[1] The US podiatric medical school curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, general human anatomy, physiology, general medicine, physical assessment, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, genetics and embryology, microbiology, histology, pharmacology, women's health, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, research, ethics and jurisprudence, biomechanics, general principles of orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.

[3][4] The professional care of feet existed in ancient Egypt, as depicted by bas-relief carvings at the entrance to Ankmahor's tomb from about 2400 BC.

Lewis Durlacher, appointed as surgeon-podiatrist to the British royal household in 1823, called for podiatry to be a protected profession.

President Abraham Lincoln sent his personal podiatrist, Isachar Zachrie, on confidential missions to confer with leaders of the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War.

[10] Australia recognizes two levels of professional accreditation (General Podiatrist and Podiatric Surgeon), with ongoing lobbying for the recognition of other subspecialties.

The board also assesses foreign-trained registrants in conjunction with the Australian & New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council (ANZPAC).

[15] To enter an undergraduate Podiatric Medicine program, applicants must have completed a Year 12 Certificate with an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

The first 2 years of this program are generally focused on various biomedical science subjects, including functional anatomy, microbiology, biochemistry, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, evidence-based medicine, sociology, and patient psychology, similar to the medical curriculum.

[citation needed] The following year focuses on podiatry-specific areas such as podiatric anatomy & biomechanics, human gait, podiatric orthopaedics (the non-surgical management of foot abnormalities), podopaediatrics, sports medicine, rheumatology, diabetes, vascular medicine, mental health, wound care, neuroscience & neurology, pharmacology, general medicine, general pathology, local and general anaesthesia, minor and major podiatric surgical procedural techniques such as partial and total nail avulsions, matricectomy, cryotherapy, wound debridement, enucleation, suturing, other cutaneous and electro-surgical procedures and theoretical understanding of procedures performed by orthopaedic and podiatric surgeons.

[19] Some referrals from podiatrists (plain x-rays of the foot, leg, knee, and femur, and ultrasound examination of soft tissue conditions of the foot) are rebated by Medicare, while others (CTs, MRIs, bone scans, pathology testing, and other specialist medical practitioners) are not eligible for Medicare rebates.

In 2004, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières started the first and only program of Podiatric Medicine in Canada based on the American definition of podiatry.

Podiatrists, unlike chiropodists, may bill OHIP, "communicate a diagnosis" to their patients, and perform surgical procedures on the bones of the forefoot.

[24] In 1976, podiatrists in New Zealand gained the legal right to use a local anaesthetic, and began to include minor surgical procedures on ingrown toenails in their scope of practice.

Diagnostic radiographic training is now incorporated into the podiatric degree syllabus, and on successful completion of the course, graduates register with the New Zealand National Radiation Laboratory.

The scope of practice of podiatrists in the UK varies depending on their education and training, but may include simple skin care, the use of prescription-only medicines, injection therapy, and non-invasive surgery such as nail resection and removal.

[25] Podiatrists also interface between patients and multidisciplinary teams, recognising systemic disease as it manifests in the foot and referring on to the appropriate health care professionals.

[26] To qualify as a podiatric surgeon, a podiatrist in the UK must undertake extensive postgraduate education and training, usually taking a minimum of 10 years to complete.

Professional bodies recognised by the HCPC are: In 1979, the Royal Commission on the National Health Service reported that about six and a half million NHS chiropody treatments were provided to just over one and a half million people in Great Britain in 1977,[citation needed] an increase of 19% over the number from three years before.

The Commission agreed with the suggestion of the Association of Chief Chiropody Officers that more foot hygienists should be introduced, who could undertake, under the direction of a registered chiropodist, "nail cutting and such simple foot-care and hygiene as a fit person should normally carry out for himself.

[citation needed] In addition, potential students are required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

[38] BPM’s Executive Officer James H. Rathlesberger included it in the Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards’ Model Law, which he wrote before becoming FPMB president in 2000.

ABFAS certification leads to fellowship in the ASPS or the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS).

They may complete additional fellowship training in reconstruction of the foot and ankle from the effects of diabetes or physical trauma, or practice minimally invasive percutaneous surgery for cosmetic correction of hammer toes and bunions.