Welcome to Thomas Kelly,
Head of Development
and Alumni Relations
H
AVING RECENTLY JOINED the University as Head of Development and
Alumni in December 2019, I’d like to offer a warm welcome to all of our
alumni and friends. As a QMU graduate myself, I am incredibly proud
to be part of our University again.
As graduates, we are much more than part of the QMU history, we can also
have a key role in our future. I encourage you all to update your communication
preferences with us, either on our website or by giving us a call, and help us to stay
in touch. Staying in touch will allow us to share all of the amazing opportunities to
get involved and also hear about the great things our university is achieving today.
As I find my feet over the next few months, I hope to meet many of you and hear
your unique QMU story – we all have one! ❒
Are you interested in exploring the different
ways you can support QMU?
Get in touch at [email protected]
Santander Universities funding enables
Podiatry students to travel to Greece
T
EN STUDENTS FROM Queen
Margaret University’s (QMU) BSc
(Hons) Podiatry course travelled
to Athens last summer to gain an
understanding of some of the different
techniques and treatment plans that are
currently on offer in Greece.
Jennifer Donegan, Jennifer Durey, Linda
Ferry, Aideen Hanna, Emma Hogg, Megan
Horne, Lucinda Lock, Aisling McHugh,
Rachel McLaren and Alison Pringle were
able to experience the different styles of
teaching and learning - and engage with
fellow podiatrists in training - whilst visiting
Metropolitan College (AMC), located in the
Athenian suburb of Marousi.
The trip was funded by Santander
Universities, whose £6000 investment
supported the group of 2nd, 3rd and 4th year
students in their learning and understanding
of podiatric practice abroad. This funding
enables QMU to increase the number of
students who gain international experience
as part of their degree programme, which in
turn enhances a student’s overall experience
during their academic journey. The group
were accompanied by John Veto and Dr
Carla McArdle, lecturers in Podiatry at QMU.
22
While on placement at Metropolitan
College, the QMU students were shown
around Athens by their Greek counterparts
– but the trip was also an opportunity for
the students to bond with fellow trainee
podiatrists from different course year
groups back in Edinburgh, who they didn't
know before going to Greece. Emma Hogg
remarked: “We all got together to eat out
every night. I particularly enjoyed this as I
had never met many of the QMU students
on the trip before.”
Students at both QMU and Metropolitan
College were able to benefit from the
mutual exchange of teaching practices
and experience; third-year student Lucinda
Lock said that the opportunity gave her
“a perspective of what podiatry can be
like outside of the NHS and in a different
country”. In addition to learning about how
techniques and equipment differed between
countries and institutions, the group were
also able to treat patients within a new
environment. A standout experience for
many of the students was visiting a gait
lab, where they were able to analyse a
teenage boy with cerebral palsy, using highly
technical equipment that they had not yet
QMYOU / Supporting Student Development
used back home. "This was one of the most
interesting parts of the trip" according to
second-year student Megan Horne, who
also said she felt that "the discussions
we had around this afterwards were really
beneficial” to her learning.
Not only were the QMU students able to
experience working and learning in another
country, they also had the opportunity
to make a new group of friends and got
to know them outside of an academic
environment. A couple of students from
Metropolitan College have since visited
QMU on a similar placement.
Dr Carla McArdle said: “The trip was
an excellent opportunity for our students
to experience a day in the life of an AMC
podiatry student, not only from a teaching
and learning perspective but also from a
cultural viewpoint. John Veto and I were
very proud of our students and the way in
which they integrated with the students at
AMC. We feel that the experience gained by
learning from, and with one another will no
doubt contribute to their overall knowledge
of podiatry. Finally, we would like to sincerely
thank Santander for allowing this opportunity
to happen.” ❒