University of Northampton podiatry student steps in the ring with first class degree after a ten year pause

One University of Northampton (UoN) Podiatry graduate is standing tall after a longer than expected walk toward qualifying for her dream career, with her work featuring at a national conference.

Catriona Doyle, originally from Northern Ireland, first dipped her toe into studying podiatry in 2010 after her mother, who managed the specialists as part of medical teams, described what they did.

But the young hopeful would not just step into what would become her 'dream career', with early doubts leading her to tip-toe out for around ten years before finally coming back.

Catriona said: “I started my first podiatry degree back home in 2010, but I left soon after because I wasn’t 100 percent sure it was the course for me.

“I started another degree but as that course continued, I realised I missed podiatry. I know it’s a very niche area of health, but I was hooked on how much value podiatrists can bring to us. After all, if you suddenly find it uncomfortable or painful to walk, your quality of life is seriously impacted.”

Now fully determined to ‘walk the walk’ with podiatry, Catriona spent the next few years developing extra skills to make sure she hit the ground running when she re-started her dream degree. This time around, she upped sticks and moved to England to study in Northampton.

Aside from her undergraduate work, Catriona has worked with the University’s Interprofessional Education lead on a project to get students and academics collaborating to add to the learning experience.

Although she now has her degree under her belt, Catriona said she has been bitten by the ‘learning bug’.

The next items on her agenda are a postgraduate course at UoN in The Lower Limb at Risk before heading back home to start a Masters in Sports and Exercise Medicine later this year.

Of her time at the University of Northampton, she said: “I have really enjoyed the teaching and learning here, particularly orthopaedics and sports.

"The sessions given by the lecturers were excellent and really well thought out. The Orthotics/Insole lab at the Podiatry Clinic also helped spark my interest in the area and I am hoping to publish my dissertation in this area, a really great opportunity for a recent graduate.”