BSc (Honours) Occupational Therapy
Three years full-time
UCAS code • B920
This course is subject to reapproval
Location • Collegiate Campus
Subject area • Occupational therapy
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A 360 degree tour of the home environment room in our Robert Winston Building
Our health and social care courses place a strong emphasis on interprofessional learning. This means that you train alongside practitioners from other health professions. Find out more.
One of our lecturers receives the highest honour available from the College of Occupational Therapists. Read more about it.
FInd out more about the teaching staff in this subject area.
View profiles of students on this course.
At a glance
Learn how people’s activities or occupations are central to their health and wellbeing and how to help people engage in life as fully as possible on this well-established course. You train as a therapist with our highly-acclaimed lecturing team in specially equipped facilities before applying your skills and knowledge on several different placements. As a student on this course, you benefit from strong links with leading health professionals and healthcare providers throughout the UK.
Key points
• Learn from highly-acclaimed lecturers who have won professional and teaching awards.
• SHOUT – an active student group welcoming new students and promoting the profession.
• Gain a wide range of professional experience with three separate placements.
• Train in specially-equipped facilities at the £13m Robert Winston Building.
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapists are a vital in helping individuals overcome the physical, psychological or social problems caused by illness, injury or disability. They work with people of all ages to enable them to meet their personal goals and achieve health, wellbeing and life satisfaction.
The role of occupational therapy is varied. It can include
• working with people to prevent hospitalisation
• helping people to manage the transition from hospital to home
• offering community interventions to enable individuals to lead more independent and productive lives
• working as part of a rehabilitation team
• work with communities to become more inclusive for all people
• supporting people to return to work and remain in work
For more information go to www.cot.co.uk/ot-helps-you/ot-helps-you
This course
Develop the theoretical and practical skills to work as an occupational therapist on this well-established course. Your studies within the university centre around a number of specially equipped facilities, including a vocational rehabilitation room with equipment used to help people back into the workplace. The room is located in our £13m Robert Winston Building, described as 'a beacon for the future development of health education in this country' by a leading UK health body.
You also benefit from a highly respected and award-winning team that includes two Fellows of the College of Occupational Therapists. One of our staff members won a major teaching award from the HEA Subject Centre for Health Sciences and Practice in 2010. This team will lead your learning in the core theories and principles of occupational therapy.
You are also taught and encouraged to • think critically • analyse and evaluate your practice • solve problems • be creative in your practice to meet the needs of individuals and their carers • reflect on your practice • become a lifelong learner.
Once you’ve learnt about occupational therapy in the University, you then use your skills and apply these as part of a range of placements in a variety of settings. These include the areas of physical health, mental health and working in the community. Examples include working in a community mental health team, a brain injury rehabilitation unit, social services, acute hospital ward, or a children’s service. These placements allow you to gain practical experience of occupational therapy and develop therapeutic and clinical reasoning skills under supervision.
As part of the course you can complete a Level 2 award in understanding health improvement, which provides you with a certificate from the Royal Society of Public Health. We are currently the only university in the UK that offers this option as part of our healthcare courses.
Your student membership fees for the College of Occupational Therapists are paid, enabling you to access the services they provide.
Key areas of study
You study all aspects of occupational therapy including • orthotics and hand therapy • adapting the home environment • vocational rehabilitation • complexities in mental health, and learn to relate them to a wide variety of practice.
SHOUT
Our student led professional subgroup, SHOUT (Sheffield Hallam occupational therapy undergraduate team) organises monthly CPD events for clinicians, staff and students. It welcomes new students to the University and has an active blogspot and Facebook page.
Clinical links
We have good links with our clinicians who alongside providing placements are involved in our interview process and open days. Specialist clinicians are also involved in teaching.
CPD online
CPD Online, part of our CPD Anywhere™ framework, is being offered free to new graduates of this course for 12 months, as part of our commitment to support your lifelong learning.
CPD Online is an online learning environment which provides information to help your transition into the workplace. It can enhance your employability and provide opportunities to take part in and evidence continuing professional development to help meet professional body and statutory requirements.
For further information, visit the CPD Anywhere™ website at www.shu.ac.uk/faculties/hwb/cpd/anywhere
We have international links within our team ranging from South America, Japan, and several European countries.
Find out more about BSc (Honours) Occupational Therapy
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
If you are studying a course funded by the Department of Health you will not normally pay any fees yourself, as they will be paid for you by the Department of Health.
You may be eligible for an NHS bursary but you will not be eligible for the bursaries and scholarships described in the Sheffield Hallam University Bursary Scheme. For more information on NHS bursaries visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Students/4002.aspx
For 2013 entry, membership of a professional body is included in the course fee.
Your clinical placements may not be in Sheffield, so you may need to pay for separate accommodation while on placement. NHS bursary students may be able to claim the cost of this back.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £12,880 a year
Your clinical placements may not be in Sheffield, so you may need to pay for separate accommodation while on placement.
2014/15 academic year
Typically £13,380 a year
Your clinical placements may not be in Sheffield, so you may need to pay for separate accommodation while on placement.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• coursework • written papers and projects • presentations • portfolios • group work • interactive assessment • assessment of practice during placements
This course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Graduates are eligible to apply to register with the HCPC and can apply to become members of the British Association of Occupational Therapists and College of Occupational Therapists. You must be registered with the HCPC in order to practise as an occupational therapist in the UK.
Key Information Set 
Home environment room
The home environment room in our Robert Winston Building gives our students realistic workplace training.
Together in the real world of health and social care
Our health and social care courses place a strong emphasis on interprofessional learning. This means that you train alongside practitioners from other health professions. So, depending on your course you could spend time working alongside
• nurses
• midwives
• operating department practitioners
This gives you a fresh perspective on situations. And it also prepares you for the real world. Collaboration between health professionals is increasing as organisations try to provide a more integrated and effective service. At Sheffield Hallam we understand that by working together we can we give the best possible care.
Claire Craig receives the highest honour from the College of Occupational Therapists
Claire Craig, fellow of the College of Occupational Therapists
A Sheffield Hallam researcher and lecturer in occupational therapy has completed a rare double by achieving the highest honour awarded by her professional body.
Claire Craig has become one of only 86 people to become a fellow of the College of Occupational Therapists, the highest honour the organisation can give.
It follows Claire becoming a National Teaching Fellow in last year's National Teaching Fellowship Scheme awards, and success in the University's own Inspirational Teaching Awards in which she was nominated by students for her approach to learning.
Claire is actually the second Sheffield Hallam lecturer to receive the fellowship, following Dr Sarah Cook, a fellow reader in occupational therapy, in 2010.
Claire, originally from Royston, Barnsley and now living in Hoylandswaine, said: "This really is an exceptional honour for me and it is great to be recognised by my peers. It also shows the strength of the occupational therapy provision at Sheffield Hallam as I am the second person to receive the fellowship, and there are only 86 in total across the UK."
Naomi Hankinson, Chairman of Council, British Association and College of Occupational Therapists said “It gives us great pleasure to award this Fellowship to Claire in recognition of her outstanding work.
"Claire is a talented and inspirational educator who generates and implements innovative ideas in education and practice.
"Much of her work centres on the important role that occupational therapy plays in the well-being of older people and people with dementia. She is a wonderful ambassador for the profession both here and abroad.”
Last year, Claire was one of just 55 winning lecturers and learning staff chosen from hundreds of teaching fellow nominations made by Higher Education Institutions across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The awards scheme, run by the Higher Education Academy (HEA), recognises and rewards excellent learning and teaching.
Claire is a researcher in Lab4living within the Art and Design Research Centre as well as teaching in Health and Wellbeing. The focus of her research and teaching is around active ageing and people with dementia.
This led to previous external recognition in 2010, when she received two awards from her professional body.
Staff profiles
Visit the Department of Allied Health Professions website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
Elizabeth Schofield
Bsc (Honours) Occupational Therapy
'I always knew that I wanted to work in a health care profession and read about a number of nursing and therapy roles which interested me. I chose occupational therapy (OT) because I liked the idea of being able to work holistically with clients and patients and I liked the idea of being able to help people with day to day tasks which some of us take for granted. I visited my local hospital OT department to speak to some of the qualified OTs there and eventually managed to gain employment as an OT assistant. I enjoyed this work very much and felt that the next logical step would be to apply for the course to become a qualified occupational therapist.
'What stand's out from the course for me were my practice placements. These were my opportunity to put into practice all the theory I had learned in the classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed all of my placements and felt that this was my area to shine, as I found the academic work more of a challenge. And it is the placements that really prepare you for getting a job.
'I also enjoyed the course community. People helped each other out and supported each other throughout the course and I met many of my best friends on the course as a result.
'My community placements were in a mental health team and intermediate care, and my hospital placements were on general medical and cardiopulmonary wards, and a stroke rehab ward. I felt that I had a good variety of experiences. It was useful to be able to see a variety of OTs in practice and consider different ways of working. And this enabled me to consider my own work style and approach to clients.
'I currently work for the Community Learning Disabilities Team in Sheffield as a band 6 OT. I love working with this client group as there is so much variety in the sorts of things we get involved in. There are a number of specialist areas within the field of learning disabilities and I have had fantastic training opportunities to enable me to work effectively with this client group. I now supervise junior staff and I regularly take students on placements. I am also able to take opportunities to develop areas of the service and make a difference to the way the service is run.
'I love that I am able to work in a client centred way and that I am able to consider all aspects of each of my client’s lives. For people with a learning disability, there isn’t always a cure for what is causing their difficulties. This can be a challenge when working with this client group but it makes me think creatively about each piece of work I do. I am given the freedom to try out my ideas, and I am supported enough to feel confident in my decisions.
'I love meeting new clients and I enjoy the challenge of forming a rapport in order to have an effective working relationship with my clients and their support networks. In my current role, I am also able to work with some of my clients over several months, which means I get to know them and their families really well, which can be a real privilege.
'One thing that I found really useful when I was on the course is how easy it was to make contact with my tutors. They were always happy to meet me in person or have a phone call so that I could discuss any worries or queries about my assignments. I always felt really supported by the tutors.
'My personal tutor, Clare Craig, was also great. She used to arrange regular tutor group meetings so that we could get together and eat chocolate cake and be able to talk freely about the course and any general worries we had. It was nice to do this as a group because we could support each other. However we were also able to arrange individual sessions which at times were invaluable to me, especially when the end of the course was approaching and I needed help to prepare for job interviews.'
Claire Roebuck
BSc (Honours) Occupational Therapy
I decided to train as an occupational therapist because I had worked with children for around eight years and felt that I needed a new challenge. I still wanted to work with people but also wanted a career that I could develop. I visited a local careers advice centre and was introduced to the idea of occupational therapy. As soon as I found out more details I knew it was for me. There is such wide scope and you can work with so many people. The fact that you work with people to help them do what they want is the key thing I fell for!
The best thing about the course is meeting lots of new people and opportunities to go on placements. You gain such insight to the different lifestyles that people lead and the way they 'just get on with things' when faced with difficult times and situations. I learnt so much about myself and other people it's unbelievable, I felt like I had really grown as an individual throughout the course.
I completed four placements during my training • community rehab team • acute elderly inpatients • community paediatrics • adult's inpatient mental health
Placements are absolutely essential, you cannot prepare for the work we do without having completed placements. They allow you to gain first hand experience of the types of environments that we work in and to meet people that you may one day be working with.
Placements give you the experience and confidence you need for when you go out into 'the real world’ of occupational therapy. I am currently a Band five rotational occupational therapist, working for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I have worked for the trust for three years since September 2009. I have just started my 6th rotation. My responsibilities are to independently complete OT assessments and interventions in order to meet people’s needs and wishes. I work with the MDT to assess people’s needs and ensure that they are discharged in safe and timely manner. I manage my own caseloads and supervise team members. I am a member of the clinical governance group and try to keep up to date with new initiatives and guidelines that will affect the Trust and our service.
I enjoy everything about being an occupational therapist!! I just love being able to find out about people and support them in being able to achieve their wishes. I enjoy working as part of a team to work towards individuals goals and help promote their quality of life. Sounds cheesy I know but that really is why I do what I do.
Profiles
Elizabeth Schofield
Bsc (Honours) Occupational Therapy
Claire Roebuck
BSc (Honours) Occupational Therapy
