Doctor of Podiatric Medicine The University of Western Australia

Overview

The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from The University of Western Australia is a three-year programme for entry into professional practice as a podiatrist. 

Key facts

• The aim of the course is to produce graduates able to treat and educate their patients effectively and appropriately in a professional and responsible way. 

• The programme conforms to its CREATE themes, which strives to produce highly trained clinicians, researchers, educators, advocates, team-minded professionals and ethical practitioners.

• There are two semesters of equal length in each year. The first year covers bioscience, while years two and three cover the theoretical and practical aspects of podiatric medicine, alongside supporting subjects research, biostatistics and general medicine, all of which fall within the second year. 

• These subjects help students to understand the diagnosis and management of diseases and conditions that affect the lower limb, and to take a leading role in the interdisciplinary management of foot and ankle problems.

• In the final year, in addition to more advanced coverage of theoretical and practical podiatry, students undertake a supervised research project which follows their training in research methods the previous year. 

• They also undertake weekly clinical placements in a variety of external locations, principally tertiary hospitals and private practices, to learn patient management in the workplace environment.

Careers and opportunities 

• Did you know that Health is one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia? Employing 14% of the working population – that’s 1.5 million Australians!

• With a goal to keep our populations healthy, the demand for healthcare increases, and so does the need for more professionals with a broad skill set, so if you’re looking for an area with good job growth prospects, the healthcare industry is it!

Accreditation

• The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine is accredited with conditions by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).