Rachael Pyper – National Feet Week

National Feet Week is here and we’re walking the walk (and talking the talk!) with our very own student feature.

Final year BSc (Hons) Podiatry student Rachael Pyper joined us to reflect on her time at University, and also passed on some top tips to her fellow students:

What made you want to study podiatry at Glasgow Caledonian University?

“I found out about podiatry because I myself have diabetes and I always went to a podiatrist. Diabetics can get loads of different conditions that relate to the feet so my mum used to take me to a lot just to keep on top of things. It was something I found really interesting and it was also a bit different.

“Not many people actually know what a podiatrist is. A lot of people still ask me if it’s related to working with kids, so there is a lack of knowledge out there.”

How much have you enjoyed the course?

“I think it’s definitely been different for my year with covid, but I’ve loved it. We managed just over half of our first year and then we were working from home for almost two years. I actually didn’t mind it because I’m one of those people that likes to have something in front of me and just do it, rather than necessarily having someone speaking to me.

“It was more the clinical side that was challenging because we just had to take it all in our stride, but it was the best way for me to learn.”

Can you believe that you are now coming towards the end of your degree?

“I do and I don’t! I feel like our lecturers have tried to set us up for the world of work as much as possible; they’ve been great. The programme is amazing because it really exposes you to different practices all over Scotland, so you already have that connection. It’s not like we are just getting sent away without any knowledge. I would say we’re all ready for that next step.”

What are some of the different career paths for podiatry graduates?

“Myself and quite a few of my classmates have secured jobs within the private sector and NHS, so that’s definitely something to look forward to!

“That’s the great thing about podiatry; it’s easy to think you’ll just be dealing with feet every day but there are so many different avenues you can go down. You could go into something like MSK (Musculoskeletal), sports injuries, diabetes, high risk, average-day care – there are so many options out there. You could also work in the NHS, private sector or even abroad.

“You don’t even have to deal with feet, if you don’t want to! You could go into the commercial side of the industry. We actually had a talk from a few different people that started as podiatrists and then developed their own products, like insoles and creams.

“It’s not just cutting toenails and that’s it! it’s actually very intricate and presents a lot of different career options.”

Do you feel you’ve got a new found respect for your feet and their capabilities after studying here for four years?

“We’ve had lectures about different footwear for walking and running on different surfaces – so much thought goes into it!

“Before this course I had no idea, I’d just shove on a pair of trainers and off I’d go. I would now be able to look at someone and go ‘oh that is not good’. This course definitely makes you think all the time!”

Right, the time has come Rachael: we want to hear your two best feet facts….

“I was having to have a good think about this. So, first of all, there are 26 bones in the feet. Your body has 206 bones, so overall that’s a quarter of your bones in your feet alone.

“It’s crazy to think, especially when you only really hear about people breaking a toe or ankle when it comes to the foot area. It’s because a lot of the bones are in the middle of your foot and they are so tightly packed. You could break one and have no idea because they are really hard to X-ray.”

“The second one isn’t really a fact but I just wanted to talk about the importance of tying your shoelaces properly. It’s important to have it properly adjusted to your foot. If it’s too loose then you can get repetitive trauma in your toenails, simply because they aren’t molded to your feet properly. This is probably my biggest pet hate – especially with my wee cousins who are always throwing their shoes on without tying them properly.”

Any final words of wisdom as part of National Feet Week?

“Feet are such a strange one – people really hate them. Patients will sit in the chair and question why I’ve chosen this as a career, which I can understand.

“The bottom line is people take their feet for granted – you walk every single day in them. You wouldn’t go to a dentist to brush your teeth, so I think people should look at taking better care of them before it’s too late. A huge amount of people moisturise their face but wouldn’t do that to their feet – why not?

“Moisturising and even making sure you cut your toenails properly are two very simple things we can all do that might just make a big difference to us.”

Find out more about our BSc (Hons) Podiatry course here

By Ross Clark     
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter