Podiatric Medicine

Expand all

Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

What is Podiatric Medicine? The Student Perspective Clinical Education

Entry Points (2023)

463

Course Overview

Podiatric Medicine is a branch of medicine devoted to the medical and surgical treatment of the foot, ankle and lower limb.

A podiatrist is an autonomous clinician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and management of lower limb conditions. Podiatry can significantly improve peoples’ quality of life by promoting and maintaining mobility. Therefore, podiatric medicine as a career can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling and can give immense job satisfaction.

Podiatrists work in a variety of settings in the public and private sectors. Podiatrists will treat patients of all age ranges and at all stages of life. The scope of practice of a podiatrist ranges from:

Management of skin and nail pathologies
Management of patients with diseases that can compromise the viability of the foot and lower limbs, e.g. diabetes, vascular disease, wound care.
Musculoskeletal conditions
Biomechanics and gait analysis
Sports injuries
Paediatrics
Minor surgical procedures

What is a high risk foot?

What is Musculoskeletal Podiatry?

Clinical placements are a pivotal area of learning within the podiatric Medicine programme. Students are gradually introduced to clinical practice by use of simulated techniques and case exemplars. Onsite clinical placement and learning at Merlin Park Podiatry Clinic unite the theory with the ‘hands on’ practice education, facilitated by the academic and clinical teams. Clinical placements are integrated into each year of the programme, so that students will have the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice and develop their clinical skills.

The main aims of clinical education are:

To apply knowledge, professional reasoning and professional behaviour within practice
To promote professional competence
To work as an effective team member
To promote professional confidence
To provide opportunities for students to integrate theoretical and practical learning The clinical teaching programme involves experience with patients from various medical/surgical disciplines; this ensures a high level of quality practice education for students.

We welcome applications from school leavers, international students as well as mature applicants. The Discipline is committed to providing a comprehensive education for Podiatrists and the curriculum is based on best available evidence in relation to both theory and practice.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

The core academic staff team on the BSc Podiatric Medicine programme consist of:

Prof. Caroline McIntosh – Head of School of Health Sciences/ Established Professor and Head of Podiatric Medicine
Dr. Claire MacGilchrist: BSc Podiatric Medicine Program Director/ Lecturer in Podiatric Medicine.
Ms. Amanda Walsh - Lecturer in Podiatric Medicine, BSc Podiatric Medicine year 1 coordinator.
Ms. Olga Carey - Lecturer in Podiatric Medicine, BSc Podiatric Medicine year 2 coordinator.
Mr. Adam McIlwaine - Lecturer in Podiatric Medicine, BSc Podiatric Medicine year 3 coordinator.
Mr Nigel Roberts – Lecturer and Practice Education Coordinator, BSc Podiatric Medicine year 4 coordinator.
Ms. Sarah O’Connell - Lecturer in Podiatric Medicine
Ms. Angela McAnearney Podiatrist/Guest Lecturer
Ms. Fiona Lowry - Admin. Assistant
Ms. Geraldine Farrelly - Admin. Assistant

There is also input from members of staff in other disciplines within the university, who lead on and contribute to modules across the four years of the programme, including anatomy, physiology, microbiology and pharmacology.

The clinical placements throughout the program are supervised at Merlin Park Podiatry clinic, by a dedicated HSE staff team, who host a variety of skills and experience to enhance the students’ clinical learning experience.

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving
Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e.,
Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint) or Agricultural Science), and any other subject recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Students must satisfy the Garda/Police vetting and Medical Clearance requirements.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2024

A Level Grades (2023)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY504

Course code

Course Outline

The B.Sc. (Hons.) Podiatric Medicine programme is designed to educate and train those who wish to pursue a professional career in podiatry, as a health care professional, who specialises in the management of disease and disorder of the lower limb and foot. The Discipline is committed to providing a comprehensive education for podiatrists and the curriculum is based on best available evidence in relation to both theory and practice.

Year 1

Central to the curriculum are the podiatric medicine modules. These modules extend throughout the programme building from year one to integrate and articulate with the theoretical learning. In first year the students are introduced to clinical protocols and pre-clinical skills, they then develop and acquire the essential psychomotor and communication skills required for podiatric practice.

1st year modules deal mainly with normal structure and function. This allows time to absorb and reflect on normal function and structure prior to progressing to abnormal structure and disease states in year two. Year 1 modules include:

Podiatric Medicine 1
Podiatric Dermatology
Lower Limb Kinematics
Human Body Structure
Gross Anatomy of Lower limb
Human Body Function
Professional Development
Redefining Health and Wellbeing

Year 2

Various aspects of management planning skills are introduced at each stage of the program. Ultimately students acquire assessment and diagnostic skills and increasing competence leads to a comprehensive podiatric patient management, which requires increasing cognitive and psychomotor skills to affect safe and efficient patient care. The following modules advance the students theoretical knowledge and core practical skills, with an increasing complexity of patient assessment and management required in the clinical setting during year two of the program. Second year modules include:

Podiatric Medicine 2
Lower Extremity Wounds
Applied Pathophysiology
Endocrinology
Microbiology
Functional Anatomy and Biomechanics
Evidence Based Practice
Health Promotion in Podiatry

Year 3

This state of the art clinical facility provides a service to patients with a wide variety of medical and surgical conditions, children, sports injuries, rheumatology, vascular and diabetes care. Students in year three of the program undertake specialist clinical rotations in adult musculoskeletal medicine, paediatrics, rheumatology, vascular and diabetes care.

Students are encouraged to develop the necessary skills to understand critique and apply research-based evidence in practice. Research approaches and methodologies are covered within years 2 and 3 of the programme ensuring students receive grounding in research methods and biostatistics before they apply this knowledge in their dissertation in year 4. Modules in year 3 include:

Podiatric Medicine 3
Clinical Medicine
Research Methods & Design
Biostatistics
Podopaediatrics
Orthopaedics
Pharmacology in Health and Disease

Year 4

The overall aim of the programme is to develop caring and skilled honours graduates who are knowledgeable, creative, innovative and competent practitioners applying an enquiring and scientific ethos to health care. Students consolidate a lot of their knowledge and skills in year four, which includes the following modules:

Research Dissertation
Podiatric Medicine 4
Skills for Practice
Working with Vulnerable Adults
High Risk Limb
Podiatric Sports and MSK Medicine

Part 2: ‘Curriculum Information’ automatically synced with Akari (see screen shot below).

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Further Education

Graduates have the option to study a variety of programmes at Postgraduate, Masters and PhD levels.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Podiatric Medicine is an interesting and broad career and graduates have a variety of employment opportunities at home and abroad. The Podiatric Medicine programme has been developed in response to a recognised need for podiatrists in Ireland and is the only course available in the Republic of Ireland.

Theoretical Education

Theoretical education is enhanced throughout the four years of the programme through the support and contribution of other Disciplines within the University. Core subjects including anatomy and physiology are delivered by experts within their respective disciplines enhancing programme delivery and the student experience. Furthermore, input from other disciplines throughout the programme including, microbiology, psychology, health promotion, medicine and pharmacology augments the programme and ensures credibility and currency of modular content, as well as increasing student awareness of the role of other health care disciplines.

Practice Education

Practice based modules focus on the integration of theory and practice allowing the student to apply new knowledge and integrate it in to clinical practice. Practice education is a process of work-based learning which involves a partnership between the practice educator and the student in the practice setting. All students are required to complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of practice education successfully under the supervision of qualified Podiatrists.

Practice education will be undertaken each year. Most practice education takes place at Unit 3, Podiatry Dept, Merlin Park Podiatry Clinic, Merlin Park University Hospital, Galway. This state of the art facility provides a service to patients with a wide variety of medical and surgical conditions, children, sports injuries and patients requiring soft tissue surgery. Practice education aims to introduce the students to the culture of the profession. It facilitates the development and application of the knowledge, attitudes, values and skills needed for the execution of appropriate professional behaviours.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the programme can work in a variety of settings, these include:

Public hospitals- acute hospital services, specialist services e.g. diabetes, vascular.
Private hospitals- specialist services e.g. MSK/ orthopaedics
Primary Care Centres
GP Practices
Nursing homes/ residential facilities
Sports centres/ clubs
Private practice
Education
Research Graduates also have the option of studying a variety of programmes at postgraduate, Masters & PhD level.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Clinical Practice, a process of work-based learning which involves a partnership between the Clinical Educator and the student in the practice setting, is an integral part of the programme. All students are required to complete 1,000 hours of clinical practice successfully under the supervision of qualified podiatrists. Clinical practice will be integrated into each year of the programme and primarily takes place in Merlin Park Podiatry Clinic, based at Merlin Park Hospital, Galway. This facility provides an out-patient podiatry service to patients with a variety of medical and surgical conditions, children, people with sports injuries and patients requiring soft tissue surgery. The programme is the only such professionally accredited qualification in the Republic of Ireland.

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,868 p.a.(€8,208 p.a. including levy & occupational heath service fee) 2024/25

Fees: Tuition

€4,868 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€26,500 p.a.(€26,840 p.a. including levy & occupational heath service fee)2024/25

Occupational Health Service Fee

In year one students are required to pay a €200 fee towards a subsidised Occupational Health Service provided to students of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences in compliance with all relevant legislation and standards. ‌

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

Find out More

Podiatic Medicine The School of Health Sciences
T+ 353 91 495 814

podiatry@universityofgalway.ie

What Our Students Say

Lauren Connell | Postgraduate Research Student

I chose to study 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. If you are undecided about the course, I would advise to 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. In my final year I was awarded the Tomorrow’s Podiatrists inaugural podiatry student of the year award. In 2019, I graduated with a first-class degree, and I am now a postgraduate research student, with an avid interest in patient care and student education.

Marcus McGuire Daly | Podiatric Medicine

I chose Podiatric Medicine because I always had an interest in Human Biology and the course involves topics such as Human Anatomy and Physiology which appealed to me. I wanted to undertake a university course that was challenging but also rewarding and the Podiatric Medicine course at University of Galway delivered on such factors. In addition to this I wanted my future role to be involved in healthcare and the Podiatry profession is a greatly needed healthcare service worldwide and its recognition is growing. If you feel you have an interest in healthcare and helping others, then I highly recommend that you consider this course. To get a greater understanding of Podiatry and this course I highly recommend that you look through the course at the University of Galway website, contact the staff of the Podiatric Medicine department for any questions, explore further information online around Podiatry, and if possible, look to experience the day of a Podiatrist either within a private practice or within the health service.