Podiatric Medicine

Podiatry is one of many disciplines within the School of Science and Health that is located on the Campbelltown campus. Podiatrists are best known for treating problems that people commonly experience with their feet, lower limbs and mobility. Podiatrists also have an important role in addressing chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis.

Clinical Placement: Approximately 1,000 hours of clinical education is provided at the University’s clinical training facility and at external placement sites, including one week of placement in second year, two weeks in third year and 16 weeks in fourth year. This experience focuses on providing extensive clinical practice prior to graduation. In fourth year  students also complete a professional practice unit focussing on professional technical, industry and legal issues relevant to succeed in professional practice.

Facilities: Uniclinic offers a range of therapeutic health practices for a nominal fee to the general public. Treatments are provided by students who are under the supervision of qualified clinicians.  

Graduates: As a podiatrist, your patients can range from children to active sportspeople to an ageing population. Podiatry concentrates on foot and leg pathology, but has diverse aspects. There is a large focus on footwear, from everyday wear to work wear and athletic shoes, as well as common problems such as ingrown toenails or bunions. Podiatrists also look at the environments in which a patient works, lives, and plays social or competitive sport, as the basis for treatments to improve comfort and health. Podiatrists work in a variety of settings from sports medicine to podiatric surgery.

Courses: UWS has developed an innovative integrated suite of health science courses. The integration between the courses allows some options at the end of the first year for you to transfer between the various streams if you meet the criteria, with advanced standing for the subjects (units) that you have completed. Note that transfer places to some streams may be very limited and competitive, and transferring may extend the duration of the degree. If you enrol for the combined Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Podiatric Medicine but decide to leave at the end of the third year, you can be awarded a Bachelor of Health Science, assuming you have successfully completed all of the first three years of the program. Please note that if you leave the program at the end of third year, you cannot work as a podiatrist. To re-enter the program you would have to apply through UAC for the Masters Program, however places are limited and are highly competitive.