UK courses- How do you know which one to pick?

Larianne

Hey all,

Well I didn't make the grade for Physiotherapy as a mature student here in Ireland or the UK- been out of study too long blah,blah. So hopefully I will either be studying an access to science course or an OU course in Human Biology to help with my application for '09. I'm leaning more to UK courses as they are 3 year degree programmes compared to 4 years here and well I'm getting old now (26 this year!).

My question after all that is how do you choose a university in the UK? There is just so many that offer Physiotherapy. I know there are a few of you guys in here who have studied in the UK (hence posting in here and not Edu). Any advice would be great. That deadline for the UCAS will swing around pretty fast!

Thanks.

Larianne

bump.

amjon

Larianne wrote: »

Hey all,

Well I didn't make the grade for Physiotherapy as a mature student here in Ireland or the UK- been out of study too long blah,blah. So hopefully I will either be studying an access to science course or an OU course in Human Biology to help with my application for '09. I'm leaning more to UK courses as they are 3 year degree programmes compared to 4 years here and well I'm getting old now (26 this year!).

My question after all that is how do you choose a university in the UK? There is just so many that offer Physiotherapy. I know there are a few of you guys in here who have studied in the UK (hence posting in here and not Edu). Any advice would be great. That deadline for the UCAS will swing around pretty fast!

Thanks.

I ended up doing pharmacy in the Uk.I found the higher options fair in the RDS quite helpful so try that,alot of the Uk uni's turn up there.From my own experience the physio course in Salford university is ment to be quite good.

Vorsprung

26?? Jesus that's not old at all! There were people in their 30s starting medicine when I was wee.

Larianne

Amjon - in what way good? The standard of Physiotherapists that have graduated from there or did you go to Salford yourself?

Bigjimthefirst -Yes I know I'm not old, but I've head it in my head to do Physio for about 9 years!! Want to get stuck into it as soon as I can!:)

Anyone else that would like to offer advice?

I suppose things like smaller class numbers as well would be good to take into consideration. I think Cardiff's intake is 140!! :eek: That's seems a lot for a practical based course.

tallaght01

I'm no expert on physio courses. But for medicine I always advise people to study somewhere they'd like to live. Most of the courses are the same, so you may aswell just pick a city you'd like.

Also, if you're finding it hard to get a place, see what the entry requirements are like? Are any of the universities easier to get into? Are any of them more "mature student friendly"?

But make sure you get a good science background before you start the course. It's tough as hell. They do the same anatomy as med students, by and large,a nd I can vouch for th ehllishness of that. Physio also do lots of pretty complicated biomechanics.

It's a very challenging course.

Larianne

tallaght01 wrote: »

I'm no expert on physio courses. But for medicine I always advise people to study somewhere they'd like to live. Most of the courses are the same, so you may aswell just pick a city you'd like.

Also, if you're finding it hard to get a place, see what the entry requirements are like? Are any of the universities easier to get into? Are any of them more "mature student friendly"?

But make sure you get a good science background before you start the course. It's tough as hell. They do the same anatomy as med students, by and large,a nd I can vouch for th ehllishness of that. Physio also do lots of pretty complicated biomechanics.

It's a very challenging course.

Yes, I have a good understanding that the physio course is tough. Everyone tells me that! But I do have a great interest in it. I have an interview for an Access to Science course at UCD tomorrow and I am also looking at Open University courses to get myself back into studying Science.

I'll definitely get a place next year somewhere in the UK as I was advised this when I rang up during clearing. I had enough tariff points, only I haven't studied in the last 5 years which was a bummer. I'm also working as a care assistant which I love and feel that doing something in the healthcare field is something that I definitely want to do and am suited to.

I dunno where I'd like to live in the UK, somewhere that Ryanair flies to anyway! Thanks for the advice. Will have to do some research on the different cities/towns.

catsy

i finished my degree in edinburgh in june. scotland in general has a good name for health care courses and u dont have to pay fees.u mite have to pay in england and wales...but im not sure...u can do physio in edinburgh, aberdeen and glasgow (i think). edinburgh is a class city so id highly recommend it. however i wud say to do a bit of research into the job prospects. physio jobs in ireland are hard to come by and any of the physio students i knew are workin in scotland cos theres nothing going in ireland so be prepared. good luck though. going to uni in uk is brilll experience... best thing i ever did:)

Larianne

catsy wrote: »

i finished my degree in edinburgh in june. scotland in general has a good name for health care courses and u dont have to pay fees.u mite have to pay in england and wales...but im not sure...u can do physio in edinburgh, aberdeen and glasgow (i think). edinburgh is a class city so id highly recommend it. however i wud say to do a bit of research into the job prospects. physio jobs in ireland are hard to come by and any of the physio students i knew are workin in scotland cos theres nothing going in ireland so be prepared. good luck though. going to uni in uk is brilll experience... best thing i ever did:)

I haven't really looked into courses in Scotland as they are 4 years where as England and Wales are 3 year degrees.(I need to find out why here and Scotland are 4 while England and Wales are only 3 year courses! ) You don't have to pay for most healthcare courses in England or Wales either as they are funded by the NHS which is great! I know all about the crappy job prospects here and in the UK. I'm looking at heading to the US or back to Australia when I qualify (hope to do a placement abroad in one of the countries). Hopefully things will change in 4/5 years.

Thanks for the reply!!

davty10

Hi Larianne,

I am in a similiar position to you in that I want to study physiotherapy, I would be returning to study as a mature student having spent the last 5 years working in IT. I have a degree in Science and Gdip in IT so this is a pretty drastic change at 28! Anyway I am at the very early stages of looking into the courses in the uk( more or less resigned I wont get into any in ireland as the cream of the crop swallow these up) and was curiou to understand the clearing process, I see some universities appear to have openings still, how is that? Also do you know what the course fees are likely to be per year studying in the uk? Finally, I have been advised that opportunities in Physiotherapy are slim on the ground , and one would more than likely have to work in the UK once qualified, is this a very accurate statement. Anyway any info would be appreciated, I realise that all the info is out there to research for myself but sometimes its just nice to bang a few questions against someone who is trying to go the same avenue..

Larianne

Hiya,

Some universities in the UK still have places available through clearing due to people dropping out, accepting different offers or what is more likely the case, they only have international places left on the course thus having to pay international fees. Clearing through UCAS starts in mid-August of every year, just after A-Level results come out. It's a good way of getting a place on courses. Maybe you should give these colleges a ring and find out? Ask to speak to the admissions tutor of the physiotherapy course. (I was not eligible this year for a place as I haven't studied in the last five years.)

Most of the physiotherapy courses (along with other healthcare courses) are funded by the NHS so no fees, just registration fees to be paid if you're an EU citizen.

Are you applying for an undergraduate programme or a masters in Physio? Entry requirements to universities as a Mature Student here and in the UK differ from each university so you best bet is to contact each university. And as each mature student will have different academic/life/work experience, each application is considered individually. What they all say across the board is to get work experience shadowing a physio in the different areas of the profession- acute hospital care, community centres, nursing homes, private practices, rehab centres etc. And it's not easy getting work experience in Physiotherapy!!! Having a degree in Science is not enough. You need to show you understand the profession and have the ability to deal with sometimes very sick and vulnerable people. It's not just about sport! Volunteering is also looked at favourably.

There is only a small number of places for mature students in Ireland. UL is 3, Trinity is 6 and I can't remember UCD's number. I think it might change from year to year. You can only apply to RCSI through graduate entry. But you should still apply for 2009 (more competition for me!:)). There is physiotherapy in Jordanstown campus of University of Ulster but they still require mature students to meet the same academic requirements as normal route students.

As for going to the UK for work- I don't think the outlook is any better over there at the moment (not in England anyway). I was reading lately that one of the insurance companies, BUPA, won't allow claimants go to physiotherapists with less than 5 years experience under their belt making it very difficult for graduates to get jobs. I was also speaking to a couple who's daughter finished in 2007 and that about 20% of her class got jobs! But who knows what will happen in 4/5 years. It may get better. I don't mind moving to Australia or USA to work. Only thing there is you normally need experience first to get registered in these countries!!!

Have a look at this website I found- physiobob.com

Hope that helps. I'd advise you to contact each university and see how strong your application is at the moment and how they suggest you improve it.

davty10

Hey, thanks for the Info. So not having studied for the last 5 years means you are not eligible for a clearance position ? I would ideally like to get onto one of the conversion MSC courses but that seems like a long shot as I dont have any real life experience shadowing a physio.

When you say UUJ looks for the same entry requirements for mature students as leaving cert students, do you mean Leaving cert results ?

Sorry for picking your brain but I am living in Vancouver at the moment and calling these Universities is kind of awkward as we are 8 hours behind here.

Cheers.

Larianne

davty10 wrote: »

Hey, thanks for the Info. So not having studied for the last 5 years means you are not eligible for a clearance position ? I would ideally like to get onto one of the conversion MSC courses but that seems like a long shot as I dont have any real life experience shadowing a physio.

When you say UUJ looks for the same entry requirements for mature students as leaving cert students, do you mean Leaving cert results ?

Sorry for picking your brain but I am living in Vancouver at the moment and calling these Universities is kind of awkward as we are 8 hours behind here.

Cheers.

No worries at all!!

When I rang up during clearing I was told by the different universities, again it differs between each, that they'll only accept recent study in the last 3-5 years. But that was with my application. Yours will be different. Send an email to the admissions office or if you can find an email address for the physiotherapy tutors. I've sent numerous emails off and most give a speedy reply.

If you are going the Msc. route I would say it's different from the undergraduate route. I did get information on the Leeds Masters in Physio course due to error and it seems there is a 2 years waiting list for there!!!! I can't give you any help on that but I'm sure they will look for work experience and your understanding of the profession. Nothings a long shot once you try!! Ring up some local private practises where you are and see if they can help. Private physio practises and other centres might be more willing to have you observe rather than public hospitals.

Yes, getting into UUJ you need to have the same academic profile in your leaving cert that is required by current leaving cert students. You also need to sit the Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT) to gain a place there. It does have a very good rep and also has a more holistic approach to learning than some of the other colleges in Ireland.

I think you won't be seriously considered for entry on a Physiotherapy course unless you have some experience with the profession. As well as that, it will set it in stone whether you want to do it or not too!!!