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Physiotherapy Applications, deadlines, NHS funding and work experience

Hi,

I am wanting to study physiotherapy and I still hope to apply this year to begin next September however I appreciate I've left things very late as I thought I wouldn't be applying until next year.

I've been through the UCAS process before as I'm now a chemistry graduate however I wasn't very sure about what the application deadline situation was like for physiotherapy.

In my experience with chemistry applications, applications were still being received and a lot of offers were still being given out any time up until December/January however chemistry is relatively under subscribed.

In comparison as all of you know physiotherapy is competitive. I wondered, if I applied in December or January, whether I would have a realistic chance of getting onto good courses? I am hoping to apply to Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds and Birmingham.

I am currently applying for work experience at any and every place I can commute to in my county, and I appreciate that without work experience I won't stand a chance of getting on to a course - this is actually the only thing stopping me from applying right now.

I am hoping to gain experience within the next month so I am able to apply before, or early, December.

One last thing.. Am I right in assuming that tuition fees are fully funded by the NHS for a physiotherapy degree? I've contacted a number of people and they've all said that it is, however I wondered if there were any circumstances or situations that the tuition fees WOULD NOT be paid?

I'd appreciate any incite and advice people could give!

Josh

Reply 1

marlonj

Hello!

I am applying this year too, hoping to get my application in mid Nov. I have done quite a bit of research and whilst it seems some unis give offers in batches some like Cardiff apparently don't start giving offers out until March. Technically it is my understanding that uni's are meant to consider all applications equally up until the deadline which is about 15th Jan I think.

I am have been doing work experience this month and found that smaller community hospitals were the most accommodating and found that places were most responsive when I telephoned directly and obtained a specific contact from them to email or left my details with. I also had a really good days experience at a special needs school last Friday which was with an NHS Physio based in the school so that might be worth trying.

As regards to funding, I have had confirmed by a finance officer at Bristol UWE that even with a previous degree (mine is in Business) I am entitled to NHS paying my fees, the income assessed bursary and the non means tested student loan. I think I will end up with about £6k to live off so will still need a part time job. That if I manage to get on a course!

Hope that helps.

Reply 2

Ironmike

As long as you get your application in before the January 15th or whatever it is deadline then you will be given equal consideration as those who have submitted theirs now. When I applied, I put mine in in early January as it was a very much last minute decision to apply, and I was successful.

This leads onto the point about delaying your application until you have work experience. I sent mine off having not done any work experience, but I knew that I had some in the pipeline. This wasn't guaranteed, and luckily it came off, but had it not, it wouldn't have been that hard to blag it in the interview. What the interviewers want to see is that you have a good understanding of what physio is, what they do, and that you want to follow that career. Having sat on interview panels the past two years for undergraduate physio, we didn't have a clue what was on your UCAS application. You could have told us that you had spent the last 10 years working as a senior physio and we wouldn't have had any way of knowing otherwise. I believe that some applications are checked to confirm the work experience, but my point is that I wouldn't delay your application just for this. You could put something generic such as I have shadowed physiotherapists and observed the many roles that they fulfil. You are not stating an environment, a place or a time that you did the experience, and this therefore gives you lots of time after the UCAS deadline to get something sorted out. I'm not suggesting you lie, I'm just saying that you can be a bit vague and it's highly unlikely you will get pulled up on it.