Here's some real advice...

I'm sick of biting my tongue and watching a few vocal individuals gripe about this profession. So here's my advice:

Look me up on the College Website (www.cocoo.on.ca). Give me a call and spend some time at my clinic. I will be happy to show you what our profession is about.

dr_nails_88 has spoken a few truths about our profession. But unfortunately, he/she has put a very negative spin on them. Alot of the complaints revolve around an unprotected scope of practise. While it is true for our profession, it is also true for many other professions. Nurses, OTs, PTs, and DCs all have overlapping scopes of practise. There is NOTHING that a PT does that no one else can do. They have 2 controlled acts: manipulations and suctioning. Chiropractors own the world of manipulations and MD's and nurses can also do suctioning. And look at this quote taken directly from the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario website: "non-physiotherapists, including any unregulated person, can perform the full range of rehabilitation activities, but can not use the title "physiotherapist" or "physical therapist" ". How's that for an unprotected scope? That's even worse than for chiropody!! But do they complain about it? Yet, look how strong their profession is and how it continues to grow. They didn't do that by constantly griping about it, I assure you.

Now look at the situation with chiropodists. Even though others can and do overlap into our scope, there is simply no other profession that can provide the SPECIALIZED foot care that we can provide. Sure a nurse can cut some nails and the pedorthist can make some orthotics, but they simply cannot have the level of expertise in the foot to do it as well as we can.

How lucrative is our profession? Well, if you want some good money, then go into medicine, dentistry, or chiropractics. If you want MAJOR money then don't even think about healthcare. If you want average money, go into nursing, OT, PT. As for chiropody, I know some folks making $30K - $40K annually, and I know some folks making over $200K annually. If you can find a hospital job (unlikely), then you will make $35K - $50K. In private practice, you can be much more lucrative, but only if you have a good business mindset. Much of being good in business is being knowledgeable/proficient in the profession, being personable to patients, and knowing where to set up your practice. If patients are happy with you and the service you provide, you will succeed. I do OK in my practice (my wife is an OT and I make twice what she makes, while working less hours), so I'm certainly not complaing. Oh, and I have yet to hear a complaint this year about my fees.

Don't take everything you read here as gospel. As I mentioned, there are a few vocal individuals who are hell-bent on bringing down this profession.

Ed

PS, dr_nails_88 - consider this: You don't find other forums on the internet that gripe about their respective professions because other professions are smarter than to air their dirty laundry on a public forum. It simply isn't very smart or professional to talk poorly about your job when your potential customers can be reading it. Perhaps your poor attitude translates to bad business?