What will I learn on this module?
By the end of this module, you will experience Occupational Therapy practice, developing an understanding of the value of collaboration and team-working in health and care contexts and making a contribution to person-centred care. The module will help you to understand and demonstrate the professional conduct required as set out by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Professional standards for occupational therapy practice, conduct and ethics (RCOT, 2021) and HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (2016).
Through supervised practice, you will explore and experience human occupation and the benefits of therapeutic activity to health and wellbeing. You will also learn about, and demonstrate at a foundation level, the values, skills and professional requirements of a student Occupational Therapist.
Experts by experience have helped to identify the following core values as the most important elements of building relationships with service users and carers: respect, trust, compassion, empathy, listening and collaboration. Through a range of learning experiences you will be supported to examine these values and to think about how they demonstrate them in their professional practice.
Practice placement involves working in lots of different environments, including people’s homes, hospitals, clinic environments and also working in virtual environments. A particular theme of this module is ‘being a professional in practice environments’ to raise awareness of safety of self and others within practice environments and begin to consider your own impact within the environment.
How will I learn on this module?
The module will begin with a period of university learning to help you to prepare for professional practice. You will be required to provide evidence that your statutory and mandatory training are up to date.
Much of this module will be practice based. You will engage with an identified Occupational Therapy practice area and work alongside a qualified Occupational Therapist(s) who will act as your practice educator to facilitate your learning. Alongside the identified educator(s), opportunities to learn from other team members and related services can be negotiated throughout the placement. Your practice educator, alongside other professionals, will support you to apply knowledge and skills in the real-world practice environment.
University sessions prior, during and following the practice placement will help you to link theory to practice and identify transferable skills form your workplace in order to consolidate learning in preparation for year 2. Tutorials may be in the form of individual or small group tutorials, in university or in practice.
How will I be supported academically on this module?
The module tutor, alongside other academic staff, will support you at key points before, during and after the placement. You will also have an identified practice educator (a qualified Occupational Therapist) who will facilitate and support your learning in practice. In addition, you will be supported to identify and access other professionals and disciplines available in the practice area.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Understand the role of the Occupational Therapist in an identified area of contemporary practice
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the professional skills required for safe and effective practice by meeting the identified practice competencies.
3. Demonstrate appropriate written and verbal communication skills in order to work collaboratively with others
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Demonstrate self awareness and ability to reflect on own impact within practice environments
5. Demonstrate a commitment to the values of inclusive, person centred occupational therapy.
How will I be assessed?
Formative assessment:
Practice Placement 1
Ongoing formative assessment of practice where strengths and areas for development are identified. This will be supported through regular supervision meetings between the student and the practice educator and will be summarised during a mid-point contact with an academic tutor.
Summative assessment:
Practice Placement Competencies
You will be assessed by your practice educator on a pass/fail basis in line with specified level 4 competencies. You will receive written and verbal feedback on your strengths and areas for development from your practice educator.
The summative assessment will promote achievement of all MLO’s
Pre-requisite(s)
None
Co-requisite(s)
None
Module abstract
This module provides an opportunity to experience Occupational Therapy practice in an alternative setting to your workplace. For the period of practice placement, you will be allocated to a qualified Occupational Therapist in an identified practice environment, who will guide and support your learning. You will spend time as part of a team within an identified area of practice, learning from and with service users, occupational therapists and wider services and team members. Through opportunities for supervised practice with ongoing assessment and feedback, and monitored through regular supervision with your allocated practice educator, you will be supported to work towards the placement competencies relevant to your level of learning.
At the end of your first year, this module will enable you to link the foundation knowledge and skills you have developed through university modules to a practice context. The placement process will also be supported by university sessions before, during and after your placement to help you to prepare for practice, to assist you to consolidate learning and future development needs and to reflect upon your placement experiences with staff and students.
Course info
Credits 20
Level of Study Undergraduate
Mode of Study 3 Years Full Time
Location Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University
City Newcastle
Start September 2024
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
Your Learning Experience
Find out about our distinctive approach at
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp
Admissions Terms and Conditions
northumbria.ac.uk/terms
Fees and Funding
northumbria.ac.uk/fees
Admissions Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy
Admissions Complaints Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/complaints
