How should supervision of podiatry assistants or unlicensed personnel be structured in MA?

• A. Assistants must be supervised by a licensed podiatrist; tasks delegated within scope and documented; supervision level appropriate to the task
• B. Assistants may work unsupervised on any task
• C. Supervisors must be physicians
• D. No supervision required

Answer: (A)

In Massachusetts, supervision of podiatry assistants and unlicensed personnel is structured to ensure patient safety and clear accountability: a licensed podiatrist must supervise all delegated tasks, those tasks must stay within the assistant’s training and the podiatrist’s scope of practice, and there must be documentation of what is delegated and the level of supervision required for each task. The supervising podiatrist remains responsible for the work performed by the assistant, and the amount of oversight should match the complexity and risk of the task.

This means unsupervised work on any task is not permitted, and the supervisor does not have to be a physician in general practice—podiatrists themselves are licensed physicians and can supervise these assistants. No supervision is also not allowed.