Description
This case is based on my experience with East Coast Podiatry.
Before my arrival, I was filled with apprehension and excitement for I had heard of the calibre of East Coast Podiatry, both in terms of clinical workspace and the high-tech equipment used. I spent 4 weeks shadowing the podiatrists at ECP and during those 4 weeks I learnt a great deal of musculoskeletal (MSK) and life as a podiatrist in Singapore. I have begun to process a lot of what I learnt and understand how ECP is pioneering podiatry into the profession many back in the UK hope it to be.
Feelings
This experience was unbelievable, as I learnt things I did not learn during the 3 years at university. That may be due to the sole focus on MSK. Although this placement was to explore the private sector of podiatry, it gave me a glimpse into the importance of the NHS and how vital it is on a global scale.
This became evident when I was talking to a patient who was a non-EU national who lived in the UK and was able to access the NHS services. Another experience was a diabetic patient who required antibiotics but was leaving Singapore for a while and her destination was the UK and so again was able to access the NHS.
But this experience has also shown me the creativity that can be achieved through private practice and probably most importantly the ability to assess and treat patients instead of treating and allowing patients to return for further unnecessary treatment.
Evaluation
There were no bad aspects from this placement because as stated above, I learnt a lot from a variety of different aspects that have most definitely broadened my clinical awareness and judgment. I mentioned to many working at ECP that this experience would have been beneficial if I had undertaken it before taking my medical viva as a lot of treatment aspects began to fall perfectly into place.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I highly recommended students seeking selective placement abroad to consider ECP. Whether they are looking to go private or even NHS, much can be taken from this autonomous practice and as a result I have encourage my university lecturers to encourage the final year students to explore this opportunity. This experience will undoubtedly increase the MSK knowledge, which was fairly absent within university training.
