A Sweet Idea

Complications related to diabetic wound and skin care are not everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s been front of mind for Dr. Hillery Dolford (DNP, ’18) for a long, long time. 

It’s why she toiled away in the wound care unit at McLeod Regional Medical Center during her nursing days. It was the subject of her doctoral thesis in Francis Marion University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. 

And it’s the reason she started Sweet Feet Diabetic Spa in Florence. Sweet Feet offers patients medically focused skin and nail care. 

“Diabetics are just like any of us,” says Dolford. “They enjoy good foot care, a pedicure, nail treatments, and more. But diabetes can make that difficult. We help our patients get the care they want and we make sure they understand the medical aspects of that care.” 

Dolford says the spa helps eliminate some of the stigma surrounding diabetes. Patients often avoid services, like pedicures, manicures and some podiatric services because “they don’t want to feel or look odd. We offer them a welcoming atmosphere that’s also safe.” 

Dolford, a member of the first graduating class of the DNP program at FMU, provides medical oversight. She can make diagnoses, explain treatment plans already in place, and even prescribe drugs through her relationship with her supervising physician. All nurse practitioners work with a medical doctor. 

The spa has been a success since it opened four years ago. Dolford and company see about 100 patients per week. All are private pay. Sweet Feet does not bill insurance. 

Dolford says the work is rewarding because the spa improves both the physical and mental health of its patients. 

“They look better and they feel better (when they leave),” she says. “As a result, we do, too.” 

Dolford says that aspect of dealing with diabetic skin issues attracted her from her nursing days. She liked helping people in both the long and short term. Her doctoral thesis looked at how diabetic footcare affected the salvaging of limbs. Her research showed that good footcare made a difference. 

Dolford says her thesis work, and her studies at FMU, “were and are absolutely the foundation of my career, of what I’m doing now and what I will be doing in the future. 

“It added a layer of science and knowledge that I didn’t have before,” she says. “I can’t tell you how important that is. You can never have too much education.” 

Employees at Sweet Feet hear that message all the time. Dolford is constantly pushing them to move along the educational path, and several of them are, in fact, on the move. 

Two nail techs at Sweet Feet are in nursing school, and her office assistant is currently enrolled in a physical therapy program. 

That means she’ll likely have some openings in the future, but that’s just fine, Dolford says. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”