Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons)

Embrace the power of occupation to transform lives through a diverse and rewarding career in Occupational Therapy. Gain real-life experience through practice placements and apply your learning to real-life situations. Graduate with the knowledge and skills to enable people to facilitate their recovery and overcome any barriers preventing them from doing the activities (or occupations) that matter to them.

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Learning and teaching in 2020

Overview

Occupational Therapists work with people of all ages to enable participation in the occupations that they want and need to do. Underpinned by the professional belief that occupation and wellbeing are linked, Occupational Therapists use occupation as both the goal and main tool of intervention. During the lifespan, occupational participation may be disrupted by ability, a condition, an illness, an injury or a state of mind that can cause a mismatch between the person's ability, the demands of the occupation and/or the environment. Occupational therapists enable participation through modifying occupations, promoting new skills or approaches, adapting environments, or a combination of these.

You will have the opportunity to learn from people who are experts by their own lived experience who have used health and social care services and who are fully integrated into the learning and teaching across the course. This ensures that you develop your skills prior to practice placement and receive feedback in a safe and secure learning environment. Through this process you will be more confident and competent when engaging with people on placement which will support your learning in practice to flourish.

Why us?

Our recent multi-million pound investment includes a fully functional independent living environment, a multi-media workshop and a suite of rehabilitation laboratories
Inter-professional learning facilities include four simulation acute hospital wards, a simulation mental health / learning disability ward, patient diagnostic suite, two immersive simulation suites and multiple practical assessment suites
This course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and is accredited by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT)
Our Health Professions courses are ranked 25th in the UK (The Guardian University league tables, 2021)
Access our excellent links with local placement providers including NHS Trusts, Local Authorities and a range of non-traditional and emerging providers

People who are experts by their own lived experience who have used health and social care services are integrated in the teaching and positively contribute to your learning and development through assessment and feedback
Our Senior Lecturers maintain their professional practice through honorary contracts with local providers ensuring that you learn from academics who continue to be immersed in relevant and contemporary practice
Opportunities to collaborate with physiotherapy, nursing (adult, mental health and learning disability), pharmacy, paramedic science, medicine, sports science, social work and psychology

Joining us in 2020

The Occupational Therapy team have developed an interactive tool to introduce you to the course, as well as a full week of activities during Welcome Week to help you settle in.

You will be undertaking the majority of your learning online in the first semester. We will be using Microsoft Teams for lectures and the Canvas conference facility for seminars and practical sessions. All of these sessions will be delivered live and we will be incorporating ‘Thinglink’ as well as some other learning tools.

In the second semester we hope to be able to provide a blended teaching programme as we prepare you for your first practice placement. Whilst lectures and some seminars will still be online, there will be mandatory training and some practical sessions in our specialist teaching rooms.

Where Government guidelines allow, we will provide some of our practical sessions outside – for example on the beach or at the swimming pool. Face-to-face tutorials will be available, the Student Society will provide extracurricular activities and we will still be making maximum use of the fantastic members of the Patient, Carer and Public Involvement team and colleagues from practice and around the world.

If you have any questions before commencing your studies, please contact your programme leader:

Cath Turner cath.turner@sunderland.ac.uk

Course structure

You will be taught by a highly-skilled and motivated team of lecturers, visiting practitioners and volunteers who are experts by their lived experience. Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, workshops, online tutorials and problem-based learning activities. A strong professional identity and confidence to learn and work with other professional groups is an essential part of the course. You will have the opportunity to work and learn alongside students from other professions and to learn about the other professions through participation in inter-professional education. As this course leads to a professional qualification a minimum attendance level of 80% per semester is required.

You will be assessed through written assignments, critical reflection, presentations and practical and written examinations. You will be required to successfully complete all modules to progress through the course. Simulated practice is integrated into the course to provide opportunities to practise skills prior to placements and to help bridge the theory / practice gap.

Practice placements form a significant part of this course. You will successfully complete a minimum of 1000 hours practice placement. During placement, you will be supervised by a practice placement educator alongside support from academic staff. You will need to complete a Practice Assessment Document and will be assessed in terms of your competence. You may be required to work an altered shift pattern and seven day work patterns while on placement. Please note placements can take place anywhere within the North East region and some take place outside the normal University academic calendar.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Core modules:

Introduction to Research 1 (10 credits)
Personal and Professional Development 1 (10 credits)
Foundations and Skills for Practice (40 credits)*
Human Function and Lifespan Development (20 credits)
Occupational Engagement; Psychosocial Factors (20 credits)
Occupational Engagement; Biological & Physical Factors (20 credits)

* A practice placement is aligned to this module

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Evidence-Based Practice and Research 2 (10 credits)
Personal and Professional Development 2 (10 credits)
Occupational Disruptions (40 credits)*
Professional Reasoning and Intervention Strategies (20 credits)
Enhancing Skills for Practice (40 credits)*

* A practice placement is aligned to this module

Year 3 (national level 6):

Core modules:

Dissertation for Occupational Therapy (40 credits)
Personal and Professional Development 3 (20 credits)
Occupation in Complex Contexts (40 credits)*
Occupation for Health in Communities (20 credits)

* A practice placement is aligned to this module

Facilities

This course is based in the Sciences Complex in our City Campus, which has benefited from a recent multimillion pound investment. Teaching takes place in multi-media classrooms with state-of-the-art resources for learning.

The Darwin Building includes a simulated living suite and multi-media workshop alongside two rehabilitation labs. It has shared spaces for Physiotherapy and Sport and Exercise Sciences which include a fully-equipped gym with a range of cardiovascular and resistance training equipment.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time, fee for this course is:

£9,250 if you are from the UK / EU

We are unable to accept international applicants.

This course is an Allied Health Profession and is therefore approved under HCPC pre-registration healthcare funding regulations. Please see our Student Financial Guidance for further information.

In addition, you will be expected to buy your books, stationery, travel and accommodation. For practice placements you will be provided with a uniform by the University.

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

From September 2020, a non-repayable grant of £5,000 and extra payments worth up to £3,000 will be available to eligible home students for each year of study. Read more about the Training Grant on the NHS Health Careers website.

Use our scholarships calculator to see what you may be entitled to.

Scholarships calculator

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

Occupational Therapists can work in a variety of settings including health organisations such as the NHS, social care, housing, education, voluntary organisations or as independent practitioners working with people of all ages. They can specialise in mental health, physical health and learning disabilities. The average starting salary for a registered occupational therapist working in the UK is in excess of £21,000. A more experienced occupational therapist can earn around £40,000, and a consultant occupational therapist can earn between £66,000 and £82,000.

Placements

As you may be expected to travel long distances, start your shift in the early hours, or finish your shift late at night, you could be entitled to Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) which allows you to make a retrospective claim for excess travel costs and/or expenses for temporary accommodation near to the location of your placement. Find out more about the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Career prospects

Employment prospects for new occupational therapists are good though ensuring your application stands out from the crowd is increasingly important. This can be achieved by preparing a thoughtful application and demonstrating a commitment to the profession. Unlike graduates with qualifications that are not specifically career-orientated, new occupational therapy graduates have the advantage of a structured career path with good long-term prospects.

Accreditation

On successful completion of the BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy course, you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Graduate Occupational Therapist and can apply for professional membership of the professional body the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

Page last updated: 24 September 2020

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Overview

Why us?

Course structure

Year 1 (national level 4):

Core modules:

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Year 3 (national level 6):

Core modules:

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Placements

Career prospects

Accreditation

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

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