Hello
My name is Geoff Hyne and I am a Podiatrist that qualified in 2006. My Clinic Manager, Danny, has backed me into a corner and insisted that I start writing blogs against my will. He says that I cannot go home until it is done and so here, is the blog. Please send help (biscuits would do).
As this will be our first ever blog, I have considered at length what I should write about and have decided on the title shall be (drum roll…….)
WHY I LOVE BEING A PODIATRIST
Since qualifying in 2006, a lot of things have changed in the world and a lot has changed within Podiatry itself. One thing that has not changed is the reaction I get when I confess to being a Podiatrist, I often hear comments like “I could never do that!” or “I bet you see some sights!” or simply “Ewwww! FEET!” Yet most people that have had contact with a Podiatry service realise how important it is to them and go regularly to “sort out me feet.”
It seems that many people think that Podiatrists sit down in clinic and clip toenails all day. This is not the case, and not the whole story. Any Podiatrist would be the first to admit that clipping toenails all day is not very fulfilling. While this is part of my job, I do not see it as “clipping toenails” I see it as giving people comfort where they cannot do this for themselves. When people tell me how much better they feel I feel like I have done something of value to society.
There is so much more to Podiatry than this. There is Research (I keep abreast of this as much as I can to make sure I practice within a good evidence base), Surgery, Paediatrics and Forensics to name but a few. I am interested in Musculoskeletal Podiatry, Dermatology and nail surgery and I am continually learning in these areas. These areas are always evolving and are interesting.
What you may not realise while we treat you, is that we are inspecting your feet at the same time. This can be visual, or we can perform tests to check foot health. It is amazing how much can be picked up by these checks. I can confidently say that within the last year I have personally extended a life, saved a limb and improved the lives of others. Podiatrists do this regularly as part of the job.
I enjoy being able to get people out of pain or giving them their lives back. Often, they will return to the activities that they struggled with. This could be working or something simple like walking the dog or playing with the grandkids. This means that you get fitter, the dog gets fitter and maybe the members of your family get fitter. Not many jobs can give you your life back.
I have grown and developed as a person from building and running my own business. It is a steep learning curve and a challenge that changes almost daily. I have learned many different things in many different areas over the years being self employed and in the NHS.
Most of all, I get to meet people from all walks of life. It is from then that I learn a lot and I am grateful for that. I have had many great and interesting conversations with both patients. I also am fortunate to work with some really great people. Believe it or not some of them are not annoying……sometimes. I have changed a lot from 2006 and although I am a bit wider, mostly it is for the better.
There Danny, I have written it. Can I go home now?