Section 2: Persons authorised to practise the profession

The State diploma in chiropody is awarded by the regional prefect to persons who have successfully completed the theoretical and practical courses and the training periods that make up the training. The composition of the jury awarding the State diploma is set by order of the Minister of Health.

The State diploma in chiropody attests to the professional skills required to practise the profession of chiropody as defined by : 1° Article R. 4322-1 of the Public Health Code ; 2° The reference framework of activities and skills defined by order of the Minister for Health.

The training leading to the State diploma in chiropody and podiatry lasts three years, i.e. six semesters of twenty weeks each. The teaching is broken down as follows 1° Theoretical and practical training of 2,028 hours, in the form of lectures (985 hours) and supervised work (1,043 hours) ; 2° 1,170 hours of clinical training. Additional personal work is estimated at 2,202 hours. This includes guided personal work. The total…

The State diploma in chiropody corresponds to 180 European credits: 1° 141 European credits for teaching units, including integration units ; 2° 39 European credits for clinical training. The training reference framework, including the teaching units and work placements, as well as their content, is defined by order of the Minister for Health.

The State diploma in chiropody is obtained by acquiring the skills defined in the skills reference framework mentioned in article D. 4322-3. Each skill is obtained by validating : 1° All of the teaching units relating to the competency ; 2° All the elements of the competency assessed during work placements ; 3° Care acts, activities and techniques assessed during clinical training periods.

Exemptions from the admission tests, from following and validating part of the teaching units or from clinical training may be granted to holders of diplomas, the list of which is set by order of the Minister responsible for health, on the basis of a comparison between the training followed or the professional experience acquired prior to their entry into the institute and the teaching units making up the programme of…

Knowledge and skills are assessed either by regular continuous assessment, by final examination, or by a combination of the two. Each semester is validated by the acquisition of thirty European credits. The acquisition of teaching units is based on the principles of accumulation and compensation. Teaching units are definitively acquired and can be capitalised once the student has obtained an average in each of them, or by applying the compensation…

The amount of the annual registration fee required of candidates for the State Diploma in Chiropody studying in a training institute belonging to a public health establishment is set by order of the Minister for Health.

The pedicure-podology training institutes authorised to provide education leading to the State diploma are responsible for implementing the admission procedures under the supervision of the general directors of the regional health agencies. They are responsible for organising the tests and displaying the results. The composition of the examination boards and the appointment of their members are determined by the institute directors in accordance with the conditions laid down by order…

The following are determined by order of the Minister for Health: 1° The conditions of access to studies leading to the State diploma of chiropodist ; 2° The procedures for admission to the training course; 3° The nature of the admission tests.