Hilary Shelton, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Podiatry Association, reflects on recent changes taking place inside and outside the podiatry profession. From changes to the minimum wage, high interest rates, Medicare updates; through to a new Australian standard for the reprocessing of reusable medical devices, and the first issues paper released as part of the Scope of Practice Review. These are critical conversations to have at the upcoming Australian Podiatry Conference in June.
Hilary shares her personal thoughts on why the conference offers the perfect forum for the profession to collectively reflect on these changes – and on so much more.
I don’t know about you, but I benefit immeasurably from short periods of ‘time out’; an hour, a day, or whatever my schedule will support. I’ve noticed that whenever I feel I can’t afford to take this time out, it’s usually exactly when I need to do it most.
Since it can be so rare to carve out a period for professional growth and self-development, it’s all the more important that we try to do this at the Australian Podiatry Conference in June. I encourage you to give yourself this gift of time; to step back and create some space, however this looks to you.
As CEO of the Australian Podiatry Association, I want to get to know you more: to hear first-hand what challenges you lately, what wins you have had, and what we can collectively learn from your experiences. Please feel free to find me in any of the venues at the conference (and if you want to talk about parenting, my love of homemade granola, or why coffee is so good for the soul – let’s go there too).
Under the theme, Unleashing Potential, this year’s conference will offer opportunities to unleash potential for yourself and your career, as well as the wider profession.
What do these two words really mean, though? We know that the Scope of Practice Review centred on these two words, but what power can they hold for the podiatry profession?
First, some context. Since the last conference in 2023, you will no doubt agree that there have been so many changes, both inside and outside of the profession. What immediately comes to mind for me at least, is updates to the minimum wage, high interest rates, a new Australian standard for the reprocessing of reusable medical devices, Medicare updates, and the role of the first issues paper released as part of the Scope of Practice Review.
While these changes reflect the tip of the iceberg, they certainly offer a starting point for discussions. We need to reflect on the profession in amidst all this change. And we need to do this together if we are to be effective, to genuinely shape ideas into action.
Let’s discuss in June which changes are helpful to our profession and which ones, frankly, hold us back. How can we best respond to these curve balls and opportunities, and which limitations lie beyond our immediate control?
Or put another way: how can we truly unleash our potential in the face of these developments, and in the context of your own lives and needs?
It’s one undertaking to have a theme set for our conference, yet if we are to walk away from these three days in June with practical actions, we also need a focus. For this reason, we have retained the tagline ‘Community. Education. Purpose’ from the 2023 conference. No matter what our roles, these pillars can help to guide our thinking, given their relevance to each of us.
With around 1,000 delegates attending this year’s conference, we are calling on everyone from the podiatry profession to get involved.
We know that no one benefits from homogenous ‘group think’. So, if we are to be positively challenged – to truly unleash our potential – we need diversity of thought. It needs to be up there on the podium, in the workshops, at the exhibitor stands and while queuing up for coffee. This means you and your teams, and the people in your networks. The conference will only be as stimulating as the diversity of thought it invites – this is everything.
I’ll see you in June in the Gold Coast. Please come and find me if I don’t immediately find you. I’m keen to talk, and more importantly – to listen and learn from you.
Australian Podiatry Conference
26 – 28 June 2025
Gold Coast – Yugambeh
Unleashing Potential
Register here
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