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Considering studying Podiatry at UoN

Discussion in 'Australia' started by zent01, Apr 25, 2014.

  1. zent01

    zent01 Welcome New Poster


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    Hi sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong area but I thought it was too specific to post in the education area. I'm in year 12 and considering studying podiatry next year at the University of Newcastle Ourimbah campus. I have a few questions regarding the university course as well as the profession in general.

    1. How hard will the podiatry course be for someone who hasn't studied any sciences in year 12 and is somewhat weak at maths (general maths)?

    2.What are the job prospects like for this profession in Australia? Is it difficult to gain employment upon graduation?

    3. I mean no disrespect to the profession but I've heard it being called a "glorified nail cutter." What are your thoughts on this? Is a lot of nail cutting actually involved?

    4. The area that interests me the most about the profession is the complex anatomy of the foot and bio mechanics. How much of this knowledge is actually applied on the job?

    5. How long do most people work for before starting a private practice? I've always been interested in running my own business and it is something I would pursue if I decided to become a podiatrist.


    Thanks for your help and if any mods feel this is the wrong area to post feel free to move it.
     
  2. carolethecatlover

    carolethecatlover Active Member

    Well, Ourimbah is hard to get to. And the clinic is actually at Keewal, so if you don't have a car it is very difficult to be in this course. This is a really serious problem for those of us from Sydney.

    The teaching is very variable. Some brillance and some marking time.
    But there is far too little hands on practice.

    There are too many people in the class who really want to be in medicine. (and they are the ones who call those who actually want to be Pods, glorified nail-cutters. They were very mean to the mature students. )
    There are more than 50% mature students. 30 to 40 in class.
    The entry mark is low, so you get very bright people and people who struggle. Even lower if you come from the Central Coast.
    There's not a lot of maths, and the science of podiatry is so interesting, you don't know that it is supposed to be difficult. You can start by learning anatomy before you even go in to any Uni.
    I got chucked out for saying 'I won't be here next year'(because white ants had eaten my house) this was considered unprofessional conduct. Very random.

    Other universities do not credit this course highly, as it is only 3 years. All the UK courses are 3 years, and in most of the world, podiatry is not even a uni course. So this is only a problem if you try to study afterwards at another uni.

    Look into the new course on the Gold Coast, fab location, new buildings 2 minutes to the beach, and a 4 year course, with an extra year giving you a double degree in pedorthics.

    You can work for yourself as soon as you graduate if you want.
     
  3. zent01

    zent01 Welcome New Poster

    Studying on the Gold Coast would be a bit of a hassle considering im from Sydney, Ourimbah seems to be the only logistically viable place to study podiatry.
     
  4. Rob Kidd

    Rob Kidd Well-Known Member

    I am making no judgment about the course at Newcastle - have you considered Western Sydney at Campbelltown? It is a time-honoured course with fine facilities. They have fine anatomy labs, the best or equally best to any in Australia. Their clinical facility is of the very best. And, their clinical placements are as good as it gets.
     
  5. zent01

    zent01 Welcome New Poster

    I have the means to support myself and live locally in Ourimbah, so it's just a matter of choosing the best quality course.
     
  6. AWFeet

    AWFeet Welcome New Poster

    Hi There,

    I have studied and graduated from UoN so I can discuss my experience with you.

    I thoroughly enjoyed studying at Ourimbah (I too live on the Central Coast.) While I was studying there, the new student clinic opened at Wyong Hospital. The facilities are fantastic and easily accessible. Ourimbah campus is great to study at also. For those from Sydney, it is a 2 min drive from the freeway and within walking distance to the train station which they also run a shuttle bus especially at night.

    The lecturers were also fantastic. They were friendly, approachable and most of all, knowledgeable. Just like any person, treat everyone with kindness and respect and you will enjoy your time there. Just remember that once you go to uni, you are responsible for your own learning so lecturers will not chase anyone for assignments etc. There is no tolerance for rudeness, or people wanting to get by without putting the hard work in.

    My best advice to you would be to keep up with the work, don't leave assignments/essays to the last 2 days to complete and do extra reading so that you have a true understanding of disease processes and treatments. This will help you practically both for your exams and in your first year out. That will form the basis of your knowledge which patients will have better outcomes if you have more understanding of what they are going through.

    The comment made above about not enough practical time is a load of baloney. You have to complete at least 1000 hours which abides by the standards. From 2nd year onwards you are in the student clinic at least once a week and by 3rd year its a few times a week. You also go on external placement in your holidays and during the final semester of 3rd year. I had very good reviews from external placement, especially one of which, a podiatrist who thought very highly of Charles Sturt students, explain to me before we had even started, that he did not expect me to be at the same standard as Charles Sturt students as they have more practical experience before going out to external placement. Needless to say, after the first day, he was pleasantly surprised by my skills and time management. His comments for my final review after the 2 weeks of placement were an entirely different opinion and advised that my skills were of a very high standard and that I was ready to practice in the big wide world. So just remember this as your preparations for external placement, you will still encounter Podiatrists with that opinion, but you can always prove them wrong.

    As for the comment about a glorified nail cutter - I own my own business and have a range of clientele from young to older and for all sorts of conditions. If you have a keen interest in biomechanics, which most of us do, you can become a Sports Podiatrist, however this is harder to establish a business solely for biomechanics, but doable. I would suggest doing some external placements in Sport focussed clinics so that you can be exposed to it before you graduate. You may even get a job offer to kick start your career in that direction.

    Thats about all I have to say... but if you have any more questions just private message me and I would be happy to answer them for you.

    Good Luck with your future endeavours!


    Kind Regards :)
     
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