ORIPRA3 Placement: Lower Limb- and Spinal Orthotics Course description

This course consists of a six-week period (a total of 180 hrs) of supervised practical training in an orthopaedic technology enterprise. Lower limb and spinal orthoses are the main focus. This often means treating neurological conditions and injuries to the lower limbs and/or back. Good communication and cooperation with the user and interprofessional team are key to achieving good treatment results.

The student must have passed the first and second years of the programme or equivalent, with the exception of the courses ORI1050 and ORI1060.

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

Knowledge

The student

• can describe how the organisation and structure of the practical training establishment influences professional practice
• can describe key topics, theories, issues, processes, tools and methods of relevance to lower limb and spinal orthoses
• can elaborate on how different types of orthoses form part of treatment, habilitation and rehabilitation

Skills

The student

• can use, give grounds for, carry out and reflect on clinical processes with an emphasis on lower limb and spinal orthoses
• can create models and orthoses and demonstrate how to use the orthosis
• can analyse and reflect on outcomes measures that are relevant to measure the effect of orthoses in relation to the ICF framework (body structures, function, activity and participation)
• can assess whether there is a need to refer clients to a partner
• can communicate and discuss professional opinions with users, next of kin and partners
• can discuss and reflect on the treatment of children in need of orthoses
• can perform quality control of orthopaedic appliances
• can explore professional issues in a systematic and reflective manner in his/her clinical practice

General competence

The student

• can work in accordance with applicable legislation, framework conditions and professional ethical guidelines
• can demonstrate and reflect on professionalism in all tasks at the practical training enterprise
• can act in manner that demonstrates empathy, respect and equality, to promote autonomy and co-determination
• can independently keep records and relevant documents used in the practical training enterprise
• can handle ethical dilemmas and work in accordance with professional ethical guidelines
• can contribute to work in and coordination of interprofessional teams
• can reflect on his/her own development, the user’s perspective and the perspectives of other healthcare professionals
• can identify his/her own knowledge needs, demonstrate insight in relation to his/her own learning needs and obtain new knowledge and skills

The work and teaching methods include self-study, interprofessional cooperative learning and external practical training under supervision.

The following coursework requirements must be met before the student can take the exam:

• minimum 90 % attendance during practical training
• six reflection notes of 700-1,400 words. The reflection notes must be submitted to the programme on a weekly basis.

Assessment of practical training: The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course and the continuous assessment that students are subject to throughout the practical training period.

The student’s practical training can only be assessed if their attendance is sufficiently high (90%). For more information, see the general part of the programme description about practical training assessment.

Resit assessment: Students who fail a period of practical training normally have to retake the whole practical training period.

The Faculty of Education and International Studies at Oslo and OsloMet offers interdisciplinary courses in Development Studies and North-South relations, leading to a Bacherlor's degree in Development Studies of 180 ECTS credits. This course on Problems of Sustainability is at the intermediate level and represents a 10 ECTS credits module in the 5th semester of the bachelor programme.

The course will be taught in English (or Norwegian, depending on needs according to the participants' language abilities). The exam papers can be written in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish

On successful completion of the course, the student has acquired the following learning outcomes classified as knowledge, skills and general competencies.

Knowledge The student can

• identify different dimensions and interpretations of the terms «sustainability», «sustainable development», «the Anthropocene» and "the Capitalocene";
• discuss explanations of the present situation of "unsustainable development", and its historical background;
• identify the range of approaches and history behind sustainability transitions, such as doughnut economics, ecomodernism/green growth, degrowth, and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Skills The student can

• reflect critically on the main strengths and weaknesses of frameworks for sustainability transitions in the context of countries both in the Global North and South, as well as in the relation between the North and South;
• identify political and economic impediments to sustainability transitions in the contemporary world.

General competenciesThe student

• has obtained a basic competence to critically examine, discuss and take part in democratic decision making and action regarding choices of sustainability transitions;
• has obtained a basic competence to identify "greenwashing", "green colonialism" and other types of unjustifiable claims of sustainability transition.

There will be lectures and teacher-led seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in group work and discussions during seminars.

Activities with compulsory attendance

It is compulsory to attend the seminars. These are considered essential for developing skills and general competence, as they give the students the opportunity to verbalize, analyze and discuss key issues of the course. The group work on which the seminars are based require that most students are present.

Students with undocumented absence from more than 25 % of these seminars cannot take the exam. Students who have attended less than 75 % of the seminars, but can document valid compelling reasons for all the absences, will have to submit a written paper on a given theme as compensation in order to be able to take the exam. The length of the paper shall be in the range of 2,000-5,000 words, depending on the number of seminars missed.

Students shall also take part in online discussions on topics from the course. Each student is required to post at least four contributions of a minimum of 50-100 words each. Taking part in an online discussion of the course contents ensures the active involvement of the students with the issues the course deals with, and thus enhances learning. Information on deadlines for posting and questions to respond to will be given at the start of the course. If a deadline is not met, the student will be given a new deadline. However, unless all four posts have been posted by the last lecture/seminar (whichever comes last), the student cannot take the exam.