Dan O’Mahony – Sports Therapy Helped Me to the RCSI Degree in Physiotherapy

Dan O’Mahony graduated from the BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy degree in 2018.

Immediately after graduating, he started his MSc Degree in Physiotherapy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has been at the forefront of healthcare education and research since 1784. It is an innovative, world-leading international health sciences university and the professional training body for surgery in Ireland.

Needless to say, it’s not easy to get onto the RCSI MSc Degree in Physiotherapy.

Had you told Dan O’Mahony that he would be earning that place immediately after graduating form Portobello when he initially joined his course, he likely wouldn’t have believed you.

“Before I started the course, I didn’t really understand what each area entailed. After Year 1, I knew what I liked and what I was good at. I knew therapy was the route for me.”

Finding such academic success wasn’t familiar for Dan but he had previously played rugby at a high level so he could bring that commitment and passion from the field into the classroom.

He always knew he wanted to spend as much of his working life in sports as he possibly could.

He just didn’t know exactly what he could do until he arrived at Portobello.

Sports Therapy not only offered Dan the opportunity to find his passion within his passion, but it was also a preferred choice for him because it was an honours degree that could be completed over three years.

Completing the degree over three years gave him a head start over his peers when it came to applying for his masters. His Level 9 degree from the RCSI came 12 months earlier through Portobello than it would have through another Irish college.

That set him up to start earning money as a qualified physiotherapist earlier in his life.

Most other Level 8 degrees are spread out over four years. Dan understood the benefits of the three year course and he found great support from his lecturers when he was here.

“Portobello Institute provided me with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge for me to attain my ultimate career goal…I was also very fortunate to be given the opportunity to study with a great class of students and extremely supportive lecturers.”