FYB1000 Function – Examination and Assessment Tools Course description

Through their professional practice, physiotherapists come into contact with people with different diseases and injuries and at all stages of life. A person’s functional ability must be understood as an interaction between the individual, task and environment. When examining and assessing functional ability, the physiotherapist must be able to address the needs of and interact with people who find it challenging to carry out activities and tasks at home, in kindergarten, at school, at work and in their free time. The learning outcomes of the course represent basic competence required to examine, assess and identify factors that promote and impede a person’s functioning and health. Cooperation with other professions requires a common understanding of concepts, and the course introduces the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a common conceptual framework.

The student must have been admitted to the study programme.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence (learning outcome marked with an asterisk (*) is assessed in connection with the coursework requirements):

Knowledge

The student can

• describe the physiotherapy profession’s history and development in Norway and explain the concept of profession and the professions’ social mission
• describe different perspectives on health, disease and functioning*
• describe World Health Organizations (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework and coding system
• explain key biomechanical concepts and principles and describe the effects of internal and external forces on the body and the body’s reactions to these forces
• describe the scientific basis for standardised tests in physiotherapy and is familiar with tests’ purpose and measurement levels, the test procedure and the validity and reliability of the tests

Skills

The student can

• analyse communication skills in a consultation between a patient and a therapist, and discuss the interaction between them
• apply anatomical and biomechanical theory in the analysis of positions, movements and muscle use
• plan and give grounds for their assessment of function and demonstrate this in practice on a fellow student
• palpate and identify the surface structure of the musculoskeletal system
• apply relational and communication knowledge in the examination of a fellow student

General competence

The student can

• reflect on ethical issues relating to undressing, touching and closeness, and address the fellow student’s needs when interacting with them
• reflect on their own learning strategies
• describe the profession’s ethical guidelines

The work and teaching methods include self-study, group work, seminars, lectures, practical skills training and experience-based practical training. Experience-based practical training takes place in different practical training arenas.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

• completed experience-based practical training, 4 days
• subject note in groups of 4-6 students, 1400 words (+/- 10%). The subject note will be subject to assessment
• a minimum attendance of 80 % in teaching specified as ‘compulsory attendance’ in the lecture schedule programme

The course covers supplementary parts of basic mechanics, different methods of dealing with statically indeterminate structures, as well as the functions of different structures. The unit load method and the importance of rigidity are key concepts. Common structural elements of different load-bearing systems are also discussed. Necessary sections from Norwegian standards NS-EN 1990 and 1991 will be reviewed to form a basis for the design process. The course also gives an introduction to design of simple steel-, timber- and concrete cross sections.

No requirements over and above the admission requirements.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has in-depth knowledge of statically determinate and indeterminate structures
• has broad knowledge of the functions of a selection of common structures
• is familiar with the design process and relevant standards
• is familiar with bracing principles for buildings
• is familiar with the design principles for steel-, timber- and concrete structures

Skills

The student is capable of:

• calculating shear stresses in beams
• applying the unit load method to calculate statically indeterminate structures and calculating deformation using the reduction postulate
• calculating load distribution in bracing systems
• calculating temperature effects in simple structures
• determining relevant loads and load combinations in accordance with standards
• designing simple steel-, timber- and concrete cross sections
• performing simple static calculations using computer program

General competence

The student is capable of:

• planning and carrying out the first design phase for a building, including assessment of the load distribution to the different structures
• assessing and analysing various load-bearing systems
• evaluating and verifying the output from computer program

Lectures and supervision of assigned exercises. The course also includes practical exercises in the classroom / computer lab.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can sit the exam:

• 5 of 7 individual exercises
• participation in software lab course (4 hours)
• 1 group assignment in practical lab, 3-5 page report