Puppet Theatre Programme description

The admission requirements are the Higher Education Entrance Qualification or an assessment of prior learning and work experience, cf. the Regulations for admission to higher education. In connection with admission to the Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy, applicants must submit a transcript of police records.

The use of clothing that covers the face is incompatible with taking the programme’s theoretical and practical training courses. During the practical training, the students must comply with the clothing regulations in force at all times at the relevant practical training establishment.

Requirements for admission based on prior learning and work experience

• The applicant must be over 25 years of age
• The applicant can not have general study competence
• The applicant must document a minimum of five year full-time professional experience within the teaching, health or social sector or equivalent, where the applicant has worked with patients, students or clients.

Course requirements

• Norwegian 393 hours
• English 140 hours

After completing the Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy, the candidate should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate has

• knowledge of different perspectives on the body, movement, functioning, health and illness and is able to reflect on these perspectives’ role in the professional practise of physiotherapists
• broad knowledge of human movement development and what promotes development and learning across the lifespan
• broad knowledge of the structures and functions of the body and normal functioning, and knowledge of the causes, mechanisms and development of disease, as well as structural and functional changes to organs, tissues and cells in connection with disease
• insight into how people’s health and functioning are affected by the interaction between individual, social, environmental and cultural factors across the lifespan
• broad knowledge of the theoretical and empirical basis for assessing and implementing measures at the individual, group and society level
• knowledge of the physiotherapy field’s history and development and the profession’s social mission, as well as applicable legislation and policy guidelines for the health service and the professional practice of physiotherapists

Skills

The candidate can

• map and assess the individual’s functioning, pain condition and other health challenges, identify health resources and impeding factors, and identify symptoms of potentially serious underlying pathology
• plan, implement and evaluate health-promoting, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitative and habilitative measures in cooperation with users at the individual, group and/or system level
• reflect critically on the knowledge basis of their own practice and acquire necessary knowledge
• critically evaluate and integrate information from different sources, and make clinical decisions based on evidence-based assessments and priorities
• obtain information about public health and prevalence of illness in the population, as well as map environmental factors that are important to people’s health and quality of life from the perspective of the individual and public health
• apply educational competence when providing guidance to patients and next of kin, as well as other service providers undergoing learning, coping or change processes
• document and communicate the results of assessments and measures in the form of patient records

General competence

The candidate can

• apply communication, relational and cultural competence and show respect, care and empathy in their dealings with patients/users and next of kin, and facilitate user participation at the individual and service level
• work independently, participate in interprofessional cooperation and manage collaborations to create holistic and comprehensive measures and services
• identify, reflect on and handle ethical issues in their practice, work in a professionally sound manner, assess the risk of undesirable incidents and is familiar with methods for following up such incidents in a systematic manner
• contribute to service innovation, continuous quality improvement and the development and application of user-oriented technology at the individual and service level
• plan, carry out and document professional development projects
• disseminate subject matter in writing, orally and in digital formats, in a style appropriate to academia and popular science

The programme is a comprehensive course of study in that its academic content, teaching methods and practical training are linked. There should be a clear link between the learning outcomes described, learning activities and forms of assessment. The work and teaching methods used and the areas covered in the programme are organised in such a way as to promote both theoretical understanding and practical action competence. Practical training and supervision in relation to different skills are therefore included in all years of the programme. The ordinary workload is about 40 hours per week.

This includes self-study, organised teaching and exams. The academic year is 40 weeks long and comprises 60 credits.

The programme is divided into 15 compulsory courses and incorporates both practical and theoretical teaching at the university and external practical training. The learning outcomes described under each course describe the student’s expected progress in terms of competence and independence throughout the programme. All courses conclude with a final assessment.

First year of the programme

In the first year of the programme, basic examination and assessment skills are important. Theoretical knowledge about the musculoskeletal system, communication and ethical reflection are highlighted, and the students will practise applying the knowledge through various skills training. The principles of evidence-based practice are elucidated in a separate course and will be activated in the various learning activities throughout the programme. The anatomy and physiology of different bodily systems are also highlighted, as well as the body’s ability to adapt, motor learning, and theoretical perspectives on coping and motivation. Students will apply this theoretical knowledge through various skills training. Public health strategies and key health policy guidelines are dealt with in a separate course.

Second year of the programme

The second year of the programme focuses on the assessment of and physiotherapy measures adapted to patients with different health conditions. Students will gain experience of applying knowledge about illness in assessment and planning, and cooperation and user participation will also be key topics. Rehabilitation and habilitation are introduced as knowledge areas, and, throughout the year, physiotherapy is discussed in relation to different arenas and phases in life. The second year of the programme includes both skills training and practical training.

Third year of the programme

In the third year of the programme, the students carry out a bachelor’s project that will culminate in a bachelor’s thesis. The students will spend a large part of the year in practical training at institutions in the municipal health service and specialist health service. The last semester of the programme will also focus on the use of technology. Students will be able to exchange experience from practical training. Through their work of finding solutions to various physiotherapy-related problems, the students will learn to use relevant sources of knowledge (own experience, patients’ experience and research) critically. Reference is made to the course descriptions for more detailed information about of the content of the individual courses in the programme.

Study progress

The following progress requirements apply to the programme:

• Students must have passed the first year of the programme before they can start the second year.
• Students must have passed the second year of the programme before they can start the third year.
• In the third year of the programme, students must have passed FYBPRA1 in order to start FYBPRA2.

Courses and teaching activities taught jointly with other programmes at OsloMet

The Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy includes the following courses and teaching activities that also form part of other programmes at the university :

• FYB1050 Public Health and Health Management, 5 credits
• FYB1060 Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in Health Care, 5 credit
• FYB3100 Digital Competence and Innovation in Health, 5 credits
• INTERACT (Interprofessional Interaction with Children and Youth)

In the courses FYB1050 Public Health and Health Management (5 credits) and FYB1060 Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in Health Care (5 credits), different academic environments at the Faculty of Health Sciences join forces to provide the students with a common competence platform in line with national guidelines. In FYB1050, focus is on the health services organisation, health legislation and administration, and preventive and health promoting work. In FYB1060, students learn about the rationale for evidence-based practice, with a focus on critical thinking and shared decision-making. For more details, see the individual course descriptions.

INTERACT (Interprofessional Interaction with Children and Youths) is an interdisciplinary teaching project at OsloMet, where students from both the health and social care subjects and the teacher/kindergarten teacher education programmes meet in interdisciplinary groups. The purpose of this is to ensure that the students acquire the skills needed to meet society’s demand for better coordination of services that concern children and young people. INTERACT is based on pedagogical principles of interactivity and spiral learning, with extensive use of digital learning and assessment tools to support learning.

The teaching (INTER1100, INTER1200 and INTER1300) is carried out in the first teaching week each spring semester for students in the first, second and third study year of the programme, respectively, and is integrated as a compulsory coursework requirement in the existing courses in the programme description. In the Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy, INTERACT is included in the following courses: FYB1300 Body, Movement and Activity, FYB2300 Health and Participation Throughout the Life Span - II and FYB3000 Complexity and Diversity in Physiotherapy Practice. See About INTERACT - INTERACT (oslomet.no) for a more detailed description of INTERACT.

The work and teaching methods used in the physiotherapy programme reflect the fact that students and teachers have joint responsibility for developing knowledge. Teachers have a particular responsibility for stimulating students’ curiosity and learning process by facilitating varied learning methods. Different types of digital learning resources are used in the programme to stimulate student activity and cooperation. These resources can be used in students’ preparations for teaching activities, as support in cooperation processes and for podcast production and digital storytelling.

The programme is designed to prepare students for a labour market that needs employees equipped for lifelong learning. Students are therefore expected to take ownership of their own learning process throughout the study programme, and will learn to both ‘become a physiotherapist’ and ‘learn how to learn’. It is also an express expectation that all students should contribute to creating a good learning environment for their fellow students through active participation in the different work and teaching methods.

Self-study and student cooperation

The attainment of the learning outcomes requires a high degree of self-study. Self-study entails both individual work and cooperation with fellow students, and an entails awareness of how you best learn. It is recommended that students take the initiative to form study groups.

Group work

Different forms of group work are also used in the organised teaching activities. The nature of the group work and the group size will vary. Group work can among other things be connected to work on case histories, discussions, peer supervision and project work. Active participation in group work gives students an opportunity to develop their cooperation skills as well as their academic understanding and analytical skills.

Skills training

Supervised skills training is a key part of the teaching and usually takes place in small groups. Skills training takes place in a gym and in the classroom. For example, it can be carried out as ‘role play’ where the students take turns at playing the ‘patient’ and the ‘therapist’, or by practising examinations and movement analysis on persons who volunteer as ‘patient actors’. Skills training includes practical/instrumental skills (e.g. massage, supervision of fellow students in practice groups), cognitive skills (e.g. clinical reasoning) and social skills (e.g. acting the role of therapist to care for a fellow student).

The purpose of skills training is to develop action competence, but also to support the understanding of theory by applying it in skills training. Through skills training, the students also experience being observed, touched, instructed and assessed by others, thereby experiencing what it is like to be a patient. The exchange of experience with fellow students can raise the students’ awareness of their own and others’ bodily experiences and reactions, which is an important foundation for skills in communication and relationship building.

Seminars/webinars

Seminars are led by the lecturer, but can also be led by students. A seminar is a form of learning where a group meets to discuss issues relevant to the course in question, e.g. on the basis of subject matter from teaching activities, a relevant news story, specific episodes from practical training or fictitious case histories. Everyone is expected to be active participants in the seminars. Active participation in seminar discussions raises students’ professional competence and improves their argumentation skills. Professional exchange of views also teaches the value of listening and being respectful of others’ opinions. Professional exchange of views gives all participants an opportunity to consider a matter from the perspectives of others. Web-based seminars are known as webinars.

Lectures

Lectures are used to shed light on main elements, concepts, principles and important issues. Lectures can be held in auditoriums or made available in digital format.

Dissemination assignments

Dissemination assignments are spread throughout the programme as individual or group-based assignments. Dissemination assignments include written products such as e.g. subject notes, opinion pieces, blog posts, patient records, project reports, digital posters and the bachelor’s thesis. Dissemination also includes oral presentations and use of audio-visual technology (e.g. digital storytelling, podcast, video).

Dissemination assignments allow students to develop their specialist terminology, structure their thoughts, study a topic in-depth, build argumentation in clinical reasoning, adapt their communication to a specific target group, produce creative presentations and log their own experience. The supervisor or a fellow student can also provide guidance and feedback on the content and form of the dissemination assignment.

Interprofessional cooperative learning

Interprofessional cooperative learning includes all work methods where students participate in teaching activities with students from other programmes, or carry out educational activities in a practical training arena that entail cooperation with practitioners of other professions. Interprofessional cooperative learning can be arranged at the university, in connection with practical training or through digital cooperation (webinars) with students in other countries.