Occupational therapy (OT) admissions tutors are tasked with ensuring the recruitment of high-quality candidates who can demonstrate both academic and professional skills throughout their education and subsequently into practice. While standardized admissions criteria do not exist, it is widely accepted that both cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics should be assessed to establish academic and professional qualities of applicants. Pre-admission qualifications are generally classed as a reliable assessment of academic (cognitive) ability, with literature supporting positive but variable relationships between academic qualifications and degree classifications. Evidence to support trusted assessments of pre-admission professional (non-cognitive) skills is lacking, with ambiguity surrounding relationships between pre-admission results and graduation data. This paper compares outcomes of cumulative cognitive and non-cognitive assessments for one cohort (n=44) of pre-registration BSc (Hons) OT students at one United Kingdom (UK) university, with final degree outcomes. Quantitative methods were employed to explore potential relationships between numerical pre-admission and graduation data. Correlations were not found between a) pre-entry qualifications and final degree classifications or b) selection assessment scores and final degree classifications. Nine candidates did not meet the university's minimum cognitive (n=3) or non-cognitive criteria (n=6) but were granted admission. All nine went on to graduate with a range of degree classifications preventing a loss to the university and OT profession. Results demonstrate pre-entry data is not necessarily a predictor of graduation outcomes, indicating further research into the variables which impact a student's journey between admission and graduation is warranted.

This article describes an innovative transnational education project involving three European Universities, funded through ERASMUS+. One of the aims of this project was to develop and provide a curriculum to facilitate students' understanding and identification of occupational (in)justice by exposing students to marginalized people living in three European communities with differing cultural, social and political systems. Occupational injustice is an ongoing deprivation or patterns of disruption which creates health burdens, barriers to educational and social opportunities and risk to the individual's lifespan (WFOT, 2019;Wilcock & Hocking, 2015). We will describe how a transnational educational collaboration offered a new way of facilitating learning of occupational (in)justice in a practical way to stimulate applying concepts to discipline specific thinking and engage students in debate about new areas of potential practice which are transformational. The educational theory underpinning the project is discussed, together with a description of how authentic learning experiences supported the development of occupational justice knowledge and justice-focused practice.

Introduction: Since widening access to higher education became a United Kingdom (UK) governmental priority in the 1990’s, occupational therapy has made little progress in diversifying student and workforce populations that mirror increasingly diverse service user populations. This research aims to, for the first time, map entry criteria across UK pre-registration programmes, while considering fair access and exploring who might be missing at the point of enquiry and entry. Method: A cross-sectional quantitative content analysis was conducted of all UK university websites, identifying programme type, academic, professional and alternative entry criteria for 2021/2022. Findings: Five entry routes via undergraduate and post-graduate programmes ( n = 73) offer limited part-time opportunities (n = 11). Visible academic entry criteria appear weighted towards ‘traditional’ qualifications, while assessment of professional skills at application and selection is explicit for over 75% of programmes. 86% (n = 63) utilise interviews at selection, with 33% (n = 24) not publicly acknowledging alternative access routes into the profession. Conclusion: If the profession is to avoid continued stagnation in diversity amongst student populations and successfully reflect service user diversity in the workforce, it is essential UK universities increase parity across academic entry criteria, ensure the visibility of acceptable skills for alternative access and substantially improve flexibility for part-time study.