Pursuant to section 11(1) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, the board specifies five scopes of practice as follows:
1. Scope of Practice - Podiatrist
A registered primary health care practitioner (including those previously registered as a chiropodist) who utilises medical, physical, palliative and surgical means other than those prescribed in the Podiatric Surgeon Scope of Practice, to provide diagnostic, preventative and rehabilitative treatment of conditions affecting the feet and lower limbs.
2. Scope of Practice - Podiatric Surgeon
A registered primary health care practitioner who holds the Scope of Practice of Podiatrist and is further qualified to perform foot surgery by way of sharp toe nail wedge resection; surgical correction of lesser digital deformities affecting the phalanges, metatarsals and associated structures; surgical corrections of deformities affecting the first toe, first metatarsal and associated structures; surgical correction of osseous deformities of the metatarsus, mid-tarsus, rearfoot and associated structures; surgical correction and removal of pathological subcutaneous structures such as tendinous and nervous tissues and other connective soft tissue masses of the foot. (The Podiatrists Board does not approve of any Podiatric Surgeon performing any procedure beyond their competence, training and qualifications.)
3. Scope of Practice - Podiatric Radiographic Imager
A registered primary health care practitioner who holds the Scope of Practice of Podiatrist, who is qualified to use radiological equipment, and is licensed by the National Radiation Laboratory, to obtain plain radiographic images of the foot, ankle and lower leg.
4. Scope of Practice - Podiatric Prescriber
A registered primary health care practitioner who holds the Scope of Practice of Podiatrist and is further qualified to prescribe a list of medications approved by the Podiatrists Board. (Subject to prescribing rights being granted by the New Prescribers Advisory Committee.)
5. Scope of Practice - Visiting Podiatrist Educator
A visiting registered podiatrist who qualifies for the Scope of Practice of Podiatrist, and when appropriate for their speciality area of education, also qualifies for an additional Scope of Practice of Podiatric Surgeon and/or Podiatric Radiographic Imager and/or Podiatric Prescriber as determined by the Podiatrists Board, who is presenting short-term educational/instructional programmes requiring demonstrations or practices, of a clinical or practical nature.
The Podiatrists Board
1. revokes the Scope of Practice of Podiatric Prescriber and related qualifications notice, published in the Supplement
to the New Zealand Gazette, 15 September 2004, No. 120, page 2974; and
2. amends the wording of the Scope of Practice of Visiting Podiatrist Educator, published in the New Zealand Gazette,
11 May 2006, No. 42, page 1132, to add "Presenter" to the "Visiting Podiatrist Educator/Presenter" title and to remove "Podiatric Prescriber" within the definition of Scope of Practice of Visiting Podiatrist Educator, to now read:
"4. Scope of Practice - Visiting Podiatrist Educator/Presenter
A visiting registered podiatrist who qualifies for the Scope of Practice of Podiatrist, and when appropriate for their speciality area of education, also qualifies for an additional Scope of Practice of Podiatric Surgeon and/or Podiatric Radiographic Imager as determined by the Podiatrists Board, who is presenting short-term educational/instructional programmes requiring demonstrations or practices, of a clinical or practical nature."
Dated at Wellington this 8th day of September 2011.
ANNABEL WHINAM, Registrar, Podiatrists Board.