Case Study

I chose to study BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy at the University of Sunderland as it is close to home which is reassuring with my personal commitments. When I started the course in 2021, there had only been two prior intakes for the Occupational Therapy course but the feedback I had seen was all positive. They now offer the apprenticeship and accelerated course which shows the development of the course.

Prior to beginning my course, I was an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Sunderland Royal Hospital and wanted to develop in my career as I loved what the job entailed and knew I could challenge myself further. Whilst working, I completed a part time access to higher education course at Sunderland College during COVID. I was worried about leaving the job I loved to commit to studying full-time, but it was worth the change.

In our first year, there was a lot of fun times as part of the lectures including rock climbing, cooking and crafts, which was all part of the learning. This allowed us all to settle in and get to know each other more. The cohort isn’t very big which is more beneficial for the learning experience. I’m in my second year now and although there isn’t as much time for the ‘fun’ activities, they still try and make the lectures as engaging as possible.

I would 100% recommend University of Sunderland for anybody thinking of studying Occupational Therapy. I have received support from all the lectures and support staff and have been made to feel confident and comfortable in what I am doing. I would advise coming in on open days to see the facilities which is so good for the learning experience.

I hope to take my experience from the course and my placements into practice one day and be proud of the progress I have made."

Published 22 March 2023