WHEN it comes to jobs that are misunderstood, podiatry is pretty high up the list.
Lots of folk have a fear of feet and imagine working with them for a living would mean dealing with all kinds of strange sights and smells.
But when you consider it usually ends up paying a salary of £40k plus, it’s a far more appealing career option than you may have first thought.
The ladies at Sole Solution in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde, love their jobs and couldn’t recommend their vocation enough.
Helen Reid says: “I love podiatry as it’s all about people, not only their feet.
“The feet can be a window to our general health. I am fascinated about how our bodies work and how we can best help people to stay active and enjoy life.
“Some are under the impression that we just cut toenails when in fact we have studied many medical conditions in depth.
“This allows us to assess, diagnose and treat many complex problems.”
Elizabeth Tytler explains: “It’s misunderstood as a strange or weird career.
“I think it’s amazing to be able to make people’s pain go away after one session and allow them to carry on with their daily life and hobbies.
“People think it’s dirty or you need to have a weird fetish or fixation on feet and that puts people off
“In reality, the majority of people’s feet are clean and just require some care.
“And those who possibly are struggling are the patients who need more from us to keep their feet healthy and in good condition as part of their medical care.”
While Laura Kelly adds: “It does struggle to attract people as it’s a misunderstood carer choice, there is a lot more to podiatry than nails and hard skin.
“I love being a podiatrist as it’s empowering being a specialist in one area of the body.
“You build a good rapport with patients who you see more regularly and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to help someone with a medical condition affecting their lower limbs, however we inadvertently provide support in other areas of their lives with an open ear and friendly face.
“People think podiatrists just cut nails and ‘it’s a gross job as feet are smelly.’
“For years and years I’ve had people say to me ‘I couldn’t do your job, yuck that’s so weird.’
“Whereas in reality being a podiatrist is very flexible, rewarding and challenging and also gives a great work life balance.”
The experts urge youngsters to consider the job because podiatrists will always be required as long as people still have feet.
Visit www.sole-solution.co.uk, Sole Solution Podiatry and Footwear on Facebook and Solesolutionpodiatry on Instagram
