Podiatry scheduled medicines endorsement

Did you know that some podiatrists can prescribe medicines? Podiatrists with an "endorsement for scheduled medicines" have done extra training and are approved to prescribe and supply certain medicines for foot conditions. At Foot Ankle Lower Limb, three of our podiatrists hold this endorsement: Lee Gray, Kevin Ho and Andrew Schox. Here's what it is and how it can help.

What is the endorsement?

The Podiatry Board of Australia can endorse a podiatrist's registration to show they are qualified to prescribe, supply and use certain scheduled medicines to treat foot conditions.¹,² These include prescription-only medicines, not just those you can buy from a pharmacy.¹,³ The medicines a podiatrist can use come from an approved national list, and each state's medicines laws set out exactly what they may prescribe there.²,³

Only a small share of Australian podiatrists hold the endorsement.⁴ Getting it involves further training and a period of supervised prescribing practice with a mentor.¹

What does it mean for you?

It can save you a separate trip to the GP. Endorsed podiatrists most often prescribe medicines for:⁴

• infections, such as an infected ingrown toenail or foot wound (antibiotics)
• nail surgery and other minor procedures (local anaesthetic)
• pain after a procedure
• fungal infections of the skin and nails.

Your podiatrist will only prescribe when there's a clear need,³ and will take your other medicines and health conditions into account. If you need a medicine that's outside the podiatry list, or your condition needs medical care, we'll refer you to your GP or another doctor.

Is there anything to be aware of?

At the time of writing, prescriptions written by podiatrists are not subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). That means you pay the full, non-PBS price at the pharmacy, or see your GP for a PBS prescription instead.⁴,⁵ We're happy to talk through which option suits you.

Checking a podiatrist's endorsement

You can check that any podiatrist is registered, and whether there are conditions on their registration, on the Ahpra public register of practitioners.⁶

If you have a foot problem that may need medicine, such as a painful or infected toe, book an appointment with our podiatrists in Booragoon.

References

1. Podiatry Board of Australia (2026). Endorsement for scheduled medicines. https://www.podiatryboard.gov.au/Registration-Endorsement/Endorsement-scheduled-medicines.aspx
2. Podiatry Board of Australia (2026). Endorsement subject to a condition. https://www.podiatryboard.gov.au/Registration-Endorsement/Endorsement-Scheduled-Medicines/Condition.aspx
3. Podiatry Board of Australia (n.d.). Prescribing information for podiatrists endorsed for scheduled medicines. https://www.podiatryboard.gov.au/documents/default.aspx?record=WD10%2F3160&dbid=AP&chksum=09P92khdrdVd3RiytTLSrg%3D%3D
4. Graham K, Matricciani L, Banwell H, et al. (2022). Australian podiatrists scheduled medicine prescribing practices and barriers and facilitators to endorsement: a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 15(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-022-00515-w
5. Australian Podiatry Association (2026). Putting patients first: APodA calls for Senate to back common-sense PBS parity for podiatry. https://www.podiatry.org.au/news/putting-patients-first-apoda-calls-for-senate-to-back-common-sense-pbs-parity-for-podiatry
6. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (2026). Register of practitioners. https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registers-of-Practitioners

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, Podiatrist, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod. Last reviewed October 2026.