Podiatric surgeons will be stripped of their title and forced to change the name of their profession after a review found widespread confusion among patients and the wider public about their level of qualification.

The national healthcare regulator, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), announced on Monday that podiatric surgeons would be forced to rebrand as “surgical podiatrists” from October 2026 after approval by state and federal health ministers.

“This is an important step in giving consumers greater clarity and transparency around the practitioner they are seeing and their training and qualifications,” Podiatry Board of Australia chair Kristy Robson said.

AHPRA said the 12-month transition period would allow those affected to make the “necessary administra

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