Applying to study physiotherapy in the UK: how to prepare your students

Physiotherapy is a competitive course in the UK, with up to 12 applicants per place. So international students need to do a lot of research and preparation if they are to make a successful application.

Often, students decide to become a physiotherapist because they had a sporting injury themselves. They are drawn to the profession from this angle, and their career ambition is to work with athletes.

However, it is of utmost importance that they understand that physiotherapy is not limited to working with athletes. To become a physiotherapist in the UK, they need to complete a degree that incorporates the whole spectrum of a physiotherapist’s work. Ucas advice emphatically states: “Talking purely about sport is a no-no.”

Watch a university presentation on physiotherapy to better their understanding of the course. This on-demand webinar is helpful. Find out more about NHS careers and what the job actually entails.

How to choose a physiotherapy course in the UK

When choosing a course, students should consider the following:

• How the course is taught. Does it match their preferred learning styles?
• Is the course taught alongside other healthcare-profession courses, so that students build experience of working in a multidisciplinary team by the time they graduate?
• What kinds of practical work placements do different universities offer?

Writing a Ucas personal statement for physiotherapy

The Ucas personal statement is key to reaching the next stage of assessment for admission. To craft a competitive statement, students need to look carefully at the criteria, knowledge and required skills that admissions officers are looking for, and make sure they address all of these areas in their statement.

Skills and attributes

Work with the student to make a list of skills and attributes they think are relevant to this role. Their list should include some or all of the following (which is not an exhaustive list):

• Good communication and listening skills
• Organisational skills
• A genuinely caring and compassionate attitude
• An interest in helping people achieve a better quality of life
• Being able to work in a team
• Managing their own time
• Solving problems
• Patience
• Resilience
• An ability to be reflective.

When they have their list, encourage them to think about what they have done to build these skills. Sometimes students need to be prompted to recognise that a seemingly unrelated activity has, in fact, helped them to build useful skills for their chosen course.

NHS core values

Students should include evidence that they are caring and compassionate, and that their personal values and attitudes are aligned with the NHS constitution. When they reflect on their related activities, it is also good to show how they have furthered their understanding of the NHS core values and, if possible, where they have put these values into practice, perhaps through work or shadowing experience.

Knowledge of the profession

Students should demonstrate realistic and clear insight into the requirements of:

• What a degree course in physiotherapy entails, highlighting that students are committed to the academic and practical aspects of the course
• An understanding of the physiotherapy profession and the scope of this role. Perhaps also consider the role of physiotherapists within a broader multidisciplinary healthcare team
• The career path to becoming a physiotherapist in the UK.

Motivation and preparation

Students need to explore their motivation for becoming a physiotherapist and show what it is about their attitudes, values and character that makes this profession appropriate for them.

They should discuss any relevant academic preparation: what they have particularly enjoyed about their studies and how this has helped to prepare them for this course? This could include reflecting on any relevant projects or coursework.

It’s worth mentioning personal interests and hobbies that have resulted in transferable skills for physiotherapy. These can include music, sports, drama, teamwork, part-time work, responsibilities, life experiences and volunteering, to name a few.

Students should mention some aspects of the profession that interest them. These could include new developments or something they have watched or their own personal experiences.

Preparing for an interview

Students should research the university, the course and the placement opportunities, so that they can talk about all of these, along with their motivation for entering the profession.

They should explore the information available on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) website.

Encourage them to read about the CSP’s code of members’ professional values and behaviour, which focuses on the needs of patients and clients. Reading these types of documents will assist the students in learning the correct terms and language to use in an interview, as well helping them to find out all the relevant information.

They should be aware of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and its role, and about the HCPC’s standards of performance, conduct and ethics.

Ask students to think about specific clubs and societies they would like to join at the each university. Universities want to see how students will get involved in life beyond their course. It is also vital for health professionals to participate in other activities, in order to reduce stress.

When helping students prepare for an interview, it is a good idea to remind them to weave their knowledge about the profession and about NHS values into their answers, so they get used to doing this. They should be prepared to answer questions about the challenges of the profession, some ethical issues, their personal strengths and weaknesses, how they deal with failure, how they cope with stress, their ability to reflect and listen to feedback, the positive and negative aspects of the NHS, their work or shadowing experience as well as about the specific university and course. They should also check whether the interview involves a group exercise.

Students should read some interesting articles on an aspect of physiotherapy, so they can discuss what they have been reading to show their genuine interest in the profession. They should be prepared to discuss what they have learned from these articles.

Remember to give students positive and constructive feedback, so they can build their interview skills. If they are not native speakers, they may need help structuring their answers in English and advice on which expressions to use. Allow enough time for this work – and, if possible, arrange practice with members of staff they don’t know, so they get used to talking about their interests with a range of people.