Student combines nursing and podiatry to fulfil childhood calling

A University student is nearing a ‘health harmony’, combining her experience from one profession with another.

Celine Hobson-Garcia lives in Bordon, Hampshire and has been interested in health for as long as she can remember, as she explains: “I grew up in the Caribbean, born in Trinidad, but I lived with my Gran in Grenada for some years and provided some of her care needs.

“She had diabetes and experienced complications with her feet which, sadly, is the case for many people with diabetes. I determined from a young age to help her in some way.”

Celine still works part-time as a nurse but has finally started on the path toward qualifying in podiatry, the original career path she thought of as a child. She has just finished the first year of her degree in Podiatry at University of Northampton (UON).

She continues: “There are three nurses in my family, so perhaps it was inevitable I’d get nudged in that direction. I started out in psychiatric (or mental health) and general (adult) nursing and completed many other competencies. It’s been a very satisfying career, but recently I have thought more about podiatry.

“I researched a few podiatry courses and applied through UCAS, and University of Northampton responded almost straight away.

“I visited all the universities as they all had something to offer, but I was super impressed by UON! It was new and the clinic is fabulous, and the course offers things you don’t get at other universities, such as working on cadavers.

“There are some transferrable skills in nursing (for instance, wound dressings), but you really can’t compare the two professions. I feel like I have been and always will be on a continuous learning journey – I like to study!

“Podiatry is intense but engaging and makes you hungry to know and do more, and to look to the future. I went with my gut feeling about studying at Northampton, it’s somewhere I felt I would be comfy and make friends. There’s good karma and energy here.”

Celine is committed to providing good podiatric care, something she feels is urgently required: “We need to think about this in terms of the numbers. The UK has a population of around 70 million people, but there are only about 12,000 podiatrists.

“With an increase in potentially life-altering conditions such as diabetic ulcers that can lead to amputations, you don’t need to do complicated maths to understand why podiatrists are so desperately needed.

“The situation is more acute in the Caribbean where lifestyle choices impact the population’s health – sugar is the ‘culprit’ – and knowledge about diabetes and podiatry is poor in comparison to the UK. My Gran died aged 59 partly because of issues with her feet (she had to have a leg amputated). After graduating and getting extra experience in the NHS, one of my dreams is to enhance podiatric care back home, something my Gran would be deeply proud of.”

Find out more about Podiatry at University of Northampton.