Occupational therapy (OT) is a branch of health care that helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. OT can help them regain independence in all areas of their lives. Occupational therapists help with barriers that affect a person's emotional, social, and physical needs.

To practise as an occupational therapist, you must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). To register with the HCPC, you first need to successfully complete approved degree-level training in occupational therapy.

You can train through an approved full-time or part-time pre-registration university course in occupational therapy or a degree apprenticeship in occupational therapy.

Approved pre-registration university programmes

This is usually a BSc (Hons). Courses take three or four years .

There are also part-time/in-service courses if you are working in a relevant senior occupational therapy support role and your employer is willing to support you.

Courses differ but all involve a lot of practical work with patients.

To get onto a full-time occupational therapy degree course you usually need two or three A levels, along with five GCSEs (grades A-C), including English language, maths and science.

You may also be able to get onto a course with alternative qualifications, including:

• BTEC, HND or HNC which includes biological science

• relevant vocational qualifications

• science-based access course

• equivalent Scottish or Irish qualifications

If you already have a relevant degree and healthcare experience, you can take a postgraduate Masters in occupational therapy. These courses usually take two years.

Each institution sets its own entry requirements - whether you are applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate (accelerated, graduate-entry) programme, so it’s important to check carefully.

The nhs values

You need to be aware of the NHS Values : https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-constitution

So what are the values? There are six values that all staff – everyone from porters, physiotherapists, nurses, paramedics and gardeners to secretaries, consultants, healthcare scientists and phlebotomists – are expected to demonstrate:

• working together for patients. Patients come first in everything we do

• respect and dignity. We value every person – whether patient, their families or carers, or staff – as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in life, and seek to understand their priorities, needs, abilities and limits

• commitment to quality of care. We earn the trust placed in us by insisting on quality and striving to get the basics of quality of care – safety, effectiveness and patient experience right every time

• compassion. We ensure that compassion is central to the care we provide and respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need

• improving lives. We strive to improve health and wellbeing and people’s experiences of the NHS

• everyone counts. We maximise our resources for the benefit of the whole community, and make sure nobody is excluded, discriminated against or left behind.

Test your values with an e-tool

Health Education England has a free online tool to champion the values and behaviours of the NHS. The tool will show you some videos of staff working in various situations and ask you questions about how you would have handled the same situation. You'll then get an assessment report to show you how you've done.

Try out the tool for yourself.

https://www.studential.com/university/applying/UCAS-application-guide/interviews/occupational-therapy-questions

Background & motivation

• Tell us about yourself.

• Talk us through your personal statement.

• Why do you want to study Occupational Therapy?

• Why did you apply to this university?

• What have you done to prepare yourself for a career in OT?

• What strengths do you have that will help you deal with all the work involved?

• Why do you want to be an Occupational Therapist, rather than another profession that is caring such as a nurse or doctor?

• What is an Occupational Therapist?

• What interests you most about Occupational Therapy and why?

• What are you looking forward to most about becoming an Occupational Therapist?

• What contribution do you hope to make to the field?

• How do you think Occupational Therapy differs from other health professions?

• What attracts to this particular profession?

• If you were to become an Occupational Therapist, how would you like your patients to describe you and why?

• How do you know whether you really do want to become an Occupational Therapist?

• Do you have any life experiences that you think may help your career in Occupational Therapy?

• What do you feel are the 3 most important skills to become an Occupational Therapist?

• Do you possess all of these? If so, what examples can you give to demonstrate this?

• What qualities do you think make a good Occupational Therapist?

• Discuss a time when you had to convey an important message to someone - describe how you did this and what the end result was.

• How do you cope with stress?

• How do you manage your time?

Knowledge & work experience

• What do you know about the Council of Occupational Therapists for European Countries?

• What is the role of an Occupational Therapist?

• What is the most demanding aspect of the study programme, and how would you overcome this?

• What can you tell me about the Nursing Code of Practice?

• If you had £1 million to spend on Occupational Therapy, what would you spend it on and why?

• Where does Occupational Therapy take place?

• What do you know about current Occupational Therapy issues in the media?

• What challenges affect Occupational Therapy in the UK?

• What might a typical day involve for an Occupational Therapist?

• What work experience do you have that is relevant to Occupational Therapy?

• What skills did you learn from it?

• Were there any aspects of your work experience you didn't enjoy?

Empathy & patient care

• Give an example of a situation where you have supported a friend in a difficult social circumstance. What issues did they face and how did you help them?

• What does the word empathy mean to you. How do you differentiate empathy from sympathy?

• Is it right for Occupational Therapists to 'feel for their patients'?

• How do Occupational Therapists sometimes react negatively to stress?

Teamwork & communication

• Why is communication vital in Occupational Therapy?

• Give us an example of when you worked as part of a team?

• Can you think of a team situation where your communication skills have been essential? Tell us more about the situation and how you contributed.

• Tell us about a group activity you have organised. What went well and what went badly? What did you learn from it?

• What have you learned about yourself and successful team-working?

• Who do you think will be the most important people you will work with as an Occupational Therapist?

• Describe a time when you had to lead a team of people?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of being in a team? Do you believe teams need leaders?

• Do you think humour can help a team? Give an example.

Career plans & your future

• Do you have any career aspirations?

• How will university benefit your future?

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years' time?

• If you had to take a gap year, what would you do?