From Ireland to Aberdeen studying Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy student Grace shares her journey moving from Ireland to Aberdeen and her experience studying at RGU including how the course and placement have helped her grow personally and professionally.

The start of the journey

My name is Grace, and I am an Occupational Therapy student at Robert Gordon University. It’s surreal to think that when I return to Aberdeen after the summer holidays, I will be beginning my final year. Time really has flown.

At this point of my studies, it is also surreal to reflect on how things have changed since I first arrived in Scotland, apprehensive about the transition from school to university life, moving away from home, and the associated challenges. I had no idea what to expect. I had never seen the University nor had I visited Aberdeen before I made the decision to pack up my things and move away from home.

Of course, I have recognised huge changes in my academic and professional competencies since beginning my course, but the nature of undertaking my course abroad has afforded me with numerous life experiences and opportunities for personal growth that I feel I would otherwise not have received had I not made the decision to study at RGU.

Making friends as a new RGU student

Prior to my arrival and in the first few weeks of my studies at RGU, my biggest worry was definitely around meeting new people. I had a solid group of friends at home and I worried that I wouldn’t find the same quality of friends while at university. Freshers’ week helped hugely in building a social circle. Various events are organised by students and staff during this week, to support students in their transition into university life. An example of such events is the Freshers’ Fair, where students can sign up for clubs and societies. Joining the GAA team in my first year provided a great sense of community, which really helped to ease the anxiety I felt around moving country alone.

Fast forward three years, and I am living with five girls I met during Freshers’ Week, with whom I have so much in common- from personal interests to sense of humour. Three of them are also Irish, which has offered a sense of comradery when it comes to organising the most feasible times to squeeze in a weekend at home, sorting out UK guarantor forms for rent, or planning for the process of eventually moving back home after university.

Making the most of the course

I feel my confidence has progressed hugely in the past three years following my move away from home. This is likely somewhat attributed to the process of meeting and getting to know so many new people, but also, to the way in which university life and the structure of my course have supported my growth. The care the university staff put into course structure based on student feedback, in my experience, has been the best thing about studying at RGU. Module evaluations and reviews afford us the opportunity to offer feedback on what we have found beneficial to our learning and growth, which is always taken into consideration as far as is reasonably possible.

Discussion with my peers has highlighted the emphasis placed on groupwork and peer review as modes of learning in our course as having been instrumental to the development of our confidence as future healthcare professionals. Presentations and groupwork activities have allowed me to exhibit huge improvements in my ability to articulate my points of view and to deliver these points to a group with confidence.

Exploring Scotland on placement

The practical elements of my course have also been instrumental to my growth thus far in my studies. My experiences while on placement have hugely supported my development, both personally and professionally. Not only have they allowed me to explore different areas within Occupational Therapy, but also different geographical areas within Scotland.

My second-year placement in January of 2024 was a major highlight! I spent eight weeks on the Isle of Lewis, working as part of the Adaptions & Rehabilitation Team at ‘Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’ in Stornoway. During this time, I was mostly practicing in the community setting as part of this placement, which allowed me to explore the islands of Lewis and Harris.

I was fortunate enough to have been assigned this placement with one of my close friends on the course, and to have made friends with medical students also undertaking their placements on the island. This added an enhanced social aspect to the placement experience as a whole. We felt very lucky to have been assigned this placement, given the opportunities it presented us with to explore the more remote areas of Scotland, and to meet and learn from people we may otherwise have never crossed paths with.

Due to my placement experiences, I now have an enhanced knowledge of the Scottish health system in the context of Occupational Therapy, and of the culture that will shape how healthcare services are delivered to the population.

Final thoughts

Due to opportunities such as the aforementioned and the everyday experiences of living and studying abroad, I feel I have had a very positive introduction to adult life. I expect that as I progress into my final year, I will continue to develop my skills and confidence to the level required to excel personally and professionally post-graduation, of course all while savouring the joys of student life in Aberdeen for one last year!

Here are more photographs that are reminiscent of such joys I have experienced over the past three years while exploring Scotland: