Jobs and Skills Australia classifies podiatry as being in national shortage, with regional communities hit hardest.

According to the National Library of Medicine, Australia’s major cities have approximately 16 podiatrists per 100,000 people, while regional and remote areas have only six to 10 podiatrists per 100,000 people. A national decline in podiatry student numbers has contributed to this shortage, with a drop of more than 17 per cent in enrolments from 2016 to 2022.

But Charles Sturt University has co-developed a hybrid podiatry course to turn these trends around.

The Charles Sturt Bachelor of Podiatric Medicine continues to gain strong industry recognition and momentum with significant growth in first-year enrolments, increasing from 17 students to more than 75 in 2026.

Adjunct Associate Professor Caroline Robinson in the Charles Sturt School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences said the course has been designed with students’ needs top of mind.

“Charles Sturt University collaborates with industry partners in each student’s home location to remove the barrier of distance for students who are not interested in moving or are unable to relocate to Albury-Wodonga, where the course is based,” Professor Robinson said.

“Enabling students to live, work and study in their home region is important for maintaining their close connection with community, increaseing the likelihood they will remain in the area, developing their professional networks locally, and building the podiatry workforce particularly in regional and rural areas in Australia”.

There are more than 300 recognised foot conditions, and many emerge or worsen with ageing or chronic disease. Arthritis, circulatory impairments, deformities such as bunions and hammertoes, balance problems and chronic foot pain become more prevalent in older populations.

Access to podiatrists to manage these conditions can have significant implications for improving mobility and independence, workforce participation, healthy ageing and chronic disease management.

Professor Robinson said the collaboration between Charles Sturt and a network of industry partners to co-develop a hybrid podiatry course was driven by a need to increase student enrolments and build the national podiatry workforce.

“The hybrid course is designed to allow students to study online from any location in Australia,” Professor Robinson said.

“It enables students to complete supervised practice hours in a public or private podiatry clinic in their home region and attend the Charles Sturt campus in Albury to complete intensive study blocks and supervised practice in the university clinic.

She noted the hybrid podiatry course is attractive to a broader and more diverse cohort of students, including people who are considering a change of career pathway.

“Students in the 2026 commencing cohort have an age range of 19-59 years, with a median age of 30 years,” she said. “Seventy-five per cent of the first-year cohort are female and 39 per cent identify as ‘first in family’. First Nations students make up 2.6 per cent of this cohort.”

Data for student enrolments in the first-year podiatry subject shows a cohort of students who represent all Australian states and territories, including 56 per cent who live in regional and rural locations.

In addition, Queensland Health has adopted Charles Sturt’s podiatry course to support the education of podiatry students in Queensland, demonstrating the program’s growing reputation and impact across Australia.

The annual Podiatry Symposium on Friday 18 September this year marks the 25th anniversary of the commencement of the Charles Sturt Podiatry course. The symposium will be held at the CD Blake Lecture Theatre at Thurgoona from 8.30am to 4.30pm with an evening social event at ‘Public House’ in Albury. Please purchase tickets here.