Meet Cara Doherty who has just completed the Foundation Degree in Medical and Applied Science at NWRC.
Cara, who previously studied at Crana College, worked as a waitress after her Leaving Cert until she decided to enrol in third level education.
She chose NWRC and has now been accepted into the Pharmacy honours degree at Ulster University.
We’re delighted Cara chose NWRC for higher education study and we want to congratulate her on completing her university level qualifications with us.
You can study local too – by applying for one of our HE courses
Cara Doherty
Foundation degree in Medical & Applied Science
Age.
I am currently 26 years old.
Course studied at NWRC.
Full-time (2 years) Level 5 Foundational degree in Medical & Applied Sciences
Previous study e.g. previous schools and qualifications.
I completed my Junior & Leaving cert degree during my years in the secondary school, the Crana College, Buncrana, Co. Donegal. Afterwards I spent the next few years working as a waitress until I decided to go back to 3rd level education
Why you decided to study at NWRC?
After working as a waitress for several years, I decided I wanted to enter a new career path. As I was not within a school environment for the last few years, I decided to go back to college within the NWRC to ease myself back into a learning atmosphere. Not only that, but the NWRC had a wide range of foundational courses that were more readily accessible for me to apply for compared to other colleges.
What appealed to you about the course?
I always knew that I wanted to apply for a course related to the sciences, particularly within the realm of healthcare sciences. When looking at the list of degrees available courses within the NWRC catalogue, the foundational degree in Medical & applied sciences appealed to me immediately as it gave its students a firm foundation in biology, chemistry & mathematics that is often expected within a higher-level university setting.
Not only that, but the course also offers students the chance to learn valuable practical skills such as lab skills, lab safety & work experience within an area of the students’ interest.
Tell me more about the course?
The Foundation degree in medical & applied sciences main goal is to give the necessary scientific knowledge & skills required for students wishing to go to university in health & bioscience related courses or to enter the scientific workforce.
Over the two years within my course, we were given a foundational education of biology & chemistry related to the field of healthcare and/or bioscience, including human anatomy, pharmacology, cell biology & biochemistry as well as a foundation in communications & mathematics.
Not only that, we were also given an introduction to laboratory practice & laboratory safety to give us the skills & knowledge required to work within a laboratory setting.
For second year, students were required to complete a work-based learning module, in which they spend a certain period of time working within a bioscience/healthcare related workplace of their choosing, to learn skills & gain knowledge within a science related industry that they are interested in pursuing.
Did you have any standout moments?
One of the most valuable experiences that I gained during my foundation degree was my time spent in work-based learning module working within a pharmacy. During my time there, I gained a lot of insight on what it is like to work within a pharmacy setting, learning important skills such as time management, organisational skills as well as developing my communication skills when interacting with patients & customers.
My time spent in work experience helped me determine that I want to be a pharmacist after finishing my course and gave me insight on what knowledge and skills I would need to development when entering this line of work.
Would you recommend NWRC – why?
If you would like to ease back into 3rd level education and are required to gain certain qualifications to enter a certain line of work (especially within the sciences), I cannot recommend the NWRC enough!!! With my foundation degree, I will have gained the credentials needed to be able to apply for a pharmacy hons course that I would not have had with only my leaving cert results.
What are you doing next?
With my current qualifications, I have been accepted into the Pharmacy honours degree within the University of Ulster, Coleraine. With this, I am hoping to enter the healthcare sector to work as a community pharmacist.
Cara Doherty recently received an award for Excellence in Higher Education.
