Master Programme in Applied Social Sciences - Programme Option Child Care, part-time Programme description

Prospective students have a bachelor's degree and an interest in the science or philosophy of behavior, and recognize the need for effective behavioral interventions.

Everyone who wishes to take a bachelor’s degree in paramedic science in order to practise as a paramedic, or as the starting point for further studies.

Students apply for and are admitted directly to the specialisation of their choice. The requirement for admission to the Master’s Programme in Health and Technology is a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent degree within a specified field, with an average grade of at least C. If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of places on the programme, applicants will be ranked according to applicable ranking rules.

Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Admission to Studies at OsloMet. The specialisations will only be run if a sufficient number of qualified candidates apply.

Admission requirements for the individual specialisations

Specialisation in assistive technology in health

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree in health and social sciences, social sciences, economics, psychology, education, design, informatics, or engineering.

Specialisation in biomedicine

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree in medical laboratory sciences, pharmacy, biotechnology, biomedicine, chemical engineering or molecular biology. A minimum of 30 credits must include courses with practical laboratory work.

Specialisation in radiography

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree in radiography.

Special admission to the specialisation in radiography Candidates with a bachelor's degree in radiography who have also completed further education in radiotherapy (60 ECTS credits) according to the programme description from the academic year 2014/15 (student cohort 2014H) or later, can apply for a special admission to the specialisation in radiography. The admission requirements are as follows:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in radiography
• Completed further education in radiotherapy, according to the programme description from the academic year 2014/15 (student year group 2014H) or later

Grades from the further education in radiotherapy may be included in the calculation basis to meet the necessary academic minimum requirements.

Varied and student-active teaching methods are used in the program. The languages of instruction are Norwegian and English. Textbooks, reading packages and digital course sequences are in English.

Good learning outcomes primarily depend on the students’ own efforts. Student effort includes benefiting from teaching and academic supervision; following this up with independent work in the form of theoretical studies, and, when relevant, practical skills training. The program is demanding, and requires consistent effort during the whole semester. The most important work and teaching forms used in each course in the program are described below. Individual course descriptions state which work methods each course employs.

Web-based work and teaching methods

Several forms of digital learning resources are used in the program, such as digital textbooks, digital lectures, video clips, tests, and assignments. These resources can be used to prepare for teaching sessions, during seminars using Interteaching, and as part of self-study. This form of teaching requires the students to meet prepared for the scheduled teaching sessions. Interaction can also take place digitally. Students from both specialisations will have access to digitalised versions of the course content. For the digital course sequences, feedback on details of course content, and supervised discussion groups will be available during pre-determined time periods.

Personalized System of Instruction (PSI)

The Innovation and Implementation specialisation provides students with digital course sequences constructed from the principles of Personalized System of Instruction, PSI. This is a teaching program that builds verbal/conceptual repertoires by going from basic to advanced concepts with no gaps in between, and where student progress is contingent on mastering previous learning units at a certain level before the next unit is made available. This will, with required readings matched to the course content and dedicated sessions for teacher’s response to student questions, allow for a certain degree of self-pacing, making this suited for part-time students with different demands on their time than full-time students. The complete content of each course will be broken down into course sequences that build upon the previous one, with a mastery test at the end of each sequence. A success rate of 80% allows the student to continue to the next sequence.

The course sequences replace lectures and workshops for those who are in the Innovation and Implementation specialisation, but students are welcome to participate in all teaching and learning activities, irrespective of their specialisation.

Lectures

Lectures are primarily used to introduce new subject matter, provide an overview and highlight main elements and links within different topics, and also to communicate relevant issues.

Seminars

Seminars emphasize dialogue and discussion between the subject teacher(s) and students in order to stimulate the student's academic development. Verbal presentations by students and discussions are emphazised. In connection with MALK5900: Master's thesis (60 ECTS), seminars are held where scientific and methodological aspects of the master's theses are presented and discussed. The students receive feedback from their fellow students and teachers, which enables them to learn from each other. Research-related issues, methods and academic supervision are among the topics discussed in the seminars. Seminars for MALK5900 will be conducted on digital collaboration platforms.

Interteaching

Interteaching is a technology of classroom instruction based on the principles of behavior analysis. The Interteaching method includes pre-session reading; discussion of pre-determined questions in pairs with perambulating instructors; summarizing lectures based on questions from the discussions, and data collection including student evaluation of each session.

Written assignments

Written assignments vary according to learning outcomes, course content and work methods. The assignments usually consist of written work, in the form of essays, reaction papers or reviews of literature, or multiple-choice tests. The coursework requirements ensure steady academic progress and stimulate the students to acquire new knowledge; testing their knowledge, skills and competencies against the standards of the course outcomes. Coursework requirements get feedback from instructors and are specifically designed to give students practice in academic writing and prepare them for thesis work.

Simulation/laboratory exercises/skills training

Simulation/laboratory exercises/skills training is used to design and execute learning experiments, giving hands-on experience with basic learning processes and experiments.

Self-study and student cooperation/group work

Learning requires a high degree of self-paced activity and self-study, including both individual work and cooperation with fellow students. Through activities such as exchanging ideas, presentations, discussions, writing assignments and problem-based assignments, students will be stimulated to learn by communicating knowledge and experience, expressing their own opinions and, together, reflecting on their own attitudes, actions and understanding of the field. Students are encouraged to take initiative to schedule and actively participate in study groups to promote learning. Information about the activities in the institute’s research groups is presented at the start the program, and students are encouraged to take part in the lab activities in the research groups. For each course, the students are responsible for readings.

The master’s programme is designed to be comprehensive, and the academic content and educational tools are interlinked, showing a clear context between learning outcome descriptions, learning activities and forms of assessment. The courses in the programme description build to some extent on each other to ensure progress, with increasing requirements for knowledge and understanding within each specialisation.

The Master’s Programme in Health and Technology includes common courses and compulsory specialisation courses. The thesis has a scope of 50 ECTS credits. Students are offered various elective courses depending on the specialisation chosen. Some elective courses are offered to all students across the specialisations, while others are only offered to students taking the individual specialisation. Normally, at least ten registered students are required for a course to be taught.

The academic year is 40 weeks long, and the expected workload for a full-time student is 40 hours per week. This includes scheduled activities, students’ own activity and exams. The course descriptions provide more details about learning outcomes, work methods, coursework requirements and exams.

The specialisation in biomedicine is organised as a full-time course of study over two years, while the specialisations in assistive technology in health and radiography are organised as three-year part-time courses of study. The normal structure for each specialisation is shown in the figure below.

Content of compulsory common courses

Two courses are compulsory for all students on the programme and will be taught jointly for the specialisations:

HETEK4000 Interactions in Health and Technology (10 credits) introduces students to key concepts relating to technological development, system design and service innovation. Students will explore how new technology can contribute to sustainable solutions in health and care services, and in research and development work, but should also be able to reflect on ethical challenges that arise when new technology is employed. Interdisciplinary collaboration competence in the development and implementation of new technology in the health and social services is emphasised.

HETEK4100 Theory of Science, Ethics and Research Methods (10 credits) comprises fundamental aspects and methodologies of philosophy of science that are used in the planning, execution and dissemination of research projects in general. Focus is also on particular issues relating to health science and medical research, research ethics and relevant legislation.

Master’s thesis

The programme normally includes a master’s thesis worth 50 credits (MAATH5900/MABIO5910/MARAD5900). Students who choose to take one semester abroad will be given an opportunity to write a master’s thesis worth 30 credits (HETEK5910). See more detailed information under Internationalisation. Regardless of the scope of the master’s thesis, the project description is developed with the support of the lecturer, who quality assures the project with respect to scope and degree of difficulty. The same requirements apply to scientific and research-related work regardless of the length of the thesis.

The thesis can be written individually or in groups of two students. Students choose the topic of the thesis based on their academic background and interests. They can take the initiative for a master’s project themselves. Students can also be offered the chance to be involved in projects affiliated to research projects at OsloMet or external Norwegian and foreign partner institutions.

Elective courses

In the course of the master’s programme, the students can choose between several different elective courses. Some elective courses can be taken regardless of the specialisation chosen, while some are aimed at students taking the individual specialisation. The range of elective courses varies from one semester to the next. Students must apply for a place on elective courses no later than the semester before, subject to specific deadlines. There may be an upper limit for places on each elective course. Normally, at least ten registered students are required for a course to be taught.

The following courses are elective for all students taking the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences, regardless of the specialisation chosen:

• HETEK4300 Bacteriology and Antimicrobial Resistance, 10 credits
• HETEK4200 Monitoring, Activity- and Movement Analysis, 10 credits
• HETEK4400 Digital Health and Homecare, 10 credits
• MAFAR4100 Innovation within Healthcare, 10 credits
• MAVIT5800 Introduction to Clinical Studies for Healthcare Personell, 10 credits
• MAVIT4800 Personalized Nutrition, 10 credits
• MAVIT5100 Health Communication, 10 credits
• SFV5100 Digital Revolution? Social Science Perspectives on Technology in the Health and Social Care Sector, 10 credits
• MSLV4200 Collaboration and Collaborative Managment, 10 credits

In addition, students taking the specialisations in assistive technology in health or biomedicine may choose the following course from the specialisation in radiography:

• MARAD4300 Medical Use of Radiation, 10 credits

Students taking the specialisations in biomedicine or radiography may also choose the following course from the specialisation in assistive technology in health:

• The Knowledge Base in Assistive Technology in Health, 10 credits

Study progress

The following progress requirements apply to the programme:

• Specialisation in biomedicine (full-time): The student must have passed all compulsory courses in the first year of study before starting on the master’s thesis
• Specialisation in assistive technology in health (part-time): The student must have passed all compulsory courses in the first year of study and the autumn semester in the second year before starting on the master’s thesis
• Specialisation in radiography (part-time): The student must have passed all courses in the first year of study and the autumn semester in the second year before starting on the master’s thesis
• Specialisation in radiography with special admission (part-time): The student must have passed the courses HETEK4000 and HETEK4100 before starting on the master’s thesis
• Some courses may have separate progress requirements; see the individual course descriptions.

The programme’s learning outcomes cover a broad spectrum. The work and teaching methods facilitate the integration of knowledge, skills and general competence and are designed to have the greatest possible transfer value to professional practice. Emphasis is therefore placed on using a variety of work methods and alternating between theoretical studies and clinical training.

The aim of the paramedic science programme is to educate independent, proactive and dynamic candidates that can handle social change and cultural diversity. For the same reason, emphasis is placed not only on the content, but also on the learning process itself, in which students develop their ability to make independent assessments based on critical reflection and interaction with patients, next of kin and colleagues, which are key skills. Good learning outcomes are first and foremost dependent on the students’ own efforts. Own effort means both benefiting from teaching and academic supervision and following this up with independent work in the form of theoretical studies and practical skills training. Normal study progress requires students to make great personal efforts in the form of study groups and individual work.

Different types of digital technology are used in the programme to stimulate student-active learning and collaboration. These resources can be used in students’ preparations for teaching activities, as support in collaborative processes or to help practise or test the student’s own knowledge.

The students will receive follow-up throughout the programme in the form of supervision and feedback. The students will at times assess each other’s work and provide feedback to each other.

More detailed descriptions of the most common work and teaching methods used in the programme are provided below. The individual course descriptions state which work methods each course employs.

Independent work

A paramedic must be able to make independent assessments and decisions, and stand by them, based on interaction with patients, next of kin and colleagues. Some of the thematic areas will not be addressed in the organised teaching. Students are expected to acquire this knowledge through self-study, alone or in cooperation with fellow students in study groups.

Study groups

In the theoretical part of the programme, the students will be split into group of up to seven. The groups are assigned a lecturer as supervisor. Working with issues and assignments in cooperation with other students is intended to support the learning of subject matter and provide training in cooperation and interaction skills, which are necessary in professional practice. Group supervision is also used to show the connection between the organisation of the programme and future professional practice and is intended to facilitate planning and evaluation of individual students’ and the study group’s learning process. Getting the study groups to work effectively is both a learning tool and a learning goal.

Simulation and skills training

Simulation and skills training is integrated in almost all courses and makes up a key part of the programme. The students will acquire skills through practical training with medical emergency equipment, models, manikins and on each other. Skills are placed in context through scenarios, which should be handled either by simple role play or through complex simulations. Students develop their observer and paramedic role through supervision and teaching that promotes reflection on their own professional practice. The professional field is closely linked to simulation and skills training in that a range of active paramedics contribute as teachers. This creates a close connection between the training and day-to-day clinical work.

Lectures

Lectures are mainly used to introduce new material and to provide an overview. Highlighting main elements, shedding light on connections and pointing out relevant issues within a topic will form the basis for the students’ own learning.

Seminars

The purpose of seminars is to process subject matter and facilitate discussion between students and teaching staff. Oral dissemination is emphasised. The students shall be given an opportunity to practise their academic formulation and presentation skills. They are encouraged to express their own opinions and reflect on their own actions and attitudes.

Written assignments and bachelor’s thesis

Through written assignments and the bachelor’s thesis, students will formulate research questions for assignments and work on them over time, either individually or in cooperation with other students. They will learn theory and develop skills in using and referencing sources, analysis, discussion and written and oral communication. The primary purpose of this is to develop their ability to reflect critically and search for relevant research knowledge, and their ability to work in an evidence-based manner.

Clinical practice placement makes up about one-third of the programme and is divided into periods of placement in the ambulance service and in different parts of the primary and specialist health services.

The placement periods are intended to give students competence in integrating theoretical and evidence-based knowledge with clinical understanding. In clinical situations, the students also learn about patients’ and next of kin’s user knowledge. Clinical training is an important qualification arena for developing clinical competence. Students will continuously alternate between theoretical in-depth studies, simulation and skills training at the university and clinical training in the field of practice in order to develop clinical competence.

Practice placement arenas for this programme are mainly located in Oslo and Eastern Norway. The students may need to commute to and from the location of the practice placement. Students must comply with the practice placements guidelines for work clothing. Special requirements for tests or vaccination may be applicable at some practice placements institutions.

Clinical training

The practical part of the programme totals 37 weeks. The majority of these, 24 weeks, are made up of supervised clinical training in the ambulance service. The remaining 13 weeks are spent in different places in the primary and specialist health services.

Placement in the ambulance service

The clinical training is split into two courses in the second (16 weeks) and third (8 weeks) years of the programme. This training is supervised, which means that a supervisor from the ambulance service follows up the student throughout the training period. This is carried out in cooperation with a contact lecturer from the university. Separate training documents have been drawn up for the placement periods. The learning outcomes from the course descriptions are specified in these documents. The document is intended as a tool for the student and supervisor to actively link the clinical training to the learning outcomes, and to document the student’s progress. This is used as a basis for assessment in cooperation with the contact lecturer from the university.

Clinical training in the primary and specialist health services

This training is spread over approximately thirteen weeks in the fifth semester. The aim is for the student to gain increased understanding and experience with patient care pathways in other parts of the medical emergency chain in primary and specialist health services. Relevant training establishments can include municipal health services, somatic and psychiatric hospital departments, specialised hospital departments, substance abuse care, mobile teams, and private actors. In addition to the training itself, the course consists of seminars, simulation and skills training, teaching, writing reflection notes, and working in study and reflection groups. Parts of the clinical training can be replaced by simulation and skills training at OsloMet if this provides a better opportunity to ensure that learning outcomes are achieved.

The student will be taken care of and guided by different health personnel at the various training establishments. To ensure continuity, students will have regular contact with a university teacher throughout the training period. The final competence will be assessed in a concluding exam seminar with a practical-oral group exam.

Critical incidents

There is a relatively high possibility that the students will experience particular demanding and serious incidents during the placement periods. Measures have therefore been taken to protect the individual students by established peer support schemes. The students must therefore sign a consent form at the start of the programme confirming that they have been informed of the above. It is the students’ independent responsibility to contact the peer support scheme as needed to process critical incidents. If necessary, the student will be referred to the Student Welfare Organisation’s health service.

Certificate of competence for driving emergency vehicles

Students must pass both a theoretical and a practical test in driving emergency vehicles in order to complete the paramedic programme. The students must meet the requirements stipulated in Section 6 of the Emergency Vehicle Regulations before they can start the training. Among other things, this means that the students must a) document in the form of a medical certificate that they meet the medical requirements for a category 3 driving licence, b) have reached 20 years of age, and c) have held a class B driving licence continuously for the past two years.

During the second and third years of the programme, the students receive theoretical and practical training in groups. All students in the year group must have taken the theoretical and practical tests before completing the course PMEDPRA30 in the sixth semester.

The tests are organised and assessed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. OsloMet will cover the costs related to the theoretical and practical tests up to three times. Students must pay for any further attempts. In order for OsloMet to issue the diploma, the theoretical and practical test must be passed within one year after the student has attempted the test for the third time.

For more information about the training requirements and the practical and theoretical tests in emergency vehicle driving, reference is made to the regulations relating to training, testing and competence in driving emergency vehicles (the emergency vehicle regulations – in Norwegian only).

Increasing globalisation of the labour market and rapid social changes make it increasingly more important to have international professional experience, language and cultural knowledge. Internationalisation contributes to raising 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 and acquiring new perspectives.

The programme’s focus on multicultural and global issues prepares the students for professional work in a multicultural society. International specialist literature is used extensively in the programme, which gives students access to English specialist terminology and relevant knowledge about current international trends.

Internationalisation takes place through activities on the home campus and through exchange programmes between students and staff at OsloMet and foreign educational institutions.

OsloMet has exchange agreements in place with universities and university colleges in Europe. Exchanges may be relevant:

• in the fourth semester, in connection with the course PMED2110 Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Communication (20 credits).
• in the sixth semester, in connection with the course PMEDPRA30 Clinical Studies C, Placement in the Ambulance Service (10 credits) and PMED3900 Bachelor’s Thesis (15 credits).

Students can only go on an exchange if the partner institution offers courses in subject areas corresponding to those covered at OsloMet in the semester the exchange applies to.

The institution will also receive students from foreign educational institutions in the spring semester. Incoming students may for example take the following course combinations:

• PMED3010 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 2 (15 credits) and PMED3900 Bachelor Thesis (15 credits)
• PMED1410 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 1 (25 credits)

It may also be relevant to offer these courses in combination with courses related to other study programmes at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Nordplus has also established cooperation through the Nordparamedics network, in which student exchanges of up to two weeks are possible in the sixth semester. Reference is otherwise made to the criteria that apply to student exchanges and the information about stays abroad.

The courses PMED1410 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 1 and PMED3010 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 2 will normally be taught in English. Other courses may also be offered in English for international students as needed. The students can decide whether to write their bachelor’s thesis in English or Norwegian. Students who go on exchanges must write their thesis in English if the exchange is in a country outside Scandinavia.

Coursework requirements are all types of work, tests and compulsory attendance that are conditions for being allowed to take an exam. Required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. Please see the course descriptions for more information about the coursework requirements that apply to each course.

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 health and technology issues

The programme mainly has coursework requirements in the form of compulsory attendance, various compulsory activities and written assignments.

Attendance and compulsory activities

Compulsory attendance or compulsory activities may be required in areas where students cannot acquire knowledge and skills simply by studying literature.

If a student exceeds the maximum limit for absence or fails to attend compulsory activities, the lecturer must assess whether and, if so, how, the student can compensate for the absence through e.g. an individual presentation or other written work. Absence that cannot be compensated for may lead to delayed progress in the programme.

Written assignments

Several courses have compulsory written assignments or reports as part of their coursework requirements. Written 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. An assignment that is not approved the third time it is submitted may lead to delayed progress in the programme.