Studying our Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons) course will provide you with in-depth knowledge and skills in the areas of human sciences, sociology, mental health and learning disabilities. In your first year, our unit in Sciences Supporting Occupation will develop your knowledge of anatomy, physiology, psychology and sociology that supports occupation. You will be able to relate this information to our unit in Holistic Factors Affecting Occupation where you will be introduced to the basis of occupational therapy practice. In addition, you will be equipped with the key skills and theories to safely and effectively engage with patients as part of your first practice placement in our Holistic Therapy in Practice unit. Here, you will undertake a 10-week practice placement that will allow you to apply your theoretical knowledge and practice your clinical skills in a real-world setting while receiving feedback. To develop your practice, you will explore professional values, codes of practice and regulation related to occupational therapy in our Professional Identity unit that will inform your practice. Another essential part of your practice is Developing Therapeutic Relationships, and this unit will allow you to develop your communication skills to build and maintain therapeutic relationships with patients.

In your second year, you will engage in more practical work in our Enabling Therapy in Practice unit that will consist of an 8-week placement where you will get to take responsibility for the assessment, planning and treatment of patients. To add to this, you will undertake a further 10-weeks of placement in our Collaboration in Therapy Practice unit where you will focus on intervention in the assessment, planning and delivery of care. Building on your professional skills, Collaborative Therapies will support you with the skills and experience to work within teams of other healthcare professionals to ensure seamless healthcare delivery to patients. Drawing on theory explored in your first year, Enabling Occupation will provide you with the knowledge and skills to support individuals living with long-term health conditions experienced across childhood to adulthood. With a holistic approach, Professional Reasoning in Occupational Therapy will allow you to examine the theories and concepts around disability and barriers to participating in everyday occupations.

You will continue to engage with additional placement work in your final year within our Complexity in Therapy Practice unit that will provide you with the increased responsibility to assess, plan, evaluate and deliver treatment across a period of 8 weeks. Furthermore, you will also have the opportunity to explore working in a different healthcare environment in our Quality in Therapy Practice unit. As you accumulate practical experience, you will also be taught to manage people with complex physical and mental health conditions in our Managing Complexity in Occupational Therapy unit. These cases often have an adverse effect on health status, function, and quality of life and would require complex healthcare management, decision-making and coordination. At the same time, you will add to your list of professional skills in our Growth and Leadership in Therapies unit that will introduce you to the strategies to promote and develop effective leadership qualities to work in diverse teams. Finally, you will complete an Occupational Therapies Project that will allow you to integrate research, policy and practice in the field of occupational therapy. To help you with this, Evidence Informed Therapy will equip you with the skills to conduct research using different research methods, data collection and analysis skills, as well as prompt you to consider the ethical issues involved.