Alumni News

Find out how Maths and Physics shaped the career of Vincent MacEachen (1997) in Prosthetics and Orthotics and how technological developments are helping patients today: 

“I attended St Aloysius’ College 1990-1997. During that time there was a fire on the top floor Science department and Princess Diana opened the Japanese park opposite the pitch, where the Sports Hall now stands.

“My two favourite subjects at school were Maths and Physics so I looked for a job that involved these. I studied Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strathclyde University. My first job was at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle. Five years later I returned to Glasgow and have since worked at the WestMARC for 18 years (West of Scotland Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital). 

“Since 2014 I have been able to prescribe some of the most sophisticated prosthetics the world has to offer. WestMARC is the first NHS centre in the UK providing different multi-articulating hands (electric hands where all digits move).

“During the lockdown I had the opportunity to publish a paper on the results of our patients’ outcomes using multi-articulating hands. Comparison of patient-reported and functional outcomes after...: Prosthetics and Orthotics International (lww.com) It is an exciting time in the industry due to continuous improvements in technology.

“I would highly recommend Prosthetics to anyone who likes working with people, working with their hands and can adapt to different challenges. I still love the variety of my profession and always get pleasure in helping a patient walk.

“I hope my own children will have fond memories of their time at the school, as I do. Not only do you learn your subjects there but the school also teaches you to have confidence and an inquisitive mind, something you may not even realise until a few years after you leave.”