Podiatrist
Have you been experiencing pain on your lower leg, ankle or foot? Do not suffer in silence. Visit a podiatrist. Podiatrists are also referred to as podiatric surgeons, foot and ankle surgeons or foot doctors.
Duties of a podiatrist
A podiatrist is a doctor who studies, diagnoses and treats lower leg, ankle and foot disorders. Podiatrists also perform general foot care. They for instance, remove corns and calluses. They also the cut toe nails of the infirm and the aged. Medical doctors refer those patients with sports injuries, knock-knees, uneven tread or feet that are inwardly turned to podiatrists for specialized treatment. Do you have an in grown toe-nail? It can be removed by a podiatrist under local anesthesia. When you approach a podiatrist with a complaint, he/she begins treatment by conducting a physical examination. He/she then interprets the results of the examination and determines treatment. Treatment may be in the form of medicine or prescription for special shoes and exercises. Podiatrists can also treat abnormal foot conditions such as fungal infections.
How to become a podiatrist
In order for you to practice as a podiatrist, you are first required to complete a four year undergraduate degree. Subsequently, you are required to sit for and pass the (MCAT) Medical College Admission Test so as to gain admission into Podiatric Medical School. Podiatric school runs for four years. Basic sciences such as pathology, pharmacology, chemistry and anatomy are taught in the first two years. In the following years you study about ankles and feet. Upon completion of the four years, you are awarded a Degree in Podiatric Medicine (DPM). At this you may join a residency program in an established hospital or clinic. The program runs for between two and four years. Residency programs provide the necessary hands on experience in addition to advanced training in the field of podiatric surgery and medicine. However, for you to practice a podiatrist, you are also required to sit for and pass both oral and written state examinations. It is worth noting that different states have different licensing requirements. Still, most require that you be in possession of a DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) degree. You can only be awarded a practicing license after passing the state exams.
Where podiatrists work
A podiatrist can work in numerous places including clinics, hospitals and private practice. In addition, they can work as professors in colleges offering podiatric medicine, as hospital administrators and department chiefs.
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Suite 218-1077,
56th Street,
Tsawwassen,
British Columbia,
Canada V4L 2A2
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