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Which Podiatry UK undergraduate course?

Discussion in 'Teaching and Learning' started by Feets of strength, Aug 22, 2011.

  1. Feets of strength

    Feets of strength Welcome New Poster


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    I'm working my way through this forum (and others) slowly so apologies if all this has been asked before.

    I'm 17 year old male and have been looking at a health care career. I have considered Dentistry however my recent AS results suggest that I would perhaps struggle to get in (I am in B/C territory in Biology/Chemistry/Maths /Physics) so I am considering Podiatry.

    The work experience I did with Dentistry (2 Weeks) will obviously need redoing at a suitable Podiatry practice/hospital so I am in the process of trying to sort that.

    At the moment out of the 13 (you see I have done a bit of research ;)) institutions offering BSc I am thinking about:-

    Huddersfield - near home, perhaps too near home.
    Salford - pro good reputation? con in Salford
    Durham - I can't find out much about this as yet
    Northampton - about 100 miles away, seems ok
    Brighton/Southampton/Plymouth/Cardiff - long way but course(s) look ok

    I am trying to arrange open day vists for Sept/Oct

    I don't fancy London/Birmingham and the Scottish Unis are 4 years however my elder brother is at Heriot-Watt so I know Edinburgh reasonably well.

    If anyone has any advice regarding any of the institutions/courses I'd appeciate the feedback.

    Thanks in anticipation.
     
  2. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    salford really manchester brilliant city but i would go to brighton as its a real funky place to live if you are young and currently live in the north. brighton did not exist back in my day. wish it had . i would give huddersfield a wide berth its just a groove in the land surrounded by terraced houses sorry cos i am from the north but its not the most attractive place in the world. good luck its great to have so many choices of excellent cities.
     
  3. Jill

    Jill Member

    what about Ulster - 7 miles from the buzzing nightlife of Belfast and most flights are less than 1hour from mainland Britain!
    The course is also recognised as being a good one!
     
  4. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    yes dont forget ulster and the guinnes excellent option just difficult to get back home if u r skint ie air fare cant hitch hike or bum alift but loveley city.
     
  5. Phil Wells

    Phil Wells Active Member

    Fishy et al

    How can you diss the wonderful land of Huddersfield where white high stilletto's are all the vogue and knuckle dragging is compulsory in certain pubs!

    However I did do my Pod degree at Huddersfield and loved it - some good lecturers and the head of the course is Chris Davis - a great lecturer who really cares about podiatry - very important!

    The most important bit is what you do once you have graduated - get onto a good masters degree in your area of interest as this will give you the additional skills needed to succeed.

    Phil
     
  6. mark2801

    mark2801 Member

    Just wanted to point out that School of podiatry at Brighton Uni is based at Eastbourne - which is far from vibrant, nice town but quite . . . sleepy. However, they do have their own clinic which is a definate plus point. I went to Southampton and found the lack of access to patients on a regular basis a real issue. The placements organised by Southampton were excellent but retrospectively I should have opted for Brighton or Huddersfield, somewhere with regular patient access.
     
  7. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    thanks mark eastbourne not so glam i must admit full of dead people just goes to show u need to do your research u yung uns.makes the stilletos of huddersfield sound attractive now
     
  8. blinda

    blinda MVP

    Hey! Nuffin` wrong with Eastbourne! :mad: I was there as a `yung un`. Where else has a disco at the end of a pier? Cheaper to live than Brighton, yet close enough to experience the delights of the pink pound.

    Did my undergrad education at Southampton. I`d recommend it if you are interested in research, particularly with a view to a MSc/PhD.

    Cheers,
    Bel
     
  9. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    went to brighton this year blinda not been for 40 years went to pick up acar so unplanned trip thought it was agreat place stayed in the lanes with all me new pink mates how the years have mellowed me. would not have gone near the place 30 yrs ago the vibe was great.
     
  10. blinda

    blinda MVP

    Indeed. Brighton is one of the coolest beach cities, IMO. I promised myself I would live there one day. Used to bunk from college when I was 17 to see a trio of guys who performed a brilliant Stray Cats in Churchill Square......I don`t feel like going to school no more;

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoXEEvgZXUg
     
  11. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    My advice is to go to each of the school websites, and look at the research output of their staff. If they do not give access to this, ask yourself why not.........................
     
  12. Adam26

    Adam26 Member

    A healthy social life is important throughout your life not just at university. And Your likely to see terraced houses throughout the majority of towns in the north of England not just Huddersfield. A Podiatry degree is a demanding course and you'l get out of it what you put in. What the local nightlife consists of shouldn't realy be your initial priority, although we all like a good drink now and then....
    Asking for advice on your education is wise; but i personally would be wary of taking educational advice from someone who can't spell, podiatry arena veteran or not.

    I agree with Phil Wells 100%.

    Please dont make a decision on which university you go to based on the local nightlife. Course content is what should influence your choice.
    _____________________________

    Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
     
  13. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    when you have to spend 3/4 years in aplace, the environment is as important as the course. It does not seem to matter which uni you get your pod degree from in the uk wheras other courses it makes agreat deal of difference. Pod degrees dont seem to have a ranking. probably because the course is not mega competitive ie people with 3 A stars dont seem to be applying. from what i glean from the arena most of the students are middle aged.these people dont need a nightlife they are nearly dead already .cant type or spell so sue me.
     
  14. Adam26

    Adam26 Member

    I completely agree, the environment in which your going to be spending 3/4 yrs is very inportant. I live near Huddersfield, and study at Huddersfield university, so i believe my opinion to be valid. All i'm saying to someone who has asked for 'advice' and has to make an important decision which could influence the rest of their working career, is not to make a choice based on the presence of terraced houses.
     
  15. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    dear adam hope your course goes well i know nothing about the academic rigors of huddersfield uni or for that matter any of the other schools of podiatry to many years have passed since my graduation unfortunatley. i was sort of hinting tongue in cheek that huddersfield is abit of a dump you have only to digest its demographics and st tropez it is not so my only point really was if you can live somewhere nice. this i do have alot of experience in see demographics and description of casey key sarasota county .it makes sense to live somewhere where life is more bearable . random song of the week its 5 oclock somewhere by alan jackson/ jimmy buffet
     
  16. Adam26

    Adam26 Member

    hahaha ... good song! Thanks, im sure my course will go well. The suggestion you have of makin life more bearable by living somewhere nice implies the majority of your happiness is due to where you live. Unfortunatly the whole world cant live in Sarasota.
    Im not realy interested in digesting the demographics or description of any place, the topic of the post is was basicly to offer any advice/reccomendation of undergraduate podiatry degree's.
    You said in a previous post it doesn't seem to matter where you get your pod degree from in the u.k... then your last post states you nothing about the academic rigours of huddersfield uni or any other schools of podiatry so this contradiction pretty much rules you out of giving any practical advice.

    FEETS OF STRENGTH: I personally will reccommend The University of Huddersfield, its podiatry clinic is a recognised centre of excellence and in my opinion the course content and tutor's who teach are first class. I believe if podiatry is what you want to do; then Huddersfield would be a good choice for you. Also, you live nearby, which again in my opinion is far from a bad thing. If you need any information regarding huddersfield uni or podaitry as a degree itself then pls contact and i would be happy to chat and do my best to answer any question you may have.

    Kind regards,

    Adam
     
  17. AlanCawthorne

    AlanCawthorne Member

    Hi,

    I am about to start my final year at Durham, and recommend the learning environment and staff. The college has two clinics, one with 18 chairs, and one with 6, plus gait analysis and pressure board equipment.

    The staff are very knowledgeable, and supportive. I had to take a month out during my 2nd year, due to my wife being ill, and received support from all the staff., including rescheduling 2 exams and delaying some assignments.

    The course is not easy (speaking as an ex-computer engineer), but you will get out of it what you put in.

    I have been drinking in Durham a few times, and it is just a train journey to Newcastle! :)

    The next academic year starts in about 4 weeks, so I'd get your skates on if you are serious!

    Message me back if you want any further info.

    Thanks,

    Alan.
     
  18. Fraoch

    Fraoch Active Member

    Good luck with this Feets.

    I was in Eastbourne/Brighton in the early nineties. Much as I agree with Mr Kidd about research there could also be a drawback to this. Many of my tutors looked upon their tenure at said Uni to further their credentials and research (2 of my major tutors both doing PhD). Fair do, need someone to do research. However trying to get help during my final year when I needed it.... let's just say unsatisifactory. I often faced a "Lord of the Rings" type quest to find certain lecturers. Not that I've done degrees anywhere else so I have nothing to compare it to.
    Plus points of Eastboure; quiet. Not too many distractions. The school set up was superb, dedicated clinic building was fantastic. Not sure if it's changed since then.
    Reading the other replies I'm not sure how long ago the other repliers were at foot school. Recent grads would possibly give the best advice.
     
  19. Feets of strength

    Feets of strength Welcome New Poster

    Hey guys, hearing alot about the quality of housing about the north :) just wondering what peoples thoughts were on northampton, its cropped up alot in conversation with other people but has yet to really get a mention on here.... similarly salford. By the sounds of it huddersfield sounds pretty good and so does brighton, although h'field is a little close seen as though i live in doncaster!

    Thanks for all the help so far! :p :')
     
  20. Look at QAA reports, look at employment, look at student drop out, look at staff CV's. But ultimately you need to make your own mind up. Personally, I wouldn't want to live in t'uddersfield, but that's just t'me (went there once, and thought I'd woken up in Eastern Europe when USSR was still intact). I undergraded at Brighton (Eastbourne) and had a party, worked at Northampton and was, at the time, surrounded by a team of staff that were on fire (most of them have since gone), I was a clinical teacher in Birmingham, which was interesting, I've done some study day lecturing at Southampton, who I've heard on the grapevine might be weak on biomechanics and I was a lecturer and later the head of school at Plymouth. Where would I go now? No idea, but I do know a school is only as good as the staff working there, regardless of facilities. Most of the curriculum will be similar in order to meet the HPC standards, QAA standards etc. "throw a rock in the air, you'll hit someone guilty". I'm with Bob, look at the staff CV's. Personally I want my academics to be research active and my clinical teachers to be clinicians, if you've got some people who are both, that's the grail. But talk to the current students, please.
     
  21. fishpod

    fishpod Well-Known Member

    totally great advice from simon. im a business man not an academic huddersfield is abit like stoke when u arrive by train you dont wont to get off it doesnt mean the people arnt great its just that a place can limit your oportunities in life and just wanted to get this across to any young people considering podiatry as a career 30 yrs ago i enjoyed manchester as i had never lived in a city before like you i have no idea which is the uks most prestigious pod school i suppose it goes in cycles depending on who has the best staff.
     
  22. blinda

    blinda MVP

    Grapevine unreliability

    Whilst Soton may have earned the reputation of not teaching biomechanics, you know you can't always believe what you hear on any old grapevine, so I`d like to clarify that they taught sweet FA....(Functional Anatomy), along with musculoskeletal assessments. We were then encouraged to individually research current paradigms, as opposed to Rootian, and to examine the evidence, although we were not formally examined on our findings. They did produce some excellent researchers as a result.

    That said, whilst speaking to a Soton second year student, at the recent orthotic debate, I was informed that they do now teach biomechanics. So, as already advised, best check the staff CV`s, speak to the current students and recent grads.

    Cheers,
    Bel
     
  23. N.Knight

    N.Knight Active Member

    As for Northampton, I am a recent grad.

    I went there 2 years ago, very strong on MSK, in 3rd year you do a sports and paediatrics clinic every Friday and go to the London Marathon

    Clinic wise they have a 24 chair clinic which means a lot of pt contact time, you start doing clinics by x-mas of your first year and get more regular as they course progresses. There is a regular 2nd year placement once a fortnight in a NHS clinic and you have a block session at the end of the 2nd year.

    Another thing I loved was that we went to the dissection room twice and helps so much with your anatomy.

    Ian Reily is in Northampton and you can (unless things have changed) to shadow him in surgery.

    You also get good amount of Lab time making orthoses and simple insloes.

    The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and approachable

    Hope this helps, any questions just ask.

    Nick
     
  24. N.Knight

    N.Knight Active Member

    with regards to employment in my year all had jobs with in 4 months of graduation.
     
  25. French summer

    French summer Member

    AS a graduate of Northampton I could say things like the fortnightly placements allow you to follow up patients and know if your treatment plan is working etc. dissection at Leicester university medical school is great for understanding anatomy, doing your dissertation as a solo project as opposed to a group work as done by some university is better as the personal dissertation tutors are very good. if you get an A they will even ask you if you want to publish it, some students have done so in the past. But you might already know this so when you visit the universities ask them about how they assess their modules, find out if there is a lot of group work, find out if they have a clinic at the university, find out how they run their placements, find out how many students graduated with a 2:1 or first in the last graduation, find out about their dropout rate, Northampton has a good retention rate cause the structure of the course is so good. Over 30 students graduated from Northampton in July majority of them were original. Also most of the students are friends or know the students in the other years ie 1,2, 3years have always got on and share ideas on how to cope with studying while some other universities they year 1's havent a clue who the year 2 or 3 are and hence dont benefit from this.

    obviously I am biased, So based on the answers to your questions you should have a better understanding as to what chaoce to make.
     
  26. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    I am biased to - I still rate Northampton as the best UK school. While a long time ago now, when it started it was way ahead of its time. I was fortunate enough to have been on its staff for three years. Rob
     
  27. carolethecatlover

    carolethecatlover Active Member

    Any places still available anywhere? I didn't get in anywhere, and I really want to ..... I wanted to get into Northamton, but nobody answers my emails.
    I wonder if it is possible to get in if somebody drops out next week. HELP!!
     
  28. Didn´t you get a degree in NSW Australia ?
     
  29. Ian Reilly

    Ian Reilly Active Member

    Yes - 3rd year students still get to shadow me at Northampton. Not always a pleasurable experience, I'm told!

    (hint know your anatomy before you come to see me. Bob Kidd taught me anatomy 25+ years ago and I still owe him a beer for it :0) )

    Ian
     
  30. I got the same rep from students as well. :drinks

    Funny the ones who put the effort in enjoyed the course, others not so much :D
     
  31. N.Knight

    N.Knight Active Member

    I was one of the unlucky ones that didn't get a chance to shadow you, due to meetings and conferences, but I heard about some grilling, but all thank you for it now.
     
  32. Griff

    Griff Moderator

    I concur ;)

    Hint: Make sure you know how many muscles insert into the second digit to stay in Reilly's good books.
     
  33. Ian Reilly

    Ian Reilly Active Member

    Hint: Make sure you know how many muscles insert into the second digit to stay in Reilly's good books.

    Griff - dont give away my favourite question!
     
  34. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    Ian, I am gratified, now I am starting in my dotage, to be recognised as a good teacher of anatomy. But this is your question for the day (week?). Above I see a question about what muscles insert into the second digit. Good. In humans? In apes? Go comparative and Vive le Differance! Then you find out what pedal anatomy is all about. Rob (From a Caravan Park in Far North Queensland, sweating his bollocks off).
     
  35. Ian Reilly

    Ian Reilly Active Member

    Bob

    give me a clue!!

    Ian
     
  36. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    Now then - bear in mind that I am currently in Far North Queensland, with no references with me. However it is something like this.The interossei in humans are four dorsal and three plantar (with an optional extra in the first intermet space being a relatively common finding). We know the buzz words PAD and DAB which tell us where they insert (Plantar Adduct, Dorsdal Abduct). We often talk about how the midline of the foot runs through the second toe - as one cannot adduct towards it with interossei, and abduct away from it with in both directions. The point is that the interossei define the midline, not some artibtrary anatomist somewehere. Now look at apes. PAD and DAB works just as well, and the four dorsal and three plantar (with optional extra in 1st space). But note that the midline is around the third - not the second. Thus the second dorsal interosseus inserts into the THIRD toe, as does the third, and the 4th into the 4th toe. However, the first plantaer inserts into the second, not the third, so the ACTUAL NUMBER of muscles is unchanged (I think). Draw it out for yourself - or if you need, send me your email address and I will send you some pictures. All are still supplied by the lateral planatar nerve though. Now - what about the lumbricus? in apes, not 1 and 3, but 2 and 2. This is true whether you are referring to their unipennate/bipennate structure or their nerve supplies. In human the first is unipennate & medial plantar - the other 3 bipennate & lateral plantar. In apes it is medial 2= unipennate and medial planter, lateral two bipennate and lateral plantar. There in lies the problem of studying anatomy in a) isolation of other species, and b) of the lower limb alone. You see Ian, the ape foot is in essence the same as a human hand. Rob
     
  37. Ian Reilly

    Ian Reilly Active Member

    Pretty impressive of the top of your head Bob!

    I hadn't heard about the midline of the foot being named for that reason. I just use it as another stick for beating students, eg to tell me why Add Hallucis ABDUCTS the toe (followed up to a reference about Mrs Reilly having 2 heads too, like the muscle).

    Always liked the “ascent of man” stuff. Bought the Oxford VSI book on anthropology a couple of years back but even at that level its difficult to follow the arguments without someone to interpret. Still, had lunch with a creationist at the weekend, which was fun! He sees things slightly differently altogether...

    I’m on pod.surgeon@virgin.net

    best
     
  38. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    Don't give me creationists! I have a friend, quite famous in Ozz - Professor Ian Plymer - he is Prof of Geology at Adelaide. He delivered a wonderful paper to the Human Biology Conference a few years ago called "Creation Science: the Art of Telling Lies for God". That about sums it up - lying to support an unsuportable idea (I will not give it creditibility by calling it a hypothesis). Creation Scientist do not think: thinking and Creationism are oxymorons. Rob
     
  39. cjhopper1

    cjhopper1 Active Member


    I am a currently final year student at Northampton and confirm what Nick has said. I am also the uni rep at the society so have chance to hear about all the other universities/schools. Additionally you also get chance to go to King College Hospital, Loughborough for Sports, dissection in the first year and third year, lots of clinical placement in addition to the excellent clinical campus based in Northampton General Hospital. If you want to ask anything specific, drop me an email :)
     
  40. Ian Drakard

    Ian Drakard Active Member

    Did you just say dissection in your third year as well? If so you lucky sods ;) I always thought this would be a good idea. We only did this in 1st year and I always felt that although it was great to do this, how useful it would be to revisit it when you had more knowlege behind you.
     
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