Certification Objective

Certification for Nurses, (including DNP, NP, BSN, RN, LPN/LVN) interested in obtaining skills and practical knowledge to provide “routine foot care” to support quality nursing care. 

This intervention is needed for patients who are healthy but cannot perform normal foot care due to vision, orthopedic or neurologic deficiencies.  

This care is also necessary for those who may have co-morbid conditions that lead to vascular, neurologic or dermatologic disorders and are therefore at high risk of trauma or infection from inadequate foot care.

Rationale
Statement of Need

As our population ages and chronic conditions such as diabetes and vascular disease become more prevalent, care which was previously provided routinely by unskilled caregivers or the patient themselves must now be provided by skilled clinicians. 

Foot care is among the continuing interventions which may need to be provided clinically in order to decrease the risk of injury and infection which can even lead to amputation and death.

As Podiatric physicians turn more to advanced diagnostic treatment modalities, nurses are the natural choice to perform evaluations and care for the routine foot care needs of these high risk patients. 

They are in the unique position of utilizing their training and hands on patient experience. One of the many nursing strengths is their holistic and integrated care approach to a patient population that sometimes requires extra time, experience and dedication. 

Adding the additional education and training to provide routine foot care is a natural expansion of nurses' important role in the continuum of healthcare.

Foot Care Nurse 
Competencies and Standards

• Identify what Nursing Foot Care is and the role of the Nurse in providing foot care treatment within the nurses’ scope of practice.

• Describe presenting symptoms, potential causes, diagnostic methods, and treatment plans related to problems that may be present with feet and lower extremity.

• Describe the role of the multidisciplinary team in referring clients with foot and lower extremity ulcers and other pathologies to wound care nurses or other specialists.

• Describe strategies to prevent foot problems and complication including shoe gear,socks, pads, taping, cleansing and moisturizing.

• Identify common foot and nail disorders of the diabetic and geriatric foot.

• Identify common conditions of the feet such as corns, calluses, warts, ulcers,hallux valgus, tissue changes, and nail changes.

• Describe and identify safe techniques of cutting the toe nails and removing hyperkeratotic lesions.

• Identify techniques for proper use of nail nippers, curettes, stainless steel rasp or file,manual sanding files, powered rotary tool (sanders).

• Identify the safe use of protective equipment when providing foot care treatment including; goggles, face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, barrier towels, dust evacuators.

• Describe the use of testing modalities such as the 5.07/9-gram Monofilament,tuning fork, Doppler.

• Describe proper sterilization/disinfection protocols for instruments and equipment used in foot care.

• Describe techniques and protocols which will prevent cross contamination of instruments, equipment, environment, patient exposure.

• Describe potential chronic complications of diabetes in terms of pathology, associated risk factors, frequency, recommendations for screening, prevention, management,and foot care education.