The United Kingdom is one of the most popular destinations for Indian students seeking to study health courses. There are several reasons for this, including the world-renowned reputation of UK universities, the high quality of teaching, and the wide range of courses on offer.Â
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UK universities offer a broad range of health courses, from traditional medical degrees to more specialized programs such as nursing, physiotherapy, and psychology. In this post, we’ll feature some of the top health courses to study in the UK for Indian students. Keep reading to find out more!
Medicine
Medical schools in the UK accept thousands of applicants each year. If your grades are at the top end of the scale, and if you can show that you’ve set your sights on becoming a doctor, then applying to study medicine in the UK is right up your alley.
Areas of Specialties:
- Medicine
- Anaesthetics
- General Practice
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
- Radiology
Pathology
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Entry Requirements
Undergraduate – If you wish to pursue a career in medicine, you must first enroll at an undergraduate university where you will receive a degree in chemistry or biology. You may be required to take some additional courses before completing your studies. You may choose to continue studying for postgraduate qualifications. Many UK universities offer degrees in medical sciences.
Foundation – After completing an undergraduate degree in two-year programs, medical students will then spend another two years at the university studying for their foundation year. During these two-year periods, doctors train in different specialties. When they complete this coursework, they will graduate from their second year and begin specialty training.
Specialty Training – After completing four-year studies, it’s time to get more serious. You need to prepare for a long training period, lasting up to seven years. Upon successful completion of training, you will receive a Certificate of Completion Training (CCT) from the institution where you trained.
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UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT / UCAT)
Some universities use the UKCAT to select students for entry into their courses. The UKCAT is an online assessment for assessing cognitive ability, attitude, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. It has four reasoning tests and a situation judgment task.
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Verbal Reasoning – tests one’s ability to think critically about written information and come up with an appropriate answer for each question. Takes approximately 21 minutes with 11 sections to read and 44 questions to answer.
Decision Making – evaluates arguments and analyzes statistical information to determine if something makes sense. Takes approximately 31 minutes to answer 29 items.
Quantitative Reasoning – assessing the ability to solve numerical problems. Takes approximately 25 minutes to answer 36 questions.
Abstract – evaluates abilities to make inferences from incomplete or ambiguous data. Takes approximately 12 minutes to answer 50 questions.
Situational Judgement – consists of questions designed to test the candidate’s knowledge of medicine, including their ability to identify ethical issues, and their understanding of professional relationships. Takes approximately 26 minutes given 22 scenarios and 66 questions.
Nursing
To be eligible for registration as a nurse in the United Kingdom, Indian and international students must first complete an Overseas Nursing Program (ONP). This allows them to become registered as a nurse in the UK, whereupon they may choose to practice in either the NHS or private sector.
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Most nursing programs last 4 years. Placement opportunities allow nursing graduates to get first-hand experience at hospitals and clinics. Lectures, seminars, workshops, clinical practice, and group activities are included in most nursing degree programs.
Four Areas of Study
- Adult
- Child
- Learning Disability
- Mental health
Nursing UK Entry Requirements
Nursing is a very challenging field of study and students need to demonstrate excellent academic ability, communication skills, teamwork, and leadership qualities.
- International Baccalaureate requirements: 30 points
- A-levels requirements: ABB
- IELTS requirements: 7.0 overall with no lower than 6.0 in any one component.
UK Nursing University Rankings
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Liverpool
- University of Glasgow
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Cardiff University
- Kingston University London
- University of York
- University of Northampton
- Swansea University
- University of Sheffield
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy courses train students to provide physical treatment for people who suffer from illness, injury, disability, or age-related conditions. Students learn how to assess a patient’s needs and develop appropriate treatments using manual therapies (such as massage) and therapeutic exercises.Â
Course Structure Modules
- Physiotherapy in Health and RehabilitationÂ
- Evidence-based Cardiorespiratory PracticeÂ
- Evidence-based Neurological RehabilitationÂ
- Evidence-based Musculoskeletal Practice
- Health, Well-being and Exercise
Physiotherapy UK Entry Requirements
- International Baccalaureate requirements: 32 points
- A-levels requirements: ABB either Biological Science or Physical Education
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 overall with no lower than 6.0 in any one component.
Careers in Physiotherapy
A physiotherapist graduate can get jobs working for private practices or companies, National Health Service (NHS), sporting teams, or sports centers. They may specialize in treating the elderly, undertake orthopedics, perform obstetrics, treat children, and carry out general practice.
Clinical Research
Clinical research is a branch of life sciences that studies the safety and efficacy of new treatments and their suitability for human use. It has been witnessing an exponential rise in demand over the last few years.
Course Structure Modules
- Clinical trials
- Research Methods
- Statistics
- Health Needs Assessment, Planning and Evaluation
- Lifecycle of Clinical Research
- Healthcare Policy and Practice
Clinical Research Entry Requirements
- Batchelor’s degree in relevant subjects
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- nursing
- Psychology
- Health Sciences
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 or higher
- For Masters of Sciences (MSc), a statement of research interest may or may not be required.
Base Campuses Offering Intensive Clinical Research
- Waterloo Campus
- St. Thomas Campus
- Guy’s Campus
- Denmark Hill Campus
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of human thoughts and emotions. It involves studying factors that affect human behavior and interaction and aims to discover new ways of understanding people through research.
Psychology Entry Requirements
- International Baccalaureate requirements: 34 points
- A-levels requirements: ABB
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 overall with no lower than 6.0 in any one component.
Careers in Psychology
Psychology degrees lead to jobs in a wide variety of fields, including employment in human resources, social services, mental health care, counseling, education, advertising, and sales.
Top 10 Institutions Offering Psychology
- University of Cambridge
- University of Bath
- University of Oxford
- University of St Andrews
- University College London
- King’s College London
- Cardiff University
- University of York
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Warwick
Occupational Therapy
With the challenges facing society at present, now is an excellent time to enter the challenging and highly rewarding profession of occupational therapy. Learning how health conditions and life events impact both physical and mental well-being will provide you with a deeper appreciation for the role of occupational therapy.
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Accidents, illnesses, disabilities, and mental health concerns cause difficulties in doing simple tasks. An occupational therapist helps affected individuals by relieving some of their burdens and helping them become independent again. They may need a new way to do something, which could be learned through training, or they just need space to practice the skill they want to learn.
Occupational Therapy Entry Requirements
- Batchelor’s degree in relevant subjects
- Human Biology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public Health
- IELTS requirements: 7.5 or higher
- For Masters of Sciences (MSc), a statement of research interest may or may not be required.
Key Roles for Occupational Therapists
- Helping someone else understand how to approach a task better.
- Help to adapt to the environment aiming for the best results.
- Finding ways to help patients reach their treatment goals.
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Practice Occupational Therapy in these Various Settings
- Social Care
- Acute care Hospitals
- Long-term Rehabilitation
- Local Communities
- Factories
- Schools
- Elderly and Disables Institutions
- Prisons
Mental Health
Mental illness affects one out of four individuals, making programs in mental health quite popular in health courses offered in the UK among international students. You could specialize in areas relating to youth or adult mental well-being or focus on certain kinds of therapies.
Mental Health Entry Requirements
- Batchelor’s degree in relevant discipline
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Occupational Therapy
- Social Work
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 or higher
- For Masters of Sciences (MSc), a statement of research interest may or may not be required.
Careers in Physiotherapy
Mental healthcare roles offer an exciting career in which you can be part of making a difference in patients’ lives, their families, and the whole community.
Mental Health Roles
- Psychiatry
- Psychological Professions: Counsellors and Clinical Psychologists
- Mental Health Nursing
- Mental Health Pharmacy
- Art Therapists
- Drama Therapists
- Music Therapists
- Creative Therapy Support Roles
- Occupational Therapy
- Support Time and Recovery Worker
- Pharmacists
- Pharmacy Technicians
- Social Worker
- Speech and Language Therapy Assistant
- Occupational Therapy Support Worker
- Assistant Practitioners
- Prison Nurse
- Dietetic Assistant
- Nursing Associate
- Physician Associate
- Peer Support Worker
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Leadership and Management Healthcare
At present, leadership and management are needed both for hospitals and health insurance companies. However, they are even more critical today than ever before. As medical advances continue at an unprecedented pace, so too must the ability to deliver complex treatments. You’ll bring a unique blend of expertise in nursing, social sciences, business, and analytics.
Leadership and management Healthcare Entry Requirements
- Batchelor’s degree in relevant discipline
- Medical
- Nursing
- Allied Fields
- Social Sciences
- Health Sciences
- Employment ExperienceÂ
- Southampton – 3 years
- Glasgow – 6 months, 2 years if no relevant degree
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 or higher
- For Masters of Sciences (MSc), a statement of research interest may or may not be required.
Institutions Offering Leadership and Management Healthcare
- Southampton University
MSc Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
- University of GlasgowÂ
MSc/PGDip/PGCert Health Services Management
Careers in Leadership and Management Healthcare
You’ll be able to get management and leading roles in almost any industry. These roles can be found in hospitals, charities, the private healthcare sector, pharmaceutical companies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and international governmental agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO).
Nutrition
This popular health course offered in the UK teaches the science of nutrition and its effects on health so that you can work in the field wherever place it may be. Specializations include obesity and weight management, sports and exercise nutrition, and nutrition for people who need medical assistance.
The course is designed to give you the skills and knowledge required to undertake independent research into the nutritional needs of children and young people. It will enable you to develop your own ideas about how best to meet these needs.
Nutrition Entry Requirements
- Batchelor’s degree in relevant science subjects
- Nutrition
- Biology
- Biological Sciences
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Medicine
- Biochemistry
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 or higher
- For Masters of Sciences (MSc), a statement of research interest may or may not be required.
You’ll eventually become an expert in nutrition science, working in various fields – from food and healthcare to education and research. You could even earn a doctorate.
Health Informatics
Health informatics is an emerging field in the UK because of the increasing need for the digitalization of health care. You’ll learn about the roles of IT involved in developing user-friendly applications, integrating different types of software, and using data to improve services.
Nutrition Entry Requirements
- Batchelor’s degree in relevant discipline
- Health Sciences
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- IELTS requirements: 6.5 or higher
- For Masters of Sciences (MSc), a statement of research interest may or may not be required.
Careers in Health Informatics
There are different types of job opportunities available within health informatics. You may be able to move into this field by starting in an admin role or by moving from another healthcare role, or an IT position.
Health Informatics splits into seven employment areas
- Clinical informatics
- Education and training
- Health records and training administration
- Information and communication technology
- Information management staff
- Library, knowledge and information services
- Project and program management
If you’re thinking of studying health courses in the UK, there are plenty of great reasons to choose the United Kingdom as your destination. With world-renowned universities, excellent teaching standards, and a wide range of courses on offer, the UK is sure to provide you with an outstanding education.Â
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