Molly’s story

“Having suffered with painful, ingrown toenails for as long as I can remember, (to even touch them was agony), I finally decided enough was enough and booked an appointment with a local podiatrist for surgery. The podiatrist who performed the procedure was excellent at putting me at ease with friendly conversation and a calm approach.

“As I began to relax, I actually found myself fascinated with the mechanics of the surgery. It’s not often you can describe a visit to a medical professional for a painful procedure as a positive experience, yet as I left the clinic, I could not have been gladder to have gone.

“A couple of weeks later, at my follow-up appointment, I was talking to my podiatrist about my new-found fascination and how sympathetic I was to people who were still suffering as I had been. As luck would have it, the podiatrist was looking at expanding the clinic due to high-demand and offered to let me shadow her in my free time. For the first time in years, I was excited about going into a workspace. A week later I had signed up to the CoFH Foot Health Practitioner course.

“For the next six months, I shadowed and studied at every opportunity, passing the theory exams, until finally in June the first real test came. My two weeks practical assessment at the College of Foot Health in Southport. Whilst I was initially nervous about the idea of spending two weeks with a dozen strangers, the course had a really welcoming atmosphere and the tutors were fantastic, showing us the ropes but also trusting us to get in there and get some real experience. By far my favourite part was working on the real-life patients. The practical experience of working on people’s feet, confirmed for me once and for all, that this is what I wanted to do.

“I feel a great sense of gratification when I can help people by listening to them and giving them the appropriate care that they need. When they leave feeling like they are walking on air that is the best feeling of all.”