the victorian podiatry workforce 2009docs2.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc... · the victorian podiatry...

Department of Health

The Victorian podiatry workforce 2009


If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, please phone (03) 9096 7838 using the National Relay Service 13 36 77 if required, or email: [email protected]

Acknowledgements

The Victorian podiatry workforce 2009 was prepared by the Modelling, GIS and Planning Products Unit, Strategy and Policy Division of the Victorian Department of Health.

Dr Stephen Glackin and Miss Irene Andreadakis completed the analysis and write up of the report in consultation with Dr Shaymaa Elkadi.

The Podiatry Board of Victoria is acknowledged for their assistance with access to the Victorian registration and survey data.

© Copyright, State of Victoria, Department of Health, 2010

Published by the Modelling, GIS and Planning Products Unit, Victorian Government, Department of Health, Melbourne, Victoria. This publication is copyright, no part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

This document is also available in PDF format on the internet at: www.health.vic.gov.au/modelling

Authorised by the State Government of Victoria, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.

mailto:[email protected]

Contents

Tables and Figures iv

Executive summary 1 Demographic Profile 1 Practise Profile 1

Introduction 2 Background 2 Scope 2

Methodology 3 Source of data 3 Data content 3 Limitations 3

Demographic Profile 4 Registration 4 Age and sex 4 Country of birth and citizenship 5 Geographic distribution of main practice 6 Qualifications 9

Practise Profile 10 Work status 10 Practise setting 11 Working hours 12 Practise expertise 13 Work intentions 13

Appendix A 14


Tables and Figures Table 1: Sex of workforce 4 Table 2: Citizenship status 5 Table 3: Regional distribution of workforce 6 Table 4: Years since obtaining first osteopathy qualification and type of qualification 9 Table 5: Additional qualifications 9 Table 6: Work status of respondents 10 Table 7: Returning to work timeframes 10 Table 8: Practise setting 11 Table 9: Employment sector 11 Table 10: Main job by sector and sex 11 Table 11: Hours worked per role 12 Table 12: Years worked by sex 13 Table 13: Expected years remaining in workforce 13 Table 14: Reasons for leaving workforce 13

Figure 1: Age distribution of workforce 4 Figure 2: Workforce by sex and age group 5 Figure 3: Rural map of podiatrists per 1000 population, by Local Government Area and Region (as indicated by respondent’s main place of work) 7 Figure 4: Metropolitan map of podiatrists per 1000 population, by Local Government Area and Region (as indicated by respondent’s main place of work) 8 Figure 5: Average weekly hours worked by sex and age group 12


Executive summary

The aim of the Victorian Podiatry Labour Force Survey is to explore the profile of the podiatrist workforce within Victoria, and provide an understanding of the changing workforce characteristics and practice within the profession. The Victorian Podiatry Labour Force Survey is disseminated periodically to podiatrists who are registered with the Podiatrists Board of Victoria (now the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). In 2009, a total of 665 registered podiatrists completed the survey yielding a response rate of 68%. This response rate is higher than that of the 2003 and 2007 surveys (55%). A summary of the key characteristics of Victorian podiatry workforce is presented below.

Demographic profile • The workforce was 66% female. • The percentage of the workforce under 40 years of age was 60%, 47% were under 35. • The largest age cohort was between 25 and 29 years of age, with 23.1% of the workforce population. • The percentage of the workforce born in Australia was 80.6%. • The vast majority (92.6%) of the workforce were Australian citizens; 5.25% were permanent residents

and 1.9% did not fit either of these categories. • Almost three quarters (72%) of the population worked in metropolitan regions, but there was an even

per capita distribution of the workforce across all of Victoria. • The workforce was, to a large degree, recently qualified, with 45% of workforce obtaining their initial

podiatry qualification less than 10 years ago. • Most Victorian podiatrists (78%) have no further podiatry qualifications.

Practice profile • Almost 90% of respondents are working as podiatrists in Victoria. • The most popular work setting was a group practice setting, with 31% of the work hours being done

here. The second most popular was a solo practice setting (29%) followed by a community care setting (19%).

• Almost half (43%) of the respondents said they had second jobs. • The private sector makes up the largest percentage of positions, with 64% of respondents’ main jobs.

This is even more pronounced in individuals’ second jobs, with 78% being in the private sector. • Average weekly working hours are 33.6. The average weekly working hours for men is 38.4 and the

average for females is 31.4. • 87% of respondents’ time is spent working in the clinician role, with administration accounting for

roughly 8% of working hours. • Almost half (48%) of respondents have been podiatrists for less than 10 years. • 42% of respondents estimate they will be podiatrists for 20 or more years. One fifth of the workforce

suggested that it will leave the profession within the next 10 years. • The main reason for leaving podiatry was retirement (47%), 18% noted that they will leave for family

reasons and 22% responded that they will leave to find work in another career.

Page 1


Introduction

Background The Victorian Department of Health undertakes regular workforce data collections across a range of health professions to inform and support state-based workforce planning. This Victorian Podiatry Labour Force Survey was conducted in 2009 and analysed in 2010, to inform the department’s understanding of the profile, size, and composition of the registered and practising podiatrist workforce in Victoria.

Scope The profession of podiatry deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of medical and surgical conditions of the feet and lower limbs. Conditions treated by podiatrists include:

• Bone and joint disorders such as arthritis or osteoporosis etc. • Soft-tissue disorders • Muscular pathologies • Neurological and circulatory disease. • Lower limb skin and nail disease including corns, calluses and ingrown toenails. Podiatrists also diagnose and treat foot injuries and infections gained through sport or other activities.

In order to practise podiatry in Victoria, a person must complete a Bachelor of Podiatry and be registered with the Podiatrists Registration Board of Victoria. Podiatrists are required to be registered as a condition of practice. State-based registration of health professionals was superseded by the introduction of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). AHPRA's operations are governed by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009. This legislation came into effect on 1 July 2010. Regulatory conditions applicable to podiatrists are detailed on the AHPRA website1.

1 http://www.ahpra.gov.au/

Page 2


Methodology

Source of data A paper-based survey was designed by the Modelling, GIS and Planning Products Unit of the Business Planning and Communications Branch, in collaboration with the Podiatry Registration Board of Victoria. The survey was distributed by the Board along with their registration renewals in 2009. A copy of the survey instrument is shown in Appendix A.

The Podiatry Registration Board of Victoria collated the hard copies of the survey responses, which were then forwarded to Business Planning and Communication Branch for analysis and reporting. Of the 981 registered practitioners who were sent the survey, 665 survey responses were received, yielding a response rate of 68%, which was a 23% increase in respondent rate to the previous survey.

Data content The Podiatry Labour Force Survey included questions regarding length of practice, qualifications, work status, hours worked, working arrangements and practice settings. Demographic questions were also asked to capture information regarding the age, sex and ethnic composition of the workforce. The demographic profile and the practice profile of the podiatrist workforce are outlined in the following section.

Limitations The main limitation of the data is the response rate to the surveys. Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, no attempt was made to scale the results to the total number of registered podiatrists in Victoria. Data represented as registration data can be assumed to be a valid representation of the workforce. However, the survey data should be understood as representing a proportion of podiatrists in Victoria, and not the total population of registered podiatrists.

Page 3


Demographic profile

Registration There has been a 6% increase in the number of registrations between 2007 and 2009, growing from 929 to 981. Though the number of registrations is increasing, it is increasing at a slower rate than before (26% between 2003 and 2007).

Age and sex The majority of registered podiatrists (66%) were female. This is a trend across allied health practitioners and consistent with the figures from other workforce samples as well as from the 2003 and 2007 podiatry reports.

Table 1: Sex of workforce Sex Total % Male 321 32.7% Female 647 66.0% Not stated 13 1.3% Total 981 100.0%

Source: Registration data

As is typical with allied health workforces, the majority (60%) were under 40 years of age, with almost half (47%) being under 35. While the data is consistent with what is commonly understood about this workforce, a high number of respondents (14.4%) did not respond to the question concerning age on their registration forms. It is likely that non-respondents were evenly distributed across age groups, given the consistency of the age distribution in comparison to other sources.

Figure 1: Age distribution of workforce

8.2%

14.9%13.7%

9.1%8.1%

3.1%1.6% 1.8% 2.2%

14.4%

23.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

<25 -29 -34 -39 0-44 -49 -54 -59 -64 65+ ied

Per

cent

age

of re

gist

rant

s

25 30 35 4 45 50 55 60

Not spec

if

Age group


Page 4


The disproportionate number of females in the workforce can be clearly seen in Figure 2 below. Females outnumber males by a factor of 3:1 across the majority of age cohorts. This is not typical of other allied health occupations where males comprise the majority in the older age groups.

Figure 2: Workforce by sex and age group

0

50

100

150

200

250

<25 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+

Age group

Num

ber

of re

gist

rant

s

Female

Male


Country of birth and citizenship The majority of podiatrists registered in Victoria were born in Australia (80.6%). Other countries of note were England (5.7%), New Zealand (2.6%), Scotland (1.4%) and South Africa (1.1%).

The vast majority (92.6%) of the workforce were Australian citizens, with 5.3% being permanent residents. The proportion of respondents who identified themselves as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander was 0.75%.

Table 2: Citizenship status Citizenship Total % of workforce Australian citizen 616 92.63% Permanent resident 35 5.26% None of the above 13 1.95% Not stated 1 0.15% Total 665 100%

Source: Survey data

Page 5


Geographic distribution of main practice Out of the 585 respondents who included the postcode of their main place of work, 422 (72%) of these worked primarily in urban areas, the most notable being the North-West Metropolitan Region, with 170 podiatrists or 30% of the workforce. This is compared with the lowest workforce population, the Gippsland Region, with only seventeen podiatrists; less than 3% of the workforce. Initially, there appears to be a large division between urban and rural distribution. However, when the figures are examined from a per-capita perspective, the distribution appears quite even, with a reasonably low (2:1) ratio between the region with the most podiatrists and the least. Overall the number of podiatrists per 1000 population is reasonably well distributed between regions, with a very minor (1%) difference between metropolitan and rural areas.

Table 3: Regional distribution of workforce

Region Number of podiatrists Population

Podiatrists/1000 population

Barwon-South Western region 46.92 373,191 0.126 Eastern Metropolitan region 119.25 1,029,533 0.116 Gippsland region 17.00 260,756 0.065 Grampians region 28.08 224,636 0.125 Hume region 31.23 270,530 0.115 Loddon Mallee region 39.79 317,185 0.125 North-West Metropolitan region 170.61 1,660,942 0.103 Southern Metropolitan region 132.92 1,305,685 0.102

Metropolitan Melbourne 422.77 3,996,160 0.106 Rural/Regional Victoria 163.02 1,446,298 0.113

Source: Survey data

Page 6


Figure 3: Rural map of podiatrists per 1000 population, by Local Government Area and region (as indicated by respondent’s main place of work)

Page 7


Figure 4: Metropolitan map of podiatrists per 1000 population, by Local Government Area and region (as indicated by respondent’s main place of work)

Page 8


Qualifications The majority of the workforce (60%) obtained their qualification less than 15 years ago and 99% of these qualifications were bachelor degrees. Forty five per cent obtained their qualification less than 10 years ago and 25% less than 5 years ago. Twenty five per cent of podiatrists obtained their first qualification 20 or more years ago. This group also had the lowest proportion (47%) of bachelor degrees as their primary qualification, due to differing qualification requirements when they entered the field.

Table 4: Years since obtaining first podiatry qualification and type of qualification

Years since first qualification

Diploma / advanced

diploma Degree

Graduate certificate / diploma

Post graduate

degree Other Grand Total

% of workforce

<5 1 155 1 1 158 25% 5-9 1 129 2 132 20% 10-14 3 94 1 98 15% 15-19 10 81 1 92 14% 20+ 87 63 11 3 164 25% Total 102 522 12 7 1 644 100% % with qualification 15.8% 81.1% 1.9% 1.1% 0.2% 100.0%

Source: Survey data

Eighty eight per cent of the workforce obtained their initial qualification in Australia, with 72% attaining it within Victoria. A further 5.3% of respondents were initially qualified in New South Wales and 2.3% in Queensland. The most significant countries for overseas qualification were the United Kingdom (including England, Ireland and Scotland) with 5.2% and New Zealand with 3.5%.

Only 27.8% of the workforce has obtained extra qualifications. The majority of these were bachelor degrees followed by graduate diplomas.

Table 5: Additional qualifications

Additional qualification Number % with

qualification Bachelor 39 5.9% Certificate 8 1.2% Graduate diploma 36 5.4% Masters 15 2.3% AAPSM 7 1.1% Honours 33 5.0% Other 7 1.1% No additional qualifications 520 78.2% Total 665 100%

Source: Survey data

Page 9


Practice profile

Work status During the week of the survey, almost 90% of respondents said that they were working as a podiatrist in Victoria. Four per cent of those not currently working said they were looking for a position as a podiatrist in Victoria.

Table 6: Work status of respondents Status Number Percentage Employed as a podiatrist and working in Victoria 610 92.7% Looking to work as an podiatrist in Victoria 9 1.6% Not working or looking to work as a podiatrist in Victoria 36 5.7% Total 655 100%

Source: Survey data

From the 54 respondents who said they were not working, 44% said they would be returning to podiatry at some stage in the future, 28% would not return to podiatry and 19% were not sure about their intentions.

Table 7: Returning to work timeframes Return to work timeframe Number Percentage Not intending to return 15 28% Within 12 months 17 31% Between 1 and 5 years 10 19% More than 5 years 2 4% Not sure 10 19% Total 54 100%

Source: Survey data

Page 10


Practice setting The most significant employment setting was in a group practice (31.8%) followed by a solo practice (29%) and community health care (19.4%). Roughly 6% worked in hospitals, with the remaining workforce divided across a diverse array of workplaces. Two hundred and fifty nine podiatrists indicated a second place of employment. Generally the workplace distributions were replicated in individuals’ second jobs, with secondary employment in sports centres, education facilities and residential care occurring more often than in primary jobs.

Table 8: Practice setting Setting Main job Second job % Main job % second job Solo practice 175 80 29.0% 30.9% Group practice 192 78 31.8% 30.1% Locum practice 3 6 0.5% 2.3% Rehab/physical development service 8 3 1.3% 1.2% Other community health care 117 25 19.4% 9.7% Outpatient service 34 4 5.6% 1.5% Other hospital 22 8 3.6% 3.1% Residential health care 13 12 2.2% 4.6% other residential health care <3 <3 0.2% 0.8% Sports centre/clinic 15 20 2.5% 7.7% Other commercial business <3 <3 0.2% 0.4% Educational facility 15 11 2.5% 4.2% Correctional services institution 0 <3 0.0% 0.4% Defence forces 0 <31 0.0% 0.4% Other government <3 <3 0.3% 0.8% Other 5 5 0.8% 1.9% Total 603 259 100.0% 100.0% Source: Survey data

The primary health sector made up the majority of positions, with 64% of respondents working in this area for their first job. Of those podiatrists with a second job, 78% worked in private practice.

Table 9: Employment sector

Sector Main job

total Second job

total Main job

% total second

job % Public 211 57 36% 22% Private 381 199 64% 78% Total 592 256 100% 100%

Source: Survey data

Males were more likely to work in private rather than public practice.

Table 10: Main job by sector and sex

Sector Male % of workforce

Female %of workforce

Public 21% 79% Private 35% 65%

Source: Survey data

Page 11


Working hours In total, females worked 12,576 hours, as opposed to males 6,727 hours, a ratio of 2:1, which is consistent with female representation in the workforce. However, on average, males work longer hours per week than females. The overall average weekly working hours were 33.6, with the average male weekly hours being 38.4 and the average female weekly working hours being 31.4.

In some age cohorts this trend is reversed. In the under 25 year and 25 to 29 year age group, females work a longer average week than males (see Figure 5). Beyond the age of 30 the average working week for women is shortened and is lowest between the ages of 35 and 49. Beyond 49 years of age there is a trend for average female hours to steadily increase until retirement age.

Figure 5: Average weekly hours worked by sex and age group

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

<25 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+

Ave

rage

wee

kly

hour

s

Age group

Male avg. hours Female avg. hours

Source: Survey data

Most work time is spent in clinical duties (86.6%), and 8% of time is allocated to administrative duties. Other roles included footwear design, retail, PhD research and working for not-for-profit organisations.

Table 11: Hours worked per role

Role Hours as % of main job

total hours Hours as % of second job

total hours Clinician 86.6% 86.6% Administrator 8.0% 6.0% Teacher/educator 2.1% 2.9% Researcher 1.2% 0.9% Other 2.1% 3.1% Total 100% 100%

Source: Survey data

Page 12


Practice expertise Almost half of the workforce has practised podiatry for less than ten years. There is also a reasonably large cohort (21%) in the 20 years or more of podiatry practice. All age cohorts are overrepresented by females by at least a factor of 2.

Table 12: Years worked by sex

Years worked Male % of workforce

Female % of workforce

Total % of workforce

<5 28% 72% 28% 5-9 29% 71% 21% 10-14 32% 68% 16% 15-19 26% 74% 12% 20+ 33% 67% 21% Unknown 27% 73% 2% Total 100%

Source: Survey data

Work intentions Forty two per cent of respondents suggested that they would continue working as a podiatrist for 20 or more years, with a relatively even distribution across the rest of the groupings. In identifying the likely reason for leaving podiatry, 47% identified retirement, 18% family responsibilities (97% of whom were female) and 26% indicated that they would leave podiatry for a career change.

Table 13: Expected years remaining in workforce Years expected to remain in workforce Number % of workforce <5 64 11% 5-9 58 10% 10-14 111 18% 15-19 71 12% 20+ 252 42% Unknown 47 8% Total 603 100%

Source: Survey data

Table 14: Reasons for leaving workforce Most likely reason for leaving workforce Male % Female % Total Retirement 35% 65% 47% Family responsibilities 3% 97% 18% Career change 38% 61% 26% Study 29% 71% 2% Illness/injury 44% 56% 4% Other 29% 71% 2% Total 30% 70% 100%

Source: Survey data

Page 13


Page 14

Appendix A

Podiatry Labour Force Survey, 2009

Registration Number (Optional)

Podiatry Labour Force Survey, 2009

The Podiatrists Labour Force Survey is conducted by the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) in collaboration with the Podiatry Registration Board of Victoria. DHS undertakes regular workforce data collections to support state-level workforce planning. The aim of the survey is to understand the profile of podiatrists practicing in Victoria, and, in turn, to inform state level training.

DHS will aggregate and analyse the survey results and produce a profile of the podiatry workforce, which will be made available on the internet. Confidentiality of your response is preserved by information privacy principles, which impose strict conditions on release of information.

We strongly encourage you to complete the survey. Even if you are not currently working as a podiatrist in Victoria, many of the questions are still relevant. We would also encourage you to discuss the survey with your podiatry colleagues to ensure high response rates to the survey and therefore more representative data.

Please direct any question about the survey to the Service & Workforce Planning Branch of DHS, on (03) 9096 8136 or [email protected]

Please return your completed survey form to the Podiatry Registration Board with your re-registration papers.

Please tick the boxes and write responses, where appropriate, in the spaces provided.

1 Sex Male 1

Female 2

2 Year of birth

1 9

3 Place of birth Australia 1 New Zealand 2 England 3

Italy 4 Vietnam 5 India 6

Scotland 7 Sri Lanka 8 Malaysia 9

China 10 Greece 11 South Africa 12

Other 13 Please specify ……………………………………………..

4 Do you identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin? Yes 1

No 2

5 What is the postcode of your usual residence?

6 Are you an Australian citizen? Yes, Australian citizen 1

No, permanent resident of Australia 2

No, neither citizen or permanent resident of Australia 3

7 a Year obtained

Diploma / Advanced Diploma 1 Bachelor degree 21

b Title / level of qualification Graduate Certificate / Diploma 3 Postgraduate degree 41

Vic 1 NSW 2 Qld 3 WA 43 c Place obtained -

Australia SA 5 Tas 6 NT 7 ACT 83

Details of your first podiatry qualification

d Place obtained - overseas New Zealand 1 England 2 Other 3 …..………………………

8 If you have an additional qualification(s) in podiatry, what is the title of your highest additional qualification in podiatry?

….………………………………………………………………………..

9 In total how many years have you worked as a podiatrist in Australia? Include full-time and part-time work. Exclude time spent not working and unpaid leave

10 Which of the following best describes your work status in the last week?

Employed and working in Victoria as a podiatrist 1

Employed in Victoria as a podiatrist, and on leave for more than 3 months 2

Employed interstate or overseas as a podiatrist, and looking for work in Victoria as a podiatrist 3

Employed interstate or overseas as a podiatrist, and not looking for work in Victoria as a podiatrist 4

Employed in a profession other than podiatry, and looking for work as a podiatrist 5

Employed in a profession other than podiatry, and not looking for work as a podiatrist 6

Unemployed, and looking for work as a podiatrist 7

Working as a podiatrist includes the practice of podiatry, or work that is principally concerned with the discipline of podiatry (including research, teaching, professional advisory, management and administrative services).

Unemployed, and not looking for work as a podiatrist 8

Other (please specify) …………………………………………………………. 9

11 Not intending to practice 1

If not currently employed as a podiatrist, what is the likely time frame for commencing or resuming practice?

Within 12 months 2

Between 1 and 5 years 3

More than 5 years 4

Not sure 5

If you are not currently working as a podiatrist in Victoria there are no further questions, thank you! If currently working as a podiatrist in Victoria, please continue from Q12 to the end of the survey.

12

In Question 12a, please record your total paid weekly hours for the past week in all of the podiatry jobs/practice locations in which you worked in Victoria only. If you were on leave last week, provide details of paid weekly hours usually worked. (Exclude travel time between work locations, and unpaid voluntary activities.) For Questions 12b and 12c, record the Victorian postcode (or location) for your main podiatry job, and where applicable, second job and also indicate whether the position is in the public or private sector. For Question 12d, record the number of hours worked per week in each of the professional roles in your main job, and where applicable, second job. For Question 12e, tick the box that best indicates your practice setting in each of your podiatry jobs.

a Total paid weekly hours worked (all Victorian podiatry jobs / locations)

b Geographic location Main Job / Location 2nd Job / Location

Postcode

or location (if postcode not known) …………………………. ………………………….

c In which sector do you work?

Main Job 2nd Job

Public sector 1 1

Private sector 2 2

d How many paid hours per week do you spend in each of the following professional roles in your main job, and where applicable, your second job?

Main Job Hours 2nd Job Hours

Clinician

Administrator

Teacher / educator

Researcher

Other

TOTAL HOURS

e Which of the following best describes the practice setting of your main job, and where relevant, your second job?

Main Job 2nd Job

Solo practice 1 1

Group practice 2 2

Locum practice 3 3

Aboriginal health service 4 4

Rehab / physical development service 5 5

Other community health care 6 6

Outpatient service 7 7

Other hospital 8 8

Residential aged care 9 9

Disability residential 10 10

Hospice 11 11

Other residential health care 12 12

Sports centre / clinic 13 13

Other commercial / business 14 14

Educational facility 15 15

Correctional services institution 16 16

Defence forces 17 17

Other Government 18 18

Other 19 19

(Please specify) ………………………………………. ……………………………………….

13 Excluding temporary workforce absences, approximately how many more years do you expect to work as a podiatrist in Victoria?

14 Retirement 1

What would be your most likely reason for permanent or long-term departure from the podiatry workforce in future? Family responsibilities 2

Career change 3

Study 4

Illness / injury 5

Other reasons 6 (Please Specify) …..……………………………

No more questions. Thank you for your time.

Please return the completed survey with your re-registration papers

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