What our 4th years say

4th Years

Lauren Connell – 4^th Year Student

 Why did you choose Podiatric Medicine?  I chose podiatric medicine because I wanted to be an autonomous specialized clinician, initially when looking at the course I was enthralled by the thought of studying anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology whilst engaging clinically in Merlin Park Podiatry Clinic. The course really appealed to me as it gave me a balance of learning in lectures to utilizing that knowledge in clinic with patients.

What does a typical week in year 4 look like? Year 4 is by far the most challenging year, where you're trying to balance teaching 1st years in the clinical module, creating a business plan and writing your dissertation. It teaches you how to prioritize while at the same time develop your personal and professional skills as a future clinician and educator. However, you get to go on 3 weeks external placement whether that be regional or internationally depending on your area of interest, this was the biggest learning curve for me seeing how other practices run.

What do you like about the course? For me, the course facilitates for all learners as you get the opportunity to manage patients on a weekly basis, using the knowledge from previous lectures, whilst gaining more from your superiors. I like that the course runs pharmacology with the medical students, as it really gives you an in-depth understanding of your patient's status overall, not only from a podiatric perspective. Having the opportunity to access cadaver labs in Year 2, to having external orthopaedic and vascular placements encourage you to engage further with the role we can play in a patient's management. The opportunities are endless in the world of Podiatry. 

What advice would you give to other thinking about studying Podiatric Medicine? Look at the course content, as this course encapsulates biological sciences and clinical content, which is interesting for somebody interested in health care. If you enjoy learning about how the body functions in a normal and pathological state, if you want to make difference to patients' lives, and if you'd like to become a specialized clinician in an upcoming profession then Podiatric Medicine could be for you. "

Meadhbh Grogan – 4^th Year Student 

Why did you choose to do Podiatric Medicine? During my Leaving Cert, I really had no idea what I wanted to study in college, but I did know that it would be something in the healthcare sector as I really had no interest in anything “businessy/mathsy”. I had originally decided that I wanted to do physiotherapy, but after a couple of months into my leaving cert year, I realised that the points may not be achievable. I began talking to a few girls that I knew studying podiatric medicine and I was intrigued by how interesting and diverse the course was, as I knew little about it prior to reaching out to them. I decided to put the course down on my CAO and I was happily accepted into NUIG in 2015. It would also be possible for me to consider the option of pursuing a physiotherapy career due to the wide range of modules that are studied in the Podiatric Medicine course, however after receiving a number of lectures from a physiotherapist in third year, I realised that physiotherapy was not what I expected when I was in Leaving cert and I am much happier in podiatry.

What does a typical week in Year 4 look like? Fourth year was one of the most enjoyable years for me as you get to learn a lot about the working podiatry world and the numerous different routes that you can go down. A lot of the year is spent focusing on your thesis, however once you have that done you are on three weeks of placement and this is your opportunity to see where podiatry can take you. I was lucky enough to spend two weeks of my placement in the New England Baptist Hospital in Boston where I got to scrub in and assist in podiatric surgeries, as well as being in a podiatric day clinic. Every Friday you also get the responsibility of being a ‘Peer Assisted Leader’ to the new first year students studying podiatry, where you get to teach them and observe their clinical knowledge and skills. 

What do you like about the course? I love how much clinic you are exposed to, right from first year. It is an excellent opportunity to build on your interpersonal skills with patients and staff in MPPC, but also to learn and improve on your clinical knowledge and skills each week. There are also excellent placement opportunities in third and fourth year both nationally and internationally. 

What advice would you give to others thinking about studying Podiatric Medicine? If you are a people-person who has an interest treating a wide variety of patients in the healthcare sector then Podiatric Medicine is definitely a career to consider. There are so many diverse job opportunities and the degree can take you anywhere in Ireland or internationally!