Beverley Moraes’ keen interest in anatomy and biomechanics and her strong desire to help people led her to study Prosthetics and Orthotics, which appealed to her as the perfect blend of creativity, engineering and medicine. Her decision to study prosthetics and orthotics was initially met with scepticism from high school teachers and peers, who advised her to pursue other fields of study for which she was perceived to be more suited. Rather than dissuading her, this fuelled her determination to put in 110% from day one. Beverley says she chose the University of Strathclyde because of its international reputation and ISPO category 1 accreditation, allowing graduates the opportunity to work anywhere in the world.
Beverley passed all her university examinations at the first attempt, passing every year of her degree “with distinction”, meaning that her grade average for each year was more than 70%. She completed her orthotics clinical placement at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, and achieved the highest mark in the final orthotics clinical examination in her class, thereby qualifying for the OETT prize for the best performance in Orthotics. She graduated in June 2019 with First Class Honours in Prosthetics and Orthotics. Beverley is excited to be starting her first job, working in Orthotics at the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital. She is looking forward to continuing to learn and grow as a clinician and to be able to use her knowledge and skills to help as many people as she can. She feels that her university experience has been challenging but very rewarding and insightful. It has helped her to recognise her true potential and has demonstrated the importance of diligence, dedication and determination in the path to success. Beverley is extremely grateful to the OETT for the award of the generous prize, which provides her with great encouragement as she enters her orthotics career.