Student perspectives on marketing the podiatry profession and course promotion: a mixed methods study

Background: The decline in podiatry student enrolments at universities across Australia and New Zealand presents a workforce crisis that threatens the profession's sustainability and the delivery of essential healthcare services to communities. Recent data highlight a limited understanding of the podiatry profession among allied health students. There is now a clear need for strategies to address negative stereotypes and to build knowledge of the profession's scope of practice, career opportunities, job prospects and earning potential. As part of a larger research initiative, this study explored student perspectives on marketing the podiatry profession to increase student enrolments. Methods: A convergent mixed methods study design was employed. Participants included students enrolled in (i) podiatry and (ii) relevant ‘non-podiatry’ health, sport or science programs at nine Australian universities and one New Zealand university. Data were collected via an online survey (278 podiatry students and 553 non-podiatry students responding) and two online workshops with nine first-year podiatry students. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression models, while qualitative data underwent inductive thematic analysis by three independent assessors. We integrated the data by exploring the connections between the quantitative and qualitative findings. Results: Findings revealed that over 40% of podiatry students had initial concerns about their course and 34.2% had considered leaving. Instagram and Facebook were identified as the most influential social media platforms for sourcing information about courses and careers. Four over-arching themes emerged as important marketing strategies for increasing student enrolments: (i) enhance the visibility, perception and advocacy of podiatry; (ii) emphasise holistic and diverse practice in podiatry; (iii) enable early exposure and experience of podiatry practice and (iv) improve course entry pathways and flexibility. Conclusions: An evidence-based approach is required to enhance the visibility and appeal of podiatry as a career. Strategies should focus on addressing misconceptions about the discipline, expanding promotional efforts to broader audiences, leveraging relevant media platforms, reducing financial and academic barriers for prospective students, and improving study flexibility. Strengthening enrolments and reducing attrition are fundamental to ensuring the sustainability and growth of the podiatry profession in Australia and New Zealand.