[Butterfly23]

Hi all,

Has anyone done an access to health professions or access to physiotherapy course? I have found these on 'The Distance Learning Centre' and wondered if anyone could help with more information

Thank you x

[melissaemily]

Hi I finished my access course last month n start physio at Salford in Sept I'll do my best to answer your q's? X

[Butterfly23]

That's great! Congratulations. Well I am just really worried that I won't be good enough to do the access course or even physiotherapy. I have heard it's very competitive. Is the access course really really difficult? I will be doing it whilst working full time so week nights and weekends I will be doing access course. x

[melissaemily]

Thankyou erm well not to scare you or put u off or anythin but it is very competitive, out of the 4 people applyin in my class only I got in, n by the skin of my teeth. When speakin to others at interview they seem to prefer a level students even with no experience than access because the a level students all had more interviews than me at places I'd been unsuccessful without interview. I was the only one in my class with some experience thou I did a 6 month placement in a residential rehabilitation unit so I'd definitely say get as much experience as you can. It is possible thou, I had feedback from 3 uni's that I was unsuccessful at, one said I performed really well at interview but I didnt put enough about the areas of the profession in my personal statement, my tutor told me to write what qualities I have n relate everythin to physio n back it up with experience, but it seems they just want to know how much u know about what areas a physio can work in. Also the another uni said it was because I wasn't doing enough biology credits in my access, my course was 15 physics/maths 15chem & 15 biol but they wanted atleast 18 biol so just check with the uni's u want to go to.
As for access I did find it quite intense, especially because the uni's I applied to wanted 45 distinction, I worked part time along side I think I'd av really struggled doin full time cause I was always thinkin I could do without bein in work today cause I need to do this and that... It's not impossible thou, I was playin catch up all year due to bein ill at the start, one of the really academic ones in my class worked 38 hours a week and still got 45 distinction, and a lady I used to work with did a nursin access the year before me whilst workin full time and said she finds uni easier than the access but its the best thing she's ever done, I'm hopin I feel the same when I start. Although a girl on my course applied for nursin with the access I did and they told her she's over qualified so definitely check the content of the course u want to do with uni entry requirements. Sorry for the essay hope it helps xx

[Butterfly23]

Thanks for the reply hun, very detailed, not going to lie I feel a bit negative about it because I just wonder if I'll be good enough. I will be a mature student too when I apply (probably be 24). I work in a hospital so I am hoping I can easily get to do work for physio dept even if it's one night a week/weekend. I will do some enquiring with uni's I think. Sounds like experience is the best way forward. How do you get a distinction? Is it just through very very good work?

I've looked at Nottingham uni just as an example because I like Nottingham and this is what they require for mature students applying with access course - Access courses: science- or health-based,majority of credits in biology and life science subjects – minimum of 60 credits with at least 45 passed at level three. A minimum of 30 level-three credits must be at distinction.

Is that similar to the requirements you had to have or?

Thank you xx

[melissaemily]

haha very detailed meaning too much info! lol sorry!! That's good, i worked in a pharmacy so really emphasised on how i'm used to dealing with patients, have gained confidence in giving advice and also used to working in a multiprofessional team communicating with doctors etc like u will be (this was one of my interview questions about how i would be working in a team) but just make sure you show you know all the areas of physio you can work in and what a physio is in your personal statement. Erm ye in my biol criteria for my exams and assignments it says for pass - must show good understanding and knowledge, for merit - must show good understanding and knowledge with breadth & for distinction - must show good understanding and knowledge with breadth and depth, so its just understanding it and being able to put it on paper with detail, with mine it was a quite small class and we all got on and really supported eachother so it was nice and my tutors did make it as easy as they could we had full lecture notes to take home from lessons & mock exams etc. The only thing is it moves on very quick, i was playin catch up all year from bein poorly at the start. But just think if your wondering if you'll be good enough now, atleast if you go for it now while your still young, in a few years time you won't be in the same position but be wondering what if i'd have gone for it? Not one person on my course failed though, everyone got atleast passes, to be honest there probs wasn't one person who didn't get some merits. Ye my requirements were similar, but mine didn't say majority in biology it was just 60 credits, 45 level three credits at distinction (the other 15 credits come from level 2, which you won't have to do if you have gcse or equivelent in maths, english and i.t) 30 distinction would have took the pressure off so much! I managed it though and i am by no means the most academic I'd just wonder about you doing it with 'the distance learning centre' rather than going to a college, one of my other interview questions was about doing a group project with other students and how i'd go about it so i could use things i'd done in college as examples, also the support from other students and one of my tutors really kept me going. I definitley recommend it though i found it really really interesting especially the biology, now just can't wait to get a job i'm happier in! xx

[Ironmike]

If you work in a hospital, chance are you will stand head and shoulders above most people at interview. I was on the admissions team for physio last year and the people who gave the best answer at interview generally were rehab assistants or those who had worked extensively in the NHS environment. When asking them questions such as why physio and what have you done to make sure this is the course for you, they could answer fully and back it up with examples from their work. From this point of view, I think you will be fine.

It isn't true that unis prefer A level to access. There are entry requirements, and if you meet them as well as have a good PS then you will get an interview. There were plenty of access course applicants in my cohort who just graduated, and I interviewed plenty this spring just gone. The grade you need to achieve is high, but then it is for A levels too, so the amount of work you have to put in is probably about equivalent, particularly given that you need to do it in half the time.

It is very competitive to get onto the course, but this shouldn't put you off. This is life and if you want something enough then put the work in and achieve it.

[F Ellen]

I did an Access course with the Distance Learning Centre as I couldn't give up my full time job to go to college. It can be tough at times, you need a lot of self motivation and the ability to work independently. Also as you are working you will need to manage your time well so you can get the course done. I highly recommend it though!

When it comes to the grades needed, it varies from uni to uni. I am going to Hertfordshire which required 24 credits at merit level, however another uni I applied to required 30 credits at distinction level. I got the distinctions but didn't get an offer from that uni.

[melissaemily]

(Original post by Ironmike)
It isn't true that unis prefer A level to access. There are entry requirements, and if you meet them as well as have a good PS then you will get an interview. There were plenty of access course applicants in my cohort who just graduated, and I interviewed plenty this spring just gone. The grade you need to achieve is high, but then it is for A levels too, so the amount of work you have to put in is probably about equivalent, particularly given that you need to do it in half the time.

It just seemed that way when I was speakin to others at interview, there were quite a few a level students with no experience that had more interviews at other uni's I'd applied to where I and other access students on my course had been unsuccessful on personal statement. Do you know why it is that personal statement has such an impact? I had feedback after an interview when I was unsuccessful that I'd performed hightly at interview, which I felt I had, I was really happy I answered everythin and backed it up with experience like u said and the interviewer even said I'd done really well, but cause I had a low personal statement score I didnt have a good enough overall score to get in. I'm not bothered now as I have a place at my preferred uni but I'm just curious? Surely what they see of me when we have a conversation is better than what I put on paper? also do you think the access course is more intense than uni? That's what I've heard but i'm a bit worried its goin to be just as crammed and stressful but for three years not one! Xx

[F Ellen]

(Original post by melissaemily)
It just seemed that way when I was speakin to others at interview, there were quite a few a level students with no experience that had more interviews at other uni's I'd applied to where I and other access students on my course had been unsuccessful on personal statement. Do you know why it is that personal statement has such an impact? I had feedback after an interview when I was unsuccessful that I'd performed hightly at interview, which I felt I had, I was really happy I answered everythin and backed it up with experience like u said and the interviewer even said I'd done really well, but cause I had a low personal statement score I didnt have a good enough overall score to get in. I'm not bothered now as I have a place at my preferred uni but I'm just curious? Surely what they see of me when we have a conversation is better than what I put on paper? also do you think the access course is more intense than uni? That's what I've heard but i'm a bit worried its goin to be just as crammed and stressful but for three years not one! Xx

If you were unsuccessful on personal statement it has nothing to do with whether you did Access or A-Levels.

Your experience is strange compared to mine - I always thought the strength of the personal statement got you an interview and the strength of the interview then got you a place. Seems odd to me that they would invite you to interview at all if they didn't like your PS and were going to reject you on that anyway!

[Ironmike]

(Original post by melissaemily)
It just seemed that way when I was speakin to others at interview, there were quite a few a level students with no experience that had more interviews at other uni's I'd applied to where I and other access students on my course had been unsuccessful on personal statement. Do you know why it is that personal statement has such an impact? I had feedback after an interview when I was unsuccessful that I'd performed hightly at interview, which I felt I had, I was really happy I answered everythin and backed it up with experience like u said and the interviewer even said I'd done really well, but cause I had a low personal statement score I didnt have a good enough overall score to get in. I'm not bothered now as I have a place at my preferred uni but I'm just curious? Surely what they see of me when we have a conversation is better than what I put on paper? also do you think the access course is more intense than uni? That's what I've heard but i'm a bit worried its goin to be just as crammed and stressful but for three years not one! Xx

As mentioned above, whether you got a place at a uni or not has nothing to do with an access course. When we were interviewing, we didn't even get to see your personal statement, let alone know what A levels you did or whether you did an access course. We had a score sheet and a person sat across the table from us who we evaluated on the day.

I guess in your case, the course was very over-subscribed as is the way with all physio courses and they had to find a way to distinguish between the best and worst that they had. I guess you will have got a score for interview and a score for your PS and the two were added together. This is a different system to ours as far as I know, but hey, that's the way that uni did it. Like the olympics, when you have that many people all within a few percent of each other, there will be some who just narrowly miss the boat, but who have performed very well.

I don't think you can conclude from talking to a small sample of people at an interview that access course students are at a disadvantage. Discrimination in any form or shape is not allowed, and the universities are very careful not to allow any. If you meet the set entry grades, and your PS is up to scratch, you will get an interview regardless of what you have studied. I had a previous degree in English and I.T at a 2:1 and got a D for physics at GCSE. That was my only science and they let me in!

[melissaemily]

That's what I thought! The interviewers hadn't seen my personal statement and he was tellin me how well I'd done and that I'd done alot and know alot at the end of my interview so was really shocked when they said my p/s wasn't good enough, how did I get an interview in the first place lol? Nevermind. And it was just cause the others on my access didn't get interviews either but a level students with no experience did, I'll happily admit I'm wrong! maybe they just put more about the profession into their p/s whereas I put more about my experience xx

[Butterfly23]

(Original post by melissaemily)
haha very detailed meaning too much info! lol sorry!! ...... I'd just wonder about you doing it with 'the distance learning centre' rather than going to a college

Hi hun, no honestly it wasn't too much info it was all very helpful. I can't quit my full time job to go to college unfortunately so this is the only way x

(Original post by F Ellen)
I did an Access course with the Distance Learning Centre as I couldn't give up my full time job to go to college. It can be tough at times, you need a lot of self motivation and the ability to work independently. Also as you are working you will need to manage your time well so you can get the course done. I highly recommend it though!

When it comes to the grades needed, it varies from uni to uni. I am going to Hertfordshire which required 24 credits at merit level, however another uni I applied to required 30 credits at distinction level. I got the distinctions but didn't get an offer from that uni.

Hi F Ellen thank you for reply, it's near to hear from someone who has done an access course with DLC and your opinion too. Can I ask which Access course you did? x


Thanks to everyone for replies been a great help x

[F Ellen]

(Original post by Butterfly23)
Hi F Ellen thank you for reply, it's near to hear from someone who has done an access course with DLC and your opinion too. Can I ask which Access course you did? x

Hiya, no problem I did Access to Nursing