- This is the first degree course of its type in the clinical field of Health Sciences to be taught in this way
- Face-to-face activities on the blended learning degree course only take place during internships that are highly valuable for training and the attainment of professional competences
The Faculty of Health Sciences of Manresa (UVic-UCC), which has 22 years of experience in training Podiatry professionals, has decided to teach these studies in blended learning format beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year. This will make it the first clinical bachelor's degree programme in Health Sciences to be taught in this way in Spain. Paradoxically, one of its distinguishing features will be the increase in the number of hours devoted to practical training, which will be face-to-face.
The teaching on this updated degree course has been organised so that the face-to-face teaching, which is essential in podiatrists' training, is of high quality and with a high level of content involving professionally focused learning. The aim is to take advantage of the advantages of both online and conventional teaching, with completely face-to-face subjects for the practical section, distance learning combined with face-to-face sessions and completely virtual subjects, which will only require face-to-face attendance at the final exams.
UManresa has decided to make these changes to adapt to the demands of the market. The bachelor's degree in Podiatry is often a complementary degree for professionals who are already practising in other branches of the health sciences, such as nurses and physiotherapists. Providing the course in blended learning format facilitates access to it for people who are working. In addition to its 22 years of experience in training for podiatrists, the Manresa campus has prior experience of adapting the EHEA degree in Speech Therapy, which it currently teaches in conjunction with the Open University of Catalonia, to the blended learning format.
Blended learning must provide an opportunity to combine studies and professional work
The blended learning bachelor's degree course syllabus contains 240 credits, of which 30 are external clinical internships that must be completed during the last two years, when students already have a good foundation of knowledge on podiatric care. These internships enable the future podiatrists to experience real professional conditions and apply the skills of assessment, diagnosis and intervention that they have to attain during their training in a real environment. The internships also enable the students to see different intervention models, professionals and processes for themselves.
Clinical internships in hospitals
Part of the practical training on the Podiatry course takes place in podiatric and diabetic foot surgery units at various hospitals, including the Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu in Manresa (Allthaia) and the Martorell Hospital. Hospital internships have traditionally been a distinguishing feature of Podiatry studies at UManresa, which have been retained in the transition from face-to-face to blended learning studies.
Internships at the University Clinic, a University facility with a dual role in training and care, are also crucial in the clinical training of the future podiatrists trained at UManresa. The almost 8,000 podiatric operations that this centre carries out every year make it a high-quality environment for practical clinical training due to both the wide range of pathologies that it treats and the high technological standards of its facilities.
The UManresa bachelor's degree in Podiatry includes hospital internships in podiatric and diabetic foot surgery units
The practical internships at the University Clinic also bring students into contact with other health professionals such as physiotherapists, contributing to an interdisciplinary approach to health problems. The future podiatrists will do their internships for all the specific subjects of chiropodological and orthopaedic examination and treatment and surgery at this facility.
Apart from the practical training at the Clinic and the external internships that require attendance in person, everyone who studies Podiatry in this new course format will have to do an internship for three days a month at UManresa. However, a progressive track to the semi-face-to-face format is planned, which will enable students wishing to study the first three semesters of the degree course on a face-to-face basis to do so on two mornings a week. From the second semester of the second year, all students will study in the blended learning format, involving three full days a month of practical activities at the University's facilities in Manresa.
Podiatry is a profession with good career prospects
This is a very good time for podiatry as a profession. The latest employment studies of UManresa graduates report a high level of job placements among graduates in this profession. In specific terms, the latest study confirms that 100% of graduates from the class of 2016-2017 are working three years after graduating, and that they are mostly doing so in jobs entirely related to their studies. The rise of Podiatry is closely related to the growing importance that society confers on feet from the point of view of health.
100% of Podiatry graduates at UManresa have found work three years after graduating
Meanwhile, within the health sciences, Podiatry provides a highly comprehensive training that covers various fields, such as biomechanics, manufacturing plantar supports and prostheses using traditional technologies and with new tools such as 3D or CAD-CAM design, surgery and chiropody. Podiatry is also a discipline that is playing a key role in improving performance and preventing injuries in sports, working with physiotherapists and graduates in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. That is why the EHEA Degree in Podiatry is a valuable complement to these professionals' training. In the field of health and social care, it completes the students' professional development and offers many prospects for graduates in Nursing and those with other healthcare profiles.