Occupational Therapy degrees: where could they take you?
For many health and social care roles, university degrees are seen as an incredibly popular entry qualification for registered careers such as occupational therapy. University degree courses provide aspiring healthcare professionals with a mix of academic learning and practical skills that create a solid foundation which they can build on with practical experience.
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Take your journey into occupational therapy to the next level with a university degree
One pathway into occupational therapy is through a university degree. Although there are now often different entry routes into health and social care careers such as occupational therapy, they can still be seen as the traditional way into the profession. Occupational therapy degrees are available throughout the country at different institutions, meaning that there are plenty to choose from. Almost all are a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, and they will all provide you with a core foundation that’ll get your career off to a successful start.
What’s it really like?
Occupational therapy degrees are run in many universities, with over 30 offering courses at either undergraduate or postgraduate level. Typically, an occupational therapy undergraduate degree will take a minimum of three years to complete if studied full-time. As part-time courses will have fewer contact hours per week (the time spent learning with academic staff), the course will be spread out longer, taking around five to six years to complete.
The academic element of the university degree will involve typical aspects of any course - you may write reports and essays, attend lectures and seminars, and take part in research projects.
For many students, one of the most exciting aspects of the course is clinical placement. During this time, you’ll spend time observing qualified occupational therapists assisting patients, and will be able to see many of the skills learnt in the academic setting in practice. Typically, this will progress to assist occupational therapists with patients, and even treating patients with some supervision. The placements will mimic the nursing environment as best as possible, to prepare you for the work environments you’ll enter once you graduate. In many cases, by your final year, you will see patients and assist them independently.
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Achieve your goals with a degree qualification
Occupational therapy is a registered profession within health and social care. This means that in order to practise, you will have to have obtained a degree qualification although there are different ways to do this. Not only will occupational therapy degrees provide the necessary qualification to progress in this career, but it will provide you with an opportunity to make a significant difference to the lives of many different patients.