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At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
Podiatric Medicine
Course Overview
Podiatry is a healthcare profession that specialises in the management of disease and disorder of the lower limb and foot. The foot is a highly complex structure, which can develop problems affecting a patient’s overall health and quality of life. Podiatry can significantly improve people’s quality of life by promoting and maintaining mobility. Therefore, podiatry as a career can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling, giving immense job satisfaction. Podiatrists are educated in diagnosis and in planning and implementing interventions for all age groups. As a podiatrist, you will work as an independent, autonomous practitioner, demonstrating expertise in assessing, diagnosing and managing lower limb and foot-related problems. You will work alongside other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and orthotists.
Applications and Selections
Who Teaches this Course
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
Duration
4 years
Next start date
September 2021
A Level Grades (2020)
nuigalway.ie/alevels
Average intake
25
Closing Date
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
Award
CAO
GY504
Course code
Course Outline
Year 1
- Introduction to Clinical Studies
- Podiatry Theory I
- Human Anatomy
- Human Body Function
- Professional Development
- Redefining Health and Wellbeing
Year 2
- Clinical Studies II
- Podiatry Theory II
- Pathophysiology
- Functional Anatomy and Biomechanics
- Research Methods I
- Introduction to Pharmacology
Year 3
- Clinical Studies III
- Medicine and Surgery
- Pharmacology in Health and Disease
- Research Methods II
- Podiatry Theory III
- Health Promotion in Podiatry
Year 4
- Clinical Studies IV
- Skills for Practice
- Footwear and Orthoses
- Research Dissertation
- Working with Vulnerable Adults
- Contemporary Practice
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'.
Year 1 (60 Credits)
Required PO1060: Podiatric Medicine 1 - 20 Credits - Semester 1Required PO1050: Podiatric Dermatology - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PO100: Professional Development - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required SI317: Human Body Function - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required AN230: Human Body Structure - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PO103: Redefining Health & Well Being - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PO1040: Lower Limb Kinematics - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required AN112: Gross Anatomy of the Lower Limb - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Year 2 (60 Credits)
Required PO2103: Health Promotion - 5 Credits - Semester 3Required PO2080: Podiatric Medicine 2 - 20 Credits - Semester 3
Required SI3102: Endocrinology - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PO2070: Lower Extremity Wounds - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required PO2060: Evidence Based Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required PO2112: Microbiology - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required PO2101: Applied Pathophysiology - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required PO203: Functional Anatomy & Biomechanics - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Year 3 (60 Credits)
Required PO3103: Pharmacology for Podiatrists - 10 Credits - Semester 5Required PO3102: Clinical Medicine - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required PO3081: Research Methods & Design - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required PO3060: Podopaediatrics - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required PO3070: Podiatric Medicine 3 - 20 Credits - Semester 5
Required PO3100: Orthopaedics - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required PO3080: Biostatistics - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Year 4 (60 Credits)
Required PO4100: Podiatric Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine - 5 Credits - Semester 7Required PO4070: Podiatric Medicine 4 - 15 Credits - Semester 7
Required PO4060: High Risk Limb - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required PO402: Skills for Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Required PO401: Working with Vulnerable Adults - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required PO400: Research Dissertation - 20 Credits - Semester 8
Further Education
Graduates have the option to study a variety of programmes at Postgraduate, Masters and PhD levels.
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the degree course will have a professional qualification and may work in a variety of settings such as:
- Hospitals
- Sports centres
- GP practices
- Nursing homes
- Private practice
- Education and research
- Community rehabilitation services
- Opportunities for further postgraduate studies
Who’s Suited to This Course
Learning Outcomes
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
Fees: Tuition
Fees: Student Contribution
Fees: Student levy
Fees: Non EU
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.
Find out More
The School of Health Sciences
T+ 353 91 495 814
F+ 353 91 495 540
podiatry@nuigalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/podiatry/
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.

Jamie O'Sullivan | BSc (Podiatry)
...A lot of the course is practical work, so we either see the different treatments being carried out or we get to do it ourselves. I find this much more interesting to learning theory all the time! I love sport and through my course I could branch off into the sports side of podiatry such as orthotics or sports injuries...