Physiotherapy BSc(Hons)
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Overview
Physiotherapy is a health care profession concerned with human function and movement. Physiotherapists work as autonomous practitioners using physical methods (for example exercise and manual techniques) in working with a wide range of people who have illness or injury. They also help individuals to maintain or improve their movement potential through advice, exercise and education.
This degree programme is well established and has an excellent reputation. We have enthusiastic and motivated staff including practising physiotherapists and we also share learning with other health professionals.
If you enjoy working with people this could be the course for you. There is plenty of scope for you to develop a wide range of professional, technical, academic and interpersonal skills.
Course duration
Full-time: 3 years
UCAS code B160
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Course content
Course structure
The physiotherapy programme is designed to give you a thorough understanding of the core elements, theory and skills before starting clinical placements in year two. Year one is a blend of practical skills and theory. Years two and three are a mixture of clinical practice and university-based studies. This will enable you to go onto your placement and contribute effectively to a wide range of people's health care with confidence.
Areas of study
A large part of the course is based in practice settings where you will have the opportunity to work with senior physiotherapists and other health professionals, eg nurses, doctors and occupational therapists. There are a variety of practice settings including hospitals, community rehabilitation centres and patients' homes.
Syllabus
Year 1
The Physiotherapist as a Professional
Physiology
Pathophysiology
Exercise for Health
Clinical Anatomy and Biomechanics
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
Health Psychology and Health-related Behaviour
Rehabilitation through Exercise
Clinical Anatomy 2Year 2
Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
Health Psychology and Communication
Neurological Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
Neuromusculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
Healthcare across Practice Settings
Research Methods in Healthcare
Six-week clinical placement (after Easter)Year 3
Clinical placements (four blocks of six weeks)
Professional Development for Physiotherapists
Research for Evidence-based Practice -
Entry requirements
Typical entry requirements
individual offers may varyA-levels:
ABB. One A-level must be a biological science or PE. Consideration may be given to a fourth appropriate AS-level. Excluding General Studies.BTEC
DDD in a science course, combined with A-level biology or human biology at grade B.International Baccalaureate:
minimum 34 points to include biology at Higher level. Applicants whose first language is not English will also be required to obtain English at Higher level.Access to HE Diploma
pass (at least 45 credits at level 3), with 30 credits at distinction. Must include biological science or science. Level 3 maths is required.GCSE (minimum grade C) or Access Equivalent
A strong profile is expected eg 8 Bs in one sitting. GCSE requirements may be relaxed for mature applicants, but English and mathematics are expected.For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 7.0 overall, no element below 6.5.Other:
Some work experience in the field.Foundation degree: considered on individual merit, but a high standard pass (70 per cent) is required.
Irish Leaving Certificate: typically 3 As (A1-A2), 3 Bs (B1-B2) at the higher level, which must include biology and English.
Note: Entry qualifications should be acquired no more than three years before the start of the course.
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Location
Location
Eastbourne -
Career opportunities
During year 3 we help to prepare you for employment and boost your employability by helping you to develop your CVs, portfolios, entrepreneurial skills and interview skills.
Our students have gained employment all over the UK and abroad.
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Fees and costs
Tuition fees for this course for UK/EU students are paid by the NHS. Students meeting residency requirements are also eligible to apply for a means-tested bursary and a non-means-tested loan.
Further information can be found on the NHS student bursaries website www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students.BSc Hons Physiotherapy [L2EG001] UK/EU (Full Time) For advice on fees for this course please contact fees@brighton.ac.uk, +44/0 1273 642449. Island Students (Full Time) For advice on fees for this course please contact fees@brighton.ac.uk, +44/0 1273 642449. International (Full Time) 12,900 GBP -
More details
Excellent Facilities
The School of Health Professions is a centre of excellence for allied health professions education and research and is located on the Eastbourne campus; facilities include Queenwood library, computer pool rooms, learning and technology suite, restaurants and a Students’ Union Shop. Welkin halls of residence provide accommodation for over 350 students.
Eastbourne is a lively seaside town, close to the sea and South Downs. Considered the sunniest place in the UK, Eastbourne is surrounded by beautiful countryside, making it a great place to study. Our campus is home to 3,000 students and located less than 10 minutes walk from the beach at the foot of the South Downs National Park. The town boasts four theatres, four shopping centres, a wide variety of restaurants, cafés, traditional pubs, bars and nightclubs, and is home to the Towner contemporary art museum for South East England. Eastbourne’s Sovereign Harbour, with its stylish cosmopolitan feel, is the largest composite marina complex in Northern Europe. The harbour offers an array of waterside eateries and alfresco dining, whilst the independent boutiques and retail shops make the harbour a great alternative shopping venue.
There are also many sporting and cultural activities on offer, all within a short walking distance of our campus.
Other student support services include the university’s careers centre, welfare service, a counselling service, chaplaincy and childcare provision.
Clinical Skills Facilities
The school has an excellent reputation for teaching clinical skills with dedicated facilities including a human movement laboratory, specialist skills rooms and Leaf Hospital, offering exceptional clinical facilities where students learn practical skills and treat patients throughout their course.
Human Movement Laboratory
The high tech Human Movement Laboratory is used widely in teaching and research for students in the school of health professions studying physiotherapy, occupational therapy or podiatry, and is also used for commercial consultancy. The latest technology measures and assesses all aspects of human movement, joints, muscles, soft tissue structure and nerves. The laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment for conducting cardio-pulmonary investigations including Cosmed metabolic system and spirometry.
Leaf Hospital
The Leaf hospital is an exceptional fully-staffed clinical facility offering a comprehensive podiatry service and a private practice physiotherapy service. It is situated close to the centre of Eastbourne and train station, The Leaf Hospital has two main clinics and three further consulting rooms allowing up to 28 patients to be seen at any one time. On the first floor there is a fully equipped operating theatre for minor surgical procedures and a human anatomy lab where students can study prosections. Clinical practice is supported by a comprehensive range of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment including gait analysis, imaging and more. There is an orthotics department where students produce high quality orthotics and insoles for patients.
Specialist Skills Rooms
There are a range of practical “skills” rooms, equipped so that students in the school of health professions can learn and practise practical skills with each other prior to working with patients and clients. These rooms are equipped with treatment couches (for example manual skills and exercise therapy rooms). A variety of hands-on skills including those of palpation, massage and manipulation can be facilitated by practice with peers.
Clinical Research Centre for Health Professions
The clinical research centre for health professions is an integral part of the School of Health Professions. It forms a focus for staff and doctoral student research activity. .
The Clinical Research Centre is a vibrant environment for staff and students who want to carry out research which results in positive changes to policy and practice. Focusing on three groups: applied clinical and laboratory based research, applied pedagogic research, and wellbeing, health and occupation research, the centre embraces the research activities of occupational therapists, physiotherapist, podiatrists and osteopaths.
As part of its commitment to research-led practice and a research-informed curriculum, staff from the centre regularly act as external speakers, advisors and experts to national and international bodies, as well as providing lectures and seminars internally. In addition, the centre's regular seminar series provides opportunity for staff and students to debate and critique progressive research and methodological positions.
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Student views
RuthAnn Fanstone, Physiotherapy BSc(Hons), Graduate 1993
The School of Health Professions at the University of Brighton was my first choice for physiotherapy school. I also liked the idea of being near a sports’ college as I was very keen on sport, which was also part of the reason for choosing physiotherapy as a profession. I have very strong and positive memories of each of my lecturers at the university, they all inspired me.
The clinical placements were very strong and I definitely arrived well prepared (although I didn't realise at the time how well I had been prepared) for my junior position at the busy Queen Medical Centre in Nottingham. I remember working very hard at the university, but it was worth it and becomes a legacy throughout your career. We really enjoyed having quite a lot of mature students in our group and we learnt a lot from them too.
I left the University of Brighton with a passion for neurological physiotherapy due to a particularly effective placement I had in neuro. However, after two-and-a-half years as a junior I went to India for two years to set up a physiotherapy department in a rural 100-bed hospital and it was there that I came across a lot of burn injuries.
I had not done any burns or plastic surgery but, due to the need I saw there I wanted to learn, so I came back to London and got the chance to set up a new burns and plastic surgery service at the Royal Free Hospital in London. This was a great job and I got the chance to treat a number of large trauma cases.
I then moved on to bigger burn units Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead where I was lead physiotherapist. I did my MSc in Health Services Management at London University and, in between, I kept travelling to do burns work and teaching in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Africa.
I used my clinical and management experience to run a charity called Interburns (International Network of Training, Education and Research in Burns) from April 2010 to this year (2012) and weirdly in there somewhere I have also worked for a peace and reconciliation foundation in the Middle East.
Now I am working for The Katie Piper Foundation as a scar specialist / physiotherapist exploring and gathering an evidence base for emerging treatments, learning from some European centres that have different approaches and looking into other areas of burn rehabilitation.
Physiotherapy opens so many doors and doing things outside physio can also really add to our skills and experience. I found working internationally also very valuable. A great School of Health Professions at the University of Brighton, and a strong junior rotation period were a tremendous help to me and were an ideal foundation from which to move forward.
Burns and plastics has been a surprising, but wonderful speciality. I hope some more Brighton students will consider it going forward! Based on my experience I would strongly recommend the University of Brighton ... and physiotherapy as a career!
Marc Berry, Physiotherapy BSc(Hons), Graduate 2006
My first experience of the University Brighton was on my interview day. Immediately I knew this is the place I wanted to go to university; set in the rolling hills of Eastbourne, this campus had everything I needed to enjoy university life. The lecturers I met on that day put me at ease with their air of warmth and welcoming that gave the sense that the School of Health Professions was a good place to learn. Luckily, my suspicions were confirmed. The school has a wide range of fantastic facilities, impressively knowledgeable and approachable lecturers, and a community feel on and off-campus, which helped me foster long-lasting personal and professional relationships.
The main thing that struck me about the University of Brighton's approach to the physiotherapy course was how hands-on it was. Most theory lectures were coupled with practical sessions, where you really had the chance to practice and feel what you had learnt. This helped me focus new assessment and treatment skills and embed a wealth of information. I didn't really appreciate this until I went on clinical placements and realised how well prepared I was. This gave me the confidence to be involved in patient care and allowed me to optimise the clinical learning experience. Due to the extensive connections that the University of Brighton has with hospitals in the south-east, I was lucky enough to experience a wide spectrum of excellent clinical placements, which stood me in good stead for when I qualified.
I qualified in 2006, when jobs were scarce, but the passion for Physiotherapy that the University had instilled in me and my peers meant we weren’t going to give up on finding a job; we just had to be inventive! Personally, I spent two weeks travelling round London hospitals speaking to therapy managers, handing out my CV and taking opportunities for job applications when they arose. Others took their skills far and wide, including abroad, helping develop their careers. I was lucky enough to obtain a physiotherapy job at Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, where I have been working for the past five and half years. I was able to work my way up through core and unique rotations to then specialise in critical care respiratory. Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to present at international conferences, carry out clinical trials and have recently secured a BRC Research Fellowship for Allied Health Professionals.
In my professional career I have been a Clinical Educator to a number of University of Brighton students and there are several things that always strike me about them; their thirst for knowledge, their sound handling skill and their ability to interact with patients and professionals. As with these students, I was also given a solid professional foundation by the University of Brighton which equipped me with life long skills. This I will never forget!
NHS funded course with bursary
01273 643772
sohpadmissions@brighton.ac.uk
Our course is approved by the professional body, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
The School of Health Professions is a centre of excellence for allied health professions education and research.
Graduates are eligible for professional-body membership and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
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