I am George Hynek. I relocated to the Southeast of England in 2004, from Czechia to work in healthcare as a carer. In my role as a carer I would often get chatting to the visiting Foot Health Practitioner (FHP). It is through these interesting chats that I became captivated with the idea of becoming an FHP.
I pondered with this idea for a while, then finally contacted the SMAE Institute. The oldest independent training establishment for FHP courses. I was sent the necessary information and then I enrolled. I could combine the training alongside the demands of a young family and my day time job. It was mostly online. I studied twelve modules over a period of 18 months. There was a practical element which needed to be done in person at the SAME Institute. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and knew that this was the right career path for me.
In 2015, I started to practice as a Foot Health Practitioner. Shortly after rumours started that there may be an additional study package, which could potentially lead me to becoming registered with the HCPC as a podiatrist. I was immediately interested, thus in 2017, I started a two year course to become podiatry assistant. In 2020, Queen Margaret University and the HCPC approved a new gateway path for FHPs to become degree trained podiatrists.
I became one of the 1st cohort of FHPs, 12 in total to embark on this new unique course to become a podiatrist at SMAE. Again, I could combine this with my every day demands. In the last two years of the Pod course there was a requirement to have a practical shadowing placement. I could have done this at SMAE, but chose to approach a more local clinic. I chose Compleet Feet (CF), as they had a great reputation as being a progressive clinic. I was very welcomed and given a placement under Katrina Waller’s mentorship.
At CF, I was given huge support from other senior colleagues, and the room for practising learnt skills without feeling constantly supervised. I worked hard alongside Katrina’s input and guidance to become a fully trained and qualified HCPC Podiatrist. After qualifying CF offered me a job. Brilliant!
My favourite part of being a podiatrist is doing MSK biomechanical assessments. Biomechanical assessments at 1st appear to be very complex and overwhelming to learn. Fortunately, I have an expert colleague in this field to guide me. Katrina has made a big effort to help me get started and understand the basic concepts and principles. I now feel more confident doing assessments on my own.
Again, I am very fortunate to have experienced colleagues like Katrina to carry on with my continual professional development. Most of my real learning has begun since I joined Compleet Feet. Learning and becoming the best podiatrist I can be is an ongoing process. Katrina often says “I have to build on my learning foundations’ to underpin everything that I do. So far, I have no regrets about becoming a Podiatrist. It is a career I enjoy. It gives me a great sense of pride that I achieved it. At CF, I feel welcomed, valued, appreciated and invested in. There is nothing better that helping to improve the quality of a patient’s life through their feet, especially getting them to walk better.
