Occupational Therapy interviews
Find out everything you need to know about your Occupational Therapy interview.
If you've applied for BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, you're in the right place.
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Find out everything you need to know about your Occupational Therapy interview.
If you've applied for BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, you're in the right place.
Congratulations on being invited for an interview, we are really looking forward to meeting you.
We aim to make our Occupational Therapy interviews as relaxed as possible, as it’s our opportunity to learn more about you and your interest in Occupational Therapy. It’s also a chance for you to see our fantastic facilities and ask any questions you might have about the University, your chosen course or the application process.
We often have Student Ambassadors in attendance as well, who are there to share their experiences and to support you on the day. If you haven’t already, you’ll soon receive an email containing your interview date and time. We'll aim to provide you with an interview date as soon as possible, however this can take up to three weeks during holiday and busy periods. You'll also receive a text message as a reminder – if you have updated your number or are unsure if you have used the correct number, please contact us as soon as possible and we can update your record.
We would recommend you do some research into current discussions, problems and challenges within healthcare. We would also encourage you to research Occupational Therapy at the University of Sunderland. As our course is accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT), we would also encourage you to visit the RCOT website to learn more.
You may want to consider the rationale for choosing this career and how your personality lends itself to this occupation. Reflect on what attracted you to the profession and show you have researched into the career, and you understand the role. You'll need to back up your answers with personal experiences. This can come from a number of examples delivering care in a professional environment, voluntary, caring for family members or volunteering with youth groups.
Prior to your interview, you must prepare a poster that demonstrates one of your personal attributes that best reflects the profession of Occupational Therapy. This needs to be one side of A4 paper, please bring a paper copy of your poster to your interview and be prepared to discuss it during the group element of your interview. You’ll have roughly one minute to present. The poster can be designed digitally, or hand drawn. If you foresee issues with printing your poster, please email a copy to applicant.interviews@sunderland.ac.uk the day before your interview. Please include your name, the course you have applied for, and the date and time of your interview.
Prior to your interview, you must prepare a PowerPoint presentation that demonstrates one of your personal attributes that best reflects the profession of Occupational Therapy. This needs to be one slide and you’ll need to be prepared to discuss it during the group element of your interview. You’ll have roughly one minute to present. The day before your interview, please send a copy of your presentation to chris.mckenna@sunderland.ac.uk. Please include your name, the course you have applied for, and the date and time of your interview.
For more hints and tips about how to prepare, read our article about interviews for healthcare degrees.
You are welcome to bring a notebook to prepare for your interview, however you will not be allowed to refer to this during your interview. You can bring beverages with you, however we ask they are in a closed container.
Please dress smartly to your interview, but ensure that you are comfortable.
Your Occupational Therapy interview will take place at our City Campus, in the John Dawson Sciences Complex.
You can reach us by car, bus, train or Metro. In your confirmation email, you'll receive a free parking permit. Please note a parking space is not guaranteed. Alternative car parks can be found on the Sunderland City Council website.
If you are travelling by Metro, the nearest station is University for City Campus.
Did you know that we offer a travel bursary to support you with travel expenses? If you are based in the UK and live more than 20 miles away from the University, you could claim back up to £100 depending on your location. For further details including eligibility read our terms and conditions or contact us on travel.bursary@sunderland.ac.uk.
View our AccessAble accessibility guides for support with planning your journey.
Please allow the full morning or afternoon for your interview, which will consist of a group activity followed by an individual interview. The group activity is a discussion-based task comprised of current issues within healthcare.
At the beginning of the day you'll meet a member of the interview team in the John Dawson Sciences Complex foyer. We'll escort you to your interview where you will meet a member of academic staff and have a course overview, this will be followed by the interview.
Your interview will be assessed by a member of the Occupational Therapy academic team and a Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participant. The group activity is a discussion-based task with up to five candidates, where you'll demonstrate your understanding of current issues and challenges within healthcare. You'll also carry out an activity where you'll be assessed on your values, problem-solving and communication skills. The group activity will last around 45 minutes.
In your individual interview you’ll be asked a range of questions surrounding Occupational Therapy to gauge your underestimating of the profession. You’ll be asked a range of straightforward open questions, giving you an opportunity, based on your experience, to demonstrate your attributes and values. The individual interview will last around 20 minutes.
We strongly encourage you to attend your on-campus interview, as this is your chance to experience the campus and meet us in person. However, we do offer a limited number of online interviews. These are for students that have extenuating circumstances or live a substantial distance from the University and are unable to travel to the campus. Online interviews are considered on a case-by-case basis. If you have been allocated an online interview your interview will take place online.
Online interviews will take place on Microsoft Teams and will follow the same structure as our on-campus interviews. You'll receive the link to the welcome/course overview in your confirmation email. Within the course overview you’ll be provided with a second link, this will be the link for your group activity and individual interview. During your group activity you'll be provided with your individual interview timeslot. At the allocated time you'll rejoin the interview meeting.
We'll email you with the outcome of your interview and you'll also be able to view this decision on your myApplication portal and UCAS Hub.
Any offer will be subject to Fitness to Practise, DBS and if applicable, academic conditions.
If you have a query about your application, please contact studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk.
If you have any questions about your Occupational Therapy interview, please contact us at applicant.interviews@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3374.