Module Description
Title
Code
Level
Credit rating
Pre-requisites
Human Occupation + Beginning Practice
HEM50
6
0 (Formative)
A 2:2 Honours degree or above in a subject other than occupational
therapy.
Type of module
Seven week taught module
Aims
On campus:
To introduce the concept of humans as occupational beings.
To demonstrate the essential link between occupation and health.
To overview the principles and process of Occupational Therapy.
To familiarise students with the process of problem-based learning in
groups, and individual PBL.
To gain efficiency and pleasure in the use of learning resources.
To prepare for the first practice placement experience.
During practice placement:
To observe Occupational Therapy practitioners in action, within one
setting.
To interact with staff and with persons with occupational loss.
To perceive the causes, effects, assessment and management of
occupational loss.
Learning outcomes/ On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
objectives
Define occupational therapy
Explain the role of occupational therapy in one practice placement
setting
Relate to themselves as an occupational beings.
Reflect on their own feelings, emotions, and attitudes about illness /
disability.
Understand how they will be assessed throughout the course and
specifically the purpose and marking criteria for the module
assessment.
Discuss leisure as an occupation and its impact on health and
wellbeing.
Consider leisure occupations and how they might be affected by severe
mental illness, such as schizophrenia.
Complete an activity analysis of bathing and consider how mobility
problems affect performance, such as in Parkinson’s disease
Identify personal strengths and needs pertinent to their first practice
placement
Demonstrate a basic understanding of principles of manual handling.
Demonstrate emerging understanding of the principles of Problembased Learning (PBL) when managing own learning
Content
Indicative topics:
Theory of occupation: definitions and genesis of occupational therapy
and science; the form, function, and meaning of occupations; effects of
occupational deprivation on health. Some causes of occupational loss;
occupational/activity analysis (concepts of productivity, leisure, self-
maintenance); occupational therapy process.
Human subsystems: biological endowment for occupations (structure,
systems); medical, social and occupational models of health and
illness; theory of flow and optimal experience, the hand, schizophrenia,
parkinson’s disease, human learning, learning through problems.
Environmental Systems: The therapeutic environment (practice
placement), role of statutory and voluntary authorities; Healthcare
policies pertaining to occupational therapy, Manual Handling
Operations Regulations 1992. The built environment, access, systems
theory, code of conduct.
Clinical Reasoning: defining clinical reasoning.
Therapeutic Skills: professional terminology; skills tasters (Horticulture,
craft, cooking, pottery), forming rapport; communication; client centred
practice; observation; moving and handling; occupational behaviour;
performance components; activity analysis; treatment planning; identify
learning needs for self-direction; forming research questions.
Campus learning outcomes will be achieved through the study of five
problems or situations as follows:
Difficulty in defining occupational therapy, at a student party.
Students will bring in photographs of themselves doing an occupation
that has meaning to them to provoke discussion about the value of
occupation, humans as occupational beings, the link between health
and occupation and the principles of occupational therapy as a
profession.
Assisting a young man to engage in one leisure activity during his
hospital admission. The young man is called Christian and he has
been diagnosed with Schizophrenia. (Film case study)
Tim is an active man diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A
documentary of his everyday life is used for students to aim to enable
the client use his bath.
Students are going out on their first placement; they need to identify the
students and educators role and responsibilities in order to prepare a
student passport.
Teaching and
learning strategies
Five week campus based module to include the following each week:
Two PBL tutorials (6 hours), two fixed resource sessions with subject
experts including clients, carers and practitioners (2 hours),
seminars/debates (2 hours); Theraputic skills (2 hours) self directed
learning. In the field, a wide variety of experiences: observation,
assisting in the therapeutic process, participating in departmental life,
contact with service users, and use of PBL with new situations.
Students are prepared for the next practice placement module through
one weeks PBL trigger, a preparatory session with a practice placement
educator/ex-student including a discussion of their expectations, and an
introduction to the student role on placement with the practice
placement tutor. During this module the students will also be prepared
for the placement by the sessions on: moving and handling techniques.
The practice placement student passport will be a product of the final
PBL trigger. This will be written by the student and presented to the
personal tutor during the beginning of the second module. This will
form the beginning of a professional Portfolio, which will be developed
by the student throughout the programme. The passport will include:
Information about past experience including academic/practical
personal strengths
Personal areas to develop for this placement
Identification of special needs with points for ‘reasonable adjustment’
Learning support
The portfolio is intended to foster the life-long Best Practice standards
required for Continual Professional Development. Students will make
additions to the portfolio during the course, including reflections of
practice and assignments, conferences attended, or community work
undertaken.
College of Occupational Therapists (2005) Code of Ethics and
Professional Conduct. London: College of Occupational Therapists.
College of Occupational Therapy. (2005). Code of Professional
Practice. London: College of Occupational Therapists.
College of Occupational Therapists (2006) Manual Handling. London:
College of Occupational Therapists.
Clark F et al (1990) Occupational Science: Academic innovation in the
Service of Occupational Therapy’s future. American Journal of
Occupational Therapy 45(4). 300-310.
Creek J, Lougher L (2008) Occupational Therapy and Mental Health.
4th ed. Edinburgh; New York: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
Creek J (2010) The Core Concepts of Occupational Therapy: A
Dynamic Framework for Practice. London Jessica Kingsley Publishers..
Csikzentmihalyi M (1993) Activity and Happiness: towards a science of
occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, Australia 1(1) 38-42.
Finlay L (2004) The Practice of Psycho-social Occupational Therapy.
3rd ed. Cheltenham:Nelson Thornes
Hawkins P, Shohet R (2007) Supervision in the Helping Professions.
3rd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Hayes N (2000) Foundations of psychology 3rd ed. London: Thomson
Learning.
Healey J, Spencer M (2008) Surviving your placement in health and
social care. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Health Professions Council (2009) Standards of conduct, performance
and ethics. London: HPC.
Health Professions Council (2009) Standards of proficiency for
occupational therapists. London: HPC.
Johnson SE (2002). Activity Analysis. In: A. Turner et al (eds)
Occupational Therapy and Physical Dysfunction. Edinburgh: Churchill
Livingstone.
Molineux M ed (2004). Occupation for Occupational Therapists. Oxford:
Blackwell Publishers.
Neistadt ME, Blesedell Crepeau E (eds) (2009). Willard and
Spackman's Occupational Therapy. 11th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Chapter – Occupational Science.
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/OCCUPATIONAL-THERAPY.html
Sadlo G (1996) Problem-based Learning. What? No courses of set
subjects! Tertiary Education News 5(6), 8-10.
Sinclair K, Tse H (2001) Writing reflective journals. In Kember, D. et al
, eds. Reflective teaching & learning in the health professions :action
research in professional education. Oxford: Blackwell Science
Sladyk K (Ed) (2002) The Successful Occupational Therapy Fieldwork
Student. Thorofare: Slack
Christiansen CH, E A Townsend (2004) Introduction to occupation: the
art and science of living. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Tyldesley B, Grieve J (2002) Muscles, Nerves and Movement
Kinesiology in Daily Living. 3rd Ed. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific
Publications.
WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
ICF. (2001).
Yerxa EJ (1993) Occupational Science: A new source of power for
participants in Occupational Therapy. Occupational Science: Australia.
1(1) 3-10.
Zemke R, Clark F (1996) Occupational science: The evolving discipline.
F.A. Davis Company.
Assessment tasks
Formative:
Moving and handling, interviewing, short answer theoretical questions,
regular reviews of understanding, quiz.
Evaluation of participation in practice placement (by self and educator).
Observation/examination of the occupational balance of one serviceuser seen during practice placement (pie chart).
Written assignment, 2000 words. The assessment criteria/marking
guidelines are agreed by the students and the tutors when the question
is set. An example is:
“Using an activity of your choice (typically one that you enjoy doing
yourself), critically discuss the relationship between activity and wellbeing.”
The beginning practice placement is formatively assessed.
Part 1 of the assessment includes learning outcomes for safe practice,
non-discriminatory practice and professional behaviour. If the student
does not meet any of these three outcomes at any stage of the
placement then the student can be withdrawn from the placement. This
section over-rules part 2 where ten competencies for practice are
formatively assessed.
Brief description of
module content
and/or aims
(maximum 80
words)
Area examination
board to which
module relates
Module authors/
coordinator
Semester offered,
where appropriate
Site where
delivered
Date of first
approval
Date of last revision
Date of approval of
this version
Version number
Providing a realistic and motivating introduction, this level-6 module is
focused on the importance of occupation within human health and wellbeing. With occupational science as the ‘lens’ students are introduced
to true human situations where occupational performance and
consequently health and well-being are compromised. Students are
encouraged to start to develop concepts, values, roles and skills central
to the profession. Achievement on the course is supported through a
formative written assessment with written feedback and through
familiarisation with the process of problem-based learning. A short
practice placement experience enables students to observe
occupational therapy in action.
PG Dip/MSc in Health through Occupation.
Lee Price
N/A
Eastbourne
April 2000
March 2010
24th May 2012
4
Replacement for
previous module
Field for which
module is
acceptable and
status in that field
Course(s) for which
module is
acceptable and
status in course
School home
External examiners
N/A
Mandatory module in PG Dip/ MSc in Health through Occupation.
MSc Health Through Occupation; Compulsory
School of Health Professions
Maggie Donovan-Hall (to 2013) and Janice Bell (to 2016)