A 26-year-old woman has completed a foundation degree in medical and applied science at North West Regional College (NWRC) and will now study for a pharmacy honours degree at Ulster University’s Coleraine campus.

Cara Doherty worked as a waitress after finishing her Leaving Certificate at Crana College in Buncrana, County Donegal, before deciding to return to education. She chose NWRC’s two-year full-time Level 5 course to gain the scientific grounding required for a university application.

The foundation degree covers biology, chemistry, mathematics and laboratory practice, and prepares students for further study or work in health and biosciences. As part of the programme, Doherty completed a work-based learning module in a pharmacy. She has said this placement helped her decide to pursue a career as a pharmacist.

Doherty’s acceptance onto the pharmacy honours degree at Ulster University follows the completion of her foundation year. She intends to become a community pharmacist. She also received an award for Excellence in Higher Education from NWRC.