Chronic Conditions of the Foot

Upon successful completion of the course students should have the ability to: 

• Understand normal foot  anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and gait style 
• Identify and recognise common foot conditions affecting their clients. This includes: 
  • recognising characterisitcs of neurovascular, arterial, neurological, endocrine and dermatology conditions.   conditions  
• Competently perform a neurovascular and neurological assessment of the foot and lower leg 
• Complete a Seven Step Foot Screening assessment on any client as part of a proactive or preventative intervention.

Entrants to the Chronic Conditions of the Foot Course (CHCCCS032) typically are primary healthcare professionals. Relevant roles could include but are not limited to:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers 
• Allied Health Professionals
• Dietitians
• Enrolled Nurses
• General Practice Registrars
• General Practitioners
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nutritionists
• Other Health Professionals
• Registered Nurses
• Social and Emotional Wellbeing Workers

Students must complete the Foundations of Chronic Disease Course prior to entry to this course.

This course is designed to support health professionals in the primary healthcare sector improve their knowledge and understanding of common chronic conditions that affects foot health and function. This course will:

• Revise the foot pathology, anatomy and physiology
• Explore the link between chronic diseases and foot health
• Improve understanding of neurovascular assessment of the foot and lower leg
• Identify a range of common conditions that affect the feet
• Educate students on how to perform a Seven Step Foot Screening assessment
• Provide theoretical knowledge of the principles and processes of performing basic foot and nail care
• Provide practical skill sessions utilising equipment required for foot assessments such as monofilaments, tuning forks and dopplers.

• One day face-to-face workshop
• Mix of theory and practical components utilising critical thinking skills to identify and assess a variety of conditions affecting the foot 
• Majority of assessments are completed within the workshop through skill labs, practical group activities, quizzes and general discussion
• On completetion of the 1-day workshop, students are required to organise and complete a workplace (or simulated workplace environment) assessment activity
• This course is delivered by a  qualified chronic disease trainer and assessor.

Students must complete the Foundations of Chronic Disease Course prior to attending this workshop.

To achieve competency students must demonstrate successful completion of: 

• Verbal and practical assessments covering essential foot health knowledge, understanding and skills
• Case studies, scenarios and quizzes through active participation in the workshop
• A workplace (or simulated environment) activity.

On completion of the 1-day workshop, students are required to organise and complete a workplace (or simulated workplace environment) assessment activity.

The activity involves following the guidelines of ‘Providing Basic Foot Care’ for either two appropriate clients, or two colleagues. Ensure the observer of these workplace activities is a colleague of equivalent or higher qualification to you and ensure they sign off the third party report. The Third Party Report can be located and printed from student resources in accessIQ. Once you have completed all paperwork, take a picture or copy the form and upload this on your accessIQ portal and this will be marked by a Benchmarque assessor.

All workplace observed activities must be completed in accordance with the workplace’s health and safety standards and abide by the facitilites’ infection control policies and procedures. 

View details here: https://www.benchmarquegroup.com.au/workplace-activity-chronic-conditions-of-the-foot

Building a practical skill set for foot assessment enables a healthcare practitioner to be competent and confident in chronic conditions of the foot basic care.

Students enrolled in Benchmarque Group courses should adhere to the following principles:

• Display a commitment to learning and to achieving success
• Be responsible and accountable for their own learning, behaviour and decisions
• Actively participate in all workshop activities and learning experiences
• Attend all scheduled sessions and be punctual at all times
• Complete all online assessments and workplace practice activities
• Work in harmony and respect the rights and opinions of staff and other students
• Treat others as they themselves would like to be treated
• Use acceptable language at all times.

Yes, all students are required to complete the prerequisite learning, except for General Practitioners (GPs).

Third party reports can be completed in a simulated environment if it can not be performed in the workplace. This could include family, friends, colleagues however observed by a peer at the same level as you or above. Please read through the third party report before completing the activity to understand what the components of the task are before completing. You can also refer to your activity workbook for a refresher too.

Basic foot care differentiates depending on your qualifications and scope of practice. Nail cutting is within the scope of practice for an RN. However, the workshop covers the theoretical components only of basic foot care including nail cutting and provides the knowledge of performing a foot assessment confidently and competently.

No. This course covers the theoretical components only of nail cutting, and does not include an accredited unit for this skill-set

Will I use my own feet in the workshop?

As this is an interactive workshop, we hope all students will participate in simulated assessments using their own feet and assessing their peers’ feet too. Manikin feet will also be used during the workshop when assessing other common conditions of the feet.

The cost for your registration is being fully funded by the Department of Health under the Chronic Disease Support Project.

Yes - we deliver a number of courses that complement the content delivered in this workshop. E.g., Chronic Disease Care Planning, Diabetes Management, or Wound Care.