As a mother of three, any alone time — even commuting — feels as close to self-care as I’m likely to get. So during one such rare moment, listening to my favourite podcast No One Saw It Coming with Marc Fennell, episode: “A Gossip Writer Invented the Renaissance!?” — a thought hit me.

Maybe we podiatrists are on the brink of our own renaissance. And no one saw it coming. Or perhaps — I dared to wonder — I could be the gossip to usher it in.

The same conversations, year after year

At the Australian Podiatry Association National Conference last week, I heard the same conversations echo again and again: “Where are all the podiatrists?” “I can’t recruit.” “I need pods.”

It broke my heart. But these aren’t new conversations. We’ve been having them for years. And yet, nothing changes.

As a former clinic owner who was chewed up and spat out after five exhausting years — burnt out, unwell, looking like I’d just crawled out of a plaster trap — I get it. I really do. I sold my clinic because I couldn’t sustain a full team. I couldn’t keep carrying the load.

So maybe a renaissance — by definition: a revival, a rebirth — is exactly what we so desperately need.

The numbers don’t lie

Podiatry is the boutique profession — small but mighty. More item numbers than any other allied health group. An expanding scope of practice in medical and prescribing fields. Wheeling our scalpel with precision and expertise.

And yet… we’re circling the drain?

Why did we go to university for this? To be burnt out? Undervalued? Branded as “bulk billing nail clippers”? Squatting on nursing home floors, unable to afford a coffee?

Now, I’m no economist — I can barely calculate a sales discount without a pen and paper — but if Year 11 Economics taught me anything, it’s this:

“When supply is low, demand is high, prices go up.”

So let’s apply that logic:

• Podiatrist numbers? Low.
• Chronic disease burden? Rising.
• Ageing population? Skyrocketing.
• Podiatry prices? Should be going up.

Now, I only scored a B– in Economics, but tell me I’m wrong.

What the renaissance looks like

While locuming recently — 18 low-to-moderate risk nail care appointments and counting — I was dreaming of our renaissance. A new era. An era where we know our worth. An era where we adopt a new model of practice, akin to the dental model of care:

• Podiatry assistants in situ
• Podiatrists working within our advanced scope
• No bulk billing
• No more sitting on nursing home floors
• No more lowballing our fees

Dare I say it? Too late — I will: No more flinching when we charge appropriately for a new patient consultation. Just like my psychologist who charges $250/hour for a 60-minute session — with no consumables, no instruments, no equipment, and no treatment plan.

No more flinching when we add a home visit call-out fee — just like a plumber who charges $450 just to show up. Have you ever mulled that over while reluctantly handing over your credit card? How are they charging this, while we’re being pushed to bulk bill?

No more flinching at the $3,000 orthodontic plan — 80% of which was conducted by a dental assistant, with a $200 health fund contribution. If treatment isn’t completed, you might get a refund. What the—? Who the—? …she pulls out her credit card again…

We don’t need to riot. We need to elevate.

Do we need it to break us all down? Burn it all down, even? Before our renaissance begins?

Tell me where to show up. I’ll be there. Sign in hand. But maybe, just maybe, we don’t need to riot. Maybe we need to elevate our self-respect. Elevate our public image. Maybe we need a huge dose of self-preservation.

Because Pods — I love us. But I love us more when my friends aren’t circling the drain.

If you’re a podiatrist looking for flexible work that values your time and your rate — or a clinic that needs skilled cover without the recruiter markup — HeyLucy! was built for this moment.

Join HeyLucy! today

XOXO Yours always,
Hayley — Your Lady Whistledown (and yes, I’m holding the match if that’s what it’s going to take).