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01 Sep 2021
The Podiatry Accreditation Committee has released new accreditation standards for podiatry education programs following approval by the Podiatry Board of Australia under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (National Law).
The new accreditation standards come into effect on 1 January 2022 and outline the requirements that education providers must meet to ensure they are equipping graduates with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to safely and competently practice as podiatrists in Australia.
The accreditation standards include new standards for entry-level programs and podiatric surgery programs as well as standards for the accreditation of education programs leading to endorsement of registration for scheduled medicines.
Dr Meeuwis Boelen, Chair of the Podiatry Accreditation Committee said: ’Podiatry is a growing and changing profession and podiatrists play an important role in helping members of the Australian community live healthy and active lives. It’s vital that all education providers understand and meet the new accreditation standards to make sure that podiatry graduates receive content that’s relevant to the contemporary practice of podiatry in Australia.
‘These standards will ensure that graduating students enter the Australian healthcare workforce as safe and competent practitioners. The standards come into effect on 1 January 2022, which gives education providers time to prepare for them before any accreditation assessments begin in 2022.'
The Podiatry Accreditation Committee developed the standards and consulted widely with practitioners, employers, professional associations, education providers, government agencies and health consumer organisations during this work.
The accreditation standards are available online.