CAREERS NEXT GEN JOB KIT
PODIATRIST
Improve people’s lives by giving them a solid platform for health
Step into the future of healthcare
Technology is revolutionising the design and creation of orthotic devices.
At QUT you will:
•learn at our on-site orthotics manufacturing lab
• use 3D scanning, 3D printing and CAD software to create orthotic devices with advanced materials
•hone your skills using advanced milling technology
•work with real patients in the QUT Health Clinics.
You'll gain advanced skills with guidance from professional podiatrists to confidently start your career.
qut.edu.au/courses/bachelor-of-podiatry
Put your best foot forward
Want a career where you’ll be in demand, can work in a wide range of areas and make a difference? Podiatry could be the right fit for you.
Acommon misconception about podiatrists is that we simply cut toenails! It’s true this is part of what we do, but it’s only a really small part. Podiatry is actually about improving the quality of people’s lives. We are hugely reliant on our feet for all the activities we do in our daily lives. Often, we don’t think about our feet until there’s a problem with them, and we know that when people do have foot problems it decreases their quality of life.
If you’re thinking of starting on a podiatry study and career path, know that it’s such a diverse field and one where you can make a difference. You could be helping everyone from young children to older people, and you’ve got the opportunity to have broad practice or to specialise in everything from sports to working with people with arthritis.
As part of your training in the undergraduate program, you also have the opportunity to undertake some minor surgical procedures which involve using local anaesthetics. This provides a great foundation should you wish to undertake further training to become a podiatric surgeon.
As a podiatrist, you will have the opportunity to work in a lot of different settings. You could run your own business, or be employed at a private practice, within public hospitals or at aged care facilities. In these settings, there will be times when you’ll work independently and times when you’ll collaborate with wider healthcare teams. You could also undertake research in universities or apply your podiatry skills more broadly in areas like footwear or orthotic design, and management of health services.
Dr Debbie Turner professor in podiatry + discipline Lead
To put your best foot forward in podiatry, study a Bachelor of Podiatry at QUT. A real strength of our program is work integrated learning. We have a state-of-the-art health clinic where, from second year, our students are placed in a clinical environment, seeing patients and building the skills they will need in the real world. QUT also has strong links with industry, which recognises our quality program and its graduates. This enables our graduates to be highly regarded and be in demand once they’re out in the workforce.
I’ve been in the profession for 30 years and I’m still learning. Podiatry gives you that lifelong learning opportunity and it’s not a career that you’ll ever outgrow.
Dr
QUT podiatry gives you lifelong learning opportunities and it’s not a career you’ll outgrow”
Debbie Turner
Professor
in Podiatry + Discipline Lead
Faculty of Health School of Clinical Sciences Podiatry,
FIND YOUR FEET
...in a podiatry career. Here’s how to get started!
Podiatry by the numbers
5,500 is the estimated number of podiatrists that will be employed in 2025.
60% of podiatrists are either employers or self employed.
59.1% of podiatrists in Australia are female and 40.9% are male.
16.3% is the amount the number of podiatrists grew between 2018 and 2022.
Did you know?
6% of the Australian podiatry workforce is located in outer regional or remote settings.
If you want to study medicine one day, QUT’s Bachelor of Podiatry can be used as a pathway to get yourself there!
Podiatrists are in demand
Australia needs more podiatrists. The demand for podiatrists is expected to increase until the 2050s due to the growing incidence of chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. According to Diabetes Feet Australia, around 510,000 people are living with diabetes-related foot disease and this has been described in the Medical Journal of Australia as the ‘least known major health problem’. An ageing population, where foot and ankle problems are more common, also requires an increase in podiatry services. This means employment prospects are fantastic for podiatry graduates, with lots of employment and research opportunities with public and private employers.
The Brisbane Olympics in 2032 could also lead to even further demand for podiatrists. Currently, the Australian Institute of Sport is holding Australia’s biggest ever talent search for future Olympic and Paralympic champions in over 40 sports. More members (and feet!) in Team Australia might just mean the need for additional sports podiatrists to assist and support them.
What is a podiatrist?
A podiatrist is someone who diagnoses and manages conditions of the feet and lower limbs. Their goal? To help improve mobility and quality of life for people facing these challenges. As a podiatrist, conditions you could be treating include foot pain, sports injuries, footwear problems, and infections. A podiatrist also works alongside other health professionals to provide care to patients with chronic diseases like diabetes and arthritis.
Areas to specialise in
• Diabetes
• Paediatrics
• Forensics
• Sports podiatry
• Podiatric surgery
• Prescribing medicines
•
more study options
Already got a health-related degree under your belt but keen on podiatry or a career switch? QUT offers a Bachelor of Podiatry – Graduate Entry.
Practicing podiatrists can also gain the knowledge to prescribe medicine once they are eligible for registration for Endorsement for Scheduled Medicines under Pathway A with the Graduate Certificate in Podiatric Therapeutics. This can be studied over one year, part time.
Where
you could work
• Hospitals
• Private clinics
• Public health clinics
• Sports centres
• Aged care facilities
• Research and policy organisations
Pay day
The average annual salary for podiatrist jobs in Australia ranges from $85,000 to $105,000*. The graduate HP3 pay scale within Queensland Health is $79,051 per annum**.
get there
Choose this career if you want...
• A hands-on, technical job
• To be in high demand when it comes to employability
• A career that’s all about helping others and making a difference
• The ability to work in a range of areas
To become a podiatrist , study a Bachelor of Podiatry at QUT. This degree will get you job ready with hands-on experience, including using industry-leading technologies and undertaking clinical placements. QUT even has their very own on-campus podiatry clinic, where you’ll get to treat real patients (with a helping hand from clinical educators who are registered podiatrists).
There are off-campus opportunities too, like learning from podiatrists in industry and experiencing different workplaces.
When it comes to theory, you’ll get across areas like human anatomy, biomolecular science, pharmacology, dermatology, clinical gait analysis, rehabilitation medicine and therapy.
And huge bonus! QUT has an over 90% employment rate for podiatry graduates, meaning it’s very likely you’ll land an awesome gig once you complete your degree. QUT graduates have gone on to work in areas like sport, surgery, wound care and research, all making a difference and changing lives.
Learn more at qut.edu.au/courses/ bachelor-of-podiatry
Toe-tal professional
Gloria Kopei Chang works as a high-risk podiatrist, where her day-to-day job is all about looking at feet – and lots of them!
gloria kopei chang high-risk podiatrist
Gloria always knew she wanted to work in healthcare, preferably in a field where she’d get to see some blood and wounds!
“I had no issues with feet, so podiatry made sense,” she says. “Plus, it includes some aspects of sports medicine like physiotherapy, which lets me work in different areas like rehabilitation as well.”
After school, she studied a Bachelor of Podiatry at QUT where she loved the facilities they had on offer. “I’d say the QUT Health Clinic, the student-run clinic on campus, was the best part. We got to see a variety of patients at the podiatry clinic. The general public could volunteer to be treated by students, giving us valuable hands-on experience while they benefited from more affordable care.”
Now, as a high-risk podiatrist at Redland Hospital, she mostly treats people with diabetes. On a good day, she cleans wounds with a scalpel (which can get pretty bloody!) then wraps them up with the right dressings.
Some patients leave with customised footwear and orthotics to help protect their feet and prevent future issues.
“But when things take a turn, like if a foot or toe gets infected, it’s a whole different story,” Gloria says. “That’s when I order X-rays, take swabs, and work with infectious disease specialists, vascular surgeons, and orthopedic surgeons to try to save the foot.”
One of the most unusual things she’s done? Picking out live maggots from a patient’s foot ulcer!
At the end of the day, Gloria’s job is all about keeping people on their feet, literally. “I do everything I can to prevent amputations and help patients leave the hospital with healthy feet.”
If you like to watch Dr. Pimple Popper, high- risk podiatry is your right choice of career pathway!”
Athlete heel-er
With a passion for running and keeping people active, Chelsea Enright took all the right steps to work in sports podiatry
After seeing a physiotherapist and podiatrist during high school, Chelsea realised the range of allied health study options available and ultimately decided to study QUT’s Bachelor of Podiatry.
“Podiatry is a very hands-on degree and provided so much opportunity for placements in clinics before graduating,” she explains. “From second year, we were already working in a clinic at QUT on real patients.”
This set Chelsea up for future career success. After graduating she went on to work for multiple private sports podiatry clinics. In her current role at Foot Faults – Podiatry, Rehab & Running, she assesses foot and ankle injuries, conducts running assessments, prescribes strength exercises and provides footwear recommendations to optimise performance and prevent injuries.
“I provide treatments such as orthotics, strapping, dry needling and shockwave therapy to manage pain and to support rehabilitation. In a day I could see up to 12 patients,” she says.
Chelsea likes that every patient is unique. “They will all have a different goal they want to get back to and it is my role as a podiatrist to help get them back pain free!”
If you’re keen on podiatry, Chelsea suggests getting lots of work experience. “This will give you an understanding of what the job entails, and provide you with network connections within the industry which may be beneficial in the future.”
Fun fact
Chelsea trained for triathlons for over 10 years while studying and then working full-time. She started from a sprint triathlon to finishing a full Ironman distance!
Day in the life
9am
Prepare for a busy day of patients. Check for any patient imaging results and organise their orthoses.
11am
Consults with clients – varying from people with lower leg pain to people wanting to run a marathon.
1pm
Admin time to finish patient notes and break for lunch.
3pm
Follow up emails to patients with their exercise programs, running tips and footwear advice.
5pm
Finish for the day and take my dogs for a walk with my husband and toddler.
Bachelor of Podiatry, QUT
Private sports podiatry clinics Podiatrist, Foot Faults – Podiatry, Rehab & Running
chelsea enright Podiatrist
Get the job!
Sold on a podiatry career? Get prepared with the resources below
People skills pay the bills
You’ll also want to brush up on the following for your future podiatry career.
Watch Podiatry at QUT
Listen watch
Be inspired by Nicholas Hsiao’s podiatry study story and how QUT embraces technology to prepare podiatry students for helping patients in their future careers.
“Something that’s really exciting at QUT is using the 3D foot scanning technology. It’s an emerging technology that takes a 3D representation of the foot and transfers it over to a computer. It’s a lot more efficient than conventional methods.”
QUT Podiatry Graduate: Jason McLellan
See how studying podiatry at QUT helped Jason land his dream job as a paediatric podiatrist.
“The thing I enjoy most about my job is the day-to-day contact that I have with families and being able to make a difference in a child’s life. There’s no real way to describe the feeling that emanates when a child looks you in the eye and thanks you for helping them.”
Podiatry Legends Podcast
This pod will change how you feel, see and think about podiatry, and open your mind to the opportunities the profession brings. In each episode, you’ll hear from people working in podiatry, as well as get career tips and insights from host Tyson Franklin, who also happens to be a QUT graduate!
A Step Ahead
Hear how QUT podiatry graduates transition into their careers from Craig Page, the general manager at Healthia and Oliver Byrne, a QUT graduate.
Communication: You’ll need to clearly explain diagnoses, treatment options and care instructions to your patients.
Teamwork: Working with other healthcare professionals to come up with the best plan for your patients can be part of the job.
Empathy: Understanding your patients’ pain and challenges will help you build trust with them. It will also lead to better health outcomes for them.
Problem-solving: Knowing how to analyse patient information is crucial to developing the best course of treatment for your patients.
Follow
QUT Podiatry Students Association
Check out the student club for QUT podiatry students over on their Facebook page and on Instagram (@qutpods). They share graduate opportunities and event information.
