So, you want to be an occupational therapist? The enablers and barriers to advertised admissions criteria for UK pre-registration programmes
So, you want to be an occupational therapist? The enablers and barriers to advertised admissions criteria for UK pre-registration programmes
Purpose and Aims~: occupational therapy (OT) pre-registration education programmes have a responsibility to ensure admissions processes are fair, accessible and equitable. To date, there has been no published data that brings together identification and assessment of admissions criteria across all UK pre-registration programmes.
Research design and methods: a cross-sectional quantitative content analysis of all UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) websites accredited to deliver pre-registration OT programmes for academic year 2021/2022 was conducted; with data collected on HEI programme type, as well as what and how, academic, professional and alternative entry criteria was publicly advertised.
Results: seventy-three programmes offer four access routes across undergraduate (n=46) and post-graduate (n=27) options, with limited part-time (n=11) versus full-time (n=62) opportunities. Academic entry criteria are more clearly stated for applicants undertaking ‘traditional’ qualifications, despite the image of university students moving away from home, having completed A-Levels no longer being the standard (Office for Students, 2019). Assessment of professional skills at application and selection is acknowledged by 76.7% (n=56) and 82.2% (n=60) of programmes respectively. While evidence to support traditional interviews is limited (Grice, 2014; Bowyer et al., 2018), there is a particular reliance on them (n=58). Over half of all programmes (67%) acknowledge alternative routes into the profession, including recognition of prior learning (RPL) and work experience.
Conclusions: although there are some trends in the collective admissions criteria, there is widespread variability and absence, placing the heavy burden of understanding of entry requirements on candidates. How many potential OT candidates and future therapists may the UK pre-registration admissions system be excluding as a result?
Mcginley, Sarah
1e7b484a-b327-4c19-8f7b-cfa0d31418b5
5 June 2022
Mcginley, Sarah
1e7b484a-b327-4c19-8f7b-cfa0d31418b5
Mcginley, Sarah
(2022)
So, you want to be an occupational therapist? The enablers and barriers to advertised admissions criteria for UK pre-registration programmes.
Royal College of Occupational Therapists Conference.
14 - 15 Jun 2022.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Purpose and Aims~: occupational therapy (OT) pre-registration education programmes have a responsibility to ensure admissions processes are fair, accessible and equitable. To date, there has been no published data that brings together identification and assessment of admissions criteria across all UK pre-registration programmes.
Research design and methods: a cross-sectional quantitative content analysis of all UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) websites accredited to deliver pre-registration OT programmes for academic year 2021/2022 was conducted; with data collected on HEI programme type, as well as what and how, academic, professional and alternative entry criteria was publicly advertised.
Results: seventy-three programmes offer four access routes across undergraduate (n=46) and post-graduate (n=27) options, with limited part-time (n=11) versus full-time (n=62) opportunities. Academic entry criteria are more clearly stated for applicants undertaking ‘traditional’ qualifications, despite the image of university students moving away from home, having completed A-Levels no longer being the standard (Office for Students, 2019). Assessment of professional skills at application and selection is acknowledged by 76.7% (n=56) and 82.2% (n=60) of programmes respectively. While evidence to support traditional interviews is limited (Grice, 2014; Bowyer et al., 2018), there is a particular reliance on them (n=58). Over half of all programmes (67%) acknowledge alternative routes into the profession, including recognition of prior learning (RPL) and work experience.
Conclusions: although there are some trends in the collective admissions criteria, there is widespread variability and absence, placing the heavy burden of understanding of entry requirements on candidates. How many potential OT candidates and future therapists may the UK pre-registration admissions system be excluding as a result?
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Published date: 5 June 2022
Venue - Dates:
Royal College of Occupational Therapists Conference, 2022-06-14 - 2022-06-15
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Local EPrints ID: 505200
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/505200
PURE UUID: 4c7adcdc-bf03-4174-917e-3720230c7a75
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Date deposited: 01 Oct 2025 16:48
Last modified: 02 Oct 2025 01:46
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