Mr. Philip Green DipCFHP, MPSPract(FHP)

To All the Team at the College of Foot Health Practitioners

I wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to the Staff and ‘The Shadows’ (and that’s not the pop group I’m talking about here). There is a wealth and knowledge of both the Foot Health Practitioner role and ‘Real Life’ practice of the skills learnt in the College. I think the experience and support was a credit to them all – Thank you.

My Experience!

I was originally trained as an Agriculturalist, this included Animal Husbandry (Veterinary Science), where I wielded a scalpel (not using the ‘Safe Scalpel technique’ I might add), doing unmentionable things - keeping the animal kingdom in check. I migrated away from this firstly to Ag. Engineering and then for 10’s of years in motor vehicle component engineering, then latterly in Sales and Marketing in the same industry. The years of globe trotting and working 60 hour weeks and driving long distances took its toll. My health dictated I chose another role. A role, in which, I could dictate the pace of life and have control of my own destiny.

It goes to say, I am a people’s person, so the public were not going to get to miss me, by me making the role change away from them. I decided there were some analogies with the Agricultural beginnings of my early working life, albeit that I would be working from the Knee down and not the Knee up so to speak! Oh, and yes, they would be Human beings of course.

As with all I do, once the decision had been made, (and friends and family, after some amazement, got used to the idea), I set forth with commitment.

First was the visit to the college, Glenise gave me the guided tour. Mo, ‘signed me up’ and provided me with enough reading material for an insomniac’s convention to be occupied for umpteen nights! I downloaded the course work and got started.

I think I am safe to say that I am one of the quickest to qualify on the fast track route in the colleges’ history. That is not belittling the course content or the effort I had to put in to undertake the home studies (Oh those muscles), practical surgery days (37 pairs of feet) and lectures (Physiology) and Then that all important moment when you are awarded that certificate.

The affirmations from Victor that, “You can all make it with the right attitude and determination”, encouraged you along, when the going got tough. John with his attention to detail and excellent clinical guidance and knowledge, backed by their dedicated support staff in the ‘back office’ who ensured we got our supplies and support from the college. The clinical instruction of the tutors who teach from a knowledge base built upon their own successful practices. Their wealth of experience in all aspects of the business has been, and still is, invaluable. I continue to be in touch even now.

Since leaving the college, I have started practising my Sales and Marketing activities in promoting my business in the community and on the internet, firstly promoting my Foot Health Practitioner business with www.fixinfeet.co.uk and now www.fixinfeet.com/shop providing resources and information to the end user (patient) and practitioner alike on foot health problems that fall within our remit. I will continue to develop and expand my activities on the ground and on the internet to provide support for my own enterprises and those of my fellow practitioners by supporting them with information and news that I find of interest and making it available to them via my sites.

The future…..Well

I am already involved with supplying locum support for Tutors as well as having a growing patient list of my own.

I am grateful for the support the CFHP has offered me in these early days of my business. I have joined a strong community I feel. This was demonstrated by the camaraderie of my fellow class mates of the September 2005 intake at the college. We worked very hard but we still had time to enjoy ourselves. I wish them all well in their ventures too.

I enrolled on the Dip BMec Biomechanics course as I finished the Dip CFHP course. I hope also to complete this new course in the near future (early 2006). I feel this will give me a more rounded practice and allow me to offer additional services to my patient base and the community in the Dudley and Black Country area.

This has been truly a career & life changing experience! – For the better I might add.

May I again end, by extending thanks to John Falkner-Heylings and Victor Fletcher and their team for providing me with the opportunity to succeed.

And to anyone thinking of taking the course – Go for it! (But not in the Dudley area please!!)

I look forward to meeting you all again at the clinical Forums

Best Regards to all

Phil Green

FixinFeet