I am having mixed feeling after reading people's comments on podiatry!! Pls Help.

Hi everyone,
I have decided to apply for podiatry this year and got all my 5 offers back. But I've seen so much negative things people say about podiatry on both Reddit and here that I am starting to have a second guess.
I am an international student and currently in my
final year of doing A level in UK.
At the beginning of year 12, I really have no idea what university subjects I should take, but after hearing a speech from podiatrist in my local university I have been really interested in it.
But now after reading all those comments on podiatry and seeing all my friends getting their offers from UCL or kings college with biochemistry or biomedical science. I am having second guess.
At the beginning, I did not notice that podiatry has such hate around it. When I first tell my friend she laughed at me and ask if ! like feet, also my biology teacher also make a comment about podiatry ( she doesn't know I applied for podiatry) saying she don't know why people chose to work with other people's feet. So I am really having a mixed feelings about it.
My main reason is that I really don't want to take a gap year, and the main question is _ is it really as bad as people say ?
Are podiatrist just wannabe doctors? ( TBH I don't want to be a doctor at all and that's why I choose podiatry since I can't handle bloods or stress )
Thank you so much for reading my post.

Hi everyone,
I have decided to apply for podiatry this year and got all my 5 offers back. But I've seen so much negative things people say about podiatry on both Reddit and here that I am starting to have a second guess.
I am an international student and currently in my
final year of doing A level in UK.
At the beginning of year 12, I really have no idea what university subjects I should take, but after hearing a speech from podiatrist in my local university I have been really interested in it.
But now after reading all those comments on podiatry and seeing all my friends getting their offers from UCL or kings college with biochemistry or biomedical science. I am having second guess.
At the beginning, I did not notice that podiatry has such hate around it. When I first tell my friend she laughed at me and ask if ! like feet, also my biology teacher also make a comment about podiatry ( she doesn't know I applied for podiatry) saying she don't know why people chose to work with other people's feet. So I am really having a mixed feelings about it.
My main reason is that I really don't want to take a gap year, and the main question is _ is it really as bad as people say ?
Are podiatrist just wannabe doctors? ( TBH I don't want to be a doctor at all and that's why I choose podiatry since I can't handle bloods or stress )
Thank you so much for reading my post.

It really depends on what you are looking for in a degree course and a career. It also depends on your capabilities.
Yes, you do get some wannabe doctors entering podiatry. You also get some people who want a routine job in something health related. You get people who have no idea what they want to do and podiatry degrees were still available in Clearing. You get people who have low academic abilities and podiatry tend to accept almost anyone. You get a range of people.
As long as you are aware of what is involved in the day-to-day job then that's fine. Don't fall for the marketing and spin put out there by universities trying to lure you onto the course just to cash the fees. Many people enter podiatry as a 'quick fix' because the entry requirements are much lower than other courses. Those who have been on the course or trained for the profession can find themselves in a rut very quickly and wishing they'd chosen something with more scope. If you have a good academic profile in the hard sciences then you may find other professions more to your taste.
Also, be mindful which university you choose. Some courses are badly organised and the lecturers leave a lot to be desired.

No they are not wannabe doctors - podiatry is a respected AHP. Some people are squeamish about feet so don't let other people's reactions put you off. Did you do any shadowing/work experience with a podiatrist? Did you enjoy it?

Hello,
Sorry for my late response. Yes I have done some shadowing in private clinics but I have never done it in a NHS base clinic. I must say I have a great time cause the podiatrist that I shadowed is really nice and she explains a lots of stuff to me.
I m just worried of how people might think of me if I tell them I applied for podiatry cause from my personal experience some of them reacted not as good as I expected 😭😭😭☹️.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone as there Is a lot of good ppl in podiatry however, I don't think it's a well respected course amongst health care professionals.
I studied Podiatry and like the OP is already experiencing I was subjected to a lot of negativity from family, friends, ppl definitely looked down on it. "I found it disheartening as the work was very intense and everybody just assumed I was cutting toe nails "
In contrast; I'm a staff nurse now and often left in charge of a ward of over 65yr old , acutely mentally unwell patients , with a host of physical co morbidities to manage. I have my own students to bring on and team of NAs to manage . Everyone respects what I do , my Mrs and family are all proud to tell ppl I'm a nurse.
Staff nurse responsibility and scope of practice is on a completely different level than the band 5 /6 podiatrists I worked with when I was a student pod .. Respect is earned not given!.
In my work the MDT include Drs , OTs , physios , social work that have massive impact on the patient journey; we only ever need to use podiatry if the patient has long toe nails and we get a private podiatrist in to cut them.
I would question the amount of NHS pod jobs available as I've literally never seen one in my hospital.
I would also like to point out to the OP that it's important they looks at the job market before rushing into any course ; science degrees sound good however are not always great for jobs afterwards, thus why lots go into try and become science teachers.

Hello, thank you so so much for your thoughtful reply.
After having a thought to myself I realized that doing something like physiotherapy would be better for me as most people has suggested. But I am just thinking if it’s still possible to change since I have already accepted the offer from a university. I would like to know if it’s still possible to even get a clearing ?
The main reason I choose podiatry is because I could eventually do private, but after reading your reply I don’t know if I can do this for a long run. The main reason I am quite worried is that I am not in the position to take a gap year and I am afraid things would be complicated. I don’t know how to tell this to my school cause I have already change multiple time before submitting my application, my parents accepts whatever I do but I don’t know how to tell them that I want to change after accepting the university offer. 😭😭😭😭😭☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️