.jpg)
Student Case Studies
Two Medical Science students share their study stories..
I wouldn’t change a jot about the course. For me it was perfect! So I would say to anyone dithering about which course to take – do this one - you won’t regret it!
Nici Holland on the Pathology & Disease Course
I already had a massive interest in medical science because I grew up surrounded by medics and my father used to wonder if I was a hypochondriac when as a child he would find me sitting on the stairs reading his medical texts. But I was genuinely interested in how the body works and knew I wanted to help people. However, I didn’t study sciences at school and it wasn’t until I had ME and then a family that I really found out about complementary health therapies. When my children were born we needed to see a paediatrician and he recommended homeopathy for them and it was so successful that I wanted to study it as it really appealed to my naturally-enquiring mind. This course provides the compulsory medical science component of the 4 year Homeopathy Practitioners course but in the main is done as home-study with tutor support. It is written for complementary health students by a complementary health practitioner with the intention of wrapping natural health knowledge together with medical science learning.
My degree from Reading University was in Typography and Graphic Communication but would you believe that I did my dissertation on ‘The graphical evolution of human anatomical studies’ and I had access to the Cole Library which has a famous collection of early medical texts! So when I saw the Pathology & Disease course with its mixed activities including drawing, writing and research it looked very appealing.
I absolutely LOVED the course and I felt it was tailor-made for me! And because I loved it so much I now want to bind all my work into a beautiful, easily accessible document to use in my practice. In fact it has also inspired me to think of writing a book myself describing disease states and natural treatments in fun graphics for family use.
An odd aspect of the course was that it allowed me to face my demons. Historically I have always struggled with learning about respiratory diseases, breathing and coughing up blood etc., which wouldn’t really be very helpful when working with patients would it? So, doing the Unit on Respiration was like climbing a mountain and now I have done it and I feel OK about it all. I know I must be a much more rounded practitioner! Naturally the Homeopathy course encouraged self-refection throughout too.
I also loved the design of the course and I always found myself doing far more than I had intended. The bite-size activities suited me well when I had young children but often I would find myself sucked in and unable to put it down! As a perfectionist it also suited me well that you have to do all the activities but you are only assessed on some of them. The tutor was always enthusiastic, encouraging and prompt. I also found the annual classroom days which were face-to-face really motivating. I wouldn’t change a jot about the course. For me it was perfect! So I would say to anyone dithering about which course to take - do this one - you won’t regret it! Apart from everything else you will also learn from the course content how to communicate with the medical profession. The course provides a bridge between allopathic and holistic medicine, which ultimately is a huge bonus for the patient and the profession.
Find out more about the Pathology & Disease Course
If someone asked me whether they should take the course I would say that I highly recommend it as it engaged me despite my having done the subject twice before. DO IT!
Jean Webb on the Anatomy & Physiology Course
My background was in IT, so that was not directly relevant to my Anatomy & Physiology studies and my journey into Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). I discovered natural healthcare through my attempts at solving my own problems around infertility. I had already done some studies in natural therapies and these had opened a few doors. But it wasn’t until I had my girls that things really changed - and I’ve never looked back.
I had actually already studied Anatomy & Physiology twice before when I did my reflexology and nutrition training. However, I decided to do it again, as you can never know it well enough, and I needed it for the homeopathy course I was doing. I am glad I did as these courses are tailored to the needs of CAM and homeopathy students.
I really liked the design of the Anatomy & Physiology course with the variety of activities and different types of questions. The way the Anatomy & Physiology course mixed up bite-sized pieces of writing, explanation, matching, drawing and research made for a good variety and really suited me and kept the brain engaged. I did the course quite quickly because I was enjoying it so much. I know if it had been dry and ‘samey’ it would have taken me a lot longer to complete. I think I got even more later from the Pathology & Disease course - as it was directly related to patients’ ailments - but I knew that the Anatomy & Physiology was an important step towards understanding and appreciating the human body and learning the medical language. The way CAM and homeopathy ran through the course always made me think and I found all the mentions of natural health inspiring. It really hooked me in and I enjoyed reading about the organs and the natural remedies with affinity for that organ.
I have found the Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology knowledge really helpful with what my patients tell me - particularly when they are reporting what the GP or consultant told them and also especially when they bring their results or lab reports with them. I feel confident with discussing medical matters!
All the School of Health courses have good delivery. They are all nicely wrapped up with biographies, explanation of the courses and clear expectations of the students. The tutors were all very good with really prompt response times - which suggested that they loved what they were doing. The staff in the office are really helpful as well and always available by phone or email if you need anything. I don’t know why but I didn’t use the movie lectures for the Anatomy & Physiology course (I did for the Pathology & Disease course) or the on-line facilities.
So if someone asked me whether they should take the course I would say that I highly recommend it as it engaged me despite my having done the subject twice before. DO IT!
Find out more about the Anatomy & Physiology Course
I wouldn't change a jot about the course. For me it was perfect! So I would say to anyone dithering about which course to take - do this one - you won't regret it!
Nici Holland
If someone asked me whether they should take the course I would say that I highly recommend it as it engaged me despite my having done the subject twice before. DO IT!
Jean Webb
Anatomy & Physiology Course
Pathology & Disease Course