Sean Moriarty graduated from Sports Therapy at Portobello Institute, successfully gained his Master’s in Physiotherapy and is now working as a physiotherapist for the NHS in Scotland.
For many young people receiving their Leaving Cert results, physiotherapy is an exceptionally difficult course to qualify directly into through the CAO in Ireland as demand pushes the points sky high.
Register for our upcoming webinar 'Pathways to Sports Therapy and Physiotherapy' on May 24th here.
This was the case for Sean, who didn’t get directly into physiotherapy and so took on a degree in Spanish and Economics which he dropped out of after two years because he knew he wasn’t following his passion.
He took some time out to think about what he really wanted and got back on his path to physiotherapy through a post-leaving cert course in pre-university physiotherapy in Colaiste Íde and Portobello Institute’s BSc in Sports Therapy.
After graduating from Portobello Institute, Sean progressed straight into his master’s in physiotherapy at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
He recently graduated and is now working in his dream role, following his passion and fulfilling his potential as a physiotherapist in the NHS in Scotland.
Sean’s Leaving Cert story is one that is all too common as young people feel pressured to go to university to study something they don’t love for many different reasons.
Luckily, he found his path to physiotherapy through Portobello Institute.
Portobello Institute strives to make education accessible, as entry is through direct application and no CAO points are involved.
Speaking about his time studying at Portobello Institute, Sean says the practical, hands-on experience and contacts he made with clubs and teams during the course as one of the best things, particularly for growing his confidence in his role.
“Noticing my skill set develop from scratch to confidently being able to practice sports therapy with a range of athletes and teams was my best experience during the course.
“With help from the lecturers, I found the transition from the PLC course to the degree a lot more manageable than I expected.
“Small class sizes meant that the tutors and lecturers knew all students by name, which made the learning environment very supportive.
“Weekly practical classes allowed us to apply any theory we had covered that week in a practical sense,” he said.
Sean will be speaking at our upcoming 'Pathways to Sports Therapy and Physiotherapy’ webinar, which is free to attend on May 24th from 7 - 8 PM. You can register here.
Joining the webinar and hearing the pathways and success stories of Portobello Institute graduates can help you to choose the course for the career you want.
You can see a snippet of Sean’s story below.
Register for our upcoming webinar 'Pathways to Sports Therapy and Physiotherapy' on May 24th here.
Who is speaking at the webinar?
Cathal Brady
Cathal Brady has a significant background in sports and is the Programme Lead for Sports Therapy at Portobello Institute. While he came near to realising his childhood dream of playing professional soccer, he ultimately chose to become a sports therapist. Over the course of his career, Cathal has taken advantage of his high-level soccer knowledge by working as a tutor, starting his own private clinic, and consulting with top-tier professional clubs.
Cathal is able to relate to sports fans readily thanks to his time playing in the League of Ireland as a semi-professional. He can also relate to Portobello Institute students since, before becoming a lecturer in sports therapy, he was one himself. Small class sizes provide him with the opportunity to get to know each of his students personally, which he finds to be enjoyable. This builds a sense of pride in them as they progress toward graduation and develop their sports therapy skill sets.
Sean Moriarty
Sean Moriarty is a physiotherapist and alumnus of Sports Therapy at Portobello Institute. Though he initially pursued a degree in Spanish and Economics from UCD, he dropped out after two years and began working full-time. After suffering several injuries while playing rugby, Sean decided to return to education. He completed a pre-university physiotherapy course in Colaiste Íde and went on to complete Portobello Institute's BSc in Sports Therapy. Then he studied a Masters's in Physiotherapy at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. He is currently working in the NHS in Scotland.
Dr Caroline Belchamber from AECC University College
As a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy and the course director for the MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) degree at the School of Psychology, Sport, and Physical Activity, Dr. Caroline Belchamber joined AECC University College in 2020. She has worked as a physiotherapist for 30 years in a variety of contexts, including the NHS, the private, nonprofit, and higher education sectors. She had 23 years of expertise in palliative care and was a specialist in those fields. Caroline has also had positions at Sue Ryder as a physiotherapy lecturer and professional lead for education. She has maintained her academic background by serving as the module leader for the University of West London's certified course on palliative care principles and practice.
Register for our upcoming webinar 'Pathways to Sports Therapy and Physiotherapy' on May 24th here.
More about the BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy at Portobello Institute
Upon completing this level 8 honours degree, you will hold a BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy awarded by the University of Essex (UoE).
When you begin this course you are invited to become registered as a student member of The Society of Sports Therapists. You may become a full member of the society when you complete your degree.
This BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy is recognised by AECC University College. for the purposes of applying to progress to MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-reg) . We are currently working through the validation processes towards delivering the MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-reg) programme in Dublin, with an expected start date of autumn ’24.
For more information on the BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy, click here.
Get in Contact
If you are interested in any of our sports courses or have any questions you can book a consultation call with our expert sports advisor Sharde Sebastian here, email sharde.sebastian@portobelloinstitute.com or call 01 892 0029. Visit our sports department here.
Watch our 'Pathways to Sports Therapy and Physiotherapy' webinar here.
