A foot care nurse gathers a medical history, performs assessments of the lower extremities, and formulates a care plan that incorporates routine foot care with conservative supportive interventions.  Like other nursing disciplines, a foot care nurse will consider the client’s total health, knowing that the body is a system whose parts must work together for optimal health.  

Even those foot care nurses working independently in the community consider themselves part of an interdisciplinary team, and will refer patients to services that will improve foot and overall health.  These specialists may include podiatry, diabetic education, orthopedists, vascular consults, dermatology, wound care, and the client’s own primary care provider.  This practice of including other disciplines contributes to early interventions that may reduce complications that lead to more serious foot conditions.