What our 3rd year students say....

Year 3

Gillian Aherne - 3rd Year Student

Why did you choose Podiatric Medicine? Podiatry wasn’t my first choice as a career when I came out of leaving cert. I did general nursing in UCC and worked for a couple of years in search of my niche. I think that lead me to choose this career as I discovered what aspects of nursing I enjoyed, which can be reflected in podiatry. One aspect is one on one patient care because I love communicating and forming relationships with patients.   

What does a typical week in year 3 look like? Third year has been the most challenging year so far. I think it is impossible to say that you can 'wing' third year. It requires a lot of hard work but I think it is worth it in the end when you become more competent in your patient care.  Each week there is one day of placement, which is, rotated between paediatrics, vascular, diabetes, wound care and musculoskeletal podiatry. It gives a good overview of the profession and can help you to discover your preferred area. The rest of the week is lectures which some of the modules include pharmacology, orthopaedics, medicine and surgery, research methods and design and health promotion.

 What do you like about the course? I like this course because it is a small community. I loved the comradery of my class. When the course got tough at times we all pulled together and helped each other.  I think I definitely have made a lot of friends that are for life and we will always keep in touch when we qualify.   

 I think the theory I learned and the research I carried out throughout the last 3 years has equipped me with knowledge that helped to build my confidence in my patient care on clinic.  For instance, when a patient comes to you complaining of pain in their foot or leg, it is very rewarding when you have the ability to diagnose their problem and apply the correct treatment to improve their quality of life.  

What advice would you give to other thinking about studying Podiatric Medicine? The advice I would give to people considering studying podiatry is to get some work experience or shadow a podiatrist for a day or two. I also think speaking to past students of the course would also be very helpful to decide if you would like to take on the course or not. ‌

Niamh Bredican  3rd Year Student

Why did you choose Podiatric Medicine? In secondary school I was very interested in biology and learning how the body works. Podiatric Medicine is based on the foundations of human anatomy and physiology. I chose Podiatric Medicine as it gives me the opportunity to work with patients during the course of the program and then once I qualify. Another reason I chose this course is the vast amount of career options available to you once you qualify, such as in the public, community or private settings. 

What does a typical week in year 3 look like?In third year you are building your knowledge on the theory you have already learned in year 1 and 2.  All of the different modules begin to interlink with each other and make more sense in year 3 for example; Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacology. You can put the theory you’ve learned into practice on the musculoskeletal/paediatric assessment clinics and the specialist clinics such as vascular/diabetes/wounds and rheumatology clinics that run every Monday and Tuesday. You are in contact with more high-risk patients in year 3 therefore the balance of theory and practical based learning is essential. In semester 1 you carry out a block three-week placement either in Merlin Park Podiatry Clinic or in a hospital/private practice, this placement allowed me to greatly improve and develop my clinical skills. You also get the opportunity to go on placement in the Vascular department in UHG and the Orthopaedic department in Merlin Park Hospital, these placements give you a taste of the importance of multi-disciplinary care. You have many guest lecturers giving talks in the Medicine and Surgery and Orthopaedics modules, which allow you to receive a broad insight into the different healthcare professions that link with podiatry. Biostatistics and Research Methods & Design lectures run weekly helping you to prepare for your final year project.

 What do you like about the course? I like how unique this course is as you have weekly placement throughout the year along with interesting theory based lectures in the college. I really enjoy the interaction with patients during placement as it allows you to enhance your communicational skills. I also enjoy the variety presenting complaints to clinic as this makes each day on placement different and interesting.

 What advice would you give to others thinking about studying Podiatric Medicine? I would advise anyone considering the Podiatric Medicine course to research the NUI Galway website outlining the different modules you will potentially be undertaking. I would strongly advise you to consider partaking in the work shadowing available at Merlin Park Podiatry Clinic. I would highly recommend you contacting the staff of the Podiatric Medicine program as they are very approachable and they would help answer and questions you have. If you have an interest in working with the public and are the type of person who wants to help patients and put their needs first this course is definitely for you.