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Hi Louise,

Welcome to the profession!! My advice in regards to starting a domicilary service would be to get yourself noticed. Business cards, leaflets, website and most importantly word of mouth. You got to ask yourself what currently is out there in terms of home visits in the area you have chosen. Is there a need?

In terms of instruments, baileys are good in terms of instruments. I know it's some time away but the society annual conference, you can normally get good deals with the companies at the stands.

I would be cautious and be extra careful when working in a home setting. Always thinks about good ergonomic position and make sure your back is safe.

Hope this was helpful,

Shahin

Thanks for the reply and advice Shahin! :)

I have aquired Business Cards and printed flyers, so that's one thing done. I find Baileys disposable just a tad expensive. I found another site which has a great deal on for multi-buys, so I'll give them a go!

Just hope I see some clients! Ha

Hi,

My advice is to decide what you want to do in Podiatry. Don't just jump into doms for the cash. There are plenty of other people doing similar work and the competition is pretty fierce - you may find yourself in a price-war (ie cutting fees to stay in business).

You have a degree - sit back and have a good think about where you want to go from here.

Not necessarily what you want to hear, but the advice comes from a good few years experience in Podiatry. One of the areas our profession falls down is in post-grad work advice.
This forum excepted of course.

Hi Davidh,

Thanks for the reply and advice.

Sitting back and thinking of what I want to do isn't going to get me out of my student debt and more importantly get hands on experience in the field I just spent 4 yearz working towards. . As you are probably aware also, there are no jobs across the board in Scotland, so me sitting back and thinking of doing Biomechanics or Paeds is fair and well, but there are zero jobs to accomodate this line of thought, sadly.

Domz will not be a long term application, its merely to keep my skills n cash flow updated in the meantime.

Louise :)

Louise,
If you are an SCP Member you can have access to the SCP Private Practice Handbook that should give you all the info you need .

HTH

regards

Catfoot

__________________
"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this."

Hi I have been running a successful domiciliary service for 25 years. Are you interested in coming to work for me part time. You would need to remain part of my business rather than setting up in opposition, but that may suit you. What hourly rate do you expect?

Hi!

Thanks for the generous offer of part-time employment! However, I have already bought my equipment and spent a small fortune on advertisements! Ahh!

Its great to know you have been running a successful Dom business for 25 years! :) Here's hoping I will last that long! Ha.

Many Thanks,

Louise

Hello Louise,

Domiciliary work is often where new graduates start out, and I am always shocked at how little advice is given at uni to protect yourself.
The patients are likely to be very elderly and possibly unaware of a suppurating wound causng the stocking to stick to the foot. This will not be uncommon, but try to get a witness (friendly neighbour) - if not telephone GP, nurse or family member BEFORE you touch the patient - and take comprehesive record and timing of what you do. In the event of serious deterioration of wound the story will read - 'my mother's feet were fine and all was well until the podiatrist touched them!' You will not have medical colleagues or large health service umbrella to protect and back you up. We make great 'fall-guys' when looking for a reason.
Not trying to scare you Louise, but just always try to imagine the worst case scenario, and protect yourself as well; these are always high-risk patients who expect to pay the lowest fees.

It is still worthwhile doing and you are helping some of the sweetest people in society
Good Luck

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the advice! Our Uni lecturer pointed out various case scenarios that we may "walk" into. So, I'm not expecting an easy life. As a newbie to the domz scene, I will make sure I cover myself twice as much! :)

But as our lecturer said, the dom scene is probably where I will start to learn from my mistakes and build more experience as a clinican than within a clinical setting! So, I look forward to this opportunity, however stressful it may be!

Thanks,

Louise