Feet First Pedorthic Nursing Foot Care Clinic has been dedicated to helping clients walk easier, move better, and live with less pain.
For Rhonda Doan, helping people find relief from foot pain has been a rewarding choice. As the owner of Feet First Pedorthic Nursing Foot Care Clinic in Sault Ste. Marie, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 26th, Rhonda has spent decades improving mobility and comfort for her clients dealing with a wide range of foot and lower limb issues. “I am credentialed in two professions,” says Rhonda, “nursing and pedorthics. I started my practice doing nursing foot care and from there I graduated to working in pedorthics.”
Rhonda says her passion has always been helping people live more comfortably and staying mobile. Early in her career, while taking foot care courses, she was introduced to the field of pedorthics and realized how life-changing proper footwear and support could be for people dealing with foot and mobility issues.
Rhonda earned a diploma in pedorthics from Oklahoma State University and later completed the Canadian certification exam to become a Certified Pedorthist with the expertise to assess problems of the lower limbs and feet, design and fit orthotics and modified footwear.
Rhonda is also a certified compression stocking fitter and certified with the Canadian Wound Care Association, Cardiology Technology, and she also has a Diploma in Gerontology.
Growing care, one step at a time
In 2003, Rhonda Doan took an important step forward in growing the Feet First Clinic by expanding her practice beyond the Medical Arts Center on East Street and relocating to Pim Street. The Feet First Clinic has grown into a comprehensive practice that includes pedorthics, a Nursing Foot Care Clinic, and a specialized shoe store. It gives clients access to properly fitted footwear and custom solutions under one roof.
Working alongside other healthcare practitioners, Rhonda also operated an on-site lab where footwear modifications were completed and custom orthotics were manufactured.
Feet First Pedorthic Nursing Foot Care Clinic is a full-service independent clinic. The nursing foot care services are provided by qualified and experienced nurses. The services include custom orthotics, footwear modifications, and specialized solutions designed for each individual’s foot and mobility needs. At the start of the pandemic, Rhonda Doan moved to the clinic to its current location at 123-4 Great Northern Road.
Over the past 30 years, Rhonda Doan’s approach is that each client’s needs are unique. “Whether someone is dealing with chronic foot pain, mobility challenges, or ongoing medical concerns such as diabetes, my goal has always been to help people stay independent, comfortable, and active.”
As practitioner, education has always been a cornerstone of care for Rhonda Doan. She is driven by a commitment to preventing illness and injury. She advises clients about eliminating hazards in the home and why wearing proper footwear matters. “Proper footwear and orthotics are crucial for stability and maintaining independence,” says Rhonda. “It’s especially important for people with diabetes. Foot pain can prevent people from doing the things they like to do. It impacts our quality of life and we can lose our independence very quickly.”
A heartfelt thank you to clients
Fighting back tears, Rhonda Doan says the greatest gift of her 30-year career has been the people who have trusted her with their care. “One lady in her 90s who lives in a nursing home insists on coming in to see me,” says Rhonda. “She would ask her family to bring her to the clinic because she trusts me and I know what she needs.”
Over the years, Rhonda has supported more than 15,000 clients and says they are friendships and lives that she has been honoured to touch. “I had a 26-year-old woman who has M.S. and she had to hold onto the wall to support herself,” says Rhonda. “We put her in a particular style of shoe and she started to walk on her own and then she started to cry and we were all crying.”
Rhonda had another client who was considered a paraplegic and she was only able to walk with extreme difficulty. She too started to cry after being fitted with a special style of footwear that allowed her to walk more easily.
“I had another client who was bent over and told me that because he had one leg shorter than the other, family members mentioned that he was getting shorter,” says Rhonda. “We put him into footwear with a lift and orthotics and he came in saying his feet hadn’t felt this comfortable in a long time and is able to walk so much better.”
For Rhonda Doan, the past 30 years have been filled with moments that have touched her deeply. “Knowing that I have helped people improve their quality of life is incredibly rewarding,” says Rhonda. “I have had the privilege of helping people overcome foot pain, regain mobility, and maintain their independence.”
Seeing clients walk more comfortably, return to activities they love, and move with greater confidence has brought Rhonda immense fulfillment over the years. “I am profoundly grateful to every client who has trusted me and allowed me to be part of their journey toward better comfort, confidence, and mobility.”
Contact Feet First Pedorthic Nursing Foot Care Clinic: (705) 949-7324.