Louise Bottomley

I always enjoyed studying the heart when I was at school but I didn’t think there was a course with a clear career pathway. I wanted a course where I knew more or less where I was going to end up. Cardiac Physiology is great because everyone who graduates will be a qualified Cardiac Physiologist and can walk straight into a job rather than graduate from university with a degree and not having a clue where their qualification is going to take them.

I enjoy studying at the University of Leeds as I like the fact it is a very well-known and respected university. The city is great and there are lots to do there. It is very easy to get to, so if people live local and want to commute, they can do so without too much hassle.

For me, the most interesting module that I studied has to be the cardiac module. It is very easy to follow yet challenging at the same time. It is interesting learning about all the different heart problems which can arise and so far, I have only learnt the basics.

I think the teaching quality is great and you can see the lecturers are passionate about what they are teaching and they know the content like the back of their hand. The facilities are equally great, the clinical skills room in Baines Wing is brilliant for practising the practical side of our course with friends. It’s good to have the opportunity to learn with friends where there’s no worry if we don’t get it quite right.

We have all of our lecturers' emails if we need to contact them and they always reply quickly. If you need to see them face to face they will try their best to arrange a time which is suitable to both them and the student. They always tell us that if we need them, do not hesitate to contact them.

My placement was at Scunthorpe General Hospital. My experience of Scunthorpe has been fantastic. The staff are really friendly and are always there to help and answer any questions you may have. The department is fairly small which is nice as going into placement as a first year can be quite daunting due to it being many students’ first time in a clinical environment. When choosing a placement you pick your top 3 hospitals which you would like to go to and then one of your lecturers allocates you a hospital. The lecturer allocating placements aims to give you one of your 3 options.

The best aspects of social life at the university is that there are loads of societies and sports clubs that are available to join. The Students Union holds events every weekend for anyone to attend. The Cardiology Society (CADSOC) holds socials such as a trip to a trampoline park and to pubs.

The advice I would give to students considering studying cardiac physiology at the University of Leeds is to do your research about the course and make sure you know exactly what it’s about. Visit Leeds and the university to make sure you like it.

Read more about some of our other recent cardiac physiology students.