In order to be eligible for Health Professions Council registration and, therefore, employment within the NHS and to be accepted as a member of The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists you need to undertake a recognised course of study.

There are 13 schools across the country that offer full-time and some offering part-time bachelor degrees in Podiatry. The full-time course takes three or four years to complete depending on where you choose to study. The part-time course is usually completed over four and a half years.

The structure of the course which leads to the award of a BSc(Hons) Podiatry varies across the 13 institutions. All, however, offer modular programmes. This means you are required to study and pass the assessment for each of the small sections (modules) of the course.

All of the courses involve hands on clinical experience and all cover the required areas of local anaesthesia and pharmacology.

All of the courses also offer work experience in the form of placements. This may be in NHS or private practice. The amount of placement experience you will gain varies from course to course.

Funding

The NHS in England and Wales and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in Scotland, usually fund places at all of the institutions. You may also be eligible for a means-tested bursary. These are paid each semester to eligible students to help cover the costs of their living expenses.

Applying for a Podiatry Course

Applications to all of the submitted institutions offering full-time courses have to be submitted via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Applications can only be made online on the UCAS website.

Applications to part-time courses must be made directly to the university offering the course.

The minimum entry requirements vary from school to school so you must check with the institutions you are interested in. However, the following general principles apply:

School / College Leavers

• The tariff point score ranges up to 300 across the schools.
• You are generally required to have a minimum of 2 preferably 3 A-levels one of which should be science, preferably science based.
• PE may be considered by some institutions as an alternative.
• For those taking Scottish Highers the general entry level is 4 Highers. One of these must be biology and generally biology or chemistry are preferred.

Mature Students (over 21)

A large number of applicants each year to podiatry courses ate mature students. They are attracted by the scope of practice and autonomy of the profession along with the flexible working and funding available for training.

The ratio of mature students (over 21) to school leavers varies across the institutions, however, in some places it is as high as 50/50.

Each applicant is usually considered on an individual basis with credit being given for prior as well as academic achievement. Once again the specific entry requirements vary so potential applicants are encouraged to speak to the admissions tutors of the institutions they are interested in.

However, the following general principles apply:

• Mature applicants are expected to have undertaken some recent academic study.
• They need to be able to demonstrate academic achievement in a science subject preferably biology usually to A-level standard or equivalent.

Points to consider

Some schools insist on interviewing all suitable candidates whilst others do not. Applicants should, therefore, be prepared to travel for open days and interviews.

Some schools also require you to have undertaken some form of clinical shadowing with a HPC registered practitioner.

Most institutions will require you to undergo some form of occupational health assessment prior to the offer of a place being given. This is a requirement of the NHS to protect both practitioner and patient.

Applicants will also be required to disclose any previous criminal convictions as some convictions will exclude you from future employment within the NHS.