How to become a Podiatrist
Official title: Podiatrists
Also called: Podiatrist, Chiropodist-podiatrist, Foot health practitioner, Foot health professional
Podiatrists (formerly known as chiropodists) diagnose and treat ailments and abnormalities of the human foot and lower limb, deal with minor infections, injuries and deformities, and conditions resulting from other major health disorders such as diabetes.
Main tasks
- Examines patient’s feet to determine the nature and extent of disorder
- Provides vascular and neurological assessment for the long-term management of chronic disorders and high-risk patients
- Administers local anaesthetic where appropriate
- Treats conditions of the skin, nails and soft tissues of feet by minor surgery, massage and heat treatment, padding and strapping or drugs
- Prescribes, makes and fits pads and other orthotic appliances to correct and/or protect foot disorders
- Those with advanced training may carry out minor surgery on the feet
- Advises patients on aspects of foot care to avoid recurrence of foot problems
- Delivers foot health education to groups such as the elderly, children, the homeless, those with medical problems such as arthritis
How to become one
Entry requires a degree in podiatry approved by the Health Professions Council and registration with and membership of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. Degree courses combine theoretical and practical training. Qualified podiatrists must undertake 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development each year.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Podiatrist (level 6). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0493.
- University: Allied Health degrees, Offered by 17 universities in the UK
- University: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 21 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £47,699 a year
- About 15,800 people work in this job now, and about 17,300 are projected by 2035. (+9.6%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Podiatrist?
Entry requires a degree in podiatry approved by the Health Professions Council and registration with and membership of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. Degree courses combine theoretical and practical training. Qualified podiatrists must undertake 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development each year.
How much does a Podiatrist earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £47,699 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is a Podiatrist a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 10% by 2035, from about 15,800 to about 17,300 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a Podiatrist?
Usually. 64% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.