest rung of the foot care ladder.

"I am simply suggesting to you that the public – and particularly FHP’s - are being left to draw their own conclusions based on their perception of what is being reflected in the posts on what is a podiatrist forum. If you agree that a problem has been highlighted, then you may wish to take it up with the forum in question. If you don't, then you won't, and the FHP's and the public will presumably be left to continue to draw their own conclusions.. "

This is all pure speculation on your part as to who has what perception of what. I am not responsible for what others think.

That Other Site is not a Podiatrist's Forum. It is open to contributions from anyone that is involved with footcare, (and any one else as well.) Most posters take it with a pinch of salt, although there have been some quite erudite discussions there.

Realpod,

I don’t wish to reread it, but you can always read the “anonymous posts” thread from start to finish.

I am sorry that you think the use of the term “bottom feeders” is “an unfortunate turn of phrase, but not without a grain of truth.” I am lost for words .....

“These practitioners chose to put themselves on a public website and flout the law, so they have no defence.”

This is a public website, and many therapists link to their own site. I hope you will not be surprised if not many FHP’s choose to identify themselves to podiatrists by joining this discussion, now that you have confirmed your position on the term "bottom feeders" and that anyone who puts themselves 'out there' on a public website is inviting comment .....

Rustic