Foot care training

Nurses Entrepreneurs

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I have been interested in starting a foot care service for some time now and after reading posts from LoisJean feel this is something I can do. I would like to start out by receiving some kind of training but cannot find anyone who provides this type of course.

I have been in touch with LoisJean who has given me wonderful information about becoming an independent provider performing foot/nail care however I would like to take a course of some description to make myself more prefessional. I found a course titled "Foot & Nail care for Nurses" which sounds absolutely perfect but it is Wisconsin and I live in New York, I cannot find anything else closer to home.

If anyone has crossed this bridge already and can offer any advice I would be extremely grateful.

I know of some upcoming courses and events, but since I am participating in some, I guess I can not post them on this site. If anyone wants further information, they can message me. One will be in Santa Rosa, the other in Portland. Both 3 day course.

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Hi Y'all!

I have spoken with some of you via private email but wanted to say hello to everyone and ask for some advise. I have received a lot of support from a Family Practitioner in my area that I worked with for several years as well as a Podiatrist who is also located in my town. (Both have been very helpful in handing out my cards, brochures, etc.) I have mailed in my application for Foot Nurse certification (May 15 deadline) and am now concentrating on marketing my services to local nursing homes and assisted living centers but as of today haven't gotten a client. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am located in Texas and though so many tell me that they think my services are needed I seem to be having a slow start when it comes to actually getting customers. Did any of y'all have such a difficult time getting the ball rolling? If so, how did you turn it around? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks, Judy

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Is it possible your fee is to much??? What are you charging? How about if you personally visit facilities and speak with families and facility manager. I work for an agency (unfortunately, instead of myself) and we do a lot of assisted care, nursing homes, group homes facilities etc. All payment is through the family so the senior client does not have to worry about details. Also, our area homes actually advertise to prospective clients that foot care is available...it is a selling point for them. We routinely go in q 6 weeks. Keep in touch...and hang in there.

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I don't think my fee is too high ($25) and includes foot bath, massage, etc. The Pod who has been so helpful to me has told me I should charge more to cover the gas expenses as we live in a rural area. He has also referred his patients to me since he says he is not going to even try to bill Medicare any longer (it's too hard to get reimbursed) and that he will also charge $25 if his patients insist on a doctor to clip toenails. He is trying to focus on other foot care procedures. Well, I'll keep trying, hopefully something will break soon! By the way, do you use a general nurse's in your business? Or is there a specific type of liability for this kind of service - business?

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$25.00 is very reasonable, especially if you go to their home. It does matter what part of the country you are in. I am in Washington state and we charge $25.00. I understand it is quite a bit more in California. We figure we are a bargain compared to most pods...your doc who charges only $25 is one in a million!

I use regular nursing insurance but as I said before I have not ventured out on my own yet and have not researched yet. Perhaps some day...

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By the way, do you use a general nurse's liability insurance in your business? Or is there a specific type of liability for this kind of service - business?

Your personal liability only covers you under certain circumstances. It will not cover you while operating your own business. The major supplier of , nso.com , used to charge only $11 more a year ($89 personal, $100 business) but unfortunately raised the rate a few months ago to $300/yr.

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You're right, it makes sense. I have my liability through NSO. Quite a jump up to $300.

Your personal liability only covers you under certain circumstances. It will not cover you while operating your own business. The major supplier of liability insurance, nso.com , used to charge only $11 more a year ($89 personal, $100 business) but unfortunately raised the rate a few months ago to $300/yr.
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You're right, it makes sense. I have my liability through NSO. Quite a jump up to $300.

I live in Spokane, and I pay $150. 00 for insurance coverage for my Legal Nurse Consulting business. I take the lower levels of coverager because the cost is determined by the number of hours that you work in thr business. It also covers errors and omisssions. I have had Seabury and Smith for a number of years. They were formerly Maginnas. I was considering changing to NSO and then they increases their rates. Does anyone know why they increased their rates?

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, WA

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I was considering changing to NSO and then they increases their rates. Does anyone know why they increased their rates?

I asked them why. They told me that the underwriters had not increased the rate for seven years. They were not able to tell me why now. They did not know of increased risk. I'm guessing that the underwriter's actuaries changed some assumptions about the risk. One of the problems with their rates is one size fits all. I'm have to think that interventional procedures (such as foot care) carry higher risk for lawsuits than what I do. As a travel nurse, my role is no different than a hospital employee who is paying a third my rate for insurance. The risk is identical.

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I live in NYC Iam a new nurse with 2 years of exp. I would love to become a foot care nurse but how can I get clients? How does a nurse with no experiece go about starting a Foot Care business. Can I do this full time? What kind of money can I make?

Iam sorry I cant help you with your questions but any info you provide I will really appreciate

thanks

Sherese

This is the first time I have posted any message on this forum. I found the forum by doing a search on the interenet on foot care courses and came up with allnurse.com. I am a foot care nurse in private practice in California and have owned my own business for 8 years. There is not much in the way of foot care courses in the US, but Canada has many training programs and might be worth checking out. There is an annual foot care nurse course on the first Monday in October in Winnepeg that I presented at a few months ago that was great. There are 240 foot nurses in the provence of Mannitoba. I do not think there are half that number in the entire United States! The Canadians are far more organized than we are. The WOCN ( Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse organization) is in the process of developing a certified foot care program for RN's. I would like to know if the LVN's in the USA have any certified programs because they should be doing this too. There is definetely a major role that LVN's have in foot care. My approach is team work and I am working with and training both LVN's and RN's for my business. I would love to hear from anyone on this subject.
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Hi Sherese,

The first thing you should do is take a nursing foot care course. A lot of the courses do include some information about starting your own practice. How you market your business will depend on how you want to do business. Are you going to do house calls? Are you going to set up an office? What are your goals for the business besides doing it full time? A business plan is a must, and will guide you to the research you must do before starting and will also help you see your progress. Nursing Foot Care is a good business to be in but to be successful, you do need to do your prep work. What is your competition like? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Having a business has its ups and downs. When I started my business, I kept my other jobs (this was in the time of lay-offs and no Nursing Jobs) and built up my clientele. Network, tell everyone you know that you've started your own business. If you're trying to reach out to seniors that are isolated, they can be hard to reach. I love having my own business and now have others working for me. We have expanded to other services as well. It is the most challenging and rewarding experience for me professionally. I hope this helps...

J

I live in NYC Iam a new nurse with 2 years of exp. I would love to become a foot care nurse but how can I get clients? How does a nurse with no experiece go about starting a Foot Care business. Can I do this full time? What kind of money can I make?

Iam sorry I cant help you with your questions but any info you provide I will really appreciate

thanks

Sherese

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I am always revitalized by reading the entrepeneur posts here at Allnurses and have read this thread with interest!

I have a silly question about the basics of foot care...do you provide the care from the position of a shoe salesman ie on your knees with feet on a small stool? Or do you have more comfortable position such as on the bed or with feet up on the couch, etc.

I am trying to think of a comfortable position ergonomically to provide this care..LOL!

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