Have you come to one of those natural breaks that life throws up? Loss of your job, or redundancy perhaps? Or are you ready to return to work and fancy doing something entirely different?

Well, a great way to re-connect with people and do something where you will be really appreciated is to become a Foot Health Practitioner (an ‘FHP’). Most people react on hearing this suggestion with ‘ughhh - how can you touch peoples’ feet?’ This is good for business because it keeps the numbers down and helps to ensure success for those who will.

Foot Health Practitioners are a new breed. Unusual within the health and caring professions these days, they enjoy full autonomy, make their own diagnoses and their own decisions upon the most appropriate treatment to deliver. All of the common disorders of the foot are dealt with - blisters to bunions, fungal nails to flat-foot. Practitioners have their own regular clients and there are always folk who need attention.

FHPs are self-employed and have a great deal of freedom in when they work, what hours they work and even which days they work. And they keep their own diaries, meaning that holidays can be arranged exactly when needed. So it’s good for fitting around the needs of children and looking after elderly relatives, for instance. With a bit of forward planning it becomes possible to get the work/home balance right and be there for the family.

You might come across an FHP holding sessions in your GP’s practice or local pharmacy. More often, they carry their cases and visit clients in their own homes, residential or nursing homes. Some set up their own surgeries and clients go to them, and sit in the chair and relax whilst treatment is delivered.

The College of Foot Health Practitioners, established 1996, was the first institution to devise an FHP course and defined the remit of the occupation. Situated in the Black Country town of Blackheath, to the West of Birmingham and close to the M5 motorway, the College has trained people from all over the World. The College takes great pride in the training it delivers, treating its mature students as individuals. “Every one brings something from their former lives that can be useful in practice”, say the Principals. “We specialise in raising people’s confidence in their own ability to succeed and nothing gives us greater pleasure than to see our practitioners building successful practices - and prospering in their new careers. We have trained people 17-70, been responsible for many enduring romances and have helped many with fractured lives to find new direction.”

Clinical skills are developed in the College’s busy 12-chair clinic. Thousands of patients are registered with the College and students gain their practical experience by working on real people with real foot problems. Most students will work upon approximately 40 patients during the course of their training, and this experience puts them in a good position when they come to set up their own practices. Attentive tutors (successful practitioners in their own right) teach what actually works in practice and share their experience freely in a friendly, stimulating environment. The training has a proven track record and the College has honed its course delivery skills over 14 years of continuous training. Support is ongoing following completion of the course, and the College is always pleased to guide its practitioners when they encounter something clinically challenging.

If you decide to go for it, there are ten lessons to be studied at home. Staff at the College are anxious to point out that this is not just a ‘correspondence course’. Support is always available to help with concerns that all students experience when studying. Tutors and administrators are only as far away as the telephone, and are always happy to mentor and motivate in order to deliver the necessary understanding. The purpose of the theory lessons is to teach essential anatomy and knowledge of the body systems that most of the time keep the foot healthy. This prepares you to make the most of the practical training.

The practical begins with a ‘pre-clinical day’, a day in which fundamental skills are taught, so that when you meet your first patient you will know what to say and what to do. The day also serves to familiarise you with the building, meet some of the staff and settle the nerves. Then follow ten ‘clinical days’ where the practical side of assessment, diagnosis and treatment is taught. Each clinic is followed by a lecture/clinical demonstration to examine topics such as the business of the business that need to be discussed outside the clinics. The experience is enriched by a range of lecturers, each delivering from their expert area of interest using slides/models/handouts/examples to make their points.
“Anything less than 11 days practical training is a waste of everyone’s time and your money”, say the College. “There simply is not enough time to cover all of the aspects that practice requires.”

The College encourages anyone interested to visit the College, see the clinics in action and talk to current students, tutors and administrators. You can view the coursework and any questions can be answered. Enrolment can be completed then, or via the website www.collegefhp.com (viewing highly recommended - watch the video) - or download a Prospectus. Telephone 0121 559 0180 for further information.