PgCert First Contact Practitioner in Primary Care (Occupational Therapy) vs MSc Advanced Professional Practice in Occupational Therapy

Course Comparison

Course	PgCert First Contact Practitioner in Primary Care (Occupational Therapy)	MSc Advanced Professional Practice in Occupational Therapy
Award	Postgraduate Certificate - PgCert	Master of Science - MSc
Duration	1 year	1 year
Assessment breakdown	-	-
Course type	Part-time Distance learning	Full-time, Part-time route available
Placement	-	-
Location	Plymouth Distance UK	Plymouth
Provider	School of Health Professions	School of Health Professions
Entry requirements	Applicants will normally have a first degree, BSc (Hons) at 2:2 or above in a related subject, HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist and minimum of three years post registration practice. Applicants whose first language is not English must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice i.e. IELTS average of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each category. In addition to the entry requirements above, there are a number of specific admission criteria for this programme that will ensure applicants access this programme at the right time within their professional practice. These align with national frameworks and will be clearly outlined to the student. Specific admissions criteria are: Applicants are able to evidence that they have the relevant Occupational Therapy experience, normally this is a minimum of 3 years post registration experience. Applicants are able to provide evidence of HCPC registration Applicants must have support of workplace to enrol on the PgCert First Contact Practitioner in Primary Care (Occupational Therapy). For the HEE tender, applicants must be working in Primary Care at the equivalent of Band 7 Agenda for Change. The final module, ADV777 First Contact Practitioner in Primary Care Practice placement module maps to stage 2 of the HEE verification process for First Contact Practitioner (Occupational Therapy). The placement module involves a number of hours of clinical practice and support of a clinical mentor. The First Contact Practitioners (Occupational Therapy) HEE Roadmap requires students to be employed in a First Contact Practitioner (Occupational Therapy) Primary Care setting in order to commence Stage 2, this is to ensure they are able to demonstrate their capability in practice. Workplace support and identification of a suitable clinical mentor will be part of the admissions criteria for enrolment on the First Contact practitioner in Primary Care (Occupational Therapy) PgCert (as outlined above).	You’ll normally have a first degree (BSc (Hons) at 2:2 or above or European first cycle equivalent) in Occupational Therapy. If you are a non UK-based candidate you must be recognised as a Occupational Therapist within your own country. You must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice - IELTS requirement is 6.5 average with a minimum of 5.5 in each category. If you need to improve your English language to get onto a degree programme at Plymouth, you can book a pre-sessional academic English course. You’ll be assessed individually for your ability to study at this level and therefore an interview may be necessary. You’ll normally be required to submit a short piece of writing as part of the admissions process. AP(E)L Claims for credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential are accepted and will be assessed following University regulations and faculty procedures. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) This programme is equivalent to 90 ECTS credits (second cycle) with 30 ECTS credits at postgraduate certificate, 60 credits at postgraduate diploma and 90 credits at masters degree. Each 20 credit module is the equivalent of 10 ECTS credits and assumes a notional student effort of between 200-300 hours. Successful completion of this pathway does not lead to eligibility to apply for registration as an Occupational Therapist with the Health and Social Care Professions Council. We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.