Victoria Bonham BSc Podiatry, 2017

Third Year Student

Hi, I'm Victoria Bonham and I'm currently studying Podiatry at the University of Southampton.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride, but absolutely fantastic. One of the highlights has been the privilege to study cadavers which helped me identify the different arteries and muscles in the body.

My background is in sports and I was working as a Football Development Officer. However, I always felt that a more hands on role would give me more job satisfaction. The decision to change career came from spending a lot of time with my Grandma, who has dementia and diabetes. I have been able to see that the small things I do for her, such as caring for her feet, can really help her active and put such a smile on her face.

I looked at a number of Universities that offered Podiatry, but chose Southampton because I felt so welcomed during the interview process, and the recommendations from people who had been here really resonated with me. The fact that it’s also a Russell Group University was also appealing, and the campus and facilities are all really modern.

I am now in my third year of the BSc Podiatry. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride, but absolutely fantastic. It’s a tremendous opportunity learning from teaching staff at the top of their game – they are so knowledgeable – and we have a fantastic cohort which is a real mix of mature students and those fresh from A-levels.

The highlights for me so far have been using the labs at Southampton General Hospital. We are incredibly privileged to be able to study cadavers which help us in identifying the different arteries and muscles etc. Being in the Canonbury Suite in Health Sciences is also a great experience, where we perform the practical elements of our study. This is a simulated environment where we learn how to hold and use the instruments required of our profession. There’s a small group of us that get together and practice muscular skeletal work on each other too.

My last placement in Oxfordshire was an amazing learning experience. I worked in different clinics seeing a range of cases including high risk patients and diabetic ulcer debridement. I was also able to run a nail care clinic for a full day which was of great benefit learning about communicating with patients and how to record podiatry notes.

During the summer I also volunteered for Diabetes UK Awareness Day where I was based in a Tesco superstore, helping with a foot healthcare survey. It was great to get that contact time talking with individuals.

My long term ambition is to work within the NHS, specialising in a particular area of podiatry such as diabetes foot care. I may decide to carry out some clinical academic research further down the line too – I’ll see where it takes me – but I’m excited for the future and it’s been a risk worth taking.