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(Chiropodist, Podiatric Physician, Specialist Podiatrist, Clinical Podiatrist)
Health & Social Care
Salary
€36,000 - €70,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Growing
Sector
Health & Social Care
As a Podiatrist you assess, diagnose, and treat conditions affecting the feet, ankles, and lower limbs, ranging from sporting injuries and biomechanical problems to diabetic foot complications and surgical conditions. Your daily work involves clinical consultations, gait analysis, prescribing orthotic devices, performing minor surgical procedures such as nail surgery, and advising patients on preventive foot care. You work closely with GPs, physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons, diabetologists, and other allied health professionals, particularly when managing complex or multi-system conditions. Podiatrists are employed in HSE community care settings, acute hospitals, private clinics, and sports medicine environments, and some are also active in research and medico-legal work.
Listen: a day as a Podiatrist
Your alarm goes off at 7:15 a.m. You work in a busy HSE community health centre in a mid-sized Irish town, and your clinic starts at 8:30. Before you unlock the treatment room, you check your patient list on the HSE's clinical information system and pull up any recent referral letters from GPs or diabetologists. You sterilise your instruments, stock your trolley with dressings, scalpels, and local anaesthetic, and make sure the gait analysis area is clear. Your first patient arrives at 8:30 — an older man with Type 2 diabetes referred by his GP after a routine check flagged reduced sensation in both feet. You carry out a full diabetic foot assessment: testing vibration perception, checking blood flow using a hand-held Doppler probe, and photographing any areas of hard skin or early ulceration. You document everything carefully in his file, because inaccurate records in a diabetic case can have serious consequences.
The primary route into podiatry in Ireland is the BSc in Podiatry (NFQ Level 8) offered at University of Galway, which combines clinical placements with study of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and biomechanics. Leaving Certificate subjects that strengthen your application include Biology, Chemistry, and Physics or Agricultural Science, with Mathematics also beneficial. Entry is via the CAO, and the programme is competitive, so strong Higher Level science results are advantageous. On graduating, you must register with CORU (the Health and Social Care Professionals Council) before you can practise legally in Ireland as a Podiatrist. Some practitioners go on to complete postgraduate study at NFQ Level 9 in areas such as podiatric surgery, sports podiatry, or diabetes care to develop a specialist scope of practice. There is no apprenticeship route into regulated podiatry in Ireland; the Honours Bachelor degree and CORU registration are the standard minimum requirements.
Most podiatrists begin their careers in HSE community health services or as associates in private practice, building clinical experience across a broad caseload. With several years of experience, many develop a specialist interest — such as diabetic foot care, paediatric podiatry, or sports podiatry — and may pursue postgraduate qualifications to support this focus. Senior podiatry roles in the HSE involve clinical leadership, service management, and supervision of junior staff or students on placement. Some experienced podiatrists move into private practice ownership, academic lecturing, research, or medico-legal consultancy work.
AI-powered imaging and gait analysis tools are beginning to assist podiatrists in detecting abnormalities and monitoring treatment progress with greater precision, reducing reliance on purely subjective observation. Digital platforms and telehealth services are expanding access to podiatric advice, particularly for patients in rural Ireland, meaning podiatrists increasingly use video consultation and remote monitoring alongside in-person care. However, the hands-on clinical and surgical elements of podiatry — examining a patient's foot, performing nail surgery, or fitting an orthotic — cannot be replicated by AI, so the core of the role remains human-centred. Overall, AI is likely to act as a supportive tool that improves efficiency and diagnostic accuracy rather than displacing the need for registered podiatrists.
→ Podiatrist (Current role)
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Nationwide
Community and hospital podiatry clinics across all HSE regions.
Dublin 8
Specialist diabetic foot clinic and vascular podiatry services.
Beaumont, Dublin 9
Podiatrists manage diabetic and orthopaedic foot conditions inpatient and outpatient.
Cork, Dublin, Galway, Tralee
Private hospital podiatry including biomechanics, orthotics and nail surgery.
Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Orthopaedic and sports podiatry alongside surgical multidisciplinary teams.
Dublin and Cork
Specialist podiatry clinic for biomechanics, orthotics and sports injuries.
Nationwide
GP-linked primary care centres employing podiatrists for chronic disease foot care.
Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Podiatrists support rehabilitation of neurological and amputee patients.
Nationwide
Podiatry services for children and adults with physical disabilities.
Cork and Dublin
Podiatrists work in Laya-operated healthcare centres providing insured foot care.
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