Sorry anonymous but you're too myopic.

With all due respect. Here's why...

1. A lady came in to see me for her deep seated plantar corns on her mpjs. I enucleated the ipks and charged her $30. She compared my treatment to her pedicurist. The pedicurist did the same treatment with a scapel, then trimmed, filed, buffed her toenails and even applied nail varnish to them and took twice as long as I did. I told her that I was a Registered Chiropodist and that private health insurance recognised us and provide either partial or full reimbursement for chiropody treatment and that insurance does not re-imburse pedicures because they are considered aesthetic. She said that was nice to know but she didn't have any extra-insurance just OHIP and assured me that she wouldn't be coming back to see me.

2. I saw another lady for bunions and hammer toes... she wanted me to do something about them. I padded them with semi-compressed felt and suggested that she try orthotics. Well they didn't help her, she got a pair 10 years ago -from a podiatrist, who was now recommending surgery for $3,000. So I suggested that she go to see her MD and be referred to an orthopedic surgeon for consultation. She said, "I was hoping you could help us but it's obivious you're not qualified enough!"

So your statement, that chiropodists "alone provide 'the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of the foot through therapeutic, palliative and orthotic means' including prescribing medication, administering injections and cutting into the subcutaneous tissues of the foot (surgery/anaesthesia). This legisltion specifically states that we provide comprehensive treatment ot the foot. That is why we are foot specialists (we do not directly treat knees and backs and shoulders, strictly the foot and ankle complex. ie. Foot Specialists." is actually not reality. We provide basic foot care that is also done by MDs,RNs, RPNs, HCAs and pedicurists; we cast and dispense orthotics and so do MDs, DCs, OTs, PTs and anybody else...I even saw a RMT casting and dispensing orthotics; as for surgery...MDs and orthopedic surgeons do more comprehensive surgery than we do and they're fully covered by OHIP. What therapeutic methods do you use to provide comprehensive treatment of the foot? Chiropodic surgery isn't covered by extended health insurance.

During the past few years I have sent patients back to their family physicians for further testing: x-rays, lab tests, swabs for culture and sensitivity, prescriptions for oral antibiotics and referral to medical specialists. Most patients didn't come back to see my for further treatment. They probably complained to the GP about my fee and were referred to a fully covered chiropodist or other fully covered RD (real doctor) specialist. I've had patients with Morton's neuroma, ganglions and bursitis who I sent back to their MD and they ended up having the problem removed surgically by their MD or another RD specialist. I sent patients back to their MD to test for diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and gout... the patient was put on appropriate meds by their MD and in some cases, they were referred to another chiropodist who was working at a CHC or hospital chiropody clinic, where there was no extra charge.

You are very correct about one thing in your statement chiropodists are usually "alone" at their chiropody clinics. You know why? Because everybody else is in our turf doing foot care (some are better and sometimes, we're better) but because there is no protection of our scope of practice, chiropody will remain a dead end profession with no future. That's why Canada Post won't hire us, despite being the largest employer of people who walk all day delivering mail. Canada Post hires RNs because a general nurse is more valuable and important to Canada Post than a chiropodist.


Quite honestly, I think that the radical minority left, as you like to call of us, don't spin a negative yarn about chiropody - we simply state the truth about chiropody. I don't like it, but it is the truth! I wish it wasn't so, but it is! I wish I knew the truth before I entered the chiropody profession. I hope it changes in the future but during the past 10 years nothing much has happened and in the next few decades the changes that will occur as the chiropody profession morphs into the podiatry profession won't change much. Without turf protection future podiatrists will be "alone" (using your word) most of the time in their clinics. Right now companies are doing 2 things to the extended health insurance plans either eliminating them or cutting them down to cover prescription drugs and basic dental. So when a patient loses their extended health insurance and she or he finds out that the pedicurist does more than what you do and charges less, I can assure you that patient will end up seeing the pedicurist and stop seeing you.

BTW, how many hours did it take you to see 40 patients? It would take me at least 13 hours without any breaks. Just how do you do it?