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.

Institutt for arkiv-, bibliotek- og informasjonsfag tilbyr masterstudium i bibliotek- og informasjonsvitenskap (120 stp.).

Studiet skal blant annet kvalifisere for:

• høyere stillinger innenfor dokumentrelatert virksomhet
• forskning og utviklingsarbeid innenfor dokumentrelaterte emner
• undervisningsstillinger innenfor arkiv-, bibliotek- og informasjonsfeltet
• opptak til doktorgradsstudier

Mastergraden oppnås i samsvar med departementets Forskrift om krav til mastergrad, § 3. [lenke]

Fullført og bestått studium gir graden Master i bibliotek- og informasjonsvitenskap. Gradens engelske tittel er Master of Library and Information Science.

The target group for the programme is authorised general nurses who would like to work as intensive care nurses ¿ primarily in the specialist health service, but also in the treatment of acutely ill patients in the municipal health service.

Opptak skjer i henhold til forskrift om opptak til studier ved OsloMet.

For masterstudiet i bibliotek- og informasjonsvitenskap gjelder følgende opptakskrav utover det som fremgår av forskriften:

Det generelle grunnlaget for opptak er bachelorgrad. Det er i tillegg krav om en faglig fordypning på minst 80 studiepoeng innenfor ett eller flere av masterstudiets fagområder:

• kunnskapsorganisasjon og gjenfinning
• informasjon og samfunn
• litteratur- og kulturformidling
• arkivvitenskap

Søkere med bachelorgrad innen masterstudiets fagområder rangeres på grunnlag av karakterer fra bachelorgrad og eventuell relevant tilleggsutdanning. Søkere som kvalifiserer på grunnlag av fordypning tatt i tillegg til bachelorgrad rangeres på grunnlag av karakterer i fordypningsemnene. Der søker har mer enn 80 studiepoeng i sin faglige fordypning, legges til grunn for beregning de emner som gir størst uttelling for søker.

Det er krav om gjennomsnittskarakter C eller bedre fra opptaksgrunnlaget. Dersom C-kravet ikkeoppfylles med opptaksgrunnlaget kan en søker få medregnet annen fullført master- og/ellervidereutdanning i karaktergjennomsnittet. Utdanningen må være innenfor fagområdene nevnt over.

After completing the Advanced Programme in Intensive Care Nursing, the candidate is expected to have achieved the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• has advanced knowledge of the intensive care nurse's functions and areas of responsibility
• has in-depth knowledge about intensive medical treatment of acutely and/or critically ill patients
• has in-depth knowledge about scientific theory and research methods
• has in-depth knowledge of the experiences, reactions and needs of patients and next of kin in connection with acute and/or critical illness in an age-related and multicultural perspective
• has advanced knowledge of how to maintain and restore vital functions if they are threatened
• is capable of analysing intensive care nursing problems on the basis of the discipline¿s history, traditions, distinctive nature and place in society
• is capable of applying knowledge to new areas of intensive care nursing

SkillsThe candidate

• is capable of analysing and taking a critical approach to different sources of information and of using them to structure and formulate intensive care nursing argumentation
• is capable of analysing and taking a critical approach to existing theories and methods in advanced medical treatment and intensive care nursing
• is capable of observing, assessing and identifying a patient's general and special needs, resources and problems through communication and cooperation with the patient and his/her next of kin
• is capable of preventing complications in connection with acute and/or critical illness, advanced medical treatment and intensive care nursing
• is capable of reducing stress, pain and discomfort in connection with advanced medical treatment and intensive care nursing
• is capable of applying pedagogical and subject didactics principles when informing, teaching and providing guidance to patients and caregivers from different cultures, as well as to colleagues and other members of the healthcare team
• is capable of maintaining and restoring vital functions if they are threatened
• is capable of independent work on practical and theoretical problem-solving relating to the functions and areas of responsibility of an intensive care nurse
• is capable of practising intensive care nursing in accordance with ethical principles and healthcare legislation

CompetenceThe candidate

• has action competence in the field of intensive care nursing
• is capable of carrying out wholly or partly compensatory intensive care nursing in the event of serious self-care deficits in relation to a patient's fundamental needs
• is capable of analysing relevant ethical issues in intensive care nursing based on discipline knowledge, research, experience and patient knowledge
• is capable of applying his/her knowledge and skills to new fields to carry out advanced tasks and projects in intensive care nursing
• is capable of communicating extensive independent work and masters the forms of expression used in intensive care nursing
• is capable of communicating about issues, analyses and conclusions in intensive care nursing, both with specialists and with the general public
• is capable of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary cooperation in patient treatment
• is capable of contributing to new ideas and innovation processes in professional practice