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.

Yrkesfaglærerutdanningen retter seg mot yrkesutøvere med fag-/svennebrev og relevant praksis fra yrkesområdet. Aktuelle yrkesområder er knyttet mot korresponderende utdanningsprogram i videregående opplæring (Kunnskapsløftet). Yrkesfaglærerutdanningen retter seg også mot yrkesutøvere som til daglig arbeider med yrkesopplæring i bedrift eller annen yrkesfaglig kompetanseheving.  

• fag-/svennebrev eller annen fullført treårig yrkesopplæring på videregående nivå innen teknikk og industriell produksjon
• minimum to års yrkespraksis etter avsluttet utdanning
• generell studiekompetanse eller vurdert realkompetanse

Opptak på bakgrunn av realkompetanse reguleres av retningslinjer for opptak på bakgrunn av realkompetanse ved Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus fastsatt av høgskolestyret 8.12.2011. Søkeren må være over 25 år, dokumentere relevant fag-/svennebrev/offentlig godkjent sertifisering og ha minimum 2 års relevant yrkeserfaring. For fag-/yrkesområder der det ikke finnes relevant fag-/svennebrev må søkeren dokumentere minst 8 års relevant yrkeserfaring.

Opptakskravene er regulert i nasjonal forskrift om opptak til høyere utdanning.

Læringsutbyttebeskrivelsene i programplan og emnebeskrivelser er utarbeidet i henhold til nasjonalt kvalifikasjonsrammeverk for livslang læring, fastsatt av Kunnskapsdepartementet 15.desember 2011.

Etter fullført studium har kandidaten følgende læringsutbytte, definert som kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse i tråd med forskrift om rammeplan for yrkesfaglærerutdanning.

Kunnskap

Kandidaten

• har kunnskap om gjeldende lovverk og styringsdokumenter som er relevante for profesjons- og yrkesutøvelsen
• har bred kunnskap om yrkesfag, pedagogikk og yrkesdidaktikk, arbeidsmetoder/verktøy og prosesser som er relevante for profesjons- og yrkesutøvelsen, og kan vurdere behov for HMS-tiltak
• kan se yrkesopplæringen og yrkesutøvelsen i et historisk og kulturelt perspektiv
• har kunnskap om skolens mandat, opplæringens verdigrunnlag, og det helhetlige opplæringsløpet fra ungdomstrinnet til endt fag- eller yrkesopplæring (8.-13. trinn)
• har bred kunnskap om ungdomskultur og ungdoms utvikling og læring i ulike sosiale og flerkulturelle kontekster
• har kunnskap om ungdom i vanskelige situasjoner og om deres rettigheter i et nasjonalt og internasjonalt perspektiv
• kjenner til nasjonalt og internasjonalt forsknings- og utviklingsarbeid med relevans for lærerprofesjonen innenfor det yrkespedagogiske og det yrkesfaglige området, og kan oppdatere sin kunnskap innenfor fagområdet 

Ferdigheter

Kandidaten

• kan anvende sine yrkesfaglige, pedagogiske, yrkesdidaktiske og teknologiske kunnskaper
• kan planlegge, begrunne, gjennomføre, lede, vurdere og dokumentere relevant fag- og yrkesopplæring tilpasset elevenes/lærlingenes behov
• kan identifisere og arbeide systematisk med grunnleggende ferdigheter, herunder yrkesdidaktisk bruk av digitale verktøy
• kan vurdere og dokumentere elevers læring og utvikling, gi læringsfokuserte tilbakemeldinger og bidra til at elevene/lærlingene kan reflektere over egen læring
• kan orientere seg i faglitteraturen og forholde seg kritisk til informasjonskilder og eksisterende teorier knyttet til ungdomstrinnet og fag- og yrkesopplæring (8.-13. trinn)
• behersker relevante arbeidsprosesser, verktøy, teknikker og uttrykksformer, og kan reflektere over egen yrkesutøvelse og justere denne under veiledning
• kan bruke og henvise til relevante forskningsresultater for å treffe begrunnede valg og gjennomføre systematisk yrkesfaglig og pedagogisk utviklingsarbeid 

Generell kompetanse

Kandidaten

• har innsikt i relevante faglige og yrkesetiske problemstillinger og kan formidle sentralt fagstoff skriftlig, muntlig og gjennom andre dokumentasjonsformer
• kan via faglig innsikt, engasjement og formidlingsevne motivere for elevenes/lærlingenes læring, yrkesstolthet og yrkesidentitet
• kan analysere egne behov for kompetanseheving og ha endrings- og utviklingskompetanse for å møte framtidens behov i skole, arbeids- og samfunnsliv
• kan legge til rette for entreprenørskap, nytenkning og innovasjon, og for at lokalt arbeids-, samfunns- og kulturliv involveres i opplæringen
• har innsikt i fellestrekk og ulikheter mellom de ulike yrkene innenfor eget programområde og kan utveksle synspunkter og erfaringer med andre med bakgrunn innenfor fagområdet og gjennom dette bidra til utvikling av god praksis
• kan bygge gode relasjoner til elever/lærlinger og skape konstruktive og inkluderende læringsmiljø
• kan bygge gode relasjoner til og samarbeide med foresatte og andre aktuelle samarbeidspartnere 

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.

Praksisopplæringen skal bidra til at studentene oppnår relevant og god kompetanse for sin framtidige utøvelse av læreryrket. I praksisopplæringen skal studentene prøve ut og bearbeide egne relevante erfaringer og refleksjoner i forhold til læringsutbyttene i studiet. Praksisen deles i yrkesfaglig praksis og pedagogisk praksis:

• Yrkesfaglig praksis skal være på minimum 60 dager, med veiledning fra instruktør/faglig leder og/eller faglærer. Målet med denne praksisen er at studenten får innsikt i det daglige arbeidet og yrkesprosesser på arbeidsplassen.
• Pedagogisk praksis skal tilsvare totalt 70 dager med veiledning knyttet til profesjonsfaget. Praksisopplæringen består av de aktiviteter som inngår i en lærers arbeidsplanfestede dag.

Yrkesfaglig praksis

Hensikten med yrkesfaglig praksis er at studentene får innsikt i de ulike yrkene som inngår i utdanningsprogrammet (breddekunnskap) og fordypning i eget yrke (dybdekunnskap).

Alle yrkesfaglige praksisperioder skal dokumenteres, godkjennes og kommenteres av faglærer.

Pedagogisk praksis

Alle studenter skal gjennomføre pedagogisk praksis på ungdomstrinnet, minimum 10 dager, og i videregående opplæring i eget programområde på ulike trinn i 60 dager. Totalt skal studentene gjennomføre 70 hele dager i pedagogisk praksis.

Den pedagogiske praksisen skal være veiledet, variert og vurdert. De 4 ulike periodene er knyttet til 4 ulike emner og vurderes til bestått/ikke bestått etter hver periode. Praksisen skal ha gradvis progresjon fra observasjonspraksis til individuell undervisningspraksis. Det vil derfor bli stilt strengere krav for å bestå en praksisperiode på slutten av studiet enn i begynnelsen av studiet. Den enkelte praksisperiode må bestås før neste periode kan påbegynnes.

Det er utarbeidet en egen praksisguide for pedagogisk praksis i yrkesfaglærerutdanningen https://student.hioa.no/praksis-ylu

Hvis en student ikke består en praksisperiode kan denne gjennomføres på nytt. Får studenten vurdert samme praksisperiode til ikke bestått to ganger må studiet avbrytes, jf. § 8-4 i forskrift om studier og eksamen ved Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus. 

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)
• FYB2210 Physiotherapy for Health Conditions INT (15 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 80 % attendance in teaching specified as “compulsory attendance” in the lecture schedule programme is required. A minimum of 90 % attendance is required for practical training, both in experience-based practical training, supervised practical training and project based practical training.

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 and practical assignments

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. Regulations to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Chapter 7. 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 aproved by the Academic Affairs at the Faculty of Health Sciences on 13. November 2024

The programme description applies to students starting the programme in 2025.