To celebrate Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Day, Ziba, a newly qualified Podiatrist at MFT, speaks to us about her journey into podiatry and being an AHP.

I was born and raised in Cyprus. It was my dream to study for university in the UK. In 2022, I graduated from University of Salford with a BSc Podiatry degree.

Why podiatry? Well I played basketball for 9 years and I had painful feet. However, there was no podiatrist in North Cyprus at the time. I made up my mind to help people who were in my situation and I came to UK to study Podiatry.

I completed my placement at MFT from 2020 – 2022. I have learned a lot from my educators which helped me to improve my knowledge about Podiatric medicine, as well as managing the patient’s expectations with positivity. When I graduated, I knew that I wanted to be part of this team. I started as a Podiatrist in August and I’m glad to be part of this family and aiming to help as many people as we can.

I can’t explain my feelings when I got the job offer from the MFT as a Podiatrist. It was a unforgettable moment of my life and I felt proud of myself after all hard work.

Being an Allied Health Professional means alot to me. We aim to help patient’s with their conditions by assessing, diagnosing and treating. As a health care professional, we work alongside a multidisciplinary team to improve the patient’s quality of life.

Who are AHPs?

AHPs are: art therapists, drama therapists, music therapists, chiropodists and podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, osteopaths, paramedics, physiotherapists, prosthetists and orthotists, diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers, and speech and language therapists.

What is AHPs’ Day?

AHPs are the third largest healthcare workforce. AHPs’ Day is an annual opportunity for AHPs to come together and celebrate being part of the AHP family, and the day gives an opportunity to showcase to others the impact they make to the delivery of high quality care. The collaborations in services, organisations, trusts, regions and nationally enable:

• Improved awareness of the role of the allied health professions
• Showcasing the achievements of local services and their impact on patient care and population health
• Integrated working with other services and organisations.

Check out some of the celebrations and visit our Twitter page (www.twitter.com/mcrlco) to follow all the action from the day!