Interdisciplinary Advanced Programme in Mental Health and Addiction - Part Time Programme description

For your information:The name of the program is Advanced Programme in Mental Health Care up to and including the class of 2022.

Mental Health Care is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary advanced programme. As a field of work, mental health care is intended to serve patients / users, relatives, the local community and society. The programme’s focus is to promote mental health as well as, prevent mental illness and alleviate suffering in individuals, families, and groups. The programme shall enable the student to understand and contribute to changing conditions that underlie mental illness, including stigma processes and social exclusion.

The programme sees the human being as relationally dependent, and the relationship as a basis for working with care, improvement, recovery and relief of suffering. The student will learn to create arenas together with the patient / user where they can collaborate to alleviate mental illness, improve their ability to live and increase their life development. Emphasis is placed on developing relationship and care competence where attitudes and actions are based on user participation, experience-based knowledge, and research-based knowledge. Based on a holistic view of man, the study will provide knowledge about man's biological, mental, social, cultural, and existential dimensions related to mental health, ill health and mental illness.

Understanding and knowledge that the human being encounters challenges throughout his or her life that can hinder or promote health and life development are central to the programme. Human individuality and inviolability are the starting point for all relief work, and this is reflected in the study's emphasis on concepts such as relationship, trust, care, and respect. The concepts have both a knowledge and an attitude side and the student is expected to integrate knowledge and attitudes with research on mental health care. The program strives for a common academic and scientific understanding framework to provide opportunities for interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The aim is to provide professionals with an opportunity to integrate professional and personal experiences from both academic degrees and fit them into a theoretical and practical framework of understanding. The programme therefore combines a high theoretical level with a practice-based approach wherein critical and ethical thinking are central.

Further studies and working life

The programme qualifies students for a range of positions within mental health care in various sectors of society. The advanced programme corresponds to the twofirst year of the Master’s Degree Pprogramme in Mental Health Sciences with specialisation in Mental Health Care at OsloMetHiOA and can be recognised as part of this master's programme.

Facts about the study

The Advanced Programme in Mental Health Care is based on the national curriculum for further education in mental health care and the pertaining national curriculum regulations https://www.regjeringen.no/globalassets/upload/kilde/kd/pla/2006/0002/ddd/pdfv/269395-rammeplan_for_psykisk_helsearbeid_05.pdf, adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research on 1 December 2005.

The programme is offered as a full-time programme over one year and a part-time programme over two years. The study programme has a total scope of 60 credits (ECTS).

The programme is aimed at health care and social workers who wish to specialise in the field of mental health care.

The work and teaching methods used in the programme are based on a sociocultural perspective on learning. This means that the student participates in and contributes to a learning community where fellow students, lecturers and others are important to his/her learning. The goal of the work methods is to encourage independence, fresh thinking, own activity and reflection. Feedback, formative (continuous) assessment and supervision will be the learning community¿s key activities to advance learning. Learning is considered a process that involves the whole person and is manifested through the change in the person learning.

Study methods that promote evidence-based practice are used throughout the programme in that the student integrates knowledge from research and experience and patient knowledge.

The programme emphasises student-active methods intended to encourage the students to actively seek relevant and reliable sources of knowledge. The process will alternate between individual work and interaction with fellow students and others in group work, seminars, simulations and practical training.

Lectures

Lectures are primarily used to introduce new subject matter, give an overview and highlight main elements and links between different topics, and also to communicate relevant issues. The lectures in the three common courses for several of our advanced nursing programmes will be held as joint lectures, but joint lectures will also be used in other courses. Most lectures are held in a Scandinavian language, but they can also take place in English.

Group work

Group work, is used as a teaching method to encourage cooperation between students, support the learning of subject matter and provide training in cooperation and interaction skills, which are necessary skills in professional practice.

Seminars

Seminars, are held in which students present assignments they have been working on and receive oral feedback from their fellow students and lecturers. The purpose of the seminars is to stimulate each other¿s learning process, clarify students' own understanding of the subject and develop cooperation skills. The students are given the opportunity to practise their academic formulation skills, and academic discussions between students and lecturers are facilitated.

Teaching/providing guidance to patients and/or fellow students

During the programme, preferably in the third semester, the student will conduct a teaching session for fellow students/colleagues or provide guidance to a patient, for example delivering preoperative information.

Self-studyNot all topics are covered by organised teaching activities, and students are expected to acquire knowledge of the remaining topics through self-study. Students come to this programme with different preconditions for learning, and self-study enables them to prioritise topics and areas they want to focus on. Self-study also helps to encourage independent activity and reflection.

Simulation

Simulation, which is compulsory attendance, is used to practise procedures and become familiar with equipment and machines. Simulation is also used to gain teamwork experience and skills in relation to rarely occurring and life-threatening situations, particularly complex situations that require prompt and appropriate action. Simulator training allows students to pause in situations that require reflection in action. After having had the chance to reflect on their own actions, students can repeat the situation in order to become better prepared to act.

Practical trainingPractical training, which is compulsory attendance, is an important work method in the programme. See a more detailed description in the chapter on practical training.

OsloMet ¿ Oslo Metropolitan University has established cooperation with universities and university colleges in and outside Europe, and is a member of different academic networks. Students can apply to take parts of the programme abroad, preferably at institutions that OsloMet cooperates with. Students who wish to go on exchanges at other institutions will have to organise the exchange themselves and obtain the university's approval.

It is primarily the practical training courses in the second and third semesters that are suitable for exchanges. Only students who have passed all their exams so far in the programme and are not at risk of failing a practical training assessment can take these courses abroad. Written submissions beyond this, presence and academic strength will also be part of the assessment for the student that the student can travel on exchange.

The programme uses guest lecturers from foreign partner institutions, and the programme's own lecturers gain knowledge and experience through exchanges with the same institutions.

Required coursework is all types of work and tests that are conditions for being permitted to take the exam. In this programme, the required coursework comprises:

• written assignments
• documentation of literature selected by the student
• teaching/providing guidance to patients and/or fellow students
• specification of learning outcomes for clinical courses

The main purpose of coursework requirements is to promote the students¿ progress and academic development in the programme, stimulate students to seek out and acquire new knowledge, and facilitate cooperation and communication in relation to professional issues.

FeedbackThe students receive written and/or verbal feedback from the lecturer and/or fellow students on their written assignments based on the criteria of relevance, theoretical knowledge, in-depth study, ethical reflection, independence and how the assignment is presented (see Assessment of written work in the Assessment chapter of the programme description).

ApprovalRequired coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. Required coursework that is not approved must be improved before re-submission. If the work is not approved on re-submission, the student cannot take the ordinary exam. Students are entitled to a third attempt before the resit/rescheduled exam. If the third attempt at a coursework requirement is not approved, the student cannot take the resit/rescheduled exam and will have to wait until the ordinary exam for the following year. The student will then be entitled to three new attempts with the new class.

Students will encounter different forms of assessment during the programme. The forms of assessment are intended to ensure a continuous process towards a twofold objective: to promote learning and document the competence achieved by the students as sufficient in relation to the applicable learning outcomes. By giving the student qualified and frequent feedback in relation to both processes and products, the information about the competence achieved can motivate the student¿s further efforts and show whether the forms of learning should be adjusted.

Each course concludes with a summative assessment. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course, and what is assessed is whether the student has achieved the stipulated learning outcomes.

The assessments are carried out in accordance with 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.

AssessmentThe grades used are pass/fail or a grade scale with letter grades from A to F, where A is the highest grade, E is the lowest pass grade and F is a fail. In connection with group exams, all students in the group are awarded the same grade.

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.

Appeals against grades

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. In connection with a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidate(s) who submitted the appeal. The other students will keep their original grade.

Assessment of written work

Written work, such as the required coursework and exam papers for AABIO6100 and ANEST6100 is assessed on the basis of the criteria of relevance, theoretical knowledge, in-depth study, ethical reflection, independence and how the work is presented.

Relevance:                                     

The work must have a frame of reference that is relevant to the discipline and show that the student has applied theoretical and practical knowledge of relevance to the issue at hand. It must be linked to the nurse anaesthetist's functions and areas of responsibility.

Theoretical knowledge:           

The work must demonstrate knowledge in the independent and delegated functions of the nurse anaesthetist nurse (medicine). It must contain relevant documentation from the course literature and other relevant literature and research.

In-depth study:                            

The student must elaborate on and discuss different factors that have an effect on the issue at hand and discuss how the knowledge produced can be applied in a clinical setting. Experience from practical work and literature should be used as a basis for discussing the assignment. The work must answer the issue in question.

Ethical reflection:                        

Ethical factors relating to the issue must be discussed.

Independence:                             

The work must demonstrate independent assessment, and its content must be objective, critical and analytical with discussions of positions and claims.

How the work is presented:  

The assignment must be well-organised with good written presentation, clear and unambiguous language with use of specialised terminology, and adhere to the prescribed structure and form.

Students are only entitled to feedback if their work is completed within the deadline stipulated.

Assessment of practical training

Students are subject to formativeassessment (continuous assessment) on a continuous basis throughout all the practical training courses. The assessment is intended to provide advice and guidance by determining progress, helping to improve strengths and drawing attention to areas the student needs to continue to work on. It should take account of the student's preconditions for learning, framework conditions at the practical training establishment, the learning outcomes in the course, the student¿s specification of the learning outcomes and the content of the supervision.

Both the student and the practical training supervisor shall prepare written assessments for each clinical course: 

• The practical training supervisor must submit written assessments of the student from days or periods of supervision.

Students are expected to show progress through the practical training courses. The student is expected to demonstrate clear progress, take responsibility and, to an increasing extent, demonstrate the ability to make independent analyses and assessments in nurse anaesthesia practice. The requirement for an increasing degree of independence is expressed in the learning outcomes through the use of the expressions ¿under supervision¿, ¿with some supervision¿ and ¿independently¿. The progress in the student¿s learning is also manifested in the expectation that students should master an increasing number of areas in nurse anaesthesia. On completion of the final practical training course, Clinical Studies in nurse anaesthesia, Level 3, the student is expected to have achieved nurse anaesthesia action competence.

The summative assessment (product assessment) takes place at the end of each practical training course. The assessments are based on the learning outcomes for the course, the student's specification of the learning outcomes and the formative assessment made of the student during the course. The purpose of these assessments is to:

• check that the student has achieved the learning outcomes for the course
• discuss the possibilities and limitations that the student has encountered at the practical training establishment
• clarify strengths and weaknesses and the changes that have to be made in order for the student to achieve the learning outcomes when a student has failed the course

The lecturer plans the assessments together with the practical training supervisor. The student writes his/her own assessment based on the programme¿s assessment form. This assessment, together with the assessments from the lecturer and the practical training supervisor, forms the basis for the decision on whether or not the student has passed the clinical course. Students who fail a period of practical training must retake the whole training period.

External programme supervisor

An external programme supervisor scheme exists for the programme. The duties of the external programme supervisor are to:

• supervise the standard of the results in the programme compared with the standard of the results in comparative programmes
• assess the connections between the programme description's learning outcomes, teaching and types of assessment
• give the academic environments/faculties feedback and advice that can be used in the ongoing work on programme quality.

The reading list totals approx. 6,000 pages, of which approx. 1,000 pages are chosen by the student. The syllabus selected by the students should be related to the in-depth assignment and the written assignments that make up the required coursework (1,000 pages).

OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University has a considerable number of agreements on teacher and student exchanges with educational institutions in and outside Europe. The programme is represented in international networks. In some courses, the students will attend lectures given by foreign guest speakers.

Internationalisation takes place both through activities on campus in Norway and through periods of study at institutions abroad. Students can apply to take the clinical training abroad. It is preferable that students do this at institutions that OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University cooperates with.

The programme's focus on multicultural and global challenges is a contribution to internationalisation. Literature in the English language and international research is part of the programme's syllabus.

Required coursework is all types of work and tests that are conditions for being permitted to take the exam. Coursework requirements in this programme are written assignments, oral presentations, compulsory attendance, supervision etc. Required coursework is carried out individually or in groups.

Coursework requirements are set in order to promote the student's progress and development, and to ensure his/her participation where needed in order to acquire the intended learning outcomes. Coursework requirements are intended to contribute to in-depth knowledge and integration of the various knowledge areas and help the students to reflect on their own relational skills. Coursework requirements are also meant to encourage students to seek out and acquire new knowledge.

Compulsory attendance

Attendance is compulsory, unless the student can acquire the same knowledge and skills through self-study. This means that it is compulsory to attend at least 80% of the seminars, study groups and  supervision groups. For attendance during the clinical training, please refer to the chapter on clinical training.

If a student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, study group supervisor and person responsible for the course will consider whether it is possible to compensate for absence by meeting alternative requirements, for instance individual oral or written assignments. If it is not possible to compensate for absence, the student loses the right to take the exam and must re-take the course the following year. Whether or not it is possible to compensate for absence depends on the extent of the student's absence and which activities he/she has missed. It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of his/her own attendance.

Approval of written coursework requirments

The required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. The students have two attempts at the written coursework requirements, with the option of applying to the person responsible for the course for a third attempt. Required coursework that is not approved must be improved and approved before the student can take the exam. Required coursework that is not approved might cause the student to fall behind in the programme.

The rules concerning cheating in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University, and the Guidelines for handling Cheating/Attempts at Cheating at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University also apply to coursework requirements.

The assessments are carried out in accordance with the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations, and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at the University. For assessment during the clinical training, please refer to the chapter on clinical training.

Assessment

The grading system in use is pass/fail or a grade scale with letter grades from A to F, where A is the highest grade, E is the poorest pass grade and F is a fail. In connection with group exams, all students in the group are awarded the same grade.

Resit and 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.

Appeals against grades

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. In connection with a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidate(s) who submitted the appeal. The other students will keep their original grade.

The title of the in-depth paper will be included in the transcript of the grades.

External programme supervisor

An external programme supervisor scheme exists for the programme. Over a two-year period, the external programme supervisor will carry out the following supervision of the programme:

• evaluate exam assignments and assessment criteria for grading in each selected course
• assess the connections between the programme description's learning outcome descriptions, teaching arrangements and types of assessment
• give the academic environment feedback and advice that can be used in the ongoing work on quality of education

The external supervisor will write an annual report on their work that will be included in the department's part of the university's quality assurance system.

Programme description approved by the Academic Affairs Committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences: 31 May 2017

Last amended by the Vice-Dean on 26 November 2020

The Faculty of Health Sciences