What is a foot care nurse? 

A foot care nurse is a licensed or registered nurse who has taken additional education and training in the lower limb who can complete basic, advanced, and diabetic foot care. 

Foot care nurses work along side other medical professionals such as your family doctor, a podiatrist (a doctor who specializes in feet), pedorthists (an allied health professional who specialize in the design, fit, and modification of custom-made orthotics, orthopaedic footwear, and braces), diabetic clinics, wound care nurses, and many more to help keep a person mobile and decreased the risk of developing complications. 

 

Cost:

The cost of this service in HRM ranges from 60-100$ per service depending on the provider and service location. It is important to check if you have private health insurance to see if you qualify for reimbursement of your nursing foot care services. Good questions to ask your insurance company are, how often can I have foot care services covered, how much of the service is covered, are there any restrictions on providers (in home versus clinic, and LPN versus RN). If you don’t have private coverage we offer year end receipts to use to claim as a medical expense when filing your income tax.

 

We charge $75.00 for home visits and $65.00 for clinic visits. 

 

What do foot care nurses do?
  • Nurses assess the feet and lower extremities for circulation, sensation, swelling, skin and nail abnormalities.
  • Medical foot care is a dry service, which means unlike a spa pedicure, there is no foot bath or soak. This practice is outdated and evidence shows foot soaks can lead to an increase risk of infection due to the soaking of the skin will thin the skin and allow for potential of breaks in the skin during care. If you wish to do this before or after your service you can do so at your own time.
  • Callus reduction and corn removal
  • Treatment and management of ingrown toenails
  • Trim toenails for clients who may have complications that make it unsafe or impossible for them to do it themselves (for example: nerve damage due to diabetes, dementia, arthritis, impaired mobility etc.)
  • Provide education for clients and caregivers regarding ongoing foot care, selecting proper-fitting shoes, etc.
  • Spot potential issues and take appropriate action before infection sets in or the pain gets worse
  • Referrals as needed.

 

What to expect at your appointment? 

At your first appointment your foot care nurse will;

  • ask quite a bit of medical questions such as your medications you take, your health conditions, and any other important information they may need to treat you (we typically send these out electronically so you have time to provide lots of details in your health history form - if you are unable to fill out electronically, we will go over this with you in person).
  • They will obtain your consent to proceed with treatment, this can either be verbal or written. (We typically send this to you in advanced electronically to fill out prior to your appointment and ask any questions you may have).
  • Do a full lower limb assessment, this may include checking your pulses, assessing sensation, looking for any abnormalities, and checking blood flow.
  • Perform necessary interventions as discussed which can include, corn/callus reduction, ingrown nail treatment, trimming toenails, and any necessary education or referrals. 

 

At each subsequent visit your nurse will:

  • ask you how your health has been or if there has been any changes since last visit.
  • check your pulses and blood flow.
  • Do a focused assessment based on your previous assessments.
  • Attend to any problematic issues such as corns, calluses, ingrown nails, long/deformed nails, and/or skin conditions.
  • Your services will end with a moisturizer being applied to your lower limbs.

 

What foot care nurses do not do:
  • The foot care nurse is not able to go below the first layer of the skin called the epidermis, in this case a referral to a podiatrist (foot doctor) would be recommended.
  • Wound care for previous wounds, a referral to your family doctor and a wound care nurse should be made in this scenario.
  • Foot soaks and nail painting - this would be part of a cosmetic pedicure - we work with many different aestheticians around HRM, some even provide home care visits if needed. Let us know if the is something you would like more information on.
  • Manicures (while we do provide basic fingernail cut and file, we do not work with cuticles or polish).