Course Essentials
Welcome to the Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship Programme, and congratulations on taking the first steps towards what I am sure will be a rewarding career. Occupational Therapy is a diverse profession, and each of you will be joining us with your own unique experiences, viewpoints and skills. You will have the opportunity to explore and examine these alongside your theoretical learning, as you develop into an Occupational Therapist. We encourage lively debate, sharing of practices, and examination of your real-world work experience to inform your academic learning.
Rebecca O'Brien
Course Director
Academic Calendar: 12-week Trimesters (long break)
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2025-26 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
As you take your first steps on the road to becoming an Occupational Therapist you will no doubt have a mixture of excitement and nerves. We will be here to support you every step of the way and hope it will be a rewarding experience, that will challenge and stretch your thinking as you move towards your new role as a qualified health professional.
Our Course provides the following:
You will of course be keen to get as organised as possible before starting your studies. The most important things at this stage are to ensure you have support strategies in place to prepare for balancing work and study. If possible, find out who your workplace mentor is going to be and introduce yourself. When you arrive at University you will also be allocated a Personal Academic Tutor, known as your PAT, who will be there to support you with any personal or general academic matters you might have throughout your time at University. They will also be the University representative at your tripartite meetings, this is a regular meeting between you, your mentor and the University to discuss your experience, learning, and progress.
We are proud to be an inclusive University that supports a diverse community of students. Please note that if you have a disability or would like to learn more about the support that we can offer to students, please visit the Disability and Mental Health website.
Please ensure that you engage with occupational health clearance and DBS processes required by the Admissions Team. Failure to complete this by the time you register on the course may result in you not being able to proceed with your studies. Please also ensure you engage with the Placement Planning Form FoMHSC 2024/2025.
If you are part of the Kent cohort, click the button below labelled Kent , and if you are part of the Surrey cohort click the button labelled Surrey , for information that is specific to your particular cohort.
We would encourage you to review the course structure and module options via your course page before you arrive.
There are also a number of resources you can look at including RCOT and HCPC.
If you would like some introductory reading you can try:
Dancza, K. (2018) Implementing occupation-centred practice : a practical guide for occupational therapy practice learning. London : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Bassot, B (2020) The Reflective Journal. London: Red Globe Press
If you need to brush up on your study skills, this 1 hour guide is available as an ebook through the CCCU library:
Potter, M. (2011) Study Skills. Richmond: Trotman
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.
CourseSupport-health@canterbury.ac.uk