30 THE PRACTICE FCP ROLE
STRAIGHT TO
THE HEART OF CARE As ffir first irst st c con contact onta tact ct p pra practitioners ract ctit itio ione ners rs e eme emerge merg rge e as tthe he llat latest ates estt pr prov provision ovis isio ion n in h hea ealt lthc hcar are, e, we we hear hear from ffro rom m a podiatrist podi po diat atri rist st working w wor orki king ng in in the the role role healthcare, abou ab outt hi hiss ex expe peri rien ence ces. s. about experiences.
Work/research balance After graduating g fro from rom m th thee Un University of Southampton S outh thampto ton I won an internship with Arthritis UK and the foot and ankle research team at the university, which involved learning about the different research projects happening across the Arthritis UK centres. This led to parttime work as a research assistant on a SPHERE-funded project, alongside part-time practice in the NHS to develop my clinical skills. I learned a lot about the world of research, co-authored a few papers and honed my skills in evidence-based practice.
Route to primary care I then went into private practice with an interest in musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, with my prior experience providing a strong foundation to build on in primary care. For the past year I’ve worked across four different surgeries as a
rst Our firs fi rsst contact cont co ntac nt actt practitioner ac p ac pr a ti titi tion ti oner on er ((FCP). FC CP) P).. Ou ur primary network p pr im mar a y ca care re n ettwo work r ((PCN) rk P N) ccomprises PC ompr om p is pr i es knowledgeable off GP practice a kn know owle ow l dg le dgea eabl ea blee te bl team am o GPs, s, p ract ra ctticce nurses, advanced nurse practitioners nu urs rses es,, ad adva vanc nced ed n u se p ur ract ra ctit ct ittio ione ners ne rs (ANPs), physiotherapists, social (ANP (A NP NPs) Ps) s),, ph hys ysio io oth ther errap apis ists ts,, so ts soci cial al prescribers pharmacists. pres scr crib ib ber erss an and d ph phar arma maaci cist sts. encouraging Thanks to th tthee PC PCN N enco cour urag agin ing g me develop myy sk skills, to d evel ev elop op m skil ills ls,, I’ I’m m al also so sstudying tudy tu dyin ing for podiatry fo or a master’ss degree deg egre reee in advanced adv dvan ance ced d po podi diat atry ry University Brighton work at tthe he U nive ni verssit ity off Brigh ghton h t w to ork or k at practitioner level, an aadvanced dvan dv ance ced d pr prac acti titi tioner ((AP) AP P) le eve vel, l, aass working challenging well as wo work rkin ing g as aan n FC FCP P – a ch halleng gin ing g rewarding journey. but reward din ing g jo jour urne ney. y. becoming The portfolio route to t b ecom ec min ing g an FCP requires self-directed learning and autonomy, but you must also be able to work as part of a wider multidisciplinary team. There are many opportunities for self-development. I see undifferentiated undiagnosed patients and undiag gnosed pa p tients on a dailyy basis, and the beauty of the FCP role is that they can be booked directly with the
‘The portfolio route to becoming an FCP requires self-directed learning and autonomy’
LOUIS MAMODE has be been working as an FCP in Bourne Bou n mouth Bournemouth since sin ce July Ju y 2020 Jul 2020
podiatrist orr ar referred PCN po PCN podi diat atri rist st o aree re refe ferr rred ed by by their their i GP, ANP or other professional within the network.
Professional identity Working in primary care comes with challenges, and working out where I fit in as a podiatrist is one. My first weeks in the role were spent figuring out the different referral pathways, such as highrisk foot, rheumatoid arthritis, MSK triage and orthopaedics, but also establishing links with the independent sector. For example, if I have a patient with diabetic foot who needs urgent referral, I contact the consultant podiatrist to discuss their care until they are seen by the team of specialists and receive swift and appropriate treatment. Routine care involves knowing where specific to send patients who need specific services. Since all NHS services have
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M
y firs rstt contact cont co ntac actt with wi a podiatrist pod odia iatr ttrris i t was during my AS-levels AS S-lev l vel elss injury, following a footballing inju j ry ry,, and I was fascinated by the level of skill involved. Shadowing a local private podiatrist broader p ivvat pr atee po podi d at atrist st eexposed xp pos osed ed mee to b roader aspects of the profession, from routine routtin inee biomechanics to nail surgery. That year I applied to study podiatry at a number of universities. uni nive vers rsit itie iess.
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