Physiotherapy Programme Programme description

The Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy is a three-year programme of professional study (180 credits). Students who complete the programme are awarded the degree of Bachelor in Physiotherapy, which forms the basis for one year’s practical training. After completing the programme and one year’s approved practical training, candidates can apply for authorisation as a physiotherapist pursuant to the Act relating to Health Personnel.

The programme description has been drawn up on the basis of the National Regulations relating to a Common Curriculum for Health and Social Care Education and the Regulations on national guidelines for physiotherapy education adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research. The programme was established under the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

The goal of physiotherapy is to improve the prerequisites for functioning, health, coping and self-realisation. Physiotherapists can contribute by building a foundation for physical learning and movement, and by affecting specific conditions of importance to an individual’s activity and participation.

Physiotherapy is both a field of knowledge and a profession. Physiotherapy provides knowledge about physical, psychological, social and existential dimensions of the human being, and the body, movement, functioning and interaction with surroundings lie at the heart of the field of knowledge. The theoretical foundation comprises knowledge from natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities.

Physiotherapists come into contact with people of all ages, with different diseases, injuries and levels of functioning, and from different social and cultural backgrounds. Physiotherapists have a duty to safeguard everyone’s right to equitable services.

Physiotherapy is practised via person-centred and evidence-based, reflective processes that include examination, assessment, clinical diagnostics, goal setting, measures and evaluation. Physiotherapy measures include manual techniques, exercises and guidance, as well as adaptation and adjustments in the user’s environment. Physiotherapists work with individuals and groups and at the cross-sector system level. The profession contributes to interprofessional cooperation and shares the responsibility for ensuring that habilitation and rehabilitation processes meet the user’s need for coordinated and comprehensive services.

The physiotherapy programme at OsloMet is based on the university’s values. Diversity and equality are fundamental values in the practice of physiotherapy in a diverse population. The programme therefore facilitates learning experiences that provide an understanding of individuals with unique life experiences, in all phases of life, and who live their lives in different arenas.

Relevance to working life

Physiotherapists work in local rehabilitation services, healthy life centres, schools/kindergartens, public health centres, nursing homes, home-based services and physiotherapy clinics. Physiotherapists also work in a number of fields in the specialist health service and are often employed at hospitals and rehabilitation institutions. At these institutions, physiotherapists contribute in health services for patients in the acute phase of disease and the early rehabilitation phase, as well as for patients who need specialised rehabilitation. Physiotherapists’ work also includes tasks relating to working life, including assessment, guidance and adaptation of the user’s working environment.

Relevance to further education

A bachelor’s in physiotherapy qualifies students for admission to several different further education and master’s programmes, both at OsloMet and at other institutions in Norway and abroad. OsloMet offers master’s programmes in physiotherapy, and rehabilitation and habilitation.

The target group is everyone who wishes to work as a physiotherapist. Applicants should be motivated to take responsibility for their own learning, cooperate with fellow students and for a future profession that includes therapeutic collaboration with people.

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

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.

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
• FYB1070 Technology and Society I, 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.

The course FYB1070 Technology and SocietyI forms part of most bachelor's programmes at OsloMet. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the digital world and how technology influences people’s lives and the way in which they work, and will help the students to enter the labour market with a fundamental understanding of technology. The Department of Computer Science at OsloMet has the responsibility for the practical aspects of the course provision. See the course description for more detailed information.

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.

Practical training is the parts of the programme that take place in real-life working situations. The practical training is compulsory, and must have a scope of at least 30 weeks (45 credits). The practical training is organised in such a way that the students will encounter users from all age groups and have the opportunity to take part in interprofessional cooperation. Through the practical training, students are assigned tasks that provide the opportunity to discover and explore physiotherapy issues, and which require them to work in an evidence-based and patient/person-centred manner. The practical training is an important arena for developing new knowledge, skills and competence.

Practical training will be organised at institutions/hospitals and in municipal services with which the university cooperates. Efforts are made to allow the student to carry out practical training in different arenas. The student will complete one long period of practical training in the primary health service and one in the specialist health service. Since the university has agreements with several institutions in the health and care sector, the organisation of the students’ practical training will vary. Most of the institutions that make up the practical training arenas for this programme are located in Oslo and Eastern Norway. The student must expect to commute to and from the practical training establishment.

A 90% attendance requirement applies to the practical training. Students who exceed the maximum permitted absence will fail the practical training period and are deemed to have used one of their attempts. For more information about practical training, see the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Students must comply with the clothing regulations in force at the practical training establishment. Special requirements for tests or vaccination may apply at individual practical training establishments.

A distinction is made between two types of practical training: Supervised practical training and experience-based practical training.

Supervised practical training

In supervised practical training, the student’s performance is subject to professional assessment, and the student is entitled to supervision and feedback. The assessment is based on the student’s achievement of the learning outcomes for the practical training period and suitability assessments on a continuous basis in line with the university’s assessment system. This means that a supervisor from the field of practice, referred to as a practical training supervisor, will follow up the student in cooperation with a contact lecturer from the university. The midway and final assessments are made by the practical training supervisor in cooperation with the contact lecturer.

The practical training supervisor will supervise the student during the supervised practical training at the university’s outpatient clinic in the second year of the programme. If the student is at risk of not passing the practical training, the midway and final assessments will take place in consultation with another university staff member.

Experience-based practical training

Experienced-based practical training normally takes place over a short period of time or as individual days spread over a longer period. The purpose of experience-based practical training is to give the students insight into physiotherapy practice and experience of specific physiotherapy tasks. In experienced-based practical training, the student’s performance is not subject to professional assessment, but the student can be supervised.

The practical training periods will become longer as the programme progresses and are organised with a view to ensuring progress in relation to the learning outcomes and gradually increasing independence.

Internationalisation improves the quality of education and strengthens the academic community on the programme, at the same time as it prepares the students to become global citizens. The increasing globalisation of the labour market also makes international professional experience, language skills and cultural knowledge more and more important.

The use of international course literature and a focus on multicultural and global issues in the programme contribute to knowledge about and understanding of the opportunities and challenges inherent in diverse societies, both nationally and internationally. Syllabus written in the English language provides students with experience of reading academic literature and international research. An understanding of English academic literature is important to be able to actively participate in the international physiotherapy community.

The programme staff cooperates on research and education with a number of institutions in other countries. Students are given the possibility of gaining international experience and achieving related learning outcomes through learning activities at the university, locally in Oslo, through meetings with physiotherapy students on exchanges in Norway, and through the use of English as the language of instruction in selected courses. Students can choose to write their bachelor’s thesis in English, Norwegian or another of the Scandinavian languages. Students who go on exchanges must write their thesis in English if the exchange stay is in a country outside Scandinavia.

International semester (incoming exchanges)

In the spring semester, the programme can receive students who have been admitted to programmes at foreign institutions of higher education. Students who are admitted can take courses taught in English in all of the spring semesters (second, fourth and sixth semester).

Courses that can be taught in English or in Norwegian will only be taught in English if international students have been accepted as incoming exchange students.

• FYB1050 Public Health and Health Management (5 credits)
• FYB1060 Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in Health Care (5 credits)
• FYB1070 Technology and Society (5/10 credits)
• FYB2200 Physiotherapy for Health Conditions - II (20 credits)

Exchanges

Students are encouraged to take part of their education at an institution abroad. The programme has many partners abroad that might be relevant for students wanting to go on an exchange. Students in the physiotherapy programme can take three to six months of the programme abroad, primarily in the fourth semester. Students can only go on an exchange if the partner institution offers courses in subject areas corresponding to those covered by the programme in the semester in which the student wants to go on an exchange.

Required coursework is all forms of work, tests and compulsory attendance that are requirements for a student to be assessed/permitted to take the exam or pass practical training. Required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. The coursework requirements for each course are described in the relevant course description.

The purpose of the coursework requirements is to:

• promote progress and academic development
• encourage students to seek out and acquire new knowledge
• facilitate cooperation and communication on physiotherapy issues

The programme has coursework requirements in the form of compulsory attendance, oral presentations, written assignments and tests. The coursework requirements are set to help students to develop their competence in accordance with one or more of the expected learning outcomes of the course. Required coursework is carried out individually or in groups.

Compulsory attendance

The programme emphasises a social learning environment. Attendance is compulsory for all parts of the programme in which the students cannot achieve the learning outcomes on their own, or for parts of the programme where cooperation with fellow students is a precondition for completing the learning activities.

A minimum of 90 % attendance is required for practical training, both in experience-based practical training and supervised practical training. A minimum attendance requirement of 80 % may apply to skills training, group work, project work and seminars. Other activities may also be subject to compulsory attendance requirements. The teaching sessions to which compulsory attendance requirements apply must be clearly marked in the lecture schedule programme (TP).

If a student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, the lecturer will consider whether it is possible to compensate for the absence by meeting alternative requirements, for example individual oral or written assignments. Whether or not it is possible to compensate for absence depends on the extent of the student’s absence and which activities they have missed. Absence from compulsory teaching activities that cannot be compensated for may lead to delayed progress in the programme.

Written assignments and compulsory activities

Several courses have written assignments, practical exercises and tests as coursework requirements. Written and practical work that is not approved must be reworked before re-submission. If the work is not approved on re-submission, the student cannot take the ordinary exam/assessment.

Students are entitled to a third attempt before the resit/rescheduled exam. If a piece of required coursework is not approved, this may lead to delayed progress in the programme. More detailed requirements for written and practical work, deadlines etc. are set out in the teaching plan for the course in question.

Different forms of assessment are used in the programme that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the different courses. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document that the students’ competence is adequate in relation to the applicable learning outcomes. The students will receive advice and supervision and have their performance assessed during the programme. It is important and necessary to assess students’ knowledge and skills often, so that the students receive feedback on whether their performance is in line with the programme’s requirements and whether they have achieved the learning outcomes.

Exams and practical training are assessed in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. The forms of assessment and criteria are described in the individual course descriptions. All exams taken will be stated on the diploma, along with the title of the student’s bachelor’s thesis.

Assessment/exam

All courses conclude with a final assessment and/or an exam. The student’s performance is assessed on the basis of the learning outcomes defined for the course. The grades used are pass/fail or letter grades from A to F, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade. The grade F means that the student has failed the exam.

In some courses, the exam consists of more than one part. The student’s performance in each part of the exam is assessed by a separate grade, before a final overall grade is awarded. For courses that use exams consisting of more than one part, the course description will state how the final grade for the course is arrived at on the basis of the separate grades awarded for the different parts of the exam.

Most courses have required coursework that must be approved before the student can take the exam. See the course descriptions for more details.

Resits/rescheduled exams 

Resit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description. In special cases, resit and rescheduled exams in courses with group exams may be held as individual exams.

For exams where a percentage of the exam papers are selected for assessment by an external examiner, the external examiner’s assessment should benefit all the students. In such cases, one external and one internal examiner will first grade the selected papers. The internal examiner then continues grading the remaining papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments carried out by the two internal examiners.

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. In a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidates who have submitted the appeal.

Assessment of practical training

Practical training is assessed as pass or fail. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course and the continuous suitability assessment that students are subject to throughout the practical training period. To pass the practical training, the student must have met the compulsory attendance requirement. A minimum attendance requirement of 90% applies to practical training courses. If the maximum limit for absence is exceeded, the student can make up for the practical training/teaching activities missed if practically possible. This must be clarified with the person responsible for the course (first year of programme) and with the practical training supervisor and contact lecturer for the second and third years of the programme. If it is not possible to compensate for the absence, the whole period must be retaken. This will result in delayed progress in the programme.

External programme supervisor 

The study programme has an external programme supervisor in accordance with the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. The external programme supervisor is charged with evaluating the programme’s structure and coherence, including the relationship between the learning outcomes as described in the programme description, the work and teaching methods and assessment arrangements. The external programme supervisor should normally supervise all the courses in the programme over the course of a three-year period and provide feedback and advice that the academic environment can use in its further work on the quality of education.

Suitability assessment

Diplomas for the completed programme will only be awarded to graduates who are suited to practise the profession. A student who represents a potential threat to the physical or mental health, rights and safety of their patients and colleagues is not suited for the profession.

Suitability assessments are made on a continuous basis throughout the study programme, and will be included in the overall assessment of the students’ professional and personal suitability for work as health personnel. Students who demonstrate little ability to master the physiotherapist profession must be informed of this at the earliest possible stage of the programme. They will be given supervision and advice on how to improve, or be advised to leave the programme.

Special suitability assessments are used in special cases, cf. the Regulations concerning Suitability Assessment in Higher Education. For more information about suitability assessment, see https://student.oslomet.no/skikkethetsvurdering

Approved by the Academic Affairs Committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences on 16 October 2019.

Most recent amendments adopted by the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences on 31 Jaunary 2022

The programme description applies to students starting the programme in 2022