Masters Degrees (Pre Reg)

This course (previously known as Health Through Occupation) gives you license to register and practice as an occupational therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

It is ideal for graduates of any subject who wish to gain both a professional and academic qualification and start a career in this challenging and highly rewarding field.

You will explore occupational health through our innovative problem-based learning approach, with an emphasis on practical application of skills and knowledge. Through this balance of theory and practice experience you will graduate a capable and confident occupational therapist.

Our high quality teaching and research are renowned, and have an applied focus. We have established strong links with specialist practice educators to ensure the provision of support and guidance both within the university and in practice.

Successful completion of the professional elements of the programme leads to the award of a postgraduate diploma in Occupational Therapy.

Course structure

This intensive programme runs over 45 weeks per year, for two years. Your time on the course will be balanced between campus-based study and clinical practice.

Sessions are held in small groups, they are interactive, integrated, self-directed, and focus on problem-solving, to examine real-life situations. The use of problem-based learning is considered crucial to students' fast attainment of masters-level standards, and for critical evaluation.

Other learning experiences are arranged according to the need of the problem; these may be lectures, practical sessions, skills classes, debates or seminars. Most importantly, all subjects are integrated around the problems.

Our postgraduate programmes are taught by a wide variety of methods – small active learning groups, seminars, action learning sets, PBL, lectures, self-directed literature searches.

Understanding the relationship between occupation and human health and wellbeing is also explored through student participation in a variety of activities such as cooking, craft, horticulture, performing arts and pottery.

Assessments allow for individual feedback in essential professional skills including written critique, report writing, team working, presentation skills, and verbal/written presentation of intervention.

Areas of study

You will examine topics such as:

• theories of occupation and occupational science (causes of occupational problems)
• occupation related to population health
• clinical reasoning
• occupational therapy process (assessment, treatment, and evaluation)
• occupational therapy skills (creative, productive, leisure and daily living)
• research methods and professional issues.

Syllabus

Year 1 modules:

Human Occupation (including two-week beginner practitioner placement)
Assessing Occupational Capacities
Novice Practitioner (practice placement)
Maximising Occupational Capacities
Intermediate Practitioner (practice placement)
Evaluating Occupational Therapy

Year 2 modules:

Occupational Therapy: Teams
Diverse Practice (practice placement)
Occupational Therapy: Settings
Competent Student Practitioner (practice placement)
Occupational Therapy: Consumers
Achieving Best Practice
Research project

Facilities

There are a range of skills rooms which are equipped so that students can learn and practise practical skills with each other prior to working with patients and clients.

Human Movement Laboratory:

The high-tech Human Movement Laboratory is used widely in teaching and research for students in the school of health professions studying physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry, and is also used for commercial consultancy.

In the lab you will use the latest technology to measure and assess all aspects of human movement, joints, muscles, soft tissue structure and nerves. The laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment for conducting cardio-pulmonary investigations including Cosmed metabolic system and spirometry.

Exchange

The student exchange programme is for occupational therapy students registered on the Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) MSc at the University of Brighton, Occupational Therapy MSc students at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWC) and Occupational Therapy BSc students at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (RGU).

There are two options:

• Host option (year one)
• Travel option (year two)

First year students host visiting students during their Maximising Occupational Capacities module which runs from February to April each year. During the second year students have the option of visiting either UWC or RGU during their spring break.

Please see the website for more information
https://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/occupational-therapy-pre-reg-msc-pgcert-pgdip.aspx

Our philosophy

The pre-registration occupational therapy programmes incorporate the experience of doing and making, in order to engage analyse and develop skill in therapeutic media. We have creativity studios for cooking, ceramics, crafts, and performing arts, and we have developed gardens for the practice of horticulture.

Around the world, many academic courses in occupational therapy are losing this aspect of their education, to give over more time to ‘theory’, but here at Brighton we believe that it is vital to retain these embodied learning experiences – which utterly link theory and practice - as they are indeed central to the understanding of the true essence and potential of occupation.

Recent research has revealed the connection between skilled hand use and the development of thinking. As one student, who could not imagine a course without these sessions, said “how can we learn about doing without doing?” These classes are central to the philosophy of our occupational therapy education at Brighton and they have become one of its hallmarks.

Careers and Employability

After professional registration with the HCPC graduates are eligible to take up opportunities in health and social care, in the NHS, social services, and the private sector. There are now many new and exciting possibilities for occupational therapists nationally and worldwide.

Occupational therapists work in an ever-widening range of mental health and physical disability settings including acute hospitals, long-term rehabilitation, social care, local communities, schools, factories, residential homes, institutions for older or more profoundly disabled people, voluntary organisations and prisons.

Completion of the Occupational Health (Pre-Registration) MSc will also prepare you for further study at MPhil and PhD level if you wish to continue pursuing an academic path.

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About the course

Occupational Therapy (OT) at Brunel is one of the largest, longest established, and most highly regarded programmes in the world. In fact, we are the original ‘London School of Occupational Therapy.’

The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) provides a Master's level route for graduates to become competent occupational therapists equipped for life-long, safe and effective practice within the global marketplace. This course is for those who are not already qualified as occupational therapists. It is a professional full-time programme, which will prepare you to become a competent occupational therapist in a variety of health and social care settings. It also allows students to be eligible to apply for:

Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Membership of the British Association of Occupational Therapists/College of Occupational Therapists.

In December 2016 our programme was granted “Preaccreditation Status” by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), which confirms that Brunel has successfully completed steps one and two in the three-step accreditation process – see more at AOTA OT Master's-Level Programs - Developing and visit our Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) information page.

The programme will now proceed with step three – the on-site evaluation, scheduled for April 2017, followed by an accreditation decision by mid-2017.

Aims

This programme differs from other Master's programmes in that it is a professional programme at postgraduate level and is full-time. It is not for those who are already qualified occupational therapists. Nevertheless, this course aims to prepare you to become a competent occupational therapist equipped for lifelong, safe and effective practice in a variety of health and social care settings. We provide a high quality educational programme, which ensures that you are properly qualified, prepared and safe to practise.

Occupational therapy students typically choose this career for the following reasons:

variety of work
the challenge
personal and one-to-one contact
client/patient appreciation
its holistic approach
the desire to help disabled people
to work in health settings
job availability
the chance to be creative.

If you are considering studying Occupational Therapy at Brunel University London then you are committed to working jointly with the NHS to demonstrate the values and beliefs of the NHS Constitution.

NHS values
Patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for co-operation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS.

Course Content

Programme Structure

The MSc (pre-registration or pre-reg) occupational therapy programme benefits from being integrated with other programmes within the College of Health and Life Sciences. In their first year of study, MSc (pre-registration) occupational therapy students undertake components from a number of the current BSc modules/study blocks, as well as shared teaching with post-graduate students from the divisions of occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work and community health and nursing studies. In their second year of study, students share modules with other post-graduate students within the division of occupational therapy. Where learning is shared with the undergraduates, the content has been integrated into master's level modules and is assessed at master's level.

The programme comprises two years full time study. Taught modules are within a three-term structure. To provide a balance between academic and practice placements and still meet the minimum of 1,000 hours of practice placements required by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the College of Occupational Therapists, three of the practice placement modules extend beyond the term boundaries over the summer.

Academic modules are based at Brunel University in Uxbridge and practice placement modules are provided in a range of health and social care setting and increasingly in voluntary and private organisations including non-traditional settings.

Year One: The Skilled Practitioner – the How, What and Why of Occupational Therapy
Year 1 of the programme introduces students to the "how, what and why" of occupational therapy and aims to give them the opportunity to develop, explore and critique the core occupational concepts and skills of the profession in depth. The arrangement of study blocks and the two practice placement modules (that occur prior to the commencement of academic study in year 2), allow for a reciprocal exchange of academic knowledge and professional skills that develop the student’s understanding and knowledge of the profession further. Applying and evaluating research in practice is essential for occupational therapists, who are required to adopt evidence-based practice. Therefore the students are made aware from the onset of the programme of how research impacts on practice through clinical reasoning and decision-making skills gained in study blocks and also an inter-professional module HH5609: Approaches to Research.

Year Two: Mastery of Occupational Therapy – Advancing Practice
Year 2 of the programme aims to provide students with a more advanced exploration of the occupational therapy profession. Students acquire mastery in critical knowledge and evaluation of key issues on professional practice as well as critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of theoretical concepts central to occupational therapy. In addition, students study one optional module that enables an in-depth consideration of a specialist area of current practice. Students’ research skills are further enhanced in the second year and culminate in the students producing a research thesis, in the form of a detailed research dissertation. There are two practice placements in Year 2, one at the beginning of the year and one at the end.

Core Modules

Year 1

Introduction to Occupational Therapy Theory and Philosophy
Informing Sciences
Knowledge and Skills for Occupational Therapy 1
The Process of Occupational Therapy Practice
Preparing for the Work Place 1
Occupational Therapy Practice in Context
Knowledge and Skills for Occupational Therapy 2
Lifestyle Redesign Through Occupation
Preparation for Dissertation

Year 2

Preparing for the Work Place 2
Strategies and Visions for Professional Development
People and Communities
The Art and Science of Occupational Therapy

Optional Modules

Occupational Therapy for Children, Young People and their Families
Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
Occupational Therapy in Neurorehabilitation
Occupational Therapy for Active Ageing

Immunisation requirements for the course

Please be aware that the University does not pay for any of the vaccinations or blood tests required to undertake this course, this is the responsibility of each applicant. The University does not offer a service to provide these and therefore we recommend you go to your GP or local travel clinic and start as early as possible. Until the University has evidence that you have these immunisations we will not be able to allow you to enter the clinical environment on practice placement so it is vital that you meet these requirements, ideally before you commence study. You must obtain immunisation against the following and further information can be found on the NHS website.

Please be aware that as occupational therapy students you will be working in hospitals and therefore in contact with patients who have infections so these immunisations are required for students as outlined in the Green Book by the Department of Health.

Hepatitis B x 3 vaccinations over a 6 month period and a blood test is then taken 6-8 weeks after the third dose, to check that the vaccinations have worked. Please note that the Hep B vaccination programme from the initial first vaccination to blood test upon completion, takes 8 months.
Also required is Polio & Tetanusè Rubella, Measles or MMR x 2 è BCG è Varicella Zoster, and evidence of chicken pox or vaccination x 2, or blood test to confirm immunity.
Blood tests are required for Hepatitis B and also for Measles, Rubella and Chicken Pox if there is no evidence in the students medical records. Immunisations are compulsory and are required for clinical placements.

Teaching

The programme reflects educational developments and encourages reflection, self-reliance and deep learning in the programme - to prepare students for the challenges of employment within a changing health and social care system.

Teaching, learning and assessment are designed to ensure that successful students are able to:

Seek out, appraise critically and use appropriate sources of knowledge and expertise within their academic and practice-related studies.
Utilise intellectual, subject-specific and key transferable skills.
Reflect on their experiences and learn from these.

Students’ learning is also supported by web based resources on Blackboard Learn with all modules having lecture and tutorial material posted on this site. Other features of Blackboard Learn are also utilised, such as on-line tests, virtual blackboards, discussion groups and podcasts.

The teaching and learning approaches are founded on the belief that occupational therapy should be grounded in evidence. This is achieved through the integration of academic and practice education which encourages evidence-based activity.

Programme, study and module block descriptors delineate learning outcomes to ensure clarity and promote the active preparation of students. Placements require students to reflect on their personal strengths and weaknesses and set objectives for their learning.
Completion of student evaluation forms requires students to appraise their own learning experiences.

All study and module blocks are core to the curriculum apart from one optional module in the second year, which must be chosen from four options. All modules are compulsory. This policy was adopted to ensure the programme meets with the professional requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council and the College of Occupational Therapists.

Assessment

The assessment procedures within the programme reflect the learning outcomes of each study and module block. Assessments are carried out in assessment blocks. The University term structure allows the student to have assessments spread across the academic year to assist learning.

In order to promote independent learning, a variety of assessment modes are used such as case studies, essays, practical assessments, placement reports, presentations, written examinations, literature reviews and a research dissertation. These assessments are designed to not only reflect master’s level academic requirements, but also professional skills in preparation for practice.

At the beginning of each year the student is provided with the assessment schedule, including assessment and feedback dates. Each assessment is explained clearly to students, both verbally and in the programme handbook, giving notification of assignment block requirements early in the commencement of the relevant study or module blocks. This information is also provided via Blackboard Learn (BBL). Preparation for assessment blocks is co-ordinated by the relevant year leader and undertaken through identified sessions within study blocks.

Special Features

You will complete an integrated research dissertation as part of the Master’s.

You will have the opportunity to work and learn with international students.

You will have the opportunity to learn in a wide range of practice areas.

The programme is accredited by the College of Occupational Therapists (COT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It is recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapy.

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Choose physiotherapy at Birmingham and take the opportunity to develop into a qualified competent practitioner of physiotherapy.

This will not only give you the ability to play a significant part in most healthcare teams but also be involved in the maintenance and/or restoration of movement and function in a range of client groups.

The MSc in Physiotherapy (pre-registration) is a qualifying programme for graduates with a suitable and relevant first degree. It spans two years full-time, starting in September and finishing in July. The aim of the programme is to provide a challenging and rewarding educational experience that enables students to develop as competent, evidence-based and patient-centred physiotherapy practitioners, capable of making a valuable contribution to the workplace. We are looking for applicants who can meet our academic requirements and demonstrate personal qualities that are compatible with the values stated in the NHS Constitution. Find out more on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england

Successful completion of this programme awards you with a Masters degree and gives you eligibility to apply for registration with both the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Health and Care Professions Council.

This course is designed to train graduates to become practising physiotherapists and is not suitable for qualified Physiotherapists. The University of Birmingham offers two MSc programmes that provide qualified Physiotherapists the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills:

1. Advanced Manipulative Physiotherapy MSc/Postgraduate Diploma
2. Advancing Physiotherapy Practice MSc

This two year programme Physiotherapy masters programme is modular and is equally divided between university and clinically based settings. It has been designed around three core areas; the management of neurological, cardio-pulmonary and neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions, with knowledge from the biomedical and psycho-social sciences recruited as required. Clinical education is spread across both years in 6-week blocks.

For more course details, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/taught/sport-exercise/physio-pre-reg.aspx#CourseDetailsTab

About the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

We are one of the top-rated sport science departments in the UK. Our School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences is one of the longest established in Europe for scientific research into sport, exercise, health and rehabilitation.

We are proud to be at the forefront of the rapid development of this academic discipline. Our school has achieved an outstanding performance in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF 2014) with 90 percent of its research classified as world leading or internationally excellent, putting us in the top three for research in the sector. These results provide further compelling evidence of the long recognised research strength of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

Thanks to a £16.4 million investment, Birmingham boasts the largest custom built Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences facility in the UK.

This includes teaching and research laboratories for physiology, biochemistry, psychophysiology, biomechanics, sport psychology, motor skills, immunology, muscle mechanics and the neurophysiology of movement.

Funding and Scholarships

There are many ways to finance your postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. To see what funding and scholarships are available, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding

Open Days

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at our on-campus open days.
Register to attend at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

Virtual Open Days

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.pg.bham.ac.uk

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You will study the core areas necessary for professional practice: the clinical sciences, health psychology, medicine, pharmacology, surgery, orthopaedics, research methods and clinical practice.

This intensive programme runs over 45 weeks per year, for two years. Your time on the course will be balanced between campus-based study and clinical practice.

The course begins in September. Formal lectures are an integral part of the curriculum and you also learn through seminars, student presentations and interactive workshops, some of which will be shared with students on the undergraduate program. You will be assessed through essays, exams, practical reports, presentations and your professional development portfolio.

As a podiatry student you will also share some teaching with students on physiotherapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy courses, allowing you to exchange knowledge and expertise with students from other disciplines.

Your practical placements will be mainly at our own Leaf hospital and the local NHS trusts. Day placements for students are arranged with clinics and hospitals across the south-east England and London. There is also an opportunity for self-funded placement at the University of Malta.

Syllabus

Modules

Year 1:

Foundations of Podiatric Practice
Clinical Placement 1 (shared with undergraduate students)
Dermatology, Local Anaesthetics and Surgery
Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Foot and Lower Limb
Clinical Sciences
Health Psychology and Professional Practice
Clinical placement 2 (NHS)

Year 2:

Experiencing Research
Medicine and Pharmacology Applied to the At-risk Foot
Consolidation for Professional Practice: Governance, Health and Social Contexts
Clinical Placement 3
Clinical Placement 4 (NHS)

Facilities

Leaf Hospital:

You will have access to the Leaf Hospital in Eastbourne, our own fully-staffed clinical facility, which offers a podiatry service and a private practice physiotherapy service. This gives you a further opportunity to gain practical experience treating patients throughout your degree.

The Leaf Hospital has two main clinics and three further consulting rooms, allowing up to 28 patients to be seen at any one time. Clinical practice is supported by a complete range of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, including gait analysis, imaging and more.

You will benefit from use of the orthotics department, where you will produce high quality orthotics and insoles for patients as part of the practical element of your course.

On the first floor there is a fully equipped operating theatre for minor surgical procedures and a human anatomy lab where you will study prosection and take part in lower limb dissection.

Human Movement Laboratory:

The Human Movement Laboratory is used widely by our physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry students, and is also used for commercial consultancy.

In the lab you will use the latest technology to measure and assess all aspects of human movement, joints, muscles, soft tissue structure and nerves. The laboratory has equipment for conducting cardio-pulmonary investigations including Cosmed metabolic system and spirometry.

Careers and Employability

Our graduates enjoy excellent employment prospects, typically securing roles in advanced practice, clinical teaching, research, education and training, and a variety of positions in the NHS and private sector.

They are working in the UK and worldwide in Europe and Canada, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Singapore.

Podiatrists engage with patient care in a wide range of practices from independent work in the community or private practice to multidisciplinary work in a hospital setting. The scope of podiatry practice varies from general foot care (nail, callus, corns) to musculoskeletal care (for example, tendinopathy, provision of insoles, orthoses and footwear), minor surgery (for example, toenail removal) and wound care (for exampe, diabetic foot ulcers).

With further study and extensive training, graduates can train to become a podiatric surgeon, who is allowed to perform the surgical treatment of the foot and its associated structures.

Graduates of this course are also equipped for further study at MPhil and PhD level.

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