Podiatry Board publishes new specialist registration standard

17 Dec 2014

A new specialist registration standard has been published today by the Podiatry Board of Australia (the Board).

The Registration standard for specialist registration for the podiatry specialty of podiatric surgery will take effect from 24 February 2015.

The new standard sets out the requirements that must be met to be granted specialist registration to practise as a podiatric surgeon in Australia and the ongoing requirements to maintain specialist registration.

The only requirement that the registration standard imposes, in addition to the requirements for specialist registration as set out in the National Law¹, is the completion of at least two years of full-time general podiatry practice in a clinical setting.

Board Chair Ms Catherine Loughry said the registration standard set appropriate requirements for specialist registration as a podiatric surgeon to ensure that only practitioners who are suitably trained and qualified to practise in a competent and ethical manner are registered in the podiatry specialty of podiatric surgery.

‘Public safety is always a Board focus, particularly when developing new standards and guidelines,’ Ms Loughry said.

‘This standard strikes an appropriate balance between protecting the public and other objectives of the National Law, including the development of a responsive health workforce.’

Practitioners may hold both general registration as a podiatrist and specialist registration as a podiatrict surgeon. These practitioners will be included on the Register of Podiatrists and the Board’s Specialists Register.

Practitioners may hold specialist registration as a podiatric surgeon without also holding general registration as a podiatrist. These practitioners will be included on the Board’s Specialists Register only and will have a restricted scope of practice, limiting the practitioner to practice that is relevant to the scope of practice of podiatry surgery.

Information on how overseas-trained podiatric surgeons can have their knowledge and clinical skills assessed to ascertain whether they are qualified to hold specialist registration as a podiatric surgeon in Australia is available on the Board’s website under Specialist registration.

The new registration standard was approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council on 10 October 2014 following public consultation in 2012.

Further information about this new registration standard will be published on the Board’s website in mid-February.

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - Podiatry Board publishes new specialist registration standard - 17 December 2014 (90.3 KB,PDF)

¹The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory